stress management

There are many reasons you might have tight muscles. Many of them are worsened by stretching.

WHAT?

Yup.

When a muscle is habitually shortened, stretching can indeed help. If you just spent an hour lifting weights or jogging, i.e. contracting muscles to build strength, stretching them afterwards can help maintain range of motion. If you spend 12 hours every day sitting, your quads are probably chronically shortened and could benefit from daily stretching.

If a muscle is shortened through repetitive contraction or postural patterns, lengthening it will help recreate balance. Unless you go at it aggressively, in which case you will encounter the protective mechanism built into your soft tissue to prevent injury. If you override this, you will likely do harm. Best to stop just short of your edge, linger and attempt to soften.

So, mindful, gentle stretching can help some kinds of tight muscles.

But let’s look at other reasons a muscle might feel tight.

It could be overstretched. Imagine pulling a rubber band to its maximum length. It’s tight, right? Would stretching it release this tension?

No! It will make things worse. Overstretched muscles need slack to relieve tightness. The chronic tension you feel in the back of your neck and upper back? I can almost guarantee they are tired from holding your head up when it’s crept forward of your shoulders. These muscles are already at their limits.

A muscle will tense if any part of you senses danger. Think about getting punched in the gut. Did your belly muscles tighten defensively? Many of us have patterns of contracted muscles due to chronic stress and unresolved trauma. The result? Walking around unconsciously braced for potential attack- physical, emotional, verbal or psychic.

Trying to stretch these muscles is an act of war with yourself. They are holding on and you’re trying to pull them apart, which creates greater unease and sends a signal to the nervous system to tighten further.

Clench your hand into a fist. Everything feels tight, yeah? The solution is to send a signal to the muscles to let go. Trying to override messages from the nervous system that are trying to keep us safe causes more stress and… tension. Protective patterns are usually well-intentioned, but often unskillful, outdated and unnecessary.

Same goes for patterns of emotional protection. If you feel the need to guard your heart, your shoulders and chest might curve in defensively. These muscles will indeed feel tight but until the cause is addressed, any effects of stretching will be temporary at best.

It’s common for muscles to get recruited to protect an injury. If you have a micro tear in a tendon, stretching is going to aggravate it. After the injury is properly healed, stretching can help return to a balanced posture, but before then, those tight muscles are serving an important purpose.

Rather than systematically addressing all tightness with stretching, try something new. Something radical. Drop your awareness into the body, beneath the tightness. Sense what it needs. Is there anything you can soften with your attention and breath? What about shifting your alignment so that your skeleton is bearing more of your weight?

I wholeheartedly recommend moving the body through its full range of motion as a remedy for tightness that won’t worsen these issues. Some forms of yoga can do that- those that invite body awareness and deliberate alignment. Not so much the calisthenics varieties. Somatics is a form of movement reeducation that helps establish healthy patterns. I’m a huge fan of Gyrokinesis classes which do the same.

Addressing the sympathetic nervous system and chronic stress, however, is my number 1 recommendation. Deactivating the message that your brain sends to your muscles to tense will allow much of the tightness to simply melt away. The root cause is often not in the muscles but in the nervous system. The nervous system can be activated by our emotions or our memories and even just a hint of perceived danger can launch a full-on sympathetic response (fight, flight or freeze).

In my 20+ years of literal hands-on work of tight muscles, I can say without a doubt that most of it comes from stress and the nervous system. Many of my clients are trying to get relief by stretching and wonder why it’s not having any benefit. That’s because it isn’t the correct remedy most of the time.

It’s important to note that I’m not saying that stress needs to be eliminated. That’s simply not doable for most of us. Yes, definitely minimize the stressors that you can. AND find a way of managing the unavoidable ones.

It could be meditation, journaling, dancing, tai chi, qi gong, acupuncture, gardening, walking, or painting. Something that brings you joy and moves your body in a way that feels good.

Reiki and gentle massage are brilliant at activating the physiological remedy for stress as well as stimulating circulation and releasing tension. If you’re wanting some support on your journey, I’m here to help.

And in the meantime, if you’ve been stretching and stretching to no avail, give it a break. It’s possible that those muscles are already overstretched.

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When Stretching Doesn’t Work

There are many reasons you might have tight muscles. Many of them are worsened by stretching.…
If You Have Osteoarthritis, Here’s How to Give Your Cartilage the Best Chance to Heal

This is a great article about approaching a common ailment from a holistic perspective.

Many people are diagnosed with osteoarthritis and given the impression that this is just how it is from now on, they need to learn to live with the discomfort and should probably expect it to grow worse over time.

Nonsense!

