Updated from an earlier post dated June 2015, originally posted  HERE

“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.”  -  Thich Nhat Hahn


I start every bodywork session with by breathing, in sync with my client. 

I find that the simple act of conscious breathing being aware of "in breaths" and "out breaths" slows my mind, gets me prepared, and for the client on the table, simple directed breathing sets immediately the process of allowing oneself to let go of stress and begin to enter a state of relaxation.   Truthfully, though I actually start every session with a speech!  Not really a speech so much as a welcoming greeting, wherein I say "Welcome.  Inside this space, is like a sanctuary.  The phone gets turned off, and on the other side of that door - lay your obligations; the bills, the job, the kids, the illness, the whatever that calls to you, obligates you or otherwise demands your attention or creates your worries.  Inside, here in this space is just the now. 

Bodywork with me starts with and is a form of meditation.

Much is made of the capabilities of alternative therapies, but much of the evidence to support massage's meditation’s effectiveness in promoting mental or physical health isn’t quite up to snuff. Why? Many studies don’t include a good control treatment.

But when researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD sifted through nearly 19,000 studies, they found 47 trials that addressed those issues and met their criteria for well-designed studies. Their findings, published in  JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that mindfulness meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain.

Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says that mindfulness meditation makes perfect sense for treating anxiety. “People with anxiety have a problem dealing with distracting thoughts that have too much power,” she explains. “They can’t distinguish between a problem-solving thought and a nagging worry that has no benefit.”

“If you have unproductive worries,” says Dr. Hoge, you can train yourself to experience those thoughts completely differently. “You might think ‘I’m late, I might lose my job if I don’t get there on time, and it will be a disaster!’ Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, ‘Oh, there’s that thought again. I’ve been here before. But it’s just that—a thought, and not a part of my core self,'” says Dr. Hoge.

One of her recent studies (which was included in the JAMA Internal Medicine review) found that a mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped quell anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability. People in the control group—who also improved, but not as much as those in the meditation group—were taught general stress management techniques. All the participants received similar amounts of time, attention, and group interaction.

Positive Emotions Lead to Better Health: New research suggests that meditation, massage  or any other mood-enhancing activity can serve as a nutrient for the human body.

In recent years have psychologists begun to appreciate the benefits of happiness and positive emotion — benefits that include everything from enhanced creativity to improved immune-system function. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina, a leader in the field of positive psychology, posed the question, “What good are positive emotions?” and came up with the following possibilities.

Happiness broadens your focus and expands your thinking Positive emotions — curiosity, love, joy, contentment, wonder, excitement — expand your focus of attention. When you’re angry, your focus narrows to the source of your frustration and the object of your wrath. Your mind is like a heat-seeking missile, bent on destruction.

Contrast this with what happens when you get excited about something — your mind opens up and there’s a free flow of ideas and intellectual possibility. Curiosity abounds. This is precisely why passion is so essential to artistic endeavors. This is also why you need a high positivity ratio in the workplace if you want a high rate of productivity and a healthy bottom line.

When Psychologist Jon Kabat-Zinn and others studied the brain activity that accompanies this type of meditation, they found that it was the left frontal lobe of the brain that was literally turned on — the part that scientists refer to as the “happy brain.”

Positive and negative emotions can’t exist at the same moment in time. Embracing one negates the other.

Studies on touch have shown that something as simple as receiving a light touch  hand from a compassionate friend or the act of petting your favorite animal can lower your blood pressure — so you can imagine the positive impact of the sustained and focused touch of massage - and, touch requires no  prescription, nor has any negative side-effects.

The next time you find yourself feeling negative — upset, angry, sad, or worried  — try taking an hour or so for massage and see what happens — it may provide just the escape you need from those negative emotions.

Aloha


Update 9/17/2024
Every now and again, I look back on old blog posts and find one that deserves to bubble to the top again.  Since writing this I have discovered a new author and lecturer worth listening to - his name is Dr. Gabor Mate.  He is an author and lecturer and physician by training.  A short video he made about stress can be found here - but please take a moment to listen to some of his thoughts, and or read any of his books.

Actually I have no real idea how many reasons there are, but titles like these on the internet seem to want to have a number, so 5 seemed like a good one.  Maybe there are many more, or maybe just one - You get what you pay for.

I was moved to write this post after looking at my ad-words and seeing that the most often used phrase that people search and click on is "massage deals near me" or something similar.  Somewhere further down the list is "best massage therapist near me".

