Strength and Soul

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

Team Scotland, Nations Massage Tornament.

4.5 hours in Paris, loads of walking but we squeezed in so much. Down to business now and the competition starts at 8am.

Let’s do this Scotland!

.therapyscot

26/09/2026

Labral tear on your hip scan? Here’s what I’d want you to know (from someone who’s had the surgery).

It took me 7 years to get my diagnosis. By the time I was told I had a labral tear and hip impingement, surgery felt like my only option.

I’d kept active and done my exercises all along (I really had). But I wasn’t being treated for a labral tear, and it wasn’t until after surgery that I found specialist rehab. That’s what finally made the difference.

A few clients have come to me recently with the same scan result, so I’ve shared the advice I give them in the slides.

The research I found interesting was: a tear on a scan isn’t the whole story. In one study, 69% of people with no hip pain at all had a labral tear on MRI.*

Been told you have a labral tear, or living with hip pain nobody can explain? What’s worrying you most? Tell me below 👇 (or DM me if you’d rather keep it private).

*Register et al., 2012, American Journal of Sports Medicine

25/09/2026

Most of my client say ‘I just need a good stretch’ and then I teach them to use myofascial release balls.

Honestly most of them start with tennis balls and progress to cork or La cross balls.

I started this after my hip surgery and it’s still the first thing I do when I’m sore or tight or achey.

It’s not about pushing or forcing more it’s about stopping, taking some deep breaths and allowing the tissues to melt.

Sometimes I move and roll like in the video. Other times I find a gender point, stop and take a few deep breaths.

Try this for 60 secs and you’ll find a release that stretching can’t compete with.

Any questions comment below. And I’d love to know if you’ve tried this. What did you notice?

23/09/2026

This time next week Jo will be all packed for Paris. I will probably do it next Thursday night.

We had our final team meeting on Tuesday night, and it all feels real now. We've come a long way from thinking the first message was a scam!

We have clients and friends continually saying they didn’t even know a massage tournament was a thing (I didn’t either), and how can you compete in massage? It is not how fast you can complete a massage. Judges will be watching everything we do. They will be looking at technique, quality of touch, flow, practitioner presence, quality of transitions, posture and overall experience. Apparently some individuals really put on a show, I am sure they will love my cartwheel over the person’s back to get to the other side of the table. (I hope you know I am kidding.)

Jo is competing in Bodywork, bringing Kinetic Chain Release, Connective Tissue Release and yoga therapy together. I'm in the Ayurvedic category, where this year's brief is low back relief. That means an assessment first, then a treatment built for the person on the table. Not 100% sure who I will be working on but it is someone on our team and everyone else in our team is the Vata dosa which will certainly make it easier.

For the last few weeks I’ve been practising timings and running my routine. Jo's routine is pretty much what she does every day, so she’s been practicing for this for years without knowing. I've had to adjust mine a little to show off Ayurvedic massage and all the different elements involved. It has actually made me rethink the 45 minute massage as I think the client experience this way is really excellent.

At the meeting we talked about how we're going to dress the table. I'm a man, a simple being. I didn't even know dressing the table was a thing! Luckily I have a tartan scarf to go with my kilt and a wife who’s an expert in making things look good.

Jo doesn't think I should wear the kilt on the plane. What do you think? I wore it on a flight to a friend's wedding once, and airport security weren’t keen. No strip search was required, but it was everything but (picture hand up kilt). Anyway, I'm wearing it. Jo can pretend she isn't with me, as we're not paying extra to sit together. I reckon Jo would pay extra to sit apart.

It will be a bit different from our last trip to Paris 13 years ago, when Jo was in a lot of pain before her hip operation. It won’t be all wandering, sightseeing, croissants, meals and w**e this time, but we’re looking forward to a little of that.

So many of you have already chipped in on Gofundme. Thank you so much for your support. If you'd like to help us over the last stretch, our GoFundMe is in the comments.

We'll share what we can from Paris, including how long I get stopped at security.

19/09/2026

You’ll want to SAVE this for later!

