Rising Crow Holistic Therapies

19/06/2026

Hey everyone,

If any of you are thinking about coming to the Bristol Yoga Festival, they’re running a 20% discount on tickets this weekend until Monday.

Use the code: ☀️ SOLSTICE20 ☀️

More info and tickets:
www.bristolyogafestival.com

Love,
Magdalena

Bristol Yoga Festival

Discover movement, breath and sound as Bristol’s openhearted yoga community comes together for a festival of experience and connection.

18/06/2026

What if your body isn’t fighting you?

What if your tight jaw, stiff neck or constantly tense shoulders aren’t signs that your body is broken… but signs that it’s been trying to protect you?

For a long time, massage was often explained as “breaking down knots” and forcing muscles to release. But our understanding of the body is evolving.

Muscle tension isn’t only about tissue. It’s also influenced by the nervous system, stress, pain, emotions, sleep and how safe or threatened the body feels.

This doesn’t mean deep pressure is always wrong. Sometimes it can be helpful. But more pressure isn’t automatically better, and pain isn’t proof that a treatment is working.

As a holistic therapist, I do work with muscles and fascia, but I also look beyond the site of tension itself. I consider the whole picture, because lasting change often happens when the body no longer feels the need to hold on so tightly.

Your body isn’t broken. It may be doing its best to protect you.

And sometimes healing isn’t about fighting tension. It’s about creating the conditions in which that tension is no longer needed.

Save this post for the days when your body feels like it’s carrying everything 🙏🏼🌹

16/06/2026

I’m always incredibly grateful when clients take the time to leave a review. Thank you for your trust and for sharing your experience. It truly means a lot.

SupportLocalBristol

13/06/2026

Did you know that jaw tension is not always just about your jaw?

A recent scientific review looked at treatments for TMJ disorders (problems affecting the jaw joint and surrounding muscles) and found something many therapists see in practice every day: the jaw, face, and neck are deeply connected.

People with jaw issues often experience things like:
• Tightness in the jaw or face
• Clicking or popping when opening the mouth
• Headaches
• Neck and shoulder tension
• Clenching or grinding, especially during stressful periods

Interestingly, the research showed that manual therapies and physiotherapy can help reduce symptoms and improve jaw function. It also highlighted that focusing on the jaw alone may not be enough. The muscles of the neck, posture, and everyday habits all play a part.

This is why, in my work, I never look at the jaw in isolation. Our bodies are wonderfully interconnected. Sometimes releasing tension in the neck, face, and surrounding tissues can make a real difference.

If you’ve ever thought, “I carry all my stress in my jaw,” you’re probably not imagining it.

If you’re interested in the research, you can read the review here:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10299279/

13/06/2026

On this 6-week course, experienced practitioners will teach you two methods of meditation: the Mindfulness of Breathing, to develop a steady and integrated state of mind, and Loving-Kindness (or metta bhavana) meditation, to cultivate positive emotion.

The course will also include practical suggestions for bringing the benefits of meditation into our everyday lives, and the opportunity to share and receive feedback on your progress, week by week.

Booking on our website (link in bio).

BRISTOL BUDDHIST CENTRE
MONDAYS 7.30 - 9.30PM
STARTS 29 JUNE

09/06/2026

Most of us think recovery means sleeping more, staying on the sofa, or taking a day off. Sure we all need that :-)

But if you’ve been running on stress for months, you feel tired even when you slow down, you might need a different kind of rest.

Here are my favourite practices:

🧘 Yoga Nidra & NSDR

Yoga Nidra and other practices often grouped under NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) help guide the brain and body into a unique state between wakefulness and sleep, where deep relaxation can occur while awareness remains present. Research has shown increased alpha and theta brainwave activity during these practices, patterns associated with relaxation, recovery and reduced mental effort.

🌿 Forest Bathing
Originally developed in Japan as Shinrin-yoku. Studies have found spending mindful time in nature can lower stress hormones and improve wellbeing. It’s not about exercise. It’s about slowing down enough to actually NOTICE where you are.

🎶 Sound Baths
Sound gives the mind something simple to rest its attention on. Many people find it easier to switch out of constant thinking when they’re immersed in sound rather than trying to “empty the mind”.

💆 PMR & Body Scan
Progressive Muscle Relaxation and body scans help you notice and release tension you may not even realise you’re carrying. Jaw, shoulders, hands, belly… stress often hides in the body.

✨ Awe
One of the most underrated forms of rest. Research shows moments of awe, whether it’s a sunset, mountains, the ocean or a starry sky, can help shift perspective and reduce mental overwhelm.

One free resource I often recommend is the Insight Timer app. It has thousands of guided Yoga Nidra, NSDR, body scans, meditations, breathwork sessions and relaxing soundscapes.

Sometimes recovery isn’t about just doing less.

It’s about finding the kind of rest your body and mind actually need.

Which one would you try first? 🙂