Arthritis might not have a cure at this point in time, but there is so much we can do to support our joints and decrease inflammation.

Sadly the medical system is not promoting the necessary lifestyle changes that allow this to happen.

“It is what it is, and that’s that” seems to be the official response. How fatalistic and thoroughly inaccurate.

Total poppycock!

How you use, misuse or overuse your body matters! Your stress levels and diet matter. If you’re willing to address these factors, there’s a great likelihood that you can diminish pain and restrictions to mobility.

Naturally, I’m partial to gentle bodywork and energy healing as strategies for repair, although they aren’t mentioned in the article. The author teaches a form of movement re-education called Somatics that I find beneficial as well.

The important question is… are you willing to do things differently to have a different experience?

Book a Reiki or Massage Session

Support for Osteoarthritis

This is a great article about approaching a common ailment from a holistic perspective. Many people…
Happy New Year!!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been sitting with the question: what monthly special can I offer that will be most supportive for the most people?

A lot of ideas have come through, but mostly from my mind. I’ve been waiting for a response from my soul, which has proven itself to be the wiser guide.

Finally, my instructions have arrived.

Make it easier. Offer a discount for Reiki sessions.

A 24% discount, to be precise, in honor of the new year.

If you find yourself feeling depleted, overdrawn, fatigued, anxious, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, stuck, weighed down, disconnected or otherwise different than how you’d like to feel, Reiki can help.

Book a remote or in-person Reiki session by the end of January 2024 to receive $24 off the normal rate.

(This does not apply to massages or Reiki-massage combinations. Those are more physically demanding and I am carefully navigating a sustainable work load for this body of mine.)

Reiki is a holistic healing modality that promotes stress and pain relief and cultivates optimal wellness by flooding the recipient with life force energy. Not just any ole life-force; spiritually guided life force.

One client describes it as a spiritual hug.

Most people report feeling deeply relaxed and restored and more like themselves.

If you’re wondering if Reiki can be helpful for whatever you’re going through, very likely it can. I use it in my own life for healing injuries and reducing pain (both physical and emotional), connecting with my intuition and creativity, metabolizing stress and the sense of utter dismay at the state of the world, cultivating hormonal balance, digestion and quality sleep, and maintaining my sense of humor along with impeccable discernment as a mature woman navigating the dating scene and urban traffic. It’s the foundation of my spiritual practice and the balm for everything that ails. It’s the primary reason people so often comment on my calmness even amidst the perfect storm that life often cooks up for me.

It is not a magic pill and will not miraculously cure a long-standing, deeply rooted imbalance in the course of an hour. Let’s be real. Nothing can do that! It can, however, break an stress/pain/suffering cycle, help motivate you to take steps in the direction you wish to go and give you the extra oomph to get started.

It works fantastically as a maintenance routine, but also serves as an emergency remedy when the sh*t hits the fan.

It’s my hope that this discount will provide an extra nudge for anyone who has been sitting on the fence considering a session or perhaps the means to do so.

Book It!

January 2024 Reiki Special

Happy New Year!! For the past few weeks, I’ve been sitting with the question: what monthly…
Whoop whoop!

I’ve scheduled a Reiki 2 class for my Philly area friends. Anyone who has previously taken a level 1 certification training, with me or another teacher, is invited to attend.

Many students who join this training are eager to do remote treatments so they can send healing energy to friends and family from afar. It’s pretty amazing and we have a lot of fun with this.

But that’s not the only benefit of this training.

The distance symbol can also be used to send healing back to traumatic moments, mitigating the present day effects of previous woundings. We can give ourselves the acceptance, understanding, love and attention that we wish we had had in the past.

It can also be used to deposit Reiki in the future to optimize each day or smooth the way through upcoming challenges. And to secure parking spaces and restaurant seating in advance. 🙂

I use the power symbol each time I get in the car to build a protective force field around me. It also amplifies traditional healing and space clearing endeavors. And so much more!

And the mental/emotional symbol is quite useful for treating anxiety and depression, while simultaneously cultivating focus, clarity, and memory. Because it looks like a creature with an open mouth, I imagine it munching up limiting beliefs and cultural conditioning just like PacMan.

Of course, this is just the teaser! We spend quite a bit of time getting to know each symbol and how we can use them in a variety of ways.

Intrigued? We’d love to have you.

5 Thursday evenings from 6-8pm September 14, 21, & 28, October 5 & 19 (no class on October 12)

I’m offering a $25 early bird discount off the regular fee of $275 through August 24. We meet in my Mt. Airy office, near the intersection of Germantown & Mt. Pleasant Aves. I support your comfort to provide the best learning opportunity, so whatever you may need to make that happen is welcome. Let’s chat if you’re unsure if this is a match for you.