I’m focussing on digestion this month in classes and with my members and clients. Ayurveda talks about how our digestion is temporarily weakened at the change of season. We’ve also spent a lot of energy over the summer, so our digestion needs support as we shift seasons and rebuild our reserves.

Here are three things you can take from my classes and teaching this month.

1. Roll up a towel and place it between your p***c bone and belly button, then lie face down over it and take slow, deep breaths. (Please avoid if you’re pregnant, have a hernia, or are post-surgery.)

2. Twists are great for digestion and the spine, and this variation is gentle on the lower back — good if you’re stiff, and it helps you access a deeper range of movement. Lying on your back, open one leg out to the side like a tree pose, then twist over, rocking the leg and lower back. Do this 3-4 times before you reach your full version of the twist, and stay for 3 deep breaths.

3. Legs up the wall — because we’re trying to reach a state of rest and digest. Summer and back to school routines can leave us running on empty. Place legs up the wall (or on a chair, bed or sofa) and stay for as long as you like. If you only have a minute, great! If you’re there for 20 minutes, you must have needed it.

Any questions, please ask below. I’d love to hear how you get on.

09/09/2026

When one hip is weaker than the other side - Hip hikes are always to go to for myself and clients. Because you can fully focus on the one side, it helps to stabilise the pelvis, strengthen the weak glute, release the lower back and improve range of movement.

I promise you’ll feel relief when you do this!

Try this at home and feel it for yourself.
1. Stand on a block or book whatever you have
2. Imagine your standing try to feel like the hips are level, gentle squeeze hip bones pelvis towards each other.
3. Drop hip down and lift back into the socket
4. Avoid leaning to the side - squeeze pelvis toward midline of the body and lift up

Then let the leg swing like a pendulum, not using any muscular effort here.

Always repeat on both sides!

Tell me what you feel below or if you have any questions.

30/08/2026

We have some news you may have not heard

Kev and I have been selected for Team Scotland at the Nations Massage Tournament in Paris this October. It's the first time Scotland has ever entered a team.

When the invitation first came through, Kev thought it was a scam. It wasn't!

Nine countries are competing, judged by an international panel, and I'll be in the bodywork category with Kev in the Ayurvedic one.

This is a new and exciting opportunity to I thought I’d write about it, here is Part one of the story is on the blog — how it happened, what we're each doing, and how you can support us.

Joann and Kevin Buchan are representing Scotland at the Nations Massage Tournament in Paris — the first Scottish team ever to enter. Part one of the story.

24/08/2026

Listen to you body is a phrase we use often but has also become an overused wellness phrase.

We teach our clients to listen to all the different sensations they feel to understand what’s healthy and what’s not.

In a yoga practice I’ll teach what people should feel such as in a lunge o warrior positions for example feeling the hip bone in the socket with a lifting so they aren’t leaning onto the joint with no activation in glutes or thighs or core for that matter.

Listen to your body also applies to when we need an early night, to go for a walk but also just enjoy that ice cream or croissant without feeling guilty.

I’m curious to know what ways you listen to your body?

14/08/2026

I wish there’d been a me back then.

Not someone to talk me out of surgery, I know it was the right thing to do but to have spoken to someone who’s been where I was, who understands and can help me ask all the right questions.

If you’re waiting for scans, results or, to see a consultant right now, you know it can be a long and worrying process.

And what you’re not prepared for is going all the way through the process and not getting the answers or results you hoped for.

A lot of my clients arrive with a diagnosis and appointment behind them and they don’t know what to do next. Sometimes I see them years after this process.

Persistent pain doesn’t always show up as a diagnosis on a scan.

I genuinely chose surgery because I had tried every other option. But at the same time I’m extremely grateful for this the experience and where it’s led me.

If you’ve been on a waiting list for months with no answers, please don’t wait. Keep your appointments and get all the support offered to you. But in the meantime there is also another option.

The main treatment we use is Kinetic Chain Release , it’s a full-body-assessment and treatment method. Kev and I both trained under Hugh Gilbert, who created it and he mentored us personally beyond the course.

Has anyone said anything to you similar to ‘are you sure it’s not all in your head’

Comment START and I’ll share how I can help your back or hip pain.