bodywork

I’m really focusing on the somewhat radical belief that pain is a message, from our bodies or our spirits, indicating that something needs our attention. When we acknowledge it as such, and receive the message we can then make the appropriate adjustments. This acceptance and taking of responsibility may or may not result in the lessening or elimination of the pain, but will absolutely promote a deeper healing from within.

I’ve been working with a client who’s recovering from an auto accident. She has both good days and bad days. On the days when she’s feeling pain, she will often take a muscle relaxer. Then she says she feels better and can do the things she wants to do. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, then she perceives a false sense of strength and well-being and tends to overdo. She thinks she’s feeling better, but actually she’s just feeling less. She’s missing out on the message from her body to rest or slow down or take it easy. Then that sets off a whole other chain of events as her recovery is set back by harmful activity.

Over the course of the 60 minutes we spend together, she’s starting to see that overriding her body’s request to have down time for healing is actually creating a longer period of recuperation. She’s recognizing that forcing her agenda of returning to her former state of athleticism before her muscles and nervous system are ready is causing her to feel worse in the long run. She’s coming to the awareness that the pain she experiences is an important message.

By no means am I suggesting that she stop taking the meds. Really that’s her decision and it’s not for me to know whether or not they are helpful. What I’m suggesting is that if she chooses to take them, to remember that she may have shot the messenger, but that doesn’t make the message itself any less important. As she learns to honor the input her body is readily sharing, I have no doubt that her healing will progress much more quickly. She can choose to feel less AND honor her body’s request. It’s just a matter of being mindful.

Pain as a Messenger

I’m really focusing on the somewhat radical belief that pain is a message, from our bodies…
Reflexology teaches that all organs, glands, and parts of the body are represented by reflex points found in the feet. I’m not a certified reflexologist; I don’t have the knowledge or skill to do a complete session or to work with someone who is severely ill. That would require extensive training and experience. But I am confident that even a little attention to the reflexes can stimulate healing. I had a mere introduction to this fascinating technique while I was in massage school, and am often able to apply the basics during a massage or Reiki session.

Recently I worked with a client who had been suffering for over two weeks with congested sinuses. It wasn’t the issue that brought her to me, but it came up in our pre-massage check in. In general massage can help sinus problems by increasing circulation, boosting the immune system, and squeezing toxins out of cells, but there’s not much we can do directly to clear the sinus cavity. I wanted to do all I could to help, so I reserved the last ten minutes of her session for her feet, and finished with the pressure points for the sinuses. When we were finished, I mentioned what I had done so she could track any results.

The following month she came back and the first thing she did was to exclaim how her sinuses had immediately improved and had not given her any trouble since. I was delighted to hear this, but a little surprise that such a short treatment had such profound effects. My interest in this modality was reignited and almost all my clients recieve a quick dose of reflexology during their treatments. Sluggish thryoid, digestive upset, stiff neck, cough, congestion, and so much more can be improved. And it really is all in the feet!

It’s All in the Feet

Reflexology teaches that all organs, glands, and parts of the body are represented by reflex points…
I’m observing this phenomenon of limitation in my life regarding my attachment to being A Bicycle Commuter. When I lived on the coast of California, I rejoiced in not owning a car and pedaling along the recreation trail in all weather with my groceries or yoga mat. Then I moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia where there is no structure to support two wheel commuting and two feet of snow and slush are currently piled up on the side of the road. While Bicycle Commuter might sound like a healthy label, in my current environment it is really holding me down. It’s time to move on and acknowledge that a car would make my life infinitely easier.

That’s the perfect example of how my belief of Who I Am is interfering with the progression of my life. As I release this limitation, I will eventually grow more comfortable as thinking of myself as simply one who adapts to her surroundings and flourishes, no matter what. Part of my job as a bodyworker and Reiki Master is helping people to realize how the lables they’ve chosen for themselves are preventing their healing. One way this shows up frequently is through the use of absolute terms such as always and never. When one declares that “my lower back is always tight” they are making it difficult for this condition to change.