More info

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Contact Pamela

Announcing In-person Reiki 2 Certification

Whoop whoop! I’ve scheduled a Reiki 2 class for my Philly area friends. Anyone who has…
Reiki is really helpful for cultivating our ability to remember. It supports the deactivation of our survival response, also called the fight/flight/freeze mechanism, which blocks access to our ability to think clearly or retrieve memories. When we’re not perpetually stressed, memory can come back online.

What’s even more interesting to me, is that Reiki (more specifically the mental/emotional symbol taught in Reiki 2) can help cement new memories.

Many years ago, I heard someone (can’t remember who, but the impression is of a doctor or researcher) say that part of the problems we face in the chaotic, fast-paced world is that we are just not paying attention enough to what we’re doing to actually make new memories.

Can you relate?

I can! Especially now that I’m wearing reading glasses. I haven’t yet gone looking for them while they’re on my head, but they do get misplaced sometimes.

So for those pesky, maddening experiences of not being able to find your keys or wondering if you left the iron on at home the moment your plane takes off for a distant land, there is hope.

I had a scare a few years ago when on a hike with a friend. I was certain I’d return and find my apartment burnt to a crisp. It didn’t really matter than in my decades of adulting, I’d never ever left a candle burning or the stove on, I was freaking out.

Of course, I got home and everything was fine. But for weeks, every time I went somewhere, I was worried about having forgotten to turn the stove off.

It didn’t matter that every time I came home, sometimes immediately and inconveniently because I just couldn’t deal with the discomfort of not knowing, never ever did I find what I feared to be true.

Then I realized that I was not creating new memories of turning off the stove or oven, blowing out the candle, or locking the door.

A new strategy arose. One much more effective than circling back each time I went somewhere to double check my home.

Before I leave, I stand at the stove, check all the knobs and say, “off” while taking a mental snapshot of the stove indeed being off. This same technique can work for any situation. “Keys”. “Glasses”. “Candle”. Whatever.

A week after I started doing this, my out-of-the-home panic diminished greatly and about a month later I didn’t need it any more. I had effectively cured my paranoia. I only do it now if I’m going out of town or some unusual circumstance has me out of my routine.

Anyone can do this. It’s simply a matter of turning your attention for just a moment to that which you’d like to remember. If you have Reiki super-powers, use SHK to stamp your memory in deep. If you’d like to have Reiki super-powers, get on my mailing list to be in the know about upcoming classes.

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Reiki and Memory

Reiki is really helpful for cultivating our ability to remember. It supports the deactivation of our…
For the past few months, I’ve been making videos about how I approach common maladies with holistic and energetic techniques. Life gives me consistent material and I simply record what I’m doing for myself. There are a number of very simple tools that can be used for a wide variety of challenges.

Awareness

Compassion

Slowing down

Reducing unnecessary stimulation

Breath

Sound

Movement

And my all-time favorite, Reiki

If you experience overwhelm, you can get relief in just a few minutes. Better yet, you can minimize overwhelm’s frequency, duration, and intensity by aligning your behavior with your values and vision and regulating the nervous system.

The most effective and affordable approach I know it to learn how to give yourself Reiki treatments. If the do-it-yourself suggestion triggers even more overwhelm, consider booking a session. Relief is just a few clicks away.

Work with Me

Feeling Overwhelmed? I am, and here’s how I’m working with it.

For the past few months, I’ve been making videos about how I approach common maladies with…
Reiki has a growing reputation for successfully supporting cancer and surgical patients. Yet it has many additional uses. Taking a Reiki 1 class is an easy, affordable way to gain instant access to healing, cleansing, renewing life-force energy. All at your very fingertips! As the ability to practice is transferred from teacher to student during an initiation called an attunement, it’s not dependent on any special skills or specific lifestyle. You don’t need to be psychic, enlightened, or identify as a “healer” to practice Reiki.

While many clients are content to receive professional treatments, many others desire more consistent relief. I’ve compiled a short list of the most common reasons for doing so that I hear from students. If you can relate, you might consider signing yourself up for a class! It will reduce your dependence on a practitioner, enabling you to receive healing on a daily basis.

