awareness

For the past year, I’ve been experiencing chronic achiness and occasional pain underneath my left shoulder blade. I’ve tried a wide variety of treatments such as massage, Reiki, cranio-sacral, acupuncture, and chiropractic adjustments. I’ve practiced yoga nearly daily, and concentrated on releasing mental/emotional issues that no doubt contributed to the problem. Yet the discomfort persisted. As a bodyworker, I’m well versed in muscle anatomy and body mechanics. As a yogini of twenty years, I consider myself to have a fair amount of body awareness. This issue was both frustrating and humbling, as I judged myself for not being able to “fix” it. Also, it was beginning to cost me money in the form of lost revenue when I was too tired or achy to do a massage.

Yesterday I participated in a one hour posture clinic that was taught by a yoga teacher whose knowledge of alignment is spectacular. I was re-introduced to my estranged serratus anterior. This is not a well-known muscle as it is barely accessible from the outside. It is however, an important postural muscle and essentially attaches the scapula to the rib cage. The simple act of bringing my awareness to this neglected area of my body enabled me to create more balance in my torso and allowed my scapula to rest comfortably on my back. I enjoyed a wonderful bike ride home feeling like I fit together correctly once again.

Later in the day I noticed an enhanced ability to transmit healing Reiki energy to a client as I wasn’t distracted by discomfort in my body. My neck and thoracic spine self-adjusted while I was doing some gentle yoga before bed and I slept deeply and woke refreshed. I know that posture is a constant battle of awareness vs. gravity and bad habits, and that I have a lot of work ahead of me. Yet today I am delighted that my pain is diminished by 90% and I have a new tool to help myself. I am overjoyed to have yet another reminder that comfort is the reward of creating balance and that lasting change comes from the inside.

Shoulder Pain Vanquished

For the past year, I’ve been experiencing chronic achiness and occasional pain underneath my left shoulder…
This past week has been all about Reiki for me. I’ve spent time each morning charging crystals to send healing energy to friends near and far as well as to support several of my own goals. One of my biggest intentions for this year is promote my Reiki practice. At first I felt silly using Reiki to guide me towards creating a successful, prosperous business, but then I realized that this was exactly the optimal path for me. You see, I just love sharing healing energy with others. I enjoy seeing the relaxed look on people’s faces after a session and listening to the feedback of what has shifted for them since their last treatment. I have a gift for moving energy blockages and for listening to and understanding the deepest needs behind someone’s requests. And I have a genuine desire to uplift the vibration not only of my clients and my immediate surroundings, but of the planet at large.

Using Reiki to attract the perfect clients benefits an ever-expanding circle of recipients. It might begin with me and the person receiving the healing, but I have seen how the effects ripple outward, touching the lives of spouses and co-workers, children, pets, and even strangers. I truly believe it is my life purpose to share these gifts with as many people as possible. If it were also my career, I would have more time and energy to share with people who need my healing touch. My day job interferes with my being the best practitioner I can be.

So I have decided to shift my focus from how I can earn more money to get ahead financially, to how I can best serve the most people. I suspect in the end, my path will lead to both greater service and more abundance. I also truly and deeply believe that there is enough for us all to live comfortable, enjoyable, secure lifestyles while doing what we love. The directions to get there might seem a bit scary. Right now, I’m being called to reduce the number of hours at the spa where I earn the majority of my income. Yet I trust that Reiki will guide me through this transition process.

So now I am a Reiki junkie! I use it when designing promotional materials, writing this blog, editing my website, searching for an office to share, and when praying to attract the clients who need me. I Reiki myself to become more aligned with Spirit and a better channel for the energy. I Reiki my phone, my calendar, my checkbook, my laptop… each and every tool I use to communicate my offerings to the community. Honest to goodness, I Reiki my sheets while folding them and my massage table and essential oils as I prepare for a session. I Reiki the water I serve to clients and the glasses I serve it in. Yesterday a new friend came to my home to receive a massage. She is also a Reiki Master and was excited to learn that I do combo massage/Reiki sessions. Before she even got in the door she said, “I can feel the energy all the way out here.” I made a joke that even my apartment has a big aura. 🙂

So, yes. Reiki, Reiki, Reiki, Reiki. Any challenge or goal or even mundane tasks are improved by the healing that is possible with divine guidance. This morning I awoke to the lovely sound of rain on my roof. We have had an extremely dry “rainy season” this year in California, and I know many healers have been using their skills to draw down moisture from the skies. I know in my heart that my Reiki infused prayers helped. There are no limits to the power of love, especially when boosted with spiritually guided life-force energy. Thank you Reiki!

