Restore Sport and Remedial Massage Shropshire...

Check out this article on Runners world

2012-01-04T02:57:00.000-08:00

Does Massage work? See the discussion on runners world...

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beating-injury/massage-qa-does-it-work/7241.html

Professional feedback from the UK's leading Sport & Remedial Massage Therapy Authority

2010-12-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

This week I was delighted to receive some very positive feedback from my peer and mentor Mel Cash. Mel is the founder and owner of the London School of Sports Massage and The Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage and Author of many core texts on the subject. Mel is currently on his annual visit to the Seeing Hands Clinic in Pokhara and sent me this report:

Hi Paul

What a fantastic job you did teaching here. I had a treatment from Shanti and Sarswati and it was fantastic. I kept forgetting how tiny they are when they applied such great pressure. I am really impressed (and I rarely say that!).

We all say hello

Mel

Check out the new Kathmandu based seeing hands Nepal clinic...

2010-11-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

... On the seeing Hands Blog:

http://www.seeinghands.blogspot.com/

Publicity increasing....

2010-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

This recent news paper article, although sadly very cut down from its original size, will hopefully bring in more donations and at the very least raise awareness of this charity...

The donations have in-fact been slowly coming in and fundraising is going reasonable well... Thank you to all those who have donated so far.

Seeing Hands Nepal Photo Album

2010-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

All the images from the classroom now online... Click here

FUNDRAISING

2010-10-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Fundraising is now underway for the next teaching trip to Nepal.

In the one month that I spent with the students they came on leaps and bounds and it was a shame to have to leave them just as we started to get into it!

It is my intention to return to Nepal no later than March 2011 to continue teaching the same students. They don’t have a set course length, they qualify when they are good enough and I want to get back there as soon as I can to provide some consistency in their training and keep them up to a high standard.

I am therefore imploring all those who are interested in this project to contact me on 07517 431 223 to make a donation so that I might get back out there. Thank You.

End of the line....

2010-09-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

So the final two days was a desperate attempt to remind the students of all the skills they have been taught over the last month plus the addition of another couple of techniques for good measure. They are now capable of performing some extremely effective massage for a wide range of muscles but as yet have learned very little concerning pathology. They know in theory what tissue dysfunctions they may encounter during a massage treatment and what they can do to help, but will require much more training before they are fully capable of identifying these dysfunctions in a living person!

Additionally, they have a basic grasp of the basic human physiology that I have taught but will require constant testing on these subjects to ensure they do not forget. Some days they know the answers, some days they don't, but I am confident that the seeds are at least planted in fertile soil and they all have maximum potential.

When I first met the students, Bahini (Sarswatti) was the mother figure, bossing the others around with the best English and quite beautifully looking after the others students' needs. As time has gone on she has learned well and laughed allot and can perform an excellent massage. 80% of the time she will answer the theory questions correctly with occasional subtle prompts or reminders. In her practical she would often become frustrated when she couldn't perform a technique perfectly. Although she needs to practice, the frustration is mostly unwarranted. She does just fine.

(Above - Bahini performing Mel Cash's favorite technique, the scapula lift!!)

Shanti was the most un-confident and nervous. If she knew the answers to theory questions she certainly couldn't communicate them due to nerves and the language barrier. In just one month her confidence has hugely improved and her practical massage skill have emerged to be not only good, but possible the most naturally talented massage therapist I've ever encountered. I really hope she doesn't fall into the teacher trap because she will be an exceptionally successful therapist in future. As her confidence improved so did her theory answers, but more work and encouragement is needed. Being silly with her, using silly words and noises that made her laugh really helped in opening her up I think. Her confidence was further demonstrated when after completing my final farewell to the students yesterday, she was the only one who made a special effort to come over to me and wish me a safe journey home. Approaching me was something she definitely she wouldn't have done when I first met her.

(Above: Shanti's further improved headstand! amazing!)

(Above - teaching Hari.)

The girls also have never come into physical contact with a man before, let alone a western white man!! When they first discovered that I have hair on my arms (moderate by our standards!) it was a big scary moment for Bahini! But by the end of our month together they had both performed massage on a man in comfort. However to receive massage from a man is still not acceptable, but that's fine as when qualified they will never have to treat any men. Women only treat women in the Seeing Hands Clinics.

