There’s a lot of emphasis placed on the idea that “it’s the thought that counts”, and I often hear this show up in the context of massage as reinforcement for the idea “that all we need is intention”. When actually, what serves everyone best is not INtention, but instead ATtention. Attention = currency Even though … Read more
*Enters the room.* “Go and fill up the car with fuel, now.” *Leaves the room.* The person on the couch sits there thinking “what the heck” just happened. Also, they’re probably not going to do it. Almost all of us don’t like being told what to do – let alone without any context or conversation … Read more
I’ve got a bit pf a reputation for going on the hunt for things – trigger points specifically – and that’s really detailed work aimed at getting to the source of pain.
It can also be a little intense. And sometimes your client wants something less intense – and more soothing.
In my last post we talked about touch, Oxytocin and the social bonding that occurs as a result of the physical contact that produces Oxytocin release. The conversation of touch, Oxytocin and social bonding leads us into a conversation about autism. So here we are – let’s explore this. A couple of things that are … Read more
We often talk about how touch can be really beneficial, how it leads to the increase in release of the feel-good hormones – which includes Oxytocin, which the “bonding hormone” and so it helps us build social connection (which, if you haven’t heard is a really key component to longevity). You might have even heard … Read more
The other day a client asked me if everyone had tension in the same spots or if I was specifically finding the spots that needed attention. And the answer is yes and yes. Yes, people mostly carry tension in the same areas. Almost everyone in the last couple of weeks of treatments needed attention to … Read more
Mostly I teach you to wait for some kind of change in the tissue when you’re applying pressure. You maintain your weight on the spot you’ve found until you notice some change in texture – hopefully some kind of softening or the sensation that there is now some more space in the tissue. That holds … Read more
You know when you get a massage and your practitioner is on the perfect spot and with the perfect pressure that it feels so intense and yet you don’t want it to stop because there’s some part of you that knows that this is exactly what you need? I’ve been thinking how it is we … Read more
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Yin yoga gets into the fascia more”. The question is, is it true? And if it is, how does that happen?
There are of course lot’s of things that might contribute to low back pain – but in almost all situations, the following technique can help at least a little. Try it out and let me know how you feel at the end:
Whether you give massage or receive massage, these things are good cues from the body to pay attention to. Massage has an ideal pressure – and that’s different for each of us. If we use the following 5 signals from the body as cues to avoid, then we’re giving ourselves a better chance at finding … Read more
In the massage world there’s this term that gets used a lot: “release”. And I use it a lot too. Even though I use it, it’s kind of frustratingly vague – like, who even really knows what it can mean?
I think the thing is, it’s pretty non-specific when it comes to describing something – and because of that it’s hard for people to conceptualize the release. What do you look for? Or more appropriately, what do you feel for?
There’s a lot of talk about traditional Thai massage in the community. As in, a lot of people use that word “traditional” to market themselves – using it in a way that attempts to differentiate themselves from people who don’t practice in a traditional way.
This and “it’s confusing for students when they hear anatomy terms, so it excludes people who don’t know them”, are two things I hear when movement educators are explaining/justifying why they don’t take a&p training. I can see where these ideas come from. And at the same time, I don’t agree with them. They’re largely … Read more
On so many levels. I don’t just mean the work of due diligence, or of managing fear. Though that’s certainly part of it right now. And I also mean more than working hard to save businesses and livelihoods. Even though that’s also a very real thing. I been thinking a lot lately about the social, … Read more
For most of my life I lived in a suspended cycle of fear initiated by childhood sexual abuse. I continuously wondered when the next abuse might happen. Living this way, in fear and with trauma lurking in the recesses of my body and mind, was life limiting. I developed migraine headaches in my teen’s that grew with intensity and frequency as I got older. I struggled with depression and later, anxiety. That is until the gift of touch helped to release the firm clutch trauma had on me.
It was during my apprenticeship with Navina ® – Thai Yoga Therapy I had a revelation. Touch facilitated a release of trauma stuck in my body and mind, disrupting the cycle of trauma.
First, let’s define Trauma. Trauma is a broad topic and it can be difficult to have a clear definition of it. This one fits the context of this blog – “Psychological Trauma is a type of damage to the mind that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event. Trauma is often the result of an overwhelming amount of stress that exceeds one’s ability to cope, or integrate the emotions involved with that experience.”
This image has been doing the rounds on social media the last week or so. And I see that a lot of people are worried or just straight-up scared about the situation. This fear is mostly the result of journalism, rather than the science, so I’d like to take it all a step back and go through and share with you the science of this finding, what it means and also what it doesn’t mean.
And it’s a big one. The subject of this post is not only eye-catching, it’s exactly what the world would benefit from on many levels.
Pain is not what you think it is. This article is a culmination of an important email series that tackles some of the most mind-blowing facts about pain! A subject this important and this complex takes time to dissect and present, so even though you’ll need a bit of time here, it’s worth it. Not only will this tutorial help you to understand pain better, as long as you utilize the information within, it should also lead to better self-management of pain.
There’s this concept of “good posture” out there, and we think that working on our posture will solve a lot of our aches and pains. The issue is, the vast majority of postural recommendations are unsupported by research.
