Author: Lisa Vassallo

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend a MELT Level 1 Refine training in the Netherlands. It was an amazing weekend where I spent time with other MELT Instructors from Europe.  During the training, I was able to refine my teaching skills and learn more hands on cueing.  I have come back from the weekend inspired and even more enthusiastic about spreading the MELT word.

Since becoming a MELT Instructor, I have worked hard to spread the MELT message and we now have 9 qualified MELT Instructors in the local area.  All of these instructors found out about MELT either through joining my classes or from my clients telling their movement instructors about MELT. It is great to have so many instructors in the area as it means we can all collaborate, share experiences and help each other and I am so pleased that MELT is growing in Wokingham.  There is a famous quote, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” and I think this personifies what we are trying to achieve with the local MELT community.

I’m also really proud of how I have grown my classes.  I run regular Taster sessions and I am so thrilled that so many people then book onto classes. I also collaborate with other local health practitioners who often send their patients my way. I am now running 18 MELT classes every week (with Jo teaching the beginners classes). I am adding another class to my timetable to try and fit everyone in! This class will be on Friday mornings at 10.45am at the Pavilion at Crowthorne Tennis Club where I teach the rest of my classes. I’d like to thank my clients for their loyalty, support and help in spreading the MELT Word. I’m truly grateful for each and every person who wants to learn more about MELT and put  their learnings into practice.

On a personal level, I am also really excited as I embark on my journey this week to become a MELT Training Assistant (TA). I am a Training Assistant in training which means I am learning the ropes to hopefully become a TA and help people train to become MELT Instructors.  When I first started my training, it was a dream of mine to become a TA and I’m so excited to be embarking on this new avenue of my career.

The more I teach MELT and the more I embody the method, the more I want to learn and share and I and so thrilled that my clients love my classes and I am privileged to do a job I love.

If you’d like to find out more about MELT, please do get in touch.

Finally, Summer has arrived and with it the anticipation of holidays, longer evenings and for some people a break from routine, especially when the school holidays begin. In this blog I’m encouraging everyone to keep on keeping on, and continue with your routine this Summer.

Summer can be the time when we take up something new or return to old hobbies.  Many people get inspired to try tennis again after Wimbledon, or rowing following the regattas.  Or some people return to old hobbies such as gardening or walking with the (hopefully!) improving weather. All these extra activities are fabulous but can take a toll on our bodies, so it is more important than ever to continue with MELT throughout the Summer months.  I have been teaching fitness for over 23 years and there is always a lull in the Summer months, which means it is often more difficult to get back into a routine when September arrives. As we enter my favourite months of the year, I can’t encourage you enough to continue with your routine this Summer.

I have just returned from a much needed holiday in Ibiza.  It was a glorious week away, but I’ll let you into a secret; sitting on a sun lounger and sleeping in a different bed, did mean I felt more stiff than usual. So it was more important than ever to continue with my routine, even whilst I was away. Every morning, whilst my husband swam, I did a MELT session and I felt so much better for it.  We also both did our hand and foot MELT treatments every day as we were doing lots of walking and when these treatments take less than 10 minutes to complete, there is really no excuse.

One really exciting change for me this year, is that now Jo, is working with me, we can continue to run all our classes over the Summer months.  This is a first for me, and it means that when I’m off in the Summer, the classes can continue, so again, no excuses to lose your routine.

The benefits of keeping up your regular MELT sessions speak for themselves and with my flexible booking and payment system, remember you don’t pay for the classes you can’t attend and you can mix and match your classes.  If coming to a face to face class is a challenge, especially in the school holidays, you can swap to one of my online classes. Remember that if you are here over the Summer, please take advantage of the 7 for 6 credits.  This will not only mean you get a class free, but you will have consistency as your classes will be booked in advance. A win-win! Maybe it is an opportunity to try perhaps the Advanced MELT class or my Cardio, Strength and Conditioning class on Saturday mornings. The other class we have added to the timetable is a Men’s Only class every Tuesday evening. You can view my latest timetable of classes here.

I love how MELT lets me do all the activities I love to do and I know a lot of you feel the same, so let’s keep your routine going. Experience has shown me that sometimes a break in routine, means you fall out of a routine, which then makes it harder to get back into a routine come September.

Let’s make MELT part of your summer regime and allow you to continue to all those activities that help to make summer so special. Let’s all keep on keeping on and I look forward to welcoming you to my classes so that we can all continue with our routine this Summer!

Over the last 2 years, I have been loving teaching MELT and I am now a Level 5 instructor and I am so pleased with how adding MELT to my repertoire has really helped me grow my business and reach more people.  This blog shares more about MELT and the way I’m now working.

When I first started teaching MELT, no-one really knew what it was and my clients were intrigued by what I was teaching and how I was using soft balls and rollers in their sessions.  Some of my clients were hooked immediately, but for others it took a little longer for them to feel the true benefits of MELT.