Hari has had his ups and downs and struggles terribly with a very low IQ! A fact that he is totally aware of and therefore it can be worked with if enough patience is available! Previous teachers felt that actually there is alot of intelligence in Hari, and there may be in a way, but future teachers should be mindful of the fact that he has very good rote learning skills but often very little real understanding. However even Hari's massage and Yoga skills have improved vastly over the course of the month, more acutely in the last two days, and with reminders and re-reminders he should be able to maintain what he has learned until it becomes ingrained and more importantly, thoroughly understood. Having the girls teach him turned out to be a fantastic option, as he picks things up better that way and the girls also get the benefit. We retain much more when we teach and Shanti was so good at it that she may be in line for a teaching assistants job one day! Hari actually has a very good natural pressure when he eventually gets the stroke right and will likely make a very good therapist one day but watch that concentration...!

With these students it is always a risk that they will not pursue their massage career in favour of teaching in schools, as this job provides a pension. However working for Seeing Hands they earn a much better wage and work in some of the best conditions they could hope for. A Seeing Hands therapist is a really top job to have here, especially for the blind.

The qualified therapists have been a fantastic help with translations and body donations! We spent some time together going over more advanced techniques and they also have been a pleasure to teach. A refreshing change to occasionally teach someone who understands the concepts you are describing.

Overall work here has been fairly intensive if slow paced. Although the students don't start until 1400 I would be in the clinic from most mornings making preparations, revising yoga sequences and lesson planning or teaching the therapists. It was hugely rewarding to work with them all.

The Nepalis are such nice people anyway that to be in close contact with them, wrapped up in their education and progression is a very privileged place to be. As a bonus, staying here you also become part of the local community. A community comprised of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians living together in total acceptance. I have made some great friends here and the ten minute walk to and from work would involve greeting and sharing drinks with a number of different people! I've even narrowly escaped marriage (although I may be tempted!!). In the words of Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Last night I had the best Dhall-Bhaat ever in Kuls home, cooked and served by his daughter. The rice here is the best in the world. Its a long shot from the rice we're used to in Europe. It tastes amazing. Unfortunately the Nepalese cant export it to any other country due to dodgy trade deals! And their Honey is also the best in world, collected from mountain cliffs by little Nepali men abseiling down to the hanging wild bees nests! Its so good that they CHOOSE not to export it because its too valuable!

With regard to the students - You can feel the attachment's slowly building up, and the desire to dedicate yourself to their service and betterment is ever present. However, to work is our privilege, never the fruits thereof. I have taught only what I know and there are no guarantees that they will remember those lessons, or me, or make a successful career of Sport & Remedial Massage however strongly we feel that they should, seeing as its such a great and lucrative job for them.

(Above - final group photo: Top L-R: Gavinda, Sue, Samrat, Hari, Kul. Bottom L-R: Lalu -also Known as Swastika - a word with a totally opposite meaning to the one we're familiar with in europe, Sarswatti, also known as bahini, Shanti, Sita and me).

(Above - Kul, project manager among other many useful roles!)

I have done the job I came here to do to the best of my ability and I now hand the students over to their next teacher with all the wishes for their success as I can muster...

Signing off...

...back in March ; - )

Partner Yoga, discipline and motorcycle/boat adventures

2010-09-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

The students have been making exceptional progress so far this week with a bit of a shaky start. The running theme with teaching these students is the problem with retention of theory and the language barrier. Trying to ascertain their level of understanding is a daily task. They will often reply 'yes' when asked if they understand and it has taken some time to make them realise that it is better to tell me if they don't understand something. I have stopped teaching new theory and everything we do now is based on revision of the topics so far covered. They actually know alot more than they realise but sometimes lack the confidence to answer.

Shanti was exceptionally quite but has slowly gained confidence, although when asked a question she will more often than not clam up. Her English is the worst and a major contributing factor to her lack of confidence. Her Practical skills however are second to none and I often employ her to teach the others in Nepali during practical sessions. She is going to be an exceptional therapist. The confidence she lacks in theory is ten fold in practical.

In fact this week has seen some amazing changes occurring in the students. The girls both display excellent practical skills and Sarswati has fairly good theory understanding too. They have put in considerable effort this week and learned (and retained) some really good techniques, including some slightly more technical stuff.

