A new client just left my office. After the session was over, she proclaimed, “That was crazy!”
I’m always delighted to hear what people have to say about their time on the table. Everyone uses unique words to describe their healing experiences.
“I was floating on waves of peace.” Mmhmm, that sounds nice!
A lot of people drop into a deep place, not quite awake, not quite asleep. I suspect they are going into delta or theta brainwave grooves, but have no way of measuring. I just know that it’s an altered state that opens the gate for profound healing to happen.
I remember a time when I received a treatment from a friend. I’d been in her space dozens of times before, but on this particular day when the session ended and she left the room, I thought to myself, how did the door get over there?! I’d been so deeply immersed in the spiritual realm that the 3D space seemed off.
Some people see colors or hear music. Everybody is different. Most people just feel a warmth or a sense of calm and relaxation that eclipses their ordinary reality.
I wonder if this is how we’d feel most of the time if we lived lives more closely connected to our natural rhythms.
I guess I’ll never know, but it’s my goal to help people go there, into their deepest selves, as best I can. It’s like having a two week tropical vacation condensed into an hour- with no sunburn or hangover!
Want to surf the waves of peace? Get yourself some Reiki! And if you’re in the Philly area, go for the combo and try my Reiki-massage combo.
A new client just left my office. After the session was over, she proclaimed, “That was…
Do you know Jeff Foster? He teaches an embodied form of meditation. Very different than the new age-y approach of trying to escape the body.
He’s offering a freebie on January 14, 2pm eastern. I’ve done several of these offerings with Jeff and find them very nourishing.
It’s an opportunity to experience his work without charge. If you like it, you can sign up for his community; he will mention that. But, unlike most free offerings/masterclasses, his webinars have never felt like an infomercial.
(I’m not an affiliate, btw. Just a fan.)
If you’ve found it difficult to meditate in the past yet yearn for the myriad benefits, why not check it out?
“How do you get ‘there’? You don’t. Even if you did, you’d still be here. Be here. That’s how you get ‘there’. In presence, in stillness, let life carry you…”
Do you know Jeff Foster? He teaches an embodied form of meditation. Very different than the…
Here we are, at the beginning of 2025, launching into a new year. I’m seeing lots of posts about kicking it off in style, crushing it, being the best version of yourself.
Which might seem like an impossibility if you’re struggling just to get through the days. This is the season when Nature is urging us to rest and restore, to take some downtime, and get extra sleep. It is not the season for crushing it, unless we’re talking about naps.
So if I could encourage us all to do just one thing right now, it would be to listen to our own bodies. Let them guide us through this new year portal.
Inquire within and listen with compassion and curiosity:
How am I feeling right now? What do I need? What activity or lack of activity would be most supportive?
Rather than jumping on someone else’s, even a so-called expert’s, bandwagon, tune in to yourself. Let your self-care be for YOU.
All journeys begin with the first step. Don’t let the distance between your current location and your destination derail your departure.
Research shows that small habits have a big impact overtime. Pick one thing to do, or not do, this week. Next week or next month, or whenever the time feels right, add one more thing to do or not do.
It could be as simple as taking three conscious breaths while the coffee brews or smiling at yourself in the mirror.
I’ve been having my tea outside at sunrise for six months now. Supposedly the light at dawn is very healing on a cellular level. I can’t say that my cells feel different, but I’ve come to look forward to this quiet moment every morning. Getting bundled up when it’s below freezing has become a challenge that I enjoy. On the long road of healing, it’s just a baby step, but one I’ve made nearly 200 times, thereby shifting my trajectory into one aligned with vibrant mitochondria and cellular health.
What small shift can you make in your trajectory?
Sunrise is at 7:23 tomorrow- you’ve welcome to join me for a cuppa. Don’t forget the layers. Lots and lots of layers. 🤩
If you want a jumpstart, consider booking a Reiki treatment and fill up your life-force tank.
Here we are, at the beginning of 2025, launching into a new year. I’m seeing lots…
I just got back from the most glorious hike. It’s drizzly and cold here in Philly, but it’s my day off and I wanted to go to the woods. While I was trekking through the trees, I chuckled to myself about descriptors people often use for days like today.
Dreary.
Miserable.
Dreadful.
Come on, now! You can write a story in your head about it being a miserable, rainy day, and it will most definitely be true for you.
But is it True, with a capital T?
No!
It’s rainy. It’s wet. The sky is gray. There are mud puddles. The fallen leaves are slippery. These statements are objectively True. That means I need to dress appropriately and be careful where I step on the trail.
So I did. No biggie. And you know what?
Nowhere did I find any misery.
