Mara Nicola
About me
I am Mara (they/them)
an open-hearted, joy-oriented, gender fluid and queer human.
I have been practicing somatics in various forms for over 8 years; focusing on mind-body integration, nervous system regulation and vitality.
This year (2022) I started sharing my practice and knowledge, after qualifying as a Therapeutic Massage practitioner.
Treatments available online or from my treatment room, in an LGBTQ+ allies communal warehouse in Harringay, North London.
LGBTQ+ friendly; lived experience practitioner; English & Romanian speaker
My story
My first moment of awareness in connecting with my body started with yoga. In 2014, it was presented to me as a beneficial physical practice, though I soon realised that its' richness can reach beyond the application that it often serves in the West. Curious and indebted to its ancestral roots, I committed to continue learning this tradition - with awareness of my space and practice within it, as an able bodied white European cis-woman.
Combining movement with breath, chants and intentional stillness, brought me closer to understanding the self, my mind, body and emotions. I re-discovered community care (which I was greatly missing after my relocation to the UK), and learnt that with a committed practice I could nurture a more balanced version of myself. This version has more clarity of needs and direction, space to receive and connect, and energy to enjoy life!
After several years of practice (initially led by Sophia Senior and Lydia Ainscough from Unity Yoga, Sheffield), in 2018, I decided to complete my 200h YTT in Varkala, India (Hatha, Vinyasa). Unfortunately, my relationship with yoga changed after experiencing many levels of abuse during this training. Returning to my self-practice seemed out of reach, teaching - impossible.
Trying to get back to a place where yoga felt safe again, I followed with over 250h of Mysore style Ashtanga practice in 2019 under the guidance of Emma Isokivi, Sarah Hatcher and Amy Hughes (Meadowlark Yoga, Edinburgh). In parallel, I was completing my MSc in Psychology of Mental Health (University of Edinburgh), and working as a supported living assistant for neurodivergent adults in a Camphill community. During this time I was in talking therapy for trauma (undiagnosed PTSD) and severe anxiety, and learning about my nervous system through bodywork therapy.
Receiving bodywork and somatic support, from therapist Jane Mann, I started to arrive back into my body; and my slow and gentle way to recovery began. Simultaneously, realising that traditional Ashtanga was sometimes aggravating or triggering trauma responses in me; in 2020 I started searching for more inclusive and accessible ways of practice. I found Jen-Mitsuke Peters and completed a series of 'Trauma Informed (TI) Ashtanga Vinyasa' courses, which culminated in a '24h TI certificate'. Interested to further understand trauma from a somatic perspective, in 2021, I completed the 'Coming Home course, an Introduction to TI Approaches' through 1:1 bodywork and group coaching, developed by my long term, and present bodyworker, Jane Mann.
Continuing the application of somatics in my yoga practice and daily life, it became apparent that through using trauma-informed somatic techniques, my symptoms were not only more manageable, but they were less occurrent and lasted for shorter periods of time.
I can now enjoy more of life.
I would like to open the invitation for you to explore that possibility too!
To deepen my understanding of the body, in 2021/22, I enrolled onto the 'Diploma in Therapeutic Massage', accredited by BCMA (British Complementary Medicine Association), led by Emma Gilmore and Louise Mockford, through the School of Bodywork, Exeter.
I find holistic massage to be a potent bodywork technique for calming down the nervous system, allowing rest and restoration in the body.
At the same time, I realise that massage is not for everyone - especially if you have difficulty with body dysphoria, or if you suffered from touch-based harm.
My clients, their safety, comfort and consent are at the centre of my practice. To make sure you feel safe and at ease, I conduct a health and wellbeing consultation prior to treatment; in-treatment check-ins, all of which inform the therapeutic path we decide to take together.
Treatments can include somatic practices, massage, combinations of the two; and you can choose options around clothing, towel coverage and sitting/lying down variations.
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Mara Nicola
© 2022 Mara Nicola