Photo by Puwadon Sang-ngern on Pexels.com
1. Managing stress and anxiety. Aside from the fact that these maladies are highly unpleasant, they’ve also been linked to an increasing number of life-threatening diseases. Relaxation is becoming accepted as much more than an indulgent practice available to the likes of Hollywood divas frequenting day spas, but also as a wise investment in one’s health.
2. Reducing chronic pain. Relieving stress reduces inflammation, which in turn reduces chronic pain. While arthritis, for example, might not be curable, many people with this diagnosis are able to reduce, or even eliminate, the pain with consistent treatment.
3. Healing trauma. As if enduring a traumatic event is not terrible enough, it has long-term effects on the nervous system, causing survivors to live in a state of near-constant fear. Repeated activation of the physiological relaxation response can rewire the hair-trigger alarm systems of those struggling to acclimate to life after trauma.
4. Releasing limiting beliefs. I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t pick up any limiting beliefs in childhood which prevent them from living their greatest, most joyful lives. Statements that begin with, “I never…”, “I always…”, “I’m just the type of person who…”, “I’m too this or too that” become ingrained in the subconscious, preventing us from pursuing our dreams. With diligent application, Reiki can help us rewrite our inner scripts and uncover our true power.
5. Recovering self-esteem. For anyone who has developed a sense of insecurity due to past experiences, it’s hardly news that this way of being can be debilitating. By connecting folks to their deeper selves and inner knowing, innate self-esteem that has been fragmented or covered up can be reclaimed, allowing for greater personal freedom and contentment.
6. Cultivating clarity. Often students don’t know exactly what they are seeking but do have an acute awareness that something is missing from their lives. Reiki can help put them in touch with intuition, a sense of knowing that is much deeper than the intellect. For those who feel stuck in health, career, or relationship, developing clarity can reveal the way forward.
7. Healthy aging. There’s a common misconception in our culture that everything just starts to fall apart after age 40. Sadly, this is coupled with a sense of resignation and hopelessness. I’d like to argue that neglecting and abusing one’s body does cause increasing damage, and for many people, 40 years is the tipping point when such mistreatment can no longer be sustained. Reducing toxicity and inflammation while stockpiling life-force energy can go a long way to promoting better health through middle age and the elder years.
8. Support through a difficult time. Relocation, new parenthood, death of a loved one, divorce, and other big life changes are highly stressful. Reiki can provide comfort through challenges that might not be avoidable, but don’t need to be downright incapacitating.
9. Letting go of unwanted emotions. Resentment from old hurts can be a consistent drain of one’s energy and trigger undesirable coping mechanisms such as overdrinking, overeating, overworking, etc to numb the pain. Letting go of justified anger can seem impossible without external support. Yes, someone might have done something careless or even cruel in the past, and you might have suffered as a result. And at some point, you might choose to stop any needlessly suffering despite the damage that was done. Reiki can help find the inner resources and resilience to let go so that you can move on.
10. Frustrating or inadequate results of medical treatment. Many people show up in my office after having run through the gamut of medical tests and procedures that simply haven’t provided the desired relief. Because Reiki works on the mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic realms in addition to the physical body, it can often foster balance where modern medicine is unaware that balance is lacking.
11. Enjoying optimal health, happiness, and productivity. While Reiki isn’t a magical cure-all, it does help everyone access the greatest health available to their unique selves. Sure, I remain sensitive to wheat products and susceptible to type 2 diabetes despite my daily practice. That’s unlikely to change in this lifetime. But within these parameters, I enjoy the best health possible for me. Experiencing optimal health goes a long way to being happy and productive. It builds a strong foundation upon which we can then layer creativity, connection, vitality, and success.
12. Discovering and aligning with your soul’s calling. Once all the above concerns get sorted, it’s so much easier to hear the still, small voice within guiding you toward the plan your soul has for you. When there are fewer distractions from aches and pains, petty grievances, unnecessary triggering of the fight/flight/freeze response, limiting beliefs, outdating coping mechanisms, debilitating insecurities, and upsetting negative self-talk, there is so much energy freed up to explore our heart’s desires and innate talents which are keys to uncovering our unique mission for this lifetime. It’s in there somewhere, and Reiki can clear out the muck that stands in the way!
I could keep going, but this seems a good place to stop.

Reiki 1 Certification
12 Reasons to Learn Reiki

Reiki has a growing reputation for successfully supporting cancer and surgical patients. Yet it has many…
Many of my clients and students tell me they are struggling to remain rooted in this world, aware of the events of 2020, connected to the well of peace within, and aligned with their soul’s calling. It is indeed a balancing act to keep our eyes and ears open and participate in a society that seems to grow more chaotic by the day without allowing ourselves to get swept up by despair and anxiety.

Some spiritually minded folks prefer to keep their attention focused inward, ignoring the struggle that so many are facing these days. That is absolutely an option for those of us who are privileged enough to not be directly affected by the state of the world. There are plenty of roles to be played during this time of great transformation.