Reiki, Reiki, Reiki, Reiki

This past week has been all about Reiki for me. I’ve spent time each morning charging…
“Less is More.” This is a seemingly- heretical philosophy I learned while studying the gentle, energetic bodywork called Ortho-Bionomy. Over the course of giving more than 6,000 massages in the last ten years, I realize that this quite frequently applies to sessions I have given and received. I could expand this theory into many aspects of my life as well, but that is too big a task for this post. How I can most efficiently interpret the phrase “less is more” as it relates to massage in my humble opinion, is to say that bodies very often are more responsive to a gentle touch than to extreme pressure. When I say very often, I mean in 99% of the time, in my experience. Very often.

Yet, popular culture would have us believe that more is always better, or worse yet, “no pain, no gain”. This is essentially the antithesis of my work. Which is not to say that I never go deep, or that every moment of a therapeutic session is luxuriously pleasant. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to restore deep, postural muscles to their original, lengthened state. However, my approach is a slow, gentle one that works with the client’s ability to let go and breathe deeply. I call it a sneak attack and when performed well, the muscles don’t react because they never even knew I was coming. Once the nervous system perceives pain, or even anticipates pain, the fight or flight reflex kicks in and muscles tense, adrenaline is released, and the mind becomes super- alert. This is the exact opposite of the relaxation response in which stress and tension are released and the muscles soften.

It is a huge goal of mine to re-educate the public about the myth of more pressure being the antidote to soreness or pain. The object of healing or releasing tension is not how much “you can take” but rather how much you can release. Bracing yourself to experience deep work in the name of relief is as effective as drinking a triple shot of espresso and riding a roller coaster to help you sleep. People in our society are already super-stressed. Aggressive bodywork is perceived by the nervous system as more stress and most certainly does not create relaxation. It might create an absence of busy thoughts because the mind is focused on sensations, just as being in an emergency situation would focus the mind. This is not the same as relaxation, letting go, feeling safe, or being at peace; and these are the conditions necessary for healing to take place.

Somewhere humans have gotten off track and started believing that having more stuff is the key to happiness, that doing more is the key to freedom, that punishing our bodies will make us healthy. It is beyond time that we re-evaluate our beliefs according to our current values and the reality that we seem to be less happy, less free, less healthy than ever. I encourage everyone to take time out of their busy schedules to experience true relaxation in the form of a flowing, soothing Swedish massage and to feel the true benefits of escaping the adrenaline loop and enjoying the peacefulness that is our natural state. And begin to think about how doing less, spending less, feeling less pain can actually be more. More healthy. And more you.

Less is More

“Less is More.” This is a seemingly- heretical philosophy I learned while studying the gentle, energetic…
I am a huge proponent of self-care and actively participating in creating my own well-being. When I share my strategies with others, the most common response I hear is, “I don’t have time to do all that. I’m too busy.” It seems to me that when we are most busy, it is when we most benefit from paying attention to the needs of our bodies, minds, and spirits. Today I need to leave my house by 8:20 to give a massage at 9:00. (Now this is quite unusual. Generally my day starts later.) My last massage of the day begins at 6:30 pm. It will be a rather long day, even with a few substantial breaks throughout. I realized that I absolutely cannot skimp on my routine. And if I can do it all before 8:20 am, so can most people. At least those without young dependents.

I have already given myself a Reiki treatment, and tuned-up my crystals that are supercharging long-distance Reiki for a few clients. (https://pamelahipp.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/supercharged/). I’ve hydrated myself with warm lemon water, rinsed my sinuses with the neti pot, sat at my altar connecting with the divine and getting clear about my intentions. I briefly practiced pranayama, meditated, bounced on the rebounder, and did a condensed strengthening yoga series. As these words came bubbling up during savasana, I decided to postpone the walk I often take to feel the first rays of sunlight until later this afternoon. Self-care does not need to be rigid. It does need to be a priority, prepared for (I set myself up for success the night before and make sure I have quick and easy meals ready to go.), and practiced daily for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

In general, it seems best to avoid the pitfalls of TV (trust me, I haven’t seen the news in years. You will survive, perhaps even thrive by not subjecting yourself to world tragedies before breakfast) or Facebook. I usually don’t even turn on my computer or look at my phone until my routine is complete. Today I needed to share these words, and have set a timer for 30 minutes to allow time for creative expression without sacrificing anything. My breakfast is leftovers from dinner the other night, waiting to be heated on the stove, and eaten while sitting down, and chewed thoroughly. While the sauce pot is simmering, I will pack my lunch and a snack to keep my body fueled in a healthy way. I can be washed and dressed in about 15 minutes as superficial appearances are not a priority. Yes, I will comb my hair & brush my teeth, but I do not feel the need to poof or smear or primp. I probably will not get to the dishes this morning and that’s ok.