Hari however is a major effort. He comes from the most hard up background, His father is a subsistence farmer so does not generate his own income. Hari says his parents sometimes give him food but cannot give him any money. Last year one of his sisters died (kidney disease) and his two brothers are also blind. One of them is deaf as well and as the youngest in the family, Hari is the only one capable of generating an income to help support them.

He has good recall of some theory but little understanding. He basically will just repeat a paragraph or standard answer he has learned. For example, he could tell you 7x8 is 56 but not that 8x7 is 56! When it comes to testing the students' understanding it is useful to ask the same question in a different way. When they cant understand that it is exactly the same answer, even when it is explained in detail, it reveals a lack of understanding. True or false questions and trick statements are also useful for this.

Hari is an exceptionally slow learner and often can not comprehend the simplest of commands such as straighten your leg! His body is like a brick wall, completely rigid with no dynamic movement capability. to touch his arm or leg is like feeling someone who is chronically swollen up. His muscles are entirely hard and resistant. This makes him a tough one to train on the practical side in addition to his inability to follow simple instructions. When performing massage he needs to be watched every step of the way. He can be repeatedly manually guided through full massage strokes but then do something completely different as soon as you let go. This ultimately means that it takes alot of time, energy and frustration to teach him.

To top it all, instructions and commands directed towards him often need to be repeated 7 or 8 times before they will be registered. It often feels that he is not listening and the occasional laughter or rant to himself in Nepali can make it feel that he is not taking the course seriously enough. He has complained of being 'bored' only a f30min into a 1hr massage practical. As courses in Nepal go this is an easy number. These students are paid to learn and can sometimes take it for granted. This week they have all been reminded by the powers that be that they have got to work very hard and take the course very seriously and I feel that they have all taken this on board and adjusted their approach accordingly.

However, I have no doubt that with time Hari will qualify. In fact the last two days he has improved slightly and even if it takes 2 years until he's ready, he will get there eventually.

Below are some pics of our latest yoga exploits including Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) for the hot days and partner Yoga. This method was useful as I mixed up the groups abilities so that the better students could guide the less proficient... in fact they had no choice seeing as they were attached to each other

In my own time; I went for a brief boat trip on Lake Fewa this morning, exploring the wildlife of the far banks. Extremely peaceful and relaxing in my big old rowing boat.

Last Saturday I took a road motorbike out into the foothills of the Himalayas for a day. Turned into a fantastic adventure, riding off road again through the absolute middle of nowhere, passing small mountain villages, festival celebrations and eventually a stunning view out over Pokhara. Even got into a sticky situation with an unexpected clay pit... Half sunk but managed to get the bike out in the end and power onwards. At one point, whilst following a track so difficult that I was struggling to stay on the bike myself, I came across a mother and her offspring transporting their harvest. Immediately the 6 or 7 year old girl picked up her 3 or 4 year old brother and plonked him on my petrol tank. He assumed the riding position with hands on handlebars while she clambered onto the pillion seat and clamped herself onto me with little monkey hands. The mother was perfectly happy to watch me ride off up the track. We continued up some very tricky ground in this manner for about the next mile to the sound of fits of giggles from the little girl! Eventually we got to their house where they jumped off and waved me goodbye with beaming smiles! surreal!

Sadly, Just two days of teaching left...

Muscle models, monastery's and headstands!

2010-09-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

So After their little telling off for lateness last week a couple of days of sulking ensued but soon passed. We're now back into the swing of things despite various people, both students and therapists being absent due to common colds which seem to be all over the place at the moment.

We have started to ease off the theory work and now revise the topics that we have already covered. The ground work has been laid but things sink in slowly here. We have placed alot more emphasis on practical work of late which includes the use of some cunning models I devised to demonstrate the muscle dysfunctions they are likely to encounter while performing massage. However, teaching them how to recognise different types of tissue dysfunction requires first teaching them the structure of the muscle tissue down to the microscopic level!

So I started by creating a comprehensive model of a muscle out of straws and cling film (hard to come by here!) that even included all the connective tissues that separate each layer... it even had a tendon.

I gave this model to the students to dissect and it worked a treat. they now have an excellent understanding of muscle anatomy and I was able to move on to tissue dysfunction in the days following. Below is the dissection in process:

I used models for this also, showing healthy fibres, adhered fibres and scar tissue. While they palpated the models I explained how each dysfunction may form and present within a muscle and how they may be treated.