Instead, I found fresh, clean air. Mud puddles! (My inner child was delighted to have a splash.) And magic. That’s the story I told myself, and for me it became True.
I did pass a couple along the path and we all agreed that it was wonderful being out there without much company. The fellow said that the rain keeps the amateurs away and we all had a good laugh.
As adults, we have myriad opportunities to stretch our comfort zone and rewrite our stories. If we don’t, the zone shrinks over time and we begin to lose freedom of choice. It’s up to each of us to recognize how much discomfort we can face in order to grow and build resilience. Or we can wallow in our restrictive demands for comfort and forever remain an amateur.
For me, hiking in a drizzle is not much of a stretch. Perhaps that’s because I have a great affinity for water and a disposition and constitution that enjoys the cold. There are other areas of life that are much more challenging for me, and this new insight has all sorts of ideas brewing about how I can better meet them with grace and willingness if not ease.
And it all begins with the words I use to describe the event/situation/environment I choose to face. Will it be dreadful or simply unknown? Dreary or just wet? Miserable or potentially magical?
You tell me.
(Please do! I’d love to hear what words you use to rewrite an old story that keeps you from experiencing absolute freedom. What’s your rainy day equivalent?)
I just got back from the most glorious hike. It’s drizzly and cold here in Philly,…
I had a great time sitting by the creek yesterday. I call this video: Mixed Doubles Synchronized Swimming. There are three pairs of mallards enjoying a cold sunny day.
Aren’t they adorable?
If you didn’t know that they were feeding themselves, wouldn’t they look ridiculous? Turning themselves butt up, heads submerged in frigid water seems an odd sort of behavior, no?
It got me thinking about how much energy is wasted judging other people’s actions when we don’t know the full story.
Of course, the flip side of this is how much energy is wasted worrying about what other people think. These ducks, I can assure you, did not concern themselves with my opinion of their swimming routine. I doubt they cared what the robins and sparrows thought either.
A few weeks ago, I had FOUR flies in my kitchen. So annoying. I didn’t want to kill them, so I opened the window and used a kitchen towel to try to chase them out. I laughed, thinking that I must look utterly crazy to any neighbors who might have caught a glimpse of my shoo-fly dance.
There is so much energy that we fritter away every day that can be repurposed for healing, creativity, productivity, and vitality. It’s our life-force! Shall we not try to spend it wisely? Frugally, even?
I hope these ducks can help us all remember to carry on about the day without critiquing things we don’t understand and to do our own thing without concern for appearances.
You do you, little ducks. I’ll be over here doing me.
I had a great time sitting by the creek yesterday. I call this video: Mixed Doubles…
I met a client this week who shared after her session that she was surprised that I didn’t painfully dig in to her muscles. (She came to me by way of a gift certificate and hadn’t seen my website where I very clearly state that my style of bodywork is NOT painful.)
It gave me the opportunity to address what I believe is a very common myth that pushing really hard on sore muscles is the way to create relief. In my experience, this is absolutely not true! At least for me and the thousands of people I’ve worked with.
What happens when the body feels pain? It tenses. How does that help? It doesn’t.
And when someone is experiencing chronic pain, their muscles are already tense and their nervous system set to hyper-protection mode. Even the hint of pain activates an instinct to fight or flee. How does that help? It doesn’t!
Instead, I find that a soothing, gentle approach allows the nervous system to calm and the muscles to melt. I meet the painful areas with a curious and compassionate attention: “Hello, I see you there, what can I do for you?” Rather than an attack: “Bad muscle, I’ll pummel you into submission!”
I don’t know where where this “no pain, no gain” mentality comes from in the massage realm, but it saddens me that people think that they need to suffer to experience relief. Or worse yet, that because they are unwilling to suffer, bodywork is not for them.
There are tons of deep tissue therapists out there who want to jab an elbow into your achy spots. If that’s your thing, you’ll have no problem finding someone to hurt you. But it isn’t me.
If you are pain averse and want your session to be enjoyable while leaving you feeling relaxed and gooey, that’s my wheelhouse.
Working with the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, endocrine system, emotional and energetic bodies is a lot more nuanced and effective than pushing hard on a sore spot.
It doesn’t mean a feather-light touch, either, just in case that’s a concern. It means meeting the tissue as it is, sinking in as far as it allows, and responding when it says stop.
It’s a technique that respects the body and its innate wisdom rather than trying to force an arbitrary solution from the outside.
If you’re in the Philly area, I’m here to be of service. If you live elsewhere, don’t be afraid to inquire with the provider before you book a session. Any respectable therapist will be able to answer your questions and confirm if they are able to offer a pain-free experience.
