Mind Body Element

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Mind Body Element Holistic Health Centre based in Pyrford, Surrey GU22. Yoga Meditation Reiki Sound Healing Massage They can offer their clients holistic lifestyle advice.

We are qualified Bodywork therapists, based in Pyrford, Woking, Surrey GU22, offering holistic therapy treatments to improve your well-being. Specialising in Swedish massage, Oil massage and Thai Yoga massage, we can tailor the treatment according to your personal needs. We are qualified in meditation, Reiki and other areas of health and fitness including yoga and sound healing. At Mind Body Element we are dedicated to helping you achieve complete well-being. Our massage and Reiki therapists are mother and daughter and have experience in massage, yoga, health & fitness, sound healing and Reiki. Michelle qualified in ITEC Anatomy, Physiology and Massage in July 1999 and went on to study BWY yoga development and IQ Active Personal Training and Nutrition. Leonie has been practising Reiki since 2012 and attained her qulaification in First and Second degree Traditional Reiki in 2014. Leonie is presently studying Crystal Healing and Meditation Coaching. They have both studied massage and spiritualism intensively in Thailand. "We believe our treatments help balance body, mind and spirit, which will enhance your well-being and improve your quality of life."

So I have been out of action for a few weeks. Surgery on a tendon and bandage has made it difficult to write posts! I t...
13/10/2026

So I have been out of action for a few weeks.

Surgery on a tendon and bandage has made it difficult to write posts! I think the Universe is telling me that I need to slow as Autumn takes hold.

I thought I would have some fun with my predicament so I asked some friends what they saw when they looked at my hand. Most couldn't see anything but one saw something ..

Swipe across to find out.

What do you see?

Blessings,
Michelle



My journey into the body and it's systems began many, many years ago. I was 16 when I gave birth to my daughter. Thrill...
15/09/2026

My journey into the body and it's systems began many, many years ago.

I was 16 when I gave birth to my daughter. Thrilled to have this tiny human being in my life and vowed I would love, cherish and care for her to the very best of my ability.

She was 3 days old when I found out that she had a heart defect. An unusual heart defect as it was two conditions combined.

I had began college, a BTEC in Health Studies (I have always been keen to learn about health) but my daughter was in and out of hospital and had regular hospital blood tests so I decided I would have to come back to studies and devoted my time to my baby.

Leonie was 4 years old when she had her corrective surgery, a Fontan procedure. I was so grateful that she recovered well and after 4 weeks in hospital was ready to come home. 😊

But, she couldn't be discharged without me knowing how to help her with physio therapy treatment. So I would spend time with the physio each day and she would show me the techniques Leonie needed.

I loved learning about the body, why the treatment was required and also, helping Leonie.

My love and fascination with the body was born.

It was explained to me at the time that the hospital would monitor Leonie's progress carefully as her condition was rare and the Fontan procedure had not been used in paediatrics for very long.

Every year the consultants were amazed by her progress.

Leonie is now a mummy herself and my learning journey has taken me to the mind as well as body.

Forever learning. Forever loving.

Love you so much Leonie Maria

That's my introduction into my passion and work. Let me know yours in the comments.



19/08/2026

#3 In the series of muscles and hidden connections 💪.

Did you know that your calf muscles help your heart?

We often think of circulation as a one-way story:

🫀 The heart pumps blood out.

➡️

🩸 Blood travels around the body.

➡️

🫀 Blood returns to the heart.

But there is a hidden helper in your lower leg.

Your soleus and gastrocnemius muscles form one of the body's most important peripheral muscle pumps.

When you walk, your calf muscles contract and compress the veins running through the lower leg.

The valves inside those veins help prevent the blood from flowing backwards.

So with every step your calf contracts, your veins in your lower leg are compressed, blood is pushed upwards and venous return to the heart increases.

This matters to your body because the amount of blood returning to the heart influences how much blood the heart can pump with each beat.

Your calf doesn't just help you move, it helps your cardiovascular system circulate.

Hence, why sometimes the calves are referred to as the body's "second heart".

Your cardiovascular system doesn't rely on the heart alone, it has mechanical helpers distributed throughout the body.

And the calf pump is particularly important because, when we are upright, gravity is constantly encouraging blood to pool in our lower limbs.

So calf raises (as in the video), walking, bouncing and other calf exercises are not only building muscles, burning calories, moving lymph, they are easing the burden on our heart.

And this leads me to a thought...

What if movement isnt just about muscle strength and moving our bodies, what if every single step is helping another system do its job ?

What are your thoughts? ? ?

Another extraordinary conversation within our miraculous body.





This post is for educational purposes only. References are available on request.

18/08/2026

Your muscles don't just move your bones. They talk to them. 👄.

We tend to think of the relationship between muscle and bone as pretty simple:

Muscle contracts ➡️ pulls on tendon ➡️ bones moves.

But there is a conversation happening beneath the movement.

When muscles work, they release chemical messengers called myokines.

These can travel through the body and influence bone cells involved in maintaining and rebuilding bone.

And bone can respond!

Bone releases its own signalling molecules, called osteokines, which can communicate back with muscle and other tissue.

So we have:

Muscle ➡️ chemical signals ➡️ Bone

Bone ➡️ chemical signal ➡️ Muscle

And then there's another layer ..

