Biodynamic Massage

What is Biodynamic Massage?

Biodynamic Massage is a psychotherepeutic form of massage with roots in Body Psycotherapy. It works with the whole individual at a physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual level.

It was developed by Gerda Boyesen, in Norway, who was trained as a psychoanalyst and physiotherapist. She found that when working with patients, touch seemed to be the critical thing that really helped them to get better. She integrated her trainings and developed her own biodynamic approach.

It’s is a kind and gentle form of touch. An intention of the therapy is to meet you where you are.

It invites attunement and a sense of awareness. The way that we react to our life experiences is embodied in muscle, tissue and our energy. Biodynamic massage works with this - the relational power of touch can help us come into contact with emotion and experiences that may be causing us physical tension in the body or stuck in habitual loops within our daily lives.

Who is it for?

Biodynamic Massage is suitable for anyone that feels out of sorts or for those perhaps experiencing pain, tension, stress, headaches, anxiety, grief, depression or worry; for those that feel as though ‘something isn’t quite right’. It’s also suitable for those wanting to feel more connected with themselves and others or perhaps simply to invite a little more ease and vitality into the body.

It is suitable for all bodies, including those that are pregnant, postpartum bodies, those that have experienced pregnancy loss or abortion either very recently or many years ago.

What could I expect?

Biodynamic Massage uses a number of different techniques and works on a number of different levels but a huge part of what we do is based on the Vasomotoric Cycle and nervous system regulation.

At the bottom of the cycle we may experience a ‘charge’ - an emotion or stimulus perhaps that propels us into action or expression or fulfilment of a need. If I’m able to do this then my parasympathetic nervous system is also able to allow me to come into rest, to digest my experience and integrate it appropriately.

Sometimes we may become ‘stuck’ at some point on this cycle - we may feel constantly stressed, activated or on edge; or we may feel very flat, low with no ‘get up and go’ or quite numb. Biodynamic Massage can help us regulate appropriately and remind the body how to engage or how to relax. You can read more about Biodynamic Massage and the nervous system here.

Some techniques I use allow softness and relieve tension; others may help with feelings of anxiety of overwhelm and allow you to feel held and supported; some may help you be more in touch with feelings or emotions; others may invite a sense of aliveness, expansion or vibrancy. No two sessions are the same.

Biodynamic Massage is a gentle form of touch. When we meet resistance, tension, or the body’s ‘armouring’, as it is sometimes called, we are very respectful of how the body has been protecting itself. It may be an armouring that has been in place for many years. Biodynamic Massage brings us in to contact with these armoured parts of ourselves and, in time, they may begin to soften.

Massage may be offered through physical and/or non-physical contact. You can be clothed or partially-clothed depending on how you feel that day.

Why do you use a stethoscope?

We use a stethoscope in Biodynamic Massage to listen to the sounds of peristalsis whilst we are working together. This may sound strange at first but soon the sounds become familiar. Our digestive systems don’t only digest food but also emotions and experiences - you can hear these charges and releases throughout the massage.

Where will I go?

I offer Biodynamic Massage in Sheffield from my home here in Meersbrook. My therapy space is a spacious and light filled room in my attic up two flights of stairs. I will also be also offering massage from a more accessible space come September 2025.

On Tuesdays I work from Fiveways Therapy Centre in Netheredge/Sharrow in Sheffield. The room is on the first floor and is a spacious, light filled room. If you come and see me on a Tuesday, this is where we will meet.

How do I book?

The first thing to do before starting a course of biodynamic massage is to book a consultation. This lasts an hour, where we will cover your reasons to have biodynamic massage, your medical history and what is happening in your life generally and then move into the massage. From there you can decide if you’d like to progress with the therapy.

I have a number of low-income appointments - please don’t let cost get in the way, I’m happy to help.

Please email me or message me directly to book and to find a suitable time for us to work together: info@alexnewtonyoga.com or 07557942979

My Qualifications

I am fully insured and trained with the Cambridge Body Psychotherapy Centre. I am a member of the Association of Biodynamic Massage Therapists.