I encourage people to be aware of their language as words do have power. Repeating statements over and over either aloud or to ourselves strengthens them in our subconscious, which has no choice but to conform. The above statement can be transformed to a more liberating concept by removing the permanence implicit in the word always. “For the past several weeks I’ve felt tension in my back.”, or “I’d like to focus on releasing tension from my back today.” Both of these options leave space for improvement.

I encourage you to examine the stories you are sharing about your ailments. Is there a way of rewriting the script that enables healing? Are your willing to let go of the way you see yourself in order to allow an improved version to appear? Can you surrender any labels that withhold your progress to becoming healthier, happier, freer in your body or lifestyle? I promise, the rewards are worth the effort of an honest exploration of your beliefs. Try it and let me know what happens!

Limiting Labels

I’m observing this phenomenon of limitation in my life regarding my attachment to being A Bicycle…
When giving a Reiki session, it’s pretty obvious to me that there is an overflow of energy. The client naturally receives an abundance of Reiki, but the excess will spill over, filling the room and beyond. Pets are able to sense this and are drawn to the room where I am working when I do outcalls. People comment on the “good vibes” in my office space and sometimes I joke about creating a Reiki café where people can hang out and soak up healing energy. This is because Reiki is not confined to the limits of time and space. Let’s just say that universal energy is pretty darn miraculous! I’ll probably never intellectually understand how it works, but I’m astounded again and again by its vast power and unfathomable-ness.

I’ve been observing this phenomenon for over a decade, so when I was invited to offer a Community Reiki Clinic at a wellness center, I wholeheartedly agreed. It’s my hope that Reiki will one day become a popular source of wellness maintenance. Therefore offering people the opportunity to receive a treatment in a group setting got me pumped. This lowers the cost significantly, making it available to a much wider range of recipients than those who are able to schedule frequent one-on-one sessions. It’s also a great joy for me to watch the transformation that takes place on people’s faces as they relax for an hour in a Reiki-infused environment. And I get to rotate through the room several times delivering personal attention and connecting with each participant.

When learning how to give a Reiki treatment, we are taught that it is our intention that opens the channels for Reiki to flow. In the beginning, it might be helpful to use a few words (“Reiki on” or “May Reiki flow through me now for the highest good of Sally.”) for the mind to accept the power that lies at our fingertips. Eventually though, it’s enough just to think about Reiki and poof! The energy is flowing strongly. I’ve been experimenting with different “settings” for distributing the ki (life-force energy). I call the setting for hands-on Reiki “Super Soaker” after the popular water gun that releases a strong stream of water. This is the setting most practitioners rely on during treatments. I’ve also been using a “Fountain” setting, for filling the room with Reiki, and a “Sprinkler” setting as if I am watering the garden of participants resting before me.

I can only imagine that there is a limitless variety of ways to share healing energy. I always encourage my students to be creative and to experiment with different styles. I’m delighted to discover a new format of practicing that is more affordable and accessible to more people. I’m even more excited to remember that I am limited only by my thoughts, and that as I open up to the realm of Limitless Possibilities, I will be led to new ideas and circumstances that will expand my growth and ability to serve. I look forward to my experiments with the even more new settings and the opportunity to share them with you. If you’re in or near Philadelphia, check out Mama’s Wellness Joint for the next Community Reiki Clinic.

Community Reiki Clinic

When giving a Reiki session, it’s pretty obvious to me that there is an overflow of…
I like to think of my health as a savings account. Every day I make deposits and withdrawals based on my thoughts, words, and actions. Obviously I want to continuously increase my balance, so I aspire to make more frequent and larger deposits than withdrawals. This way I am giving my body the support it needs to do its job of being well and energetic.

