FAQ
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What is Ayurvedic Yoga Massage?
Ayurvedic yoga massage is a deep tissue oil massage followed by assisted yoga stretches. For more information, visit What is Ayurvedic Yoga Massage?
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Where does it come from?
Ayurvedic in India means ‘therapeutic’ so this method of healing massage was called ‘Ayurvedic massage’. The ‘yoga’ came into the name after Kusum Modak developed what she was taught by her Ayurvedic massage guru in Pune, India, to reflect her knowledge of yoga, which she was taught by BKS Iyengar for many years. Hence ‘Ayurvedic yoga massage’.
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What can I expect during a massage?
An Ayurvedic yoga massage is tailored to suit individual clients. It can be relaxing, energising, soothing, deep or remedial depending on your needs. Sessions last between 60 to 120 minutes depending on your requirements.
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What's the best length for a treatment?
This depends on the individual: how quickly your body responds; how many parts of the body need deeper work; and your priorities/what you would like to get from your session. If you’d just like to relax and have an amazing full body massage experience then we’d recommend 90 minutes. If you’d like to start working deeper on different parts of your body then it depends how many parts of the body you’d like to work on, how quickly they respond, and whether you’d still like a full body massage as well as the deeper work. Generally, muscles will respond faster if (i) they haven’t been tight for a long time, and (ii) the body is used to yoga/bodywork/something where we feel some pain, breathe into it and then feel better. Then your brain associates being in that condition with relaxation rather than with danger/injury. We can work effectively on some people in 15 minutes, if they’re experienced yoga practitioners and we only work on the tightest part of their body. Many regulars prefer 2-3 hour sessions so they can have a full body massage with extra time to work deeper on the areas needing more attention. It’s really open ended as there’s always more that can be done!
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How do I find a therapist in my area?
Check out our therapist directory for a list of our certified therapists. Please get in touch with us if there’s no therapist in your area and we’ll advise you further.
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Who runs AYM UK?
Despina Psarra came across Ayurvedic yoga massage in early 2011. After she completed all the training available, and due to the demand for massage practitioners, she qualified as a teacher and set up her own training school, AYM UK.
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Can I book a massage with Despina?
Yes, Despina gives treatments in London and Leeds. Her sessions can be anything from 15 minutes to several hours long, depending on your needs. Please visit her therapist page for more details.
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What can I expect on a workshop?
On each of our workshops you’ll learn a short sequence to massage, mobilise and stretch a particular part of the body. You’ll then be split into pairs and given the opportunity to practise on each other.
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Who are workshops suitable for?
Our workshops are open to anyone who has an interest in learning about this style of massage, or who would like to massage their friends and loved ones. They would also suit experienced therapists who would like to add some AYM strokes and stretches to their existing practice, and yoga teachers who want to improve their hands-on adjustments.
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How long are the workshops?
Each workshop is four hours long.
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When is the next workshop?
Our workshops run throughout the year at various locations. Please see our workshops page for our latest events.
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I have back pain, can I learn to give Ayurvedic Yoga Massage?
You should absolutely come to one of our courses!
When I started learning Ayurvedic Yoga Massage I was very strong, I had a strong, daily 90-120 minute yoga practice, and I learned AYM from some pretty strong male therapists. So of course offering AYM was very easy for me, and I didn’t really think about how the way I was practising influenced my body at all – I didn’t need to!Then I got really busy with massage sessions, and I just didn’t have the time and energy for my strong yoga practice any more (that’s the main reason I started teaching, the world needs more Ayurvedic Yoga Massage therapists!). Soon, I discovered that the way I was practising AYM was not sustainable. My back, shoulders and neck became stiff and started cramping.Luckily, my amazing yoga teacher (Joey Miles, Ashtanga Yoga Leeds) had taught me to adjust my yoga practice to how my body was feeling so that it’s healing, rather than aggravating whe. I am tired, stiff or injured. So I applied the same principles to my massage practice. Ever since, giving massage has been helping my body to gently strengthen and move, becoming slightly more supple with every treatment I give. Of course, giving massage in not enough to maintain my body optimally healthy, I also need a yoga/movement practice. But ever since, giving massage has been helping my body, rather than stiffening it.When I started teaching, I initially taught the way I was taught, we just show people what we do, right? Well, not quite! Everyone’s body is different, we are different shapes and sizes, and our bodies have different histories and needs. One of my students came to a weekend training with me and then informed me that she had stopped practising, as “giving AYM hurt her back”. I was gobsmacked, and obviously knew I had done something wrong, as floor based massage is essentially movement, and either resting or sliding our weight on the client – there is a comfortable and healing way of moving and resting some part of our body to something that is below us for everyone! I felt like I had failed that student, and wasted her time and financial resources.This was the inspiration to start really engraving in my students’ minds that if what I show them to do is not comfortable for them, either during or after their courses, they should tell me! There is DEFINITELY an easy way of doing it that will feel good to them. And guess what, when we are comfortable we give better massage, so it’s in the interest of our clients to do that too. There is absolutely no point in suffering as massage therapists! If you are uncomfortable, you are doing it wrong.What ensued has been exciting, inspiring, and really how I want to be spending my life. Our students learn to explore movement, stay in touch with me after their courses, and feel better in their bodies than before. And I have learned so much about movement, joints, different body types, and wellness.Thank you to all our students (and clients!) who understand that we don’t have all the answers! But we can definitely use our experience and intuition to help them explore, learn to listen to their bodies with more awareness, develop their own intuition, and find their own, healthy ways to move each and every day” -
Who are the Therapist Training Courses for?
