Michael Watson is to therapy what Jay-Z is to music. He’s a leader in his field, and travels the world promoting his integrated approach to health, movement and wellness.

It’s a far cry from his origins as a massage therapist. That’s what brought the London, England native to work in Bermuda 17 years ago. His path changed on meeting Sophia Cannonier, the Bermudian Pilates and yoga expert who would later become his wife.

Q: How did you end up in Bermuda?

A: I came to Bermuda in 1998 as a massage therapist. I had been working in a spa environment in London and wanted a change of scenery — and some better weather. I was working at Bersalon in the old Sonesta hotel.

Shortly after I arrived I met Sophia. She came into the spa one day and saw me and asked if she could help me. She said I looked like I was doubled forward in pain. I’d just finished a marathon. [When my contract ended], she asked if I would come and work for her Pilates studio.

How did you move from there to what you’re teaching now?

In 2001 I wanted to expand my horizons. [Anatomy Trains creator] Thomas Myers offered a programme known as Structural Integration, a more advanced way of looking at the body.

And that’s what you now do? Travel the world teaching his method to therapists?

Over the last ten years I’ve been travelling and teaching to fellow practitioners. It’s been an interesting journey. [I’ve taught in] pretty much every continent except Africa. I’ve been to Russia, to South America, to Asia ... I’m really excited to be offering this work in Bermuda.

I’ve become extremely busy offering this treatment to clients and as such have needed the support from other therapists. I’m hoping to grow this practice by training new therapists on-Island.

What are the workshops you’re holding at the moment about?

The purpose of the workshop is to introduce [people to] the first four main lines — superficial front and back, lateral and spiral. [They] use a range of movement assessments and learn the basics of fascial release technique. This is the first workshop to combine Anatomy Trains theory alongside structural and functional anatomy and analysis.

Blending together the concepts of tensegrity with elastic recoil for movement efficiency, we will address differential diagnosis issues to look for motor control or soft tissue restrictions and where they may be coming from. There are another seven workshops scheduled for this year with a more specialised focus on particular techniques, areas of the body and treatment strategy for dealing with a number of different injuries and neuromyofascial/structural conditions.

Where’s this type of treatment accepted?

This work has been widely accepted around the world and much of my time is spent off-Island offering these courses in many different countries including Brazil, Europe, Scandinavia, Singapore, Malaysia and soon to be in Thailand. Part of the problem is it’s only a small handful of people like myself teaching the work; we’ve been moving into a different realm. As modern medicine falls apart, people are turning to alternative methods. They’re looking at [wellness] from a holistic perspective. It’s not a new idea but people are coming to the realisation that it makes a lot of sense. They see Chinese medicine, they see acupuncture — [they’re] already there but we’ve taken that and put a 21st century spin on it and made it a little more accessible for the western mind.

When did you and Sophia get married?

In 2005. It’ll be ten years in May.

What was your impression of Bermuda before you got here? What were you expecting?

To be honest I didn’t even know where it was until I got on the airplane to come here. I just knew I couldn’t stay where I was. I flew to Bermuda via New York. That’s when I bothered to look at a map to look where Bermuda was. I figured Bermuda must be somewhere near the Caribbean.

It really was a leap of faith and I have to say I’ve never looked back or regretted it in any way. So many people get hung up on the myth of getting lost [in the Bermuda Triangle], I often joke with people that it took me to come to Bermuda to find myself. I do believe Bermuda has an energy to it that’s just slightly confused. People get lost in it [because it becomes all] about the money. They forget what’s important. I believe we can be that perfect community, that utopia.

Your wife is often in the news because she’s an advocate for home births; your son Ravi because of his talent as a dancer. Do you feel at times that you’re hiding in the shadows?

I get to travel and be the rock star whenever I’m overseas. I was just in Rio [de Janeiro, Brazil] and had 35 physiotherapists [excited because they’d be trained by me]. And I think I’ve definitely built a rapport on the Island. A lot of therapists come to me to be helped so they can be better at what they do.

What would you do if you weren’t a therapist?

I love mentoring. I love helping teenagers and have been helping a few track athletes and a number of gymnasts. I would definitely be helping out with children, specifically teens at different times in their lives, especially if they have talent that’s not been realised. I think working with teenagers is very fulfilling. It can be very inspiring [to know that I can] change them forever.

Except for Bermuda, what’s the one place in the world that you love?

My father was part Greek so I spent a lot of my younger years in the Greek Islands. I feel a close affinity to that culture. It’s one of the places I show up and get treated as one of them.

It’s interesting that I’ve not yet taught in Greece. It may be something I have to work on soon.

• You can find Mr Watson at Lotus in Melbourne House, 46 Victoria Street. For more information telephone 747-0456 or visit www.mindfulintegration.com, www.anatomytrains.com.