Below: Adhesion's on the left with the straws built up to represent the glued up muscle fibres. To the right are normal healthy fibres.

Below is scar tissue forming across fibres:
The students palpate and learn...

...and below: a typical revision day using all the joint models and George the skeleton!

Further useful exercises of late have included the use of a sheet of cling film stretched over a bench to represent the superficial fascia, a layer of connective tissue that sits like a second skin under our outer layers of skin and envelopes our muscles. This fascia is continuous and can often restrict our movement when there is dysfunction present. Such dysfunctions can often be felt by gently moving the skin and fascia with our hands even if they are in a seemingly unrelated area. This provides an indication as to where the problem may be.
To replicate this kind of sensitive palpation I placed a small stone somewhere on the sheet of cling film and had them palpate with their right hand and point to the problem with their left hand. Nearly all of them got it bang on and in the next practical session the technique was used with excellent results!

The use of a stretchy band to revise origins, insertions and actions of specific muscle has also been very useful.

And to add to the fun Yoga has progressed all the way to blind headstands!! unfortunately i cant turn the picture around in Blogger!

With a recent change in weather and a significant increase in temperature yoga has been very gentle the last couple of days. The bonus of the hot weather however is the brief lifting of the cloud that otherwise permanently shrouds the Himalayas at about 5am to 7am. Managed to grab some pictures in that window before they covered up and disappeared for the rest of the day despite the clear skies above Pokhara.

Also managed to make it to a slightly more impressive Buddhist monastery complete with prayer chants! It was an awesome sound and the most incredible hand painted building.

Food, frustration and a bit of vocab!

2010-09-03T04:12:00.000-07:00

The last few days have seen some fairly intensive work and some fairly hard lessons for the students. There seems to be a common cold floating around here, and unfortunately one or two of the therapists have had to leave early or stay at home. We had a brief visit from our forth student Ramji who had been sick in hospital. He seems to be the brightest and I felt he would have little trouble catching up. But unfortunately his Farther died suddenly and he will now be away for 13 days and I am wondering how easy it will be for him to catch up this lost time. He may have to qualify a little later.

The students are coming along reasonably well and have managed to retain some information. Their massage skills are excellent on the basic level. I am reasonably happy with their postures when working but they do require occasional reminding or pointing out that they are over-reaching or stressing their backs excessively. It also seems to be a running theme that they will often tend to follow the same path up and down the muscle over and over again.

The main method of education in Nepal is rope learning. That is to say that they will simply listen and repeat. Memorise a paragraph or a sequence and repeat it back to you. This definitely comes across in this repetitive form of stroke that presents itself when they are not fully concentrating.

I am trying to encourage them to actually feel what is going on under their fingers, what the muscle feels like rather than following a repetitive pattern. Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy is not about following patterns and sequences, ten of this stroke then change to ten of the other stroke etc... It should be more about feeling what areas need more work, what areas feel ok... covering the whole leg but placing emphasis on congested or painful areas, dysfunctional areas where the work will be really beneficial and a noticeable improvement felt afterwards. It is also about performing your massage until you feel that there is a noticeable change in the level of tissue compliance, until you feel that the muscles have responded positively.

I think this will improve once they understand fully the structure of muscle tissue and how various types of dysfunction may present to the therapists sense of touch..

Thus far we have covered full leg massage front and back whilst at the same time attempting to learn the anatomy of these areas in our theory class. Unfortunately they simply don't comprehend the concept of leavers yet and the fact that for a joint to move the relevant muscle has to insert above and below that joint. However they are also struggling with their English so this is probably 50% of the problem. Some times when you ask a question they may know the answer but cant always vocalise it. We have covered client positioning on the bench, making sure that they are not having to over reach to get to the area they are working on while at the same time making it as easy for them as possible. We have also covered the use of various 'tools' including, knuckles, fists, forearms and elbows.

