At 31, Kara Myles walked away from a high-pressure finance career at Skyscanner to train as a Body Stress Release practitioner in South Africa.

Now based in Edinburgh’s West End, she’s helping clients resolve persistent pain that conventional medicine couldn’t shift.

When Kara Myles sat down with her Body Stress Release practitioner during a particularly gruelling stretch at work, she wasn’t expecting a career revelation. But a simple question – “What have you got to lose?” – set in motion a chain of events that would see her leave behind a £100 million marketing budget, fly to a hilltop retreat overlooking a lake in South Africa, and eventually open the doors of her own practice in Edinburgh’s West End.

At 33, Kara is now a qualified Body Stress Release (BSR) practitioner, seeing clients at her premmises in Mulberry House on Manor Place – a short walk from Haymarket station – and her story is one of the more compelling career pivots in Edinburgh in recent years.

A career that looked perfect on paper

Kara’s route into finance was anything but straightforward. After graduating, she juggled work in her family business, Party Time in Broughty Ferry, alongside a Master’s degree and helping care for elderly grandparents. She then joined Deloitte’s audit division, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant before moving to Skyscanner as a Finance Business Partner for Marketing – overseeing a portfolio of around £100million across six teams.

By any measure, it was a success. But the pressure was building in ways that weren’t visible on her CV.

“The pressures of working in finance really took a toll on me mentally, which presented a lot of physical side effects. I knew my body was struggling to cope with the work pressures and continual late nights, but still didn’t remove myself from the situation, hoping to continue to climb the corporate ladder.”

It was her BSR practitioner, Claire Birbeck, who finally prompted her to act. During one particularly difficult period, Claire asked a deceptively simple question: “What have you got to lose?” That, Kara says, was what made her think – just go for it.

Eight years as a client first

Kara’s relationship with Body Stress Release actually stretches back eight years, long before she ever considered it as a career. It was her mother – herself a BSR beneficiary –  who first suggested she try it. The results, she says, were immediate.

“I had hip pain and lower back pain when standing for long periods, frequent urination and tight shoulders. I now have none of these pains,” she says. But the moment that really convinced her came almost by accident. She had developed a carpal tunnel-like pain in her left wrist, severe enough to prevent her from changing gear when driving.

“In passing, I mentioned to Claire that I was going to see a doctor for the pain. She did one release on my wrist, and it has never come back. That was a game changer for me – how quickly the pain disappeared was really amazing.”

Eight years of personal experience gave Kara a conviction in the technique that made the eventual career change feel less like a leap of faith, and more like a logical next step.

Five months at a hilltop retreat in South Africa

Rather than train closer to home, Kara chose to travel to the BSR Academy’s home base – a retreat in Rondevlei, South Africa, set on a hill overlooking a lake. “With South Africa being the heart of the technique, I felt I had to go all in,” she explains. “It was a terrifying decision… but the best decision I have ever made in my life.”

Then came an unexpected twist: her mother, on the cusp of retirement, decided to join the same cohort. The course attracted 26 students from across the globe – around half from South Africa, six from the Netherlands, and others from Curaçao, Shenzhen, and beyond. “It was a brilliant time doing the course together,” says Kara. Her mother now practises alongside Claire in Broughty Ferry.

The experience wasn’t without its drama. In August of the course, immigration complications left both Kara and her mother’s passports held by South African authorities, and they were told they needed to leave the country that evening – potentially missing their final exams entirely. “We thought we might not complete the course – that was stressful!” After multiple trips back to immigration, the matter was resolved. “The immigration officers even said if we ever come back to visit South Africa to pop in and say hi – not a chance!”“We laughed every day. As the saying goes – what happens in Rondevlei, stays in Rondevlei.”

Back in Edinburgh – and already seeing results

Kara’s practice on Manor Place is ten minutes on foot from Haymarket station and minutes from the Edinburgh tram network. She sees clients on Mondays and Thursdays, with flexibility by arrangement.

The early results she is seeing echo her own experience with the technique. One client reported that random pins and needles in their hands and feet disappeared completely after just the second session. Another, who had tried years of physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment for neck and back pain, began to notice significant improvement after switching to BSR. A third client, who came with anxiety and sleep difficulties, saw both resolve within two sessions.

“Often people come in for one specific part of their body hurting but discover changes throughout their body overall,” Kara says. “‘I feel so much lighter’ is something I hear time and time again.”

What is body stress release?

Body Stress Release is a complementary health technique that aims to identify and release stored tension in the muscles and connective tissue – what practitioners call “body stress.” Unlike more forceful manual therapies, it uses light pressure and the body’s own responses to prompt a release. Clients remain fully clothed throughout; the process is entirely non-invasive.

Common presentations include back and neck pain, headaches, sleep difficulties, anxiety and nerve-related symptoms. But Kara is clear that it isn’t a quick fix.

“BSR is not a quick-fix technique – it is a process. The technique nudges your body in the right direction, but it is up to your body when it is ready to let go of that tension. For some people this happens after a couple of sessions; for others it is a bit longer. There is no one journey that suits everyone – we are all unique.

“If you have a stubborn, persistent pain and you’re struggling to get rid of it, BSR is worth a try,” she adds. “I live my day-to-day life pain and ache free now – something I never had before BSR.”

Kara Myles – at a glance

Location: Mulberry House, 21 Manor Place, Edinburgh (West End)
Hours: Monday 9am–2pm & Thursday 2:30–7:30pm (flexible by arrangement)
Website: bsredinburgh.com

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