TRAVEL NOTICE: HAWAII - March 8 - March 15, 2019
Aloha Friends I will be traveling to Hawaii (Oahu) March 8-15, 2019 and will accepting bookings. for massage as well as workshops. Pre Booking Discount if you book now. Please like and share if you know anyone that might be interested.
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Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety this Holiday Season
With Christmas and New Years a mere two weeks away - the holiday season is in full swing. From now until Christmas Day, there will be a flurry of office parties, reunions, family gatherings and meet-ups with friends that you would also want to participate in. After Christmas comes the New Year celebration. Even if you are not the assigned host of a holiday dinner party, you would feel the stress of the occasion not just because of going through one event after another, but also because of the freezing temperature. These are precisely the reasons why, amidst all the busyness of the holiday celebrations, you should take time to give yourself a massage. Strategies to Reduce Christmas Stress
zen habits:
By Leo Babauta Many people I know are on a quest to optimize their lives — some of my favorite people in the world will spend days trying to perfect a productivity system, get things automated, or find the perfect software for anything they’re doing. They are on a continual search for the perfect diet, the perfect work routine, the perfect travel setup. Optimizing can take quite a bit of time and energy. What would happen if we let go of optimizing? Who would we be without the idea that we should optimize everything? One idea is that if we decided not to optimize everything, we’d stop caring, stop trying to make things better, and live sub optimal lives. But I know myself pretty well — I will always care, even if I am not trying to optimize. I will always do my best, which is different than optimizing — it’s taking care and giving love, even if things aren’t optimized. I believe most of you are this way, pouring your hearts into something with pure love, without needing to make everything perfect. So why shouldn’t we optimize? And what would it be like if we didn’t? Give me a few moments to make the case against optimizing, and present an alternative way. The Case Against Optimizing I don’t think people who optimize are idiots (many of the smartest people do it), nor is it a life-ruining thing to try to optimize. I’ve done it many times. But consider:
And do it with a smile and joy in your heart. What a life we have been gifted with! Sooo many clients tell me, "I need to come in more regularly, but I get busy and forget to book. Or " I wish it was a bit more affordable".
I was not certain that a massage membership would be a program suitable for a sole practice, or that my clients would want one - so I sent out a survey. Boy was I surprised. A whopping 88% said they would be "Interested" or "Very Interested" in a discount massage program and a 20% discount seemed to be the sweet spot to entice people to participate. So that's what I have created. A simple no nonsense membership program designed to provide routine monthly treatments for you at an amazingly affordable price. Membership will help you to create a self care commitment, plus you'll be building a relationship with a thoughtful caring therapist provider. *When you commit to membership, you are helping change the culture of massage therapy. It is not a luxury, or a gift to oneself but a critical component to an overall wellness regimen. Memberships provide a discount for every treatment. At only $90 per month, it is a savings of 20% over walk in rates and helps reinforce the idea of routine visits and incorporating massage into a wellness regimen.. Our 6 Month members enjoy these amenities:
Our 1 Year members enjoy all of the above plus:
If you would like more information, or wou dlike to sign up, please go here: www.healinghandsbodywork.com/how-membership-works.html I had the good fortune to do a massage exchange with a local well respected colleague this week. Naturally I was apprehensive because she has a very good following and has been well established for years. So it was with some satisfaction that she had such an appreciation for my work and my approach. And it got me to thinking about how relaxation is really more than just a spa pleasure but really at the foundation of pain relief as well as stress relief. This comes up often in my discussions with clients about pain, and the mind (where pain is located) and the importance of calming the mind through all the senses, and how touch, sound, smell, temperature of the room, all play a role. Anyway I digress. Back to the exchange, here are some words lifted from her description of my work to her clients.....
Is it really all that important to relax and relieve stress? Yes! Today I am promoting the idea that Gentle + Kind is actually the new Deep Tissue. Nooooo...I can hear some of you already! Trust me. I get it, the too-gentle massage. You want to scream and jump off the table. One time a client DID scream at me: "PRESSSUURRRRE!!!!" Oh my. For sure I had misjudged. I stepped it up (although mostly out of fear :-) But pressing harder is not necessarily "stepping it up." It is more difficult than you might think to give a super focused, stress-reducing, theta-state inducing Swedish "relaxation" massage. Luckily we now have Edward for that! He gave me a massage yesterday and since his website boasts "Elite Relaxation" that's what I ordered. I don't mind sharing that there was a small amount of drool that I needed to manage. I'm picky when it comes to bodywork, and I can say with all confidence that I am happy to leave you with Edward again while I head back to western Mass again next week. Let me say this about relaxation: it often relates directly to pain relief. If you know me, you know that I now exercise my right to refuse service to certain new clients. Text from potential client: Hey, are you strong? I need really deep tissue. I can take it. Me: No. I am not strong. I recommend Mike's Sports Massage. He is strong. Thank you. Of course I am strong, and I remove trigger points, but the body also has to relax. The ability to relax the body is just as important, if not more important than strength. I was reminded of this after Edward's massage. Despite the spiel I just gave about relaxation, for my own massage I had thought that I would save "working" on my shoulder for another day because we were doing "Swedish relaxation" massage. Dummy. My whole nervous system relaxed and then guess what happened. My shoulder stopped hurting! This also surprised me about relaxation: Recently I have been taking Valerian if needed for post-workout soreness. It works! I had tried Turmeric because of its anti-inflammatory properties but I was disappointed because it didn't do much for me. Valerian is said to reduce anxiety and blood pressure, and to help with sleep. In other words, it relaxes and calms the nervous system, just like Edward! Now of course, everyone's pain will respond to something different. What is it for you? Turmeric? Valerian? Advil? Edward? (courtesy of Lisa B. Massage) I am looking forward to receiving my exchange session from her next week. In the meantime take what she says and see if it applies to your own situation. |
A Really Good Massage BlogAbout MeI write about things that I myself need to be mindful of. ways in which I would like to improve. It is not from the perspective of preaching - but rather writing helps me work out what I myself need to do - we are all in this together.
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