I met a client this week who shared after her session that she was surprised that…
I recently saw a post online about self-care not being enough. It immediately caught my attention. I was intrigued thoroughly, mostly because it triggered my argumentative streak. The man went on to say that he was an active participant in self-care, but it wasn’t enough to prevent burnout.
He exercised daily and ate lots of vegetables and meditated regularly.
He also worked 60+ hours each week and had a few side gigs going.
While I can’t fault him for the self-care aspect, I’d say it was an incomplete attempt. Movement, nourishment, and mindfulness are all excellent practices. But they don’t override our need for a healthy work-life balance.
In my eyes, self-care includes knowing how much we can handle and modifying our lives so that we don’t overdo it.
It’s not that self-care wasn’t enough, but that he ignored part of the equation.
You’ve heard it all before- we all need adequate nutrition, hydration, oxygen, sunlight, exercise and rest to be healthy. You can eat all the broccoli in the world, but if you hardly ever drink water, it’s not going to be enough to stay well.
I’d like to redefine self-care as caring for ourselves with kindness and curiosity. This means paying attention to what we need and responding accordingly rather than following a protocol prescribed by a so-called expert. What I need is very different from what you need. Heck, what I need in this moment is different from what I needed last week. It’s always changing.
This requires developing our self-awareness and capacity to respond with compassion (rather than the pushing/forcing/punishing energy I often seen in runners or folks at the gym).
I endeavor to speak to myself the same way I would to my 10-year-old niece- I wouldn’t shout at her for getting something wrong or berate her for not trying harder or doing more. I’d be encouraging and willing to explore what could be done differently next time.
Rather than jumping on some TikTok bandwagon and following rules developed by someone who has a completely different constitution, history, and lifestyle than yourself, what if you slowed down and listened to your body? To your heart?
This, my friends, is revolutionary behavior and exactly what we need to thrive in a world that is full of stress and toxins. A few years back, I did a 40-day series on self-care if you need some ideas. You can search for the “Radical Self-Care” posts.
But don’t take those articles as a prescription or even a recommendation.
You do you. How could I know if you need more rest or activity or broccoli?
What is one small thing you could do for yourself today that would be a step towards optimal wellness? Don’t overthink it! I bet something has already popped into your mind. How can you make it happen? And this is an important step- afterwards, acknowledge the rewards of your efforts and give yourself a pat on the back. That will make it more likely that you’ll keep going.
I recently saw a post online about self-care not being enough. It immediately caught my attention.…
I saw this question raised online last week. A woman was inquiring about the dreadful statistics of Americans given that everyone she asks claims to eat healthfully.
It really got me thinking about the state of the world in which people try their best to look after themselves and fail.
Unsurprisingly, I have a lot to say about this!
In fact, I could probably write a book about my thoughts on this subject. I don’t have the energy to do that as I spend some much time on cultivating my own health. But as I pondered, two key factors have floated up to the top of my list of key offenders.
One. Chronic stress. Stress is normalized, even celebrated in our culture. It’s normal for people to spend more than half of their waking hours in a toxic work environment. The more you work, the busier you are, the more stress you have, the better. That’s the upside-down message we receive in this crazy society.
This is not healthy! If this describes your everyday reality, know that you’re going to need to take action to mitigate the effects of chronic stress by learning to regulate your nervous system and/or metabolize the physiological impact of being chronically disregulated.
We now know the damaging effects of a constant cortisol drip, but for many of us, there doesn’t seem to be an alternative. The system is rigged against us. Dropouts, misfits, and revolutionaries are able to escape this insanity, but you need to be a risk-taker to go this route.
Two. We’ve lost touch with our inner wisdom and turn to external “experts” for strategies about health. With so many doctors being specialists in one narrow corner of medicine, few have the big picture of wellness in mind. If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a functional medicine doctor or homeopath, you’re still having to battle uphill against societal norms.
So often I hear people talking about their “healthy choices” and feel surprised at what they consider to be healthy. Low fat? Low carb? There’s so much conflicting information out there. So many of our strategies are influenced by advertisements sneakily disguised and normalized by repetition.
Milk- it does a body good. Remember this campaign from the 80’s? It an advertisement paid for by the dairy council! Milk may or may not be good for your body- we’re all different. But that isn’t a catchy slogan that people will recall for decades.
Trident- it’s what 2 out of 3 dentists recommend for their patients who chew gum. Another ad from my childhood. It sounds like dentists are promoting sugar-free gum, right? But I don’t think any dentist suggests chewing gum. They are definitely opposed to sugar-laden gum like good-ole Hubba Bubba, but I can’t see that any are promoting gum itself.