Bone contains specialised cells called osteocytes that can sense mechanical forces. When muscles create force through movement and loading, these cells detect changes within the bone and help regulate bone remodelling.

So the skeleton isn't simply a framework for our muscles to pull against and muscle isn't simply a machine for moving the skeleton.

They are living, communicating tissues.

This matters because muscle and bone health are deeply connected. As muscle strength and activity decline, bone health can be affected too, which is one reason maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important as we age.

The we learn, the harder it becomes to view the body as separate systems. And easier to see it as one incredible conversation.

What's your body saying to you right now ?





Research available on request.

This post is for educational purposes only.

06/08/2026

Most people think that balance is connected to building strong muscles.

But here is the hidden connection...

Blance isnt just about building strong muscle. It's about COMMUNICATION.

Every second of every day, your brain is asking one simple question:

"Where is my body in space?"

To answer that question, it gathers information from three remarkable systems:

👁 Your eyes tell your barin what they can see.

👂 Your inner ear detects the movement and position of your head.

💪 Your muscles, tendons and joints constantly send messages about where your body is and how it is moving. This incredible (and it is magical) sense is called PROPRIOCEPTION.

Tiny sensory receptors within your muscles continuously monitor changes in muscle length and movement, while your tendons monitor tension. 👏.

Together, they provide a constant stream of information that allows your brain to make teeny adjustments before you even realise you are wobbling.

This is why improving balance isn't just about getting stronger.

Strength training, single-leg exercises and controlled movement also train your nervous system, improving communication between your brain and your muscles.

O very time, your body becomes quicker at sensing, responding and adapting.

This is another beautiful reminder that the body rarely relies on just one system.

Balance is not created by muscles alone.

It's not created by sight alone and it's not created by inner ear alone.

It's created by a conversation between your muscles, your nervous system, your eyes and your inner ear.

The body is always working together. The wonderous body.

✨️ Your muscles dont just create movement. They help your brain know where, in space, you are.

References:
Proske U, Gandevia SC. The proprioceptive senses.
Horak FB. Postural orientation and equilibrium.

Full references available on request.

**This post is for educational purposes only


29/07/2026

Have you seen the posts on how bouncing or rebounding supports your lymphatic system and wondered why it does?

It's not because the trampoline has a magical effect. It's because your body is beautifully designed to move.

✨️ As you bounce, tissues throughout the legs are repeatedly compressed and released. This avts like a gentle pump on the initial lymphatic vessels, gently encouraging fluid to enter.

✨️ Lymph movement relies heavily on these external mechanical forces because, unlike blood, it has no central pump.

✨️ Your lymphatic vessels aren't just passive pipes. They have their own tiny muscles that rhythmically contract, and gentle stretching from movement appears to support this natural pumping action.

✨️ As your breathing deepens, changes in pressure between your chest and abodmen help draw lymph through the thoracic duct and back into your bloodstream so your breath becomes another pump.

Even your ankle, knee and hip movements also create pressure changes that help move lymph through surrounding tissues.

So, yes, rebounding and bouncing does help support the lymphatic system but other rhythmically movements do too...

Walking. Marching. Skipping. Dancing are also ways to produce the same pumping mechanisms and help your lymph move around your body.

Another reminder that your body rarely relies on a single system. Your muscles, joints, breathing and lymphatic vessels are all working together in remarkable harmony.

And another reminder that exercise isn't just for muscle tone, weight loss, bone density, mental health, cardiovascular health. 💪

This posts are for educational purposes only.

References.
Scallen JP, Davis MJ Lymphatic Physiology. Comprehensive Physiology. 2016.
European Journal of Applied Physiology. 1997.
Full list available on request.

A woman's journey includes so many hormonal and chemical changes. We know about the oestrogen, progesterone and testost...
25/03/2026

A woman's journey includes so many hormonal and chemical changes. We know about the oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone but how about the more subtle?

Nitric oxide is one the body's most important molecules for blood flow, vascular health, and energy - yet it naturally declines as women age.

Research shows this is largely linked to falling oestrogen levels, which play a key role in supporting nitric oxide production in the blood vessels.

This has an effect on circulation, endothelial function and overall cardiovascular health.

The good news is we can support nitric oxide with these simple ways:

🏋‍♀️ Exercise; especially resistance training helps stimulate nitric oxide production and improve vascular function (as well the added benefit of increasing bone density and helping prevent sarcopenia).

🥬 Nitrate rich foods; leafy greens and beetroot provide compounds that your body converts into nitric oxide.

🌞 Sunlight exposure; studies show that UVA light can trigger the release of nitric oxide that is stored in the skin, influencing blood flow and blood pressure (explains the holiday feel good factor where aches and pains disappear).

👄 Oral microbiome health; beneficial bacteria in the mouth are essential for converting dietary nitrates into nitric oxide - frequent use of strong antibacterial mouthwash may disrupt this process (feeling lacklustre and lethargic? Try ditching the mouthwash).

🥝 Antioxidant rich foods; research shows that oxidative stress reduces nitric oxide availability, while antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols help preserve its bioavailability.

Small consistent habits make a powerful difference and help support the systems in the body. ✨️

Blessings,
Michelle

*This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please do your own research and consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance.





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Sacred Space, Twisted Stone Golf Club, Pyrford Road, Pyrford
Woking
GU228UE

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