Christine King used her experience of post natal depression to start a wellbeing business in the middle of the pandemic.

The 46-year-old owner of Wood Tiger Therapies in Rodbourne specialises in Eastern medicines of Tui Na massages and Reiki treatments. She coined the name because she was born in the year of the tiger and wood.

After setting up the business in October last year she noticed more people showing an interest in Reiki and thinks it could be linked with the pandemic and lockdowns.

People are feeling anxious, just generally quite low and they’re looking for something a bit different," she said.

“It’s difficult to see a GP at the moment. We’ve come through long periods of isolation and many people’s lives have changed beyond recognition. I’ve had a few people come to me who have lost loved ones.

“Perhaps it’s opened them up a little bit more to consider a wellbeing alternative.”

She said: “They’ve also enjoyed the Tui Na massages, I have one lady who comes for both and she always feels deeply relaxed.

“I have another lady who believes she is suffering from long Covid.

“She comes for the massage sessions and she has reported it has really helped with her symptoms, she feels more energised and said she feels ’10ft tall’ when she leaves.

Tui na is massage technique originating in China. Reiki began in Japan and involves the technique of palm healing. Reiki typically lasts an hour at Wood Tiger whilst Tui na can be up to two hours long.

Christine originally turned to Reiki first 14 years ago when she suffered postnatal depression. “I made a decision that I wanted to live a life that was more balanced so I never wanted those sorts of feelings again," she explained. “It took me an awfully long time to recover.

“I took up yoga primarily as a way of regaining my physical fitness.

“From there, I met a wonderful lady who was a Reiki master and she was a real guiding light in my life and introduced me to Reiki.

“Tui na came along later. I’m half Chinese so I’ve always been interested in Chinese medicine.”

Christine encouraged people to try the Eastern medicine techniques by having an open mind on the sessions.

She said: “Be open-minded about trying these treatments because in my experience, they are life-changing.

“We don’t think twice about servicing our cars or boilers, but as a society we find it hard to invest in ourselves."