I have honored the body temple with nourishment, hydration, and movement and aligned my spirit with my mental/emotional body, and clearly seen the day I wish to create. And I had fun doing it. And best of all, I did it out of love for myself and the joy of feeling great and being energized all day long, not fear of illness or punishment or judgement.

I’m Too Busy

I am a huge proponent of self-care and actively participating in creating my own well-being. When…
For the past three months, I have been working with a fellow suffering from the darkness of depression. He reported feeling completely apathetic and fatigued all the time. He called me after hearing about Reiki from a colleague and decided that it was worth a try. He was getting desperate as several months on prescription meds had made no improvement in his mood or energy level. Each session he announces that he is shifting and beginning to feel more like himself. He is showing an interest in moderate exercise, small social gatherings, and hobbies that had been completely absent on the day we met. In fact, when I asked him what activities brought the most joy into his life, he looked at me blankly and was unable to respond.

Last week his intention for the session surprised me. He wanted to focus on spiritual growth. Now, this is by no means an unusual request for a Reiki session. In fact, it’s one that is so aligned with the principles of Reiki, that I believe it is a natural side-effect of all Reiki sessions. My surprise derived from the fact that he had not mentioned any interest in spirituality or expansion of consciousness at all during previous sessions. His intentions had been strictly in the mental/emotional realm. As a practitioner, I am keenly aware of my client’s needs and comfort zone, and am able to meet them where they are. Reiki is amazingly versatile and can be used for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or energetic purposes with ease. He asked for help balancing the psyche, so that is what I focused on while knowing that his spirit was also receiving a dose of healing.

I believe that as his mind grew more clear and his emotions more balanced, he naturally came to realize that the source of his distress was spiritual in nature. I also believe that Reiki helped guide him toward this realization when he was ready to receive it. He is now understanding with more and more clarity that his lifestyle for many years was not aligned with his spirit. He ignored the increasingly demanding messages from his intuition that he was off track, not wishing to be bothered with making changes, until finally his discomfort became so intense that he sought the healing that would help him return to himself. Now that he is aware that an injured spirit is the underlying factor of his depression, he can begin to make small, simple changes to his daily life that will correct his trajectory, putting him back on his own evolutionary path.

I’m truly amazed at how this process unfolded organically, in just the right time and space for him to understand and be willing to accept his mission of re-alignment. The healing energy of Reiki is spiritually guided and therefore allows each of us to receive exactly what we need, exactly when we need it most. And that is the beauty of this work! There is nothing to do except allow it to flow. The Divine takes care of the details. However, it is ultimately up to each of us to follow through with the action we have been guided to take.

Spiritual Growth

For the past three months, I have been working with a fellow suffering from the darkness…
Yesterday one of my clients paid me the best compliment ever after her massage. She said, “You create great sacred space.”

Wow! I was speechless for a moment. What a lovely observation, and such a kindness for her to share it. I believe that creating space is a necessary foundation for effective bodywork. In fact, I’ll take it one step further to say that it is the bridge between a therapeutic massage and healing. I strive to see the art of touch as a sacred act and to witness the divinity within each and every one of my clients. The most advanced massage techniques are rendered powerless if the person receiving them does not feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. In order for someone to truly let go and relax, they need to trust their therapist. Creating sacred space is the key for making this happen.

Sacred space can be created anywhere at anytime. It has absolutely nothing to do with fountains or statues or crystals. Of course, these items can be included and no doubt contribute to the healing energy of a treatment room. However, in my eyes, sacred space is actually more a way of being than one of doing. In my humble opinion, bringing one’s awareness fully into the present moment while remaining fully centered in the heart and unconditional love is the basic recipe for creating sacred space. It can be done on a crowded subway car, a desert cliff, a grocery store, bedroom, temple, office, or beach. It only takes a second, but sometimes it takes a lifetime to remember that the divine is within us all.

Creating Sacred Space

Yesterday one of my clients paid me the best compliment ever after her massage. She said,…