If you’d prefer a more active role, perhaps with boots on the ground, as a participant in the crucial discussions happening online, or as a leader, teacher, or facilitator of some sort, you need not sacrifice your health and well-being to do so.

I’m observing an awakening of many activists who wish to lend a hand in recreating, in their own ways, the world we live in. People are stretching beyond their comfort zones to help their communities and beyond, and it is heartwarming to behold. I applaud those who are stepping up to engage in the shaping of our global future. I also recognize the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fatigue that they risk without adequate care for themselves.

Reiki is the easiest, safest, and most powerful tool I am aware of to keep our tanks full so that we can return again and again to our missions. Filling ourselves with life-force energy and releasing unnecessary stress boosts our immune systems and our connection to intuition, two important factors for remaining able to continue on our paths with clarity and vitality. Even the greatest warriors need occasional respite. Taking the time to tend to our needs allows us to return to the arena, bringing our wisdom, power, and stamina.

It requires effort, but it is possible to have an embodied, visceral connection to the spiritual world, an eye toward the future we hope to build, and a sense of purpose integrated with inner peace. At times, staying involved without becoming a martyr will feel like a complicated dance. Receiving frequent Reiki infusions along can be both the anchor that allows you to remain grounded and the raft that keeps you afloat.

Anyone can learn Reiki in a short amount of time, without any prior knowledge or skill. These days there are plenty of online classes to choose from if you don’t have a teacher in your area. Once initiated into this healing modality, you forever have access to it.

I recommend a daily self-treatment of flooding oneself with spiritually guided life-force energy as a preventative approach, but it’s also easy to activate Reiki in times of stress, crisis, or pain. I call this technique Reiki on the fly and it is tremendously helpful. It’s also comforting to know that access to this infinite source of healing is at the fingertips whenever needed.

If the thought of adding one more thing, no matter how brilliant, to your daily to-do list causes you to cringe, you can benefit from seeking out a practitioner to support you. Depending on where you live, you might be able to receive a hands-on treatment. If not, there’s another, equally potent option. Long-distance Reiki is a tried and true service that allows a recipient to relax wherever they are and absorb the healing energy transferred from afar.

Reiki really is exactly the medicine we need during these challenging times. It gives us the extra oomph required to pursue our calling without a need to sacrifice our well-being. It’s easy and safe to use and is always available. Reiki provides us with the best possible chance of enjoying optimal health while remaining engaged with the world. You need not be forced to choose one or the other; Reiki can help you have both.

Reiki Empowerment

Many of my clients and students tell me they are struggling to remain rooted in this…
I’m noticing a lot of educators feeling burned out as the school year draws to a close. While they face different challenges than I do, the route to wellness follows the same general direction. Keeping one’s energy up requires a multi-pronged approach: refill positive energy, plug energy leaks, and release negative energy. I put together a list of easy strategies that you might find helpful.

Doing these practices throughout the year will help build up your life force energy, and therefore overall health and happiness. Doing them during a time of acute stress can protect mental, emotional, and physical well-being. As a proponent of alternative and complementary therapies, I’ve explored holistic techniques for protecting my health over the past two decades and strive to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to stress management.
- Get out into nature (trees and running water are ideal, but an urban park is a good substitute if that’s what’s available to you) and put your bare feet on the earth. Google “grounding” or “earthing” if interested in the reasoning.
- Soak in epsom salt baths with pure lavender essential oil.
- Consistently eat quality protein. Humanely raised grass fed beef or pasture raised chicken and eggs. Humus. Organic nuts. Yes, it’s expensive; you are worth it.
- Reduce intake of refined sugar. Seriously- this is so helpful! Paleo desserts are pretty yummy and satisfy my sweet tooth without crashing my blood sugar or triggering inflammation like traditional desserts do.
- Unplug. As much as possible, take a break from all electronics- especially 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Practice pranayama/ breath exercise. Inhale for a count of 4. Hold breath in for a count of 4. Exhale for a count of 8. Trick your brain into thinking you’re relaxed.
- When spending a marathon day doing desk work, take dance breaks. A friend who recently survived a PhD acquisition turned me onto the Pomodoro technique, a time management method which breaks work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. During the break intervals, I like to get up and move my body.
- Get Reiki and/or massage from someone who is not burned out! Allow a professional to help you recharge your batteries.
What techniques do you use to help manage intense stress and prevent burnout? I’m always interested in learning new tricks!
Preventing Burnout

I’m noticing a lot of educators feeling burned out as the school year draws to a…

stress management

Happy New Year!!

5 Thursday evenings from 6-8pm September 14, 21, & 28, October 5 & 19 (no class on October 12)