Frustratingly it seems that they are not retaining as much information as I hoped as when they are tested on subjects taught only the previous day sometimes nothing seems to have been remembered. Some really basic questions can not be answered. I think this again comes down to the language barrier to a certain extent but I have also emphasised the importance of reading their notes when they get home after class to ensure understanding. I think some of the qualified therapists will help them with their English now. I also noticed that all their notes are kept floating around in plastic bags. When they can not answer a basic question I will sometimes ask them to look it up in the previous days notes. This can take a while as they search through endless sheets of paper loose in their bag. So the other day I provided them with two folders each, one for Systems and one for Muscles and had them braille write labels which i cut out and stuck on the front in an attempt to help them stay organised.

There has also been fairly consistent issues with lateness so unfortunately today I have had to be a bit hard with them and lecture them on the importance of professionalism. They arrived 15 minutes late today after asking me if they could rearrange today's class to start at 10am instead of 1pm and the regular excuse that the bus was damaged, although feasible in this country, has been used often enough to make it a little unconvincing today! I emphasised that if I was a paying client this would be totally unacceptable, especially bearing in mind that they need 15 minutes to get changed into their work uniforms. So from now on they have been told that they must arrive in plenty of time to get changed and be ready for the start time rather than arrive on the start time or later. They are being paid for their training so must understand that even at this stage they have got to act like the professionals that they will eventually qualify as. So today was a bit of a sulky day sadly.

On the other hand we had a good Yoga session today which included some fairly tough balances to help improve body awareness... highly amusing to watch!

I was treated to Chat-Pat for lunch with my students the other day. A noodle snack that was cooked on the back of a bicycle that was parked in the gutter by the side of the road. It was just amazing, highly spiced and fantastic considering it was mixed in just a couple of minutes in a plastic cup. Hygiene however was questionable to say the least but I am happy to take the occasional risk in the name of adventure, and I have been absolutely fine up to now so that's good. I trust my students to know how to avoid sickness themselves so follow their lead... occasionally... not too often!!

And below is the famous Dal-Baht. My standard dinner most nights. Top left is stir-fried buffalo pieces, top right is the lentil soup that you poor onto your rice. the top left of the main tray is a weed that grows in the back garden! very bitter, like very strong cabbage but very nice. A poppadom type thing, Veg curry in the middle and a hot sauce with veg on the right, a bit like Tabasco I think. Its supposed to be a perfect balance of flavours for balanced health apparently, and every women in Nepal knows how to make Dal-Baht!

And after finishing I start my lessons for the day - Nepali Vocab with my teacher Chandra...

As there was a slight change in shift pattern today I was able to take a motorbike out to the local Buddhist monastery to have a look around this afternoon. It was a fairly desolate place. More interesting was the ride around Lake Fewa, away from Lakeside (the main tourist area where I live) into more countryside and rough roads. I've now had my first taste of adventure motorcycling. On my enduro bike I have dropped into jagged valley's and navigated out the other side, negotiated extremely rough, loose ground as the roads deteriorate and ridden blind in heavy monsoon rain... not to mention finding my way through the Pokhara city traffic where there are no rules of the road! But as long as you are happy to squeeze through the gap when two buses are battling with each other for pole position as they approach you from the other direction on a very narrow road, then that's just fine. Surely enduro bikes were made for this purpose? You simply mount what might otherwise pass as the 'pavement', dodge the Cows, dogs and, oh yes, the people and rejoin the road at the next convenient gap in the traffic. Simple! I look forward to more of that, seems to be the best way to get around and see more....

Assuming my students don't revolt against me based on today's disciplinary action there will be more to follow soon. Stay tuned... !

Braille writing!

2010-08-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

So when my students said to me something along the lines of "we write" I could only assume they meant that they would like to use their Braille text books to follow the subject that I was teaching them. After much confusion and my ignorant inability to comprehend that they could actually write I called in one of the qualified therapists to translate. His translation being "they write"!!

So bemused I agreed and just waited to see what they would do. Sarswati, otherwise known as bahini (little sister, as apparently I am her big brother!) has partial sight so she brought out her note pad and with her nose to the paper and pen in hand was ready for me to dictate.

Shanti and Hari brought out plastic grids in which they inserted a piece of A4 card, and a small Punch that fitted into their palms quite ergonomically. With all poised and ready I began to dictate VERY slowly. Bahini, writing whilst dragging her nose across the paper scrolled down my dictations in English in large scruffy letters.

