What’s the relation between the two you may be saying… Torture? Well, not really. In my case one led me to the other. But let me start with sleep deprivation, which has been used as a form of torture since way back.

The reason I am writing my chronicles and sharing them with you is down to 2 main reasons. Firstly because some of the things I share may be of comfort to someone. And because it helps put things into perspective.

It has almost been a year and only now can I begin to talk about it. The effects of lack of sleep left me blurry to say the least. For weeks and even months, I believed I was not a good mother and this very thought destroyed me. I was finding myself losing my patience too often with my 4-year-old and my new born, unable to concentrate, cope with my daily activities and put to practice any technique or philosophies which I thought I was equipped with.

“personal hardships are indeed personal and relative to what you are going through”

What was the worse though, was the fact that I believed I was not worthy of complaining about anything because compared to the hardships some mothers have to go through, mine was a walk in the park. But it is only when I began to acknowledge that personal hardships are indeed personal and relative to what you are going through that I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I wish for this message to reach all those who think the same. Do not grin and bear it because you feel you are not worthy of speaking about your pains, troubles and problems because someone else has it much worse. Otherwise, before you know it, you could be drowning. So just in case you are passing through this, acknowledge the below fact and do not be hard on yourself.

SLEEP is a basic physiological need for all humans and prolonged sleep deprivation leads to mental and physical problems. It also makes tasks requiring high cognitive functions more difficult, so no wonder my ability to think, rationalize and feel balanced was jeopardized to the point that I believed I had lost myself.

So I consciously took the decision to treat myself weekly with these massages because besides their therapeutic effect, it was a clear message to myself that my well-being matters. My high tension and pains in my muscles led my therapist, Aleksandra, to recommend Bamboo massage as my next session at Myoka Sands Spa and my first thought was ‘‘Seriously?! Am I going to be beaten up with a stick?!” So I went and did some research…

Bamboo sticks were used as a Healing Tool in ancient China, Japan and Indonesia and in those cultures still symbolize life, energy, prosperity, longevity and fertility. Considered to be one of the most multifaceted plants on earth, bamboo has earned its reputation from its holistic and soft appearance, as well as its resiliency under adverse conditions. Using them during a massage has many benefits. To mention just a few, they help to release the tension in the muscles in a very deep way, help break cellulite therefore are good for getting rid of water retention and losing weight, and can improve sleep quality and help with insomnia!

What I experienced with Aleksandra was very deep, as she used the bamboo to mainly work through my knots and built-up tension. I could feel the bamboo bumping its way through the knots in my muscles, which was a clear signal to where she had to work. She started from my legs which helped me familiarize myself with the feeling of this rolling, smooth tool so by the time she reached my back, I began to relax and allowed myself to melt into it and feel that I am worthy of such good treatment at the end of my week no matter what!

This Bamboo Massage did a great job in my Holistic & Oriental Massage Program that is surely bringing me back in touch with myself.

May I also add and include some daddies out there who may also be suffering from sleep deprivation. Hey guys, you too deserve a treat and if you have hairy bodies, you may wish to consider a Bamboo massage. As I was told, the smoothness of the bamboo sliding off your bodies is a pleasure compared to the waxing feeling some massages can give you 😉