Published: Friday 04 November 2016

Caz learnt to teach baby massage on our Doncaster course, to add to her skills as a holistic massage therapist. She loves the flexibility that teaching baby massage brings to her career, and she's now hoping to learn to teach baby yoga too!

Name: Caz Sayles

Lives: I'm originally from Doncaster but now live in North Norfolk, 5 minutes walk from the beach-bliss!

What do you teach? I teach baby massage but am seriously considering adding baby yoga to my skill set too.

What made you want to become an instructor? Years ago I was a nursery nurse and loved my job. I'd noticed that some parents weren't so hands on with their children so I thought baby massage would be a great thing to offer. At the time the only course close to me needed you to be a qualified massage therapist before training in baby massage instructing. So I embarked on a holistic massage therapy course (whilst working full time and looking after my 2 young children - no idea how I managed it!). Once I'd qualified I decided to set up my own massage therapy practise and the baby massage went on the back burner for a while. Eight years later I suffered a back injury and it made me reassess my career. Baby massage came back to the forefront, perfectly combining my skills as a teacher and a massage therapist. I qualified in May (strangely I attended the course in Doncaster - back in my old town) and haven't looked back since :)

How do you keep your skills up to date? I'm constantly reading; 'The Psychology of Babies' by Lynne Murray has been invaluable in giving me material for my class. Also any online articles relating to touch and baby development give me subjects to discuss in class.

What qualities do you think are important in a baby massage instructor? As an Instructor you need to be dynamic, be able to think on your feet, be empathetic and creative. We are working with babies and they certainly keep you in your toes-being able to manage a class whilst one baby is wailing, another feeding and parents chatting is challenging but incredibly rewarding.

What benefits do you derive from ⁠⁠⁠massage? For me seeing the babies develop each week, helping the parents gain confidence in understanding their babies and trusting their instincts and of course getting to cuddle these tiny humans are by far the best perks of the job. It truly doesn't feel like work at all; I'm privileged to be a tiny part of these people's lives.

What’s your top tip for baby massage? My top tip is to always be prepared for anything and to really engage with your group; observe how the parents are interacting both with you and the group. Sometimes body language tells you so much more than what they are actually saying.

Have you had an amusing experiences in your work as an instructor? My most amusing experience so far was a group where two babies were really struggling with constipation. During the tummy massage there was a low grumble then simultaneous nappy explosions. One completely went through the nappy and covered the Mum. (Proof, if any were needed, that it really works!!)

As I'd mentioned before, I'm seriously considering baby yoga but would also love to be a sleep consultant and help mums with breast feeding.

Caz can be found online either on her website: www.karmamassage.co.uk or on Facebook.

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