Stress seems to be the number one withdrawal to our health accounts in modern society. Whether it be at work or home, from family or society, financial or social; it seems inescapable. Worse yet, it often drives us to seek comfort in activities that further deplete our health such as over-drinking, -exercising, -eating, numbing out in front of the TV, or any type of distracting behavior that saps our life-force energy. When these withdrawals exceed our healthy deposits, we make ourselves more vulnerable to disease and discomfort.

Perhaps the most healthful thing we can do for ourselves is to practice kindness; not only towards others, but also towards ourselves. This looks different for each person as our passions and challenges are all unique. For me, being kind to myself means planning nutritious meals and regular mealtimes, making time to rest, meditating, reading inspiring books and blogs, and dancing. These are all activities that make me feel great and boost my energy. And they all take time, special props or settings, and a good deal of effort.

I have discovered a super-power for creating limitless deposits with little effort. I’m talking about daily application of Reiki healing energy. Reiki is a powerful healing technique that uses gentle touch to flood one’s body with universal life-force energy. This is the same energy that the immune system uses to function at maximum effectiveness. Most people don’t have the luxury of scheduling an appointment every day with a professional Reiki practitioner, so I am a huge proponent of self-treatments.

One of the great things about Reiki is that is can do no harm. For this reason, it’s super easy to learn and to treat oneself. There are no prerequisites or special abilities involved. I’ve distilled the essence of what people need to know for self-use into a three hour class that promotes a simple sequence of hand positions that is my absolute top recommendation for maintaining wellness. Even better, it’s easy to give oneself a dose of Reiki “on the fly” in stressful situations or during downtime. Think meetings, airports, subways, exams, family holiday dinners, and busy checkout lines.

If you’re interested in making daily contributions to your health savings account and becoming your most vibrant self, I am here to encourage you to take a Reiki class and commit to giving yourself the gift of a 10-20 minute blast of healing energy daily. If you live in or near Philadelphia, I’d like to invite you to my Reiki for Self-Care: Banish Stress from 2016 class on Sunday, January 17. We may not have control over the amount of stress that life deals us, but we absolutely have the power to manage it with daily practices of self-care and kindness.

Daily Health Deposits

I like to think of my health as a savings account. Every day I make deposits…
Today my client told me that earlier she had been sitting at her computer when her back started aching. The work she was doing was important, but not urgent, so she got up and did some stretching rather than powering through. If we had not been 15 minutes into a massage, I would’ve started turning cartwheels! I was so happy to hear that she was beginning to tune in and listen to her body’s messages.

As a bodyworker it is a huge goal of mine to promote self-care. Yes, I love helping people release pain and stress, but the work I do is way more effective when it’s backed up with mindfulness and lifestyle shifts. There’s only so much I can do in an hour to help someone who abuses his or her body for 40 or 60 or 80 hours in between sessions. I think of myself as an eraser: I can help give someone a clean slate, but it’s ultimately up to them what gets scribbled on it when they leave my care. It is a true joy to watch someone take responsibility for their own well-being. Our bodies give us the clues we need to thrive physically; we just need to listen.

Ding, Ding, Ding; We Have a Winner!

Today my client told me that earlier she had been sitting at her computer when her…
My clients often tell me how much their pain medication is helping them. As gently as possible, I do my best to clarify that most pain killers are doing just that- killing the pain. They help us to feel less discomfort, but that is not at all the same thing as healing. In fact, in my eyes, it’s often counterproductive to healing, because it gives us a false sense of well-being and allows us to overlook the message the pain was meant to deliver. Shooting the messenger does not cancel out the message.

That’s right; I see pain as a messenger. It often brings a statement from the higher self. Sometimes pain indicates an imbalance either in the body or psyche. It is a clue that something is out of whack and needs to be addressed in order for vitality and complete health to emerge. Pain can also be a signal that a lifestyle change is in order or that a repetitive movement needs to be altered. It is sometimes the only way to convince a person to slow down and rest.