Our Certified Therapist Training courses are aimed at anyone wanting to become a professional Ayurvedic yoga massage therapist. Please note: if you have a physical disability it may still be possible to offer AYM but please get in touch to discuss this further.
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Do I need to take all the levels to be a practitioner?
In the UK we are very lucky, as we just need some insurance to start practising massage, and you don’t need to complete more than Level 1 to be able to acquire insurance. After completing even just level 1, you will be able to give treatments safely to clients, and you will be able to start charging.
However, we do of course recommend that you attend as many levels as you can, in as close a succession as you can, and that serves you. Traditionally, students would have to sign up for at least L1-4 in one go to be accepted to study AYM, if not L1-5. But we recognise that this does not align with the reality of many of our students’ lives. It can be very difficult to allocate the time and financial resources to take all the levels in one go, and also some people just want to learn to massage loved ones rather than become therapists, or their main practice is not AYM, and they just want to understand the technique and incorporate some of it into their existing practice.
We do offer interest free instalment plans, so if the problem is the financial limitations then we recommend to come to the training, and pay afterwards in instalments as you start earning. Ayurvedic Yoga Massage is a sought after and very valuable skill, so once you have trained with us, you will definitely be able to earn and pay back for your course, provided you have the time to give some massage!
The other consideration is that after you finish your course you might feel like your practice is a little clunky. So you might want to offer 15-20 discounted treatments first, before you charge a full price for your massages. This will help you get the word out about your massage too, and help you very quickly get quite a bit of experience, and practise your new techniques on many new bodies. During this time (and afterwards of course), you can always call/message Despina with any questions, you are not on your own once you finish your course with us! And after 15-20 massages, your practice should flow, and you will be able to give a high end, customised massage to any client.
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Can I get insurance after doing just Level 1?
Yes, you can get insurance and start working legally in the UK after completing level 1, however, your massage repertoire will be quite limited. We can recommend a company to you who can help you find the most appropriate insurance.
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Does the course cover Ayurveda?
We do cover the basic principles of Ayurveda and dosha types if students are interested, but really Ayurveda is a science that takes years to master and you’ll get different opinions from different Ayurvedic doctors. So, instead of focusing on doshas, we focus on identifying and working on energy blockages and developing our own intuition.
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What’s the difference between Thai massage and Ayurvedic yoga massage?
Traditional Thai massage is given with the client fully clothed, so it’s not an oil massage. In AYM we can warm up and soften the muscle tissues and fascia a lot quicker through oil massage, and we can also flush fluids in and out of the body in a very effective way. AYM developed as a deep tissue oil massage followed by assisted yoga stretches, so you don’t need to study more than one modality to learn a technique that works amazingly well.
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Are your courses accredited?
Our Certified Therapist Training courses include the syllabus requirements of The General Council of Massage Therapists – this is an umbrella organisation for massage therapist associations in the UK. You’ll receive a certificate upon completion of each course.
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Is there an accrediting body for AYM?
AYM developed in India through a long lineage of practitioners. As such, it has always been taught experientially, i.e. as a technique without the Western theory of anatomy, physiology, pathology or ethics. At AYM UK we have added the “missing” parts of the training, taught by experts in their respective fields, as we believe it’s equally valuable to learn from Western fountains of knowledge as from Eastern ones. This means that AYM UK students now fulfil the requirements of professional associations. We’re currently in the process of developing our own AYM association, as the number of trained therapists is increasing. This will provide representation and accreditation in the near future.
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I’m on a low income, do you offer an installment plan?
Yes, please get in touch for more details about this scheme.
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Are there any prerequisites for Level 1 training?
No, this course is aimed at beginner level. The pace is adjusted to the group, which means we ensure the pace is comfortable for the students who started with the least experience. If you have previous experience of yoga and/or massage (either practising/receiving or offering treatments/teaching), you will find it easier to learn the techniques than if you don’t. So, if you don’t have any experience, and you would like to increase your confidence and make the Level 1 training a lot easier for you, then you could come to a 4-hour workshop first. Then you will already have some contact with the method, and can also get some practice before you start your L1 course, so you will find the course a lot easier. Yoga teachers wanting to deepen their knowledge of the body and adjustments are most welcome.
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What will I learn on each course?
Find out about Level 1 here
Find out about Level 2 here
Find out about Level 3 here
Find out about Level 4 here
Find out about Level 5 here
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What are the prerequisites for the courses?
Level 1 / 1-2: No, but an interest in massage and/or yoga would be beneficial. Yoga teachers wanting to deepen their knowledge of the body and adjustments are most welcome.
Level 2 and onwards: You need to have completed the level before it in order to progress.
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How long are level 1 and level 1&2 courses?
The Level 1 training is 15 hours given over one weekend, i.e. 8 to 8.5 hour days including breaks.
The Level 1-2 intensive is 30 hours given over five 7-hour days, including breaks.
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How long should I leave it between each level of training?
Traditionally Ayurvedic Massage courses deliver L1-4 all in one go, and you wouldn’t be allowed to sign up for just one or two levels! But that doesn’t fit the reality of most of our students’ lives, so we have adjusted the courses to support people who need to spread their training out a little more.
Therefore you don’t need to worry about leaving a certain amount of time between levels. In fact, we recommend that you attend your next level sooner rather than later if you can.
It’s designed so it works well either way, especially if you practise between courses. But if you complete up to Level 4 quite quickly, you’ll be more confident, better equipped to deal with a wider range of client needs and better able to design custom-made sessions.
Levels 3-4 are still early stages and a steep learning curve, so it’s best to get as much training as you can as soon as possible after you start practising. You can always practise for a while and come back to Level 5 later in the year.