James Carolan studied at the Richdales Institute based in Hammersmith Hospital and at the Bodyharmonics Centre in Cheltenham. He holds a diploma in Holistic massage, Indonesian massage, acupuncture and Tui Na. Previously a professional dancer after having trained for three years at the Arts Educational School, James has an intrinsic understanding of the effect stress can have on the body and mind and the benefits that massage therapy can bring.
I became a massage therapist because…
I originally wanted to pursue a career as a dancer after training for 3 years full time at The Arts Educational Schools, however that was cut short due to a lower back injury which required surgery.
My general interest in health, fitness, and well-being eventually lead me to shift my attention on to hands on therapies.
How I trained
Between 2005 – 2016 I attended various training courses, including ITEC Holistic massage, Tui Na Chinese Medical Massage – including for advanced sports injury massage, Indonesian Deep Tissue massage and Thai Yoga massage.
I am also trained in acupuncture and am a yoga teacher.
What has surprised me most about my profession as a practitioner?
How long people live with pain and stress before getting help.
My most momentous moment?
Finally finding my vocation in life! I say that because I spent 5 years in unfulfilling jobs looking for a new path.
My main areas of interest are…
Most of the people I work with are stressed out office workers with neck pain and discomfort. This can be accompanied with headaches, migraines, eyestrain. I’ve seen so many cases this has now become a special interest of mine developing the massage techniques from various disciplines to help my patients.
We get a lot of active patients at the clinic involved in sports/fitness activities. I spend a lot of time helping people recover faster and address areas of pain so they are either able to continue pain free or keep pain to a minimum.
A glimpse of wisdom I can offer about health/ the body
We can always find time to do something to aid our health. A few gentle stretches at the work desk, 5 minutes of seated meditation on the train to work, eating a balanced diet all add up.
Outside of work, I enjoy in life…
Watching bands, yoga, martial arts, and any good social event that gets me exposed to a wide variety of people.
What will always bring a smile to my face?
A good comedy and good food!
