Pilates Movement Massage
  • ~ Friendly, all ability classes and bespoke, holistic 1:2:1 treatments ~

Matfield, Brenchley and Surrounding Area

Getting to the heart, body and soul of functional movement

Welcome to The Happy Body! I’m Jo Dickson.  I am the owner, teacher and Girl-Friday at The Happy Body.  I have been coaching Pilates and somatic movement for the last nine years and have since qualified as a holistic massage therapist.

I started practicing Pilates a few years ago after I noticed that my movement was getting stiffer.  I enjoyed the feeling of being pain-free, more mobile and generally having better shape and I decided to train to teach with the amazing Joanne Cobb at JPilates.

Every Body - Every Age

Pilates is suitable for every body of every age, all of my classes are mixed-ability. Body awareness is one of the first things people learn about when they start Pilates, from there quick progress can be made.

I felt there was still a piece of the puzzle missing and I discovered Hanna Somatics.  Studies prove that for every single thought that goes through the mind, there is a muscular response in the body.  Every time you tighten your muscles in response to physical, repetitive or emotional stress, you are carving the grooves of habit.  Reflexive habits can lead to dysfunctional movement patterns and tension which can lead to pain.

Somatic Movement Can Help

Whether you’ve tried everything (…or nothing) and you’re plagued with ongoing muscular pain or tight, restricted movement, somatic movement can help:

  • recognise where you are ‘stuck’ in your body
  • find the root cause of your tension and pain
  • learn how to undo damaging movement patterns
  • improve the way you breathe, move and feel
  • become self-sensing and self-correcting
  • learn tools for life.

Ease Unnecessary Tension

Your body learns to adapt to stress, but by being conscious of this we can make huge steps to improve.

Both in classes and 1:2:1s you will practice a combination of Pilates and somatics with emphasis on specific, slow and focused movements that re-train the brain to relax muscles which have become habitually contracted.

These movements will help you ease unnecessary tension, move without pain, and allow you to continue to do the activities you enjoy with greater ease and awareness.

Holistic Massage

I am always looking for new ways to add to the client experience and have recently trained as a holistic massage therapist. By using massage touch a range of physiological responses can occur, affecting the skin, the sensory nerve receptors, the muscle tissue, the circulation of blood and lymph, the ease of movement of joints, the digestion and many other benefits.