The moment I started talking there was a burst of tapping from Shanti and Hari and I witnessed probably the single most impressive thing ever. They were Braille writing by punching holes into their card, writing each word within each tiny square of the grid. Now obviously Braille involves running your fingers over raised bumps on your paper to read words. But these guys were punching holes. therefore, not only are they writing in Braille at the speed of light, they are also
writing backwards from right to left and reversed I assume so that when they take their card out of the grid and turn it over it reads normally from left to right. Effectively they are mirror writing extremely fast in Braille. I was amazed... and felt terrible every time I made a mistake and had to correct something!!

Each day we are starting with a Yoga class which seems very popular as the qualified therapists also like to join in, before undertaking an hour or so of theory. Although we are covering basic human physiology I am also using this time to give them one or two muscles to write down and study in their own time, including Origin, Insertion, action etc... We have covered the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system at a basic level and now they are just about grasping how the two are interconnected. I test them on this everyday but I am trying to ensure a substantial amount of anatomy and practical work. This can be combined by testing them while they perform massage (e.g. what muscle are you treating now and why etc...)

Generally they are performing very well with their basic massage techniques, good posture etc... the difficulty seems to be more about trying to get them to feel and act dynamically rather than working like they are following a routine. They must be able to feel where the muscle needs more attention etc.. At the moment Hari tends to Rub rather than massage, but this will improve. Frustratingly every time you try to improve his technique if he doesn't understand your English he immediately assumes you are addressing his posture and dives into a deep lunge even if his posture was perfect before hand! It will all improve with time.
Shanti struggles with her English and I feel that she struggles to keep up with the theory but her massage is excellent.

As well as being Sarswati's big brother I have also become known as podgy! or at least this is what I thought they were saying. I would have called them all cheeky but unfortunately this means something very rude in Nepali!! In point of fact they are calling me Paulji , The 'ji' section being a term of high regard or high respect. I will try to implement this back home.

Yesterday was my day off. The plan was to take a motorbike out to the Tibetan refugee camps and the Buddhist monasteries to see the monks performing their prayers, drums, horns and all. unfortunately the monsoon came back yesterday so I took a taxi to Old Pokhara where the tourist trade doesn't really exist and its just life as normal. There are many festivals around this time and I encountered one but I am unable to figure out exactly which one it was. Interesting though. Took a walk in the countryside later and was invited into a small home where I drank the best honey and lemon herb tea with the mountain folk.

So its back to work now and when i finish into the local Dhal-baat restaurant where Chandre will serve me my all you can eat spicy dinner including Buffalo. I'm his best customer! its a place for locals and the food is excellent and safe. 90 rupees which is very cheap! later in the week my Muslim friend Shoofi (spitting image of Danny Oneil!) will take me to see his mosque during prayer time and dinner in the city. These are my two friends who I see everyday, exceptionally nice people.

NOTE: This blog automatically emails each new entry to a select number of people. Although it is great to receive your email replies please don't feel you are being rude if you don't reply to every single one. The blog is simply for the interest of all those following this project... Thanks

Images from the classroom

2010-08-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Below are a few images of school life so far. Teaching requires very slow patient speach and regular revision. Unfortunately the students were unable to attend yesterday due to University commitments that occassionally overrun (all the students currently under take BSc's at university, Seeing hands forms part of their education).

So instead I spent the day with the qualified therapists yesterday teaching them new techniques between clients.

Rob gives Samrat extra tuition on the spine...

Pre-lesson exercises. Shanti, Sarswati and Hari (left to right). Its surprisingly difficult to get them to bend their knees when working. therfore any kind of squats or lunges, particularly the standing postures used in yoga encourage them to use their legs more. The below squat is a good practice position for performing petrissage. Hari particularly has difficulty loosening up and being fluid with his bodz. he can seem a bit like a tin man, but this is improving.

Deep in lesson, using their brail books to follow my teaching on the respiratory and circulatory systems.

Hamstring stretches and post exercise relaxation. This exercise will eventually link in witrh a lesson i have planned regarding the lymphatic system.

Sita is our house keeper and general chaperone for the students and therapists. a very quite and hard working girl. for example, she is currentlz cutting the grass in the garden with a pair of hand held sheers and thats only because she has recently been bought them. She started the job with a pair of scissors!!

Lunch break - consisting of uncooked instant noodles!