And 2 out of 3? Not out of every dentist, just those surveyed. Do you think that Trident was careful in its selection of dentists to survey? Yeah.
I don’t remember much from my college days, but I took Statistics and the professor spelled out all the different ways you can lie with numbers by carefully crafting statements to reflect the preferred outcome.
We’ve been overtly and covertly influenced by information that is designed to mislead us, to make us feed bad about ourselves, to believe that if we just purchase this or that, all will be well. But capitalism is about selling stuff, not creating wellness, and there’s a heck of a lot more purchasing going on by people who want to be well than by people who are well.
Ok, one more reason I can’t ignore.
Three. Our food supply is full of crap. We tinker with the genetic material of plants in a lab. If that doesn’t freak you out, one of the reasons for this tinkering is to make plants strong enough to survive a chemical pesticide that is so deadly, it would kill the plant otherwise. Then those plants are manufactured into “food”, along with residue of that toxic chemical.
Yum.
Labels are deliberately misleading. Recipes are engineered to be super-addictive so people buy more and more and more.
The whole system is whacked.
If you’re struggling with health despite doing your best, it’s not your fault. Billions of dollars are invested to fool you.
Please don’t despair! That’s not good for your health either. The situation isn’t hopeless. I wouldn’t be writing this post just to leave you feeling depressed.
Reiki can help.
It can help relieve stress, detoxify your body, and amplify your connection to your inner wisdom, clarity, motivation and intuition. Every day it helps me figure out my priorities and move in the direction I want to go.
It’s not your fault that this world is so unhealthy. But if you want to have a different experience than the one you’ve been having, it is your responsibility to do something different. That could mean changing your job, shopping at a farmers market and preparing more of your meals at home, or working with a naturopath.
Or schedule a Reiki session for yourself once or twice each month to build up your life-force energy and manage your stress. You don’t even need to go anywhere- distance treatments can be received from wherever you are with very little effort. Just click a few buttons, share your goals, and sit back to soak it all up.
I saw this question raised online last week. A woman was inquiring about the dreadful statistics…
This is a question often asked by a first-time client at the end of our session. This week it was a man wondering how I knew that his right foot had been troubling him when he hadn’t mentioned it during the intake.
He came for help with chronic back pain after having already been through all the tests and scans and been told by numerous doctors that he was “fine”.
But he didn’t feel fine. He was in constant pain. Clearly there was something out of whack, even if it couldn’t be seen on an MRI.
I know from experience that foot, knee, and hip alignment impacts the lower back. Put a rock in your shoe for a day and then notice how the pain ricochets up the legs and into the spine. It’s simple body mechanics that when we favor a sore spot, muscles compensate and protect and can easily throw the entire musculoskeletal system off balance.
I could tell this by looking at the position of his feet while he was lying on the table. I could clearly see that the right and left feet were very different from one another. I could especially tell when I touched his feet.
What he noticed is that I used a different technique on his right foot. I explained that because his feet were different from one another that they called for different strategies. My intuition and sense of touch informed me in the moment of how to proceed. Not some procedural manual or protocol.
A skilled and attuned bodyworker approaches each session with curiosity and compassion rather than an agenda. We’re not afraid to use gentle touch to explore painful areas to try and provide some relief.
I remember a time in college when my back was hurting. My friends and I were at a terrible sports bar. It was loud and crowded and I’d been standing too long. My roommate knew I was uncomfortable and laid her hand on my low back and made a few circular movements. I froze in place. Not because it was weird to be getting massage in that atmosphere, but because no one had even done that before and I’d been suffering from chronic pain for six years. I sensed then that the power of touch was some potent medicine even if I didn’t consciously understand what was happening.
It was many years after that aha moment that I found myself in training to become a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner and ever so eager to help others with chronic pain. An astrologer once told me that I was fated to work in the healing arts based on my natal chart. That may be true; it does seem like my entire life set me up to understand that there is more to healing than X-rays and prescriptions.
I soon developed a knack for finding the knots, the anomalies, the inconsistencies and exploring how to address them. It didn’t take me long to realize that pushing hard on a painful area did not produce lasting results. After doing thousands of sessions, it became easy to pinpoint the areas that needed attention. I can’t always explain it, but I soon become aware of an X that marks the spot during many sessions.
That’s how I know. That body doesn’t keep secrets, and I know how to listen.
I expect I’ll be seeing that man again soon. What’s really cool is that each session will be different because I’ll connect with him, his foot, and all his parts exactly as they are, discerning where the tension and constrictions lie.
My answer will be the same if he again asks, “How did you know?” I knew because I was tuned in to what the body was telling me and responded accordingly.
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 