**"An Essential Part of My Self-Care Routine"**

*Wendy C, 40s, Newark — Paramedic*

*Class: Yoga Tune Up (online via Zoom), 2020*

TESTIMONIAL

"As a paramedic working shifts on the frontline, I work in challenging circumstances — even more so now due to Covid-19. My weekly Yoga Tune Up class with Susannah is an essential part of my self-care routine.

The Zoom classes work really well for me and I try to join the group session when shifts allow, as I feel more connected that way. Having access to the replay if I miss my usual class is also really helpful.

The sessions not only help with the physical aches and strains but with the emotional stress too. After class I feel relaxed, refreshed and more able to cope with the week ahead.

Susannah's experience, knowledge and skills — combining yoga, self-massage, relaxation breathing and the Tune Up balls — are exceptional. I find it particularly useful working with the Coregeous ball on the thoracic spine, chest and abdomen. It eases my back, opens up the intercostal muscles and ribs to help me breathe better, and helps me manage stress and genuinely relax — and it can be done in a short five-minute session when I'm tired before or after a shift.

I would greatly recommend joining one of Susannah's sessions. I guarantee you will not look back and you will feel better in yourself — both physically and mentally. Susannah is very friendly, supportive and will always go out of her way to make you welcome, whatever your circumstances."

*— Wendy C, Paramedic, 2020*

## 4. TEACHER'S NOTE

Wendy wrote this during the first year of the Covid pandemic, when she was working on the frontline as a paramedic. The context matters: this is someone whose nervous system was under sustained, serious pressure — shift work, physical demands, emotional exposure, and the particular strain of frontline healthcare during a crisis. That's not everyday stress. That's a body and mind running on high alert for extended periods.

What Wendy describes is exactly what Yoga Tune Up is designed to address at that level. The Coregeous ball work she mentions — on the thoracic spine, chest, abdomen and intercostal muscles — directly targets the breathing musculature that tightens under chronic stress and threat. When we're in a prolonged stress response, the diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs become restricted, which keeps the body locked in a shallow, guarded breathing pattern. Releasing that tissue is one of the most direct routes into the parasympathetic nervous system — the rest and recover state — which is why five minutes with the Coregeous ball before or after a shift can have such a noticeable effect.

The fact that Wendy could access this online, fit it around unpredictable shift patterns, and use the replay when she missed a live session speaks to something I feel strongly about: self-care tools need to be accessible and realistic for the life you're actually living, not the life you wish you had. For shift workers, carers, parents and anyone whose schedule doesn't follow a neat routine, that flexibility is everything.

Since this testimonial was written, online classes and the nervous system focus at the heart of this work have become even more central to my practice. Working with the breath and the body's stress response — whether in person in Newark or online — is now the thread running through everything I do.

Yoga Tune Up classes Newark, online yoga classes, yoga for shift workers, Yoga Tune Up for NHS staff, self-care for frontline workers, Coregeous ball, intercostal release, thoracic spine release, stress and shift work, emotional stress and the body, yoga replay classes, flexible online classes Trauma care

holistic therapy Newark, Susannah Nelson, massage therapy Nottinghamshire, bodywork Newark, wellness Newark, Yoga Tune Up Newark, fascia therapy, somatic therapy Nottinghamshire, nervous system therapy Nottinghamshire, online yoga Nottinghamshire, online wellness classes

"Nothing Else Has Come Close"

"I've learned how to activate my diaphragm, breathe properly, and connect breath, brain and body."

Clare Roberts, early 50s, Nottingham — client since 2024 Treatment: Body Mind Unwind group classes, one-to-one sessions, diaphragm activation, breathwork YOGA TUNE UP

"Susannah's Body Mind Unwind approach has completely changed how I move, breathe and feel — nothing else has come close.

Finding Susannah has been a complete game-changer.

Her small-group Body Mind Unwind classes gave me simple, practical tools I could use every day. Then the one-to-one sessions took things further with focused hands-on work and a personalised approach. Together, they've made the biggest difference.

I've learned how to activate my diaphragm, breathe properly, and connect breath, brain and body — which has improved not just my movement but also my mood and energy.

In just a few treatments I feel less restricted, more mobile, and most importantly, I now have the knowledge and tools to help myself.

If you want more than a temporary fix and you're ready to invest in really understanding your body, I couldn't recommend Susannah more highly."

— Clare Roberts, Nottingham, 2024

4. TEACHER'S NOTE

Clare came to me relatively recently but her review captures something it sometimes takes clients years to articulate — the difference between being treated and being educated. That shift, from passive recipient to active participant in your own health, is what everything I do is built around.

What Clare describes — learning to activate the diaphragm, connect breath to brain to body, and leave with tools she can use independently — sits at the very heart of how my practice has evolved, particularly since Covid. The diaphragm is not just a breathing muscle. It is the body's primary pressure regulator, a key player in spinal stability, and one of the most direct access points to the autonomic nervous system. When it isn't functioning well — which is extremely common in people who carry stress, sit for long periods, or have learned shallow chest breathing as their default — the effects ripple outward into movement, mood, energy and pain.

Clare noticed improvements not just in how she moves but in her mood and energy levels too. That's not a coincidence. When the nervous system is able to downregulate — to shift from a state of low-grade alert into genuine rest — the whole system functions better. Sleep improves, inflammation reduces, movement becomes easier and more fluid.

The combination of small group classes and personalised one-to-one work that Clare mentions is something I've found particularly effective. The classes build body awareness and community; the individual sessions allow us to go deeper into the specific patterns and restrictions that are unique to each person. Together they create a much richer and more lasting result than either alone.

Clare travels from Nottingham, and sessions are available both in person in Newark and online.