Last nigh the Himalayas came out for sunset although this picture does not show them very well... theyre rather large!

Weather is now hot and sunny, maybe the end of the monsoon?

Welcome to the monsoon!

2010-08-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

It rains! But it is also very hot and fairly pleasent actually. Very noisy with various birds and insects, motorbikes and the fairly regular sounding of horns. The road ethics here are unusual to say the least. To indicate means to instruct the other drivers as to what manuvers they should make rather than indicating what you may be about to do. This how you can safely overtake on a blind bend of a mountain road!

I must say I feel completely at home and relaxed and I feel very much like I have been here before. it all seems quite natural and unoffensive to me despite the filth and poverty and sometimes shocking living conditions you may encounter and the fact that some of the traditions and laws here are extremely backwards. for Example if you should run over a cow its the death penlty for you! but if you run over a human, its not so bad!!!

However, where I am living feels like total luxury to be honest. I am in the wealthy disrict of Pokhara which is fairly clean with plenty of safe places to eat (the food is amazing!) at very little cost. Nanohana Lodge feels more like a hotel I would expect to find in the bahamas rather than in the third poorest country in the world, but then I dont have a huge experience of hotels... I would usully be sleeping in a bivi bag on the sort of trips i'm used to taking after all!

I met the students for the first time and did my first days teaching yesterday. The clinic is clean and tidy and well put together and offers an extremely professional service to the same standards that you would expect from any ISRM registered therapist in the UK. And they are busy, there are a surprising number of tourists around.
Unfortunately one student is ill in hospital so I only Met Shanti (meaning peace), Sarswati (goddess of knowledge, wisdom and the arts), and Hari yesterday. They are all really nice people and really motivated. The first thing they did was to demonstrate to me their pre-lesson exercise programme which was excecuted brilliantly with Sarswati taking the command position and instructing her fellow students. It was very impressive. I added in some basic flowing yoga postures that directlty translate to correct posture when working with a patient. These being basically Warrior 1 and 2. They managed very well and it definately translated to their treatment practice later in the day. We also did some theory concerning various systems of the body. Its very basic physiology and they are very slow to comprehend so things need to be repeated regularly and progress may be slow. But the current therapists are proof enough that they can get there and this is supposed to be a quicker group aswell so they will be fine.

I'll be off now to prepair for todays lessons. I've had my breakfast of Lassi (yoghurt drink not the dog!) and a fried egg with curried potatoes so i'm set for the day. The weather is humid and hot but no sign of rain at the moment... and no sign of the Himalayas either... I dont believe they're really there!

arrived!

2010-08-22T08:25:00.001-07:00

Arrived safely in Pokhara after a stunning bus ride through the Nepalise countryside. A brief visit to the Seeing Hands clinic to get a feel for the place and now its time for some recovery before I meet the students for the first time tomorrow. More to follow...

2010-08-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

Departure Day!

After packing in an exhausting number of last minute treatments in the run up to my departure I am now all set for two days non-stop travelling. Next blog report will be from Pokhara Nepal!

Nepal departure date closing in fast!

2010-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Patients are reminded that clinic will be closed from the 20th of August to the 20th of September while your therapist is tutoring blind students in Nepal.

During this time you are still able to book in ready for recommencement of clinic via our receptionist. Please be aware that directly before and after the Nepal project is set to be a very busy time so be sure to book in quick to secure your spot.

Preliminary Trip Details:

After a 10hour flight and a 6 hour bus ride into the Himalayas I should arrive in Pokhara on the 22nd ready to meet the students I am to tutor, and the school/clinic I am to be responsible for.

My four students, Shanti, Ramji, Sarasvati and Hari are to be trained in sports massage. A profession that will allow them to earn a good wage to help sustain themselves and their families.
In many ways this is an ideal profession for a blind person due to its tactile hands on nature and a blind persons heightened sense of touch.
When qualified the students will be able to provide valuable recovery for trekkers, climbers, tourists, local community etc...

More details to follow soon, including... What will the student be learning while I am with them, Their experiences and progression, life in Pokhara, Life for the students, Pictures etc... Stay logged in!

Blog Launch

2010-05-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

This blog has been created to help make important announcements more easily available to my patients and to allow updates to be made regarding the progress of the Seeing Hands Nepal project this August. More to follow...