Our Story
The story behind Body in Harmony
Body in Harmony was set up in 1993 by founder and owner, Jan Trewartha. Originally, Jan trained as a State Registered Nurse in the Army – the QARANC (Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps). When she left, Jan worked for three years in the NHS, and then took off to do something totally different, writing for a skiing magazine.
Glamorous as the life skiing around Europe was, after a few years Jan needed something more rewarding. She went travelling and, in New Zealand, did a short massage course and ended up as a volunteer massaging the athletes at the Auckland Commonwealth Games; it was a really exciting few weeks and she learned a lot from physios and experienced massage therapists who were also in the volunteer team.
Returning to the UK, Jan decided to take her massage diploma and set up in business. Over the years Jan has honed her skills with numerous courses just trying to find out more and develop herself as a therapist. Eventually, it was natural for the business to expand into teaching. Informal massage courses for anyone, to start with, until now, over 25 years later, Body in Harmony Training is teaching therapists from around the world.
When we asked Jan she said: “What drives me is a passion to help therapists be the best they can be. I realised long ago that there is more to the body than the physical, and I work very intuitively within the framework of the practical. I try to get students to tune into their instinct, to let their hands do the talking, to trust what they are feeling…..
Of course, there is always the practical side of any modality but I always feel we need to learn the left brain stuff and then allow the right brain to take over within that context. I get all sorts of therapists coming to me for the ScarWork classes, from physios to sports massage therapists to sexologists, but the Fascial Unwinding and Energy Awareness course, and the diploma in Body Realignment seem to attract people who are aware of, or who want to know about the subtle energies as well as the physical touch.
I find it fascinating, the sharing of knowledge, watching the students develop, the ‘oh wow’ moment when they ‘get it’. I love working as a therapist and as a teacher; one aspect of my work feeds the other.”