I know that for some people money is tight, and many view massage as an indulgence, but here is the problem - Let's say you have saved up, you money is hard earned and you are ready to book your "treat". You go onto a deal site, look for the cheapest massage you can find 'cause hey "a massage is a massage" and you leave disappointed that it was such a mediocre experience.  What do you expect?  If someone is offering you something that should cost $150 or $200 or more for $65, honestly, do you really think you are going to get that elevated experience?  This is not to put down therapists who do heavy discounting, or those who use these deals as a way to meet new clients, but it has been my experience that the Group-on type client will just go from therapist to therapist, carrying his or her dissatisfaction with them to the next therapist, never landing on anyone they return to, but more importantly never discovering the experience they have been looking for. 

It's a value proposition. Some clients would think nothing of spending $300 on a hair cut or color, $75,000 on a new car, $500 on shoes - but a massage ?  Self care?  Something that is experienced but can't be shared? Get the cheapest.  NO.  Many don't see the value in it and that is a shame - if this is you, you are missing out.

Having said that, an expensive price doesn't always equate to a better massage either. It is a mistake to assume that just because the massage is being offered at a luxury hotel or spa that you are getting a top therapist.   The most expensive hotels and luxury spas hire the same therapists that the mass franchise chains do. And sadly they get paid the same. So if you are paying $300 for your upscale experience, the therapist is still likely only getting $35 plus tips.  The principal difference being that it is a beautiful setting with wonderful amenities usually, but not always.  No extra care is put on the quality of the therapists.  

So what do you do?  Look for an independent therapist or smaller company. . Someone whose website resonates with what you are looking for.  Look for someone that will take a thorough intake, listen to your needs, and refer you out if they don't feel they are the best match. Look at their offerings?  Are they all over the map or do they seem to specialize.  Look closely at sites that are too generic or broad - Deep tissue, Swedish Relaxation, Sports, Injury & Pain Management, Emotional Well being, Stress Management.   I mix a variety of modalities to create a unique experience just for you" is the most over used phrase in bodywork. Massage is a big word and it means many things to many people. Its difficult to specialize in deep or rehab work as well as relaxation, stress management and emotional well being. They are at opposite ends of a spectrum.

Next time you are ready to book a massage - try this experiment - Just once, look, really look for a therapist that stands out, look for the best fit, not the cheapest. I realize "the best" is subjective, but do a little homework, and search for someone, not based on price and book that one. Then see how you feel.  AND - let me know here in the comments how it turns out.

Good Luck!

First, if you have found this blog post - Congratulations!

This is probably one of my least serious posts, massage wise, but it does speak to a larger worldwide problem, which is the domination of the online universe by basically 1 - 3 companies, principally Google, Facebook and Apple  And the advertising world is at their whim.  This briefly chronicles the difficulties and challenges I have had this past 10 days simply trying to get my couples workshops ads to run  Ads that have been running for 2 or more years were flagged for censorship  Try as I might, I have been working day and night to figure out what Google finds objectionable (s****ally ex***cit) about these phrases  What makes it even more frustrating is that many of these phrases - Google itself is suggesting to make the ads better.  More frustrating still is that when I put them in the ad strength goes from poor to excellent, yet the ads get disapproved.  So now I am stuck with an ad rated as "poor" and does not read very well simply to get it to run  So here are some of the terms they rejected.

"fun date night activity"
"learn equipment basics and professional techniques from a licensed professional"
"Couples Massage Workshop" (Couples Massage Class was allowed)
"read what others say"
"learn more"
"therapeutic workshops for couple"

There were hundreds of combinations, all rejected, but I won't post them all, you get the idea.
In any event, I do offer number of wonderful couples massage workshops. Most of the workshops are private and can be done in my studio or in home.  On occasion, I do offer group workshops at a lower cost.   The workshop topis generally fall into 3 categories:

• Therapeutic touch
• Intimate Touch
• Hawaiian Healing (Lomi Lomi)
  
  

If you have an interest in any of these workshops or wold like to learn more, you may visit the workshop page here.  If you would like to schedule a complimentary Zoom call, simply  go here

In an effort to streamline my website, I have removed the deep tissue offering from the menu since it was informational and I generally do not offer it. So for those who are interested or looking for it, the wording has been moved here:

Deep Pressure / Deep Tissue Massage (update 11/2020)
The Deep Tissue work is not really its own massage, but rather the incorporation of deeper pressure wherever is needed to obtain the desired result.   I have decided to remove Deep Tissue as an option from my offerings for the moment. Mostly because I don't believe in it, and it is not my strong suit.  Deep Tissue started as a marketing gimmick (the term was invented by a therapist to differentiate his practice  from the pack by way of ads and flyers) and remains so.  However, it remains a popular request; every client should receive the work they love.  It is often sought out and this is not to take away from any of the talented therapists who specialize in deep pressures.  My work is unique, and extremely well received but it is more mind body focused and relaxation/stress management oriented.  I love that every therapist is unique and every client should get what they love.  That said, deeper pressure can be incorporated into any treatment, particularly the custom massage option.