The body is asking for attention when this unwelcome messenger arrives. The one thing I know for certain is that the message is not “I need more ibuprofen”. I’m certainly not suggesting that people suffer through their injuries without pharmaceutical assistance. There absolutely is a place in healing for pain relief. It is my hope, however, that people will consider after taking the pill that a symptom still needs to be addressed. Don’t ignore the cry for help merely because the pain has been dulled. Dig deeper for the source of the pain and take steps to regain balance. Your long term well-being depends on it.

The Unwelcome Messenger

My clients often tell me how much their pain medication is helping them. As gently as…
This morning a lady arrived for her weekly massage and announced, “Time for my meltdown!” I was surprised at first, because generally speaking a meltdown is a traumatic and dramatic event. Then it hit me- she was referring to the feeling of melting from the inside out. I couldn’t help but to smile at this beautiful concept. Meltdown = rubdown + enhanced inner peace. What a lovely way to describe the work I enjoy doing!

Yesterday, I gave a Reiki/massage combo to a sweet young lady who was having a stressful day. I started off with some balancing Reiki to move any stuck energy out of her mind and body, and could feel her sink deeply into the treatment. Afterwards she told me that she had been worried about having a breakdown on the table. While this is not uncommon during bodywork as emotions often get stirred up and pushed to the surface for release, it is often uncomfortable for clients who are shy about expressing heavy emotions or crying in front of others. She confided in me that instead of a breakdown, she had been able to release all the gunk she had been holding onto without the tears or upset. She instead had a meltdown!

When it comes to stress, the psyche runs the show, but the body pays the price. We get worn down by incessantly thinking that there’s never enough time to do what we need to do, that we’re running in place, that we always need to be on guard. These feelings weaken our energy flow, making our immune systems vulnerable, and creating an opening for illness. Gentle, nurturing touch and energy healing helps people let go of the thoughts and emotions that are the true source of most of the discomfort and pain in the body. Creating a safe, compassionate space for people to relax and restore is a surefire way to enhance health and well-being. How lucky am I that I get to be a facilitator of this beautiful process!?!?

Time for My Meltdown

This morning a lady arrived for her weekly massage and announced, “Time for my meltdown!” I…
Once again I have been reminded why it is that I love my work so much. Helping people release stress has a huge impact on their daily lives, allowing them to be healthier, more productive, more joyful, and more vibrant. Today I gave a therapeutic massage to a professional young woman who is very active and in the midst of planning her wedding. To say that she is busy and stressed is a huge understatement. This was her second session with me. After realizing the immense benefit of the previous treatment, she decided to make massage a part of her health care regime.

During our check-in today, I asked about her headaches. She looked at my blankly for a beat, then a huge smile spread across her face. She had completely forgotten that her primary complaint three weeks again was extreme neck tension that led to frequent and severe headaches. After just one massage the headaches had stopped completely. What a tremendous blessing! We still have a lot of work to do to create balance in her muscular structure, but the gift of living without the dread or pain of an aching head was great progress.

I do my best to educate my clients of the benefits of scheduling regular massages to stay ahead of the tension. For many people, a monthly session helps them to manage their stress and prevent incidents of pain and debilitation. I have one client who in theory knows this, but seems unwilling to prioritize self-care. She almost always cancels her appointment due to a family or work related situation, then calls several weeks later in great pain. I believe she could avoid the pain if only she got into a regular routine.

I also believe that headaches are a message from our bodies that we need to slow down and take better care of ourselves. If we listen to this message and find a way to get more rest and mediate tension, quite often they simply go away. It really brings me great joy to assist my clients in this process. There is absolutely no need to suffer anymore. Massage is not the only way to manage stress, but it is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to release tension. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of relaxation for overall health. Let a trained professional help you re-establish your innate well-being and say goodbye to chronic headaches once and for all.

Headaches? What Headaches???

Once again I have been reminded why it is that I love my work so much.…