One of the things I love about teaching MELT is helping my clients feel so much better when they leave a class and in fact my favourite part of the class is the Rest Reassess at the end of the session as everyone relaxes into the mat.  Clients cannot believe how they feel from when they start a session and finish a session.  “How can I feel so different?”,  “What is this magic you’ve just performed?”, “Wow, my neck no longer hurts”,  “My back is now less arched on the mat”,  “I can get my legs straight on the mat, that has never happened before.” These are statements I hear every week and it’s addictive.

I now teach on average 130 clients a week and the word is spreading! Clients are telling their friends and family and in the first 2 months of the year, I have seen 39 new clients, with most of them either starting in my Beginners classes or having 1-2-1’s with me.

So in answer to these questions, what does exactly happen during a MELT class?  Well, if you are suffering with chronic pain, MELT can help you restore the stability systems of your body and get your natural healing mechanisms back on track.  If you’re not suffering with chronic pain, you learn how to avoid chronic pain by addressing the missing link to pain-free living using small balls and a soft roller.  You also learn how to improve performance by restoring sensorimotor control and learn what inhibits proper stability pathways from functioning properly.  In fact, I have recently had two elite athletes come to see me as they have heard about MELT and they are already seeing the benefits.  The word is definitely spreading.

Every week, I teach a class, my clients see and feel more changes in their bodies.  As it is a self-care technique, most of my clients then continue to do the moves at home and then make even more changes to their bodies.  Some of my clients are now doing activities, that weren’t possible before they joined my classes as they were either in pain or felt stiff.

As the MELT gains more momentum, I am now running monthly taster sessions one Saturday per month.  This is a great way for people to come and find out what MELT is all about.  I also offer 1-2-1’s and I’m so pleased to now be working with Jo Borgia, who has recently qualified as a Level 1 instructor and is now teaching my Monday evening and Friday morning Beginners classes.  I also teach one Beginners class a week on Fridays at 11am. All the Beginners classes are in my studio with a maximum of 6 people, so Jo and I can really get to know our clients and help them with the MELT moves.

We are lucky to have three MELT instructors in the area and as well as myself and Jo, Barbara Gornall, a craniosacral therapist, is also a Level 1 MELT Instructor and we work well together, as Barbara teaches her patients the basics and then hopefully, they will then come and join my classes.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

I am so excited as to how far I have come in 2 and a half years and I can’t wait to see how this year goes as it definitely feels as though MELT is only going to get more bigger and bigger.

If you would like to find out more about MELT, you can either call me on 07760 176348 to book a 1-2-1 or visit GymCatch to book onto a MELT Taster session. I’d love for you to join a class to discover how you can benefit from MELT.

Here’s just some of the feedback I’ve received from my clients:

“At 52 I have never been so fit, strong and in shape. That includes my core. The introduction of MELT has been a game changer and I now do some form of MELT every day for general physical maintenance and relaxation. MELT also enables preparation and recovery for pre and post workout which is spectacular.”

“After going to Lisa’s MELT classes I am amazed at the improvement in my performance on the golf course! I make sure to warm up with a half-hour home MELT session before I play, and the difference it makes is remarkable. I’m playing the best golf ever, and my handicap is falling.”

As someone who lifts weights, swims, walks and does yoga, I was often feeling like something was missing as my body often felt stiff and in pain and no exercise relieved this until I found MELT! I have suffered for nearly 20 years with physical pain in my hip from a labral tear and recurring plantar fasciitis and physiotherapy and massage therapy haven’t helped with pain management. But I am pleased to say that after a few weekly sessions with Lisa, MELT has provided me with pain relief I haven’t felt in years.”

“Late summer last year I fractured a shoulder and ripped tendons in both upper arms, which rendered me practically useless. Four months later, although I had made good progress, I was still stiff, uncomfortable and restricted in my movements. One full-on MELT session with Lisa loosened everything up and enabled me to continue with MELT and I am now moving much more freely and feel Lisa and MELT have given me back my active life.”

“MELT has been a revelation for me. I’m so grateful for Lisa’s expertise in teaching MELT.  I have a connective tissue disorder which means chronic pain in all my joints. The pain can be alleviated with a few MELT moves, I sleep better at night, my mobility has improved, I feel like I’m walking properly, my joints are more stable and I feel stronger!”

“MELT has also helped to alleviate pain in my ankles and neck. I feel great after every MELT session.”

“I have never slept so well! I’ve definitely noticed increased fitness, stability and flexibility over the years.”

“I have had no knee pain for a couple of weeks now. Squats are easier and I am walking further and faster than I have done for months.”

“The power of MELT! I walked up a really steep hill this morning and my core kicked in straight away whilst my glutes and knees hardly felt it.”

Want to join us? Then please do get in touch.