October Light

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other... (1 John 1).

At the start a new month, I think about beginnings. It can be an actual turn in your life; marriage, vocation change, birth (actual or symbolic), address, or it can be a symbolic change – a simple attitudinal change.

Perhaps you are a ‘glass half empty’ person and are wondering who drank the other half.

Is it just a simple matter of changing your mind? I think this is the right direction; however, it takes a bit more. Along with a mental shift, there is some action required to move forward to a place of happiness.

What have you done lately to move forward? What can you do to light up your world? Who have you reached out to in an attempt to be a light to their life? Working on each of these simple questions could bring you closer to your own path moving towards fellowship with God.

All About Headaches

As a normal living breathing human, when you get a headache, the number one priority is to get rid of it. So many people reach for aspirin or acetaminophen. Often, for many, this is enough. Given a bit of time, some of the aforementioned drugs and perhaps a cup of coffee, the headache will go away in a few hours.

Through years of practice and personal experience, I believe you can rid yourself (or, more easily, someone else) of the dreaded headache in just a few minutes by allowing it to ‘be’. I can explain what this is all about when you come in for your next massage or Healing Touch treatment.

Another big issue for many is the dreaded Migraine Headache. These are usually energy based headaches and can be completely debilitating to the headache sufferer. You may know the type of headache I am speaking of; you sit in a darkened room, quietly, alone, suffering. Suddenly someone walks into your room, saying nothing, not changing the environment at all (as in switching on a light or something dreadful like that) but still, their presence in your little corner of the world at that moment is one of the most irritating things you could ever imagine. Just by walking past you they will annoy (even painfully so) you. 

There is an energetic treatment for a Migraine and I am now offering them any day at all my venues. Please check out more about Migraine Headache treatment on my website (http://HandsforHealth.co) 

How does Blue Moon affect me?

Facebookers have seen this image several times over the past few days. It alludes to the second full moon in a month or the fourth full moon in a particular season and is known as a Blue Moon. No, it will not actually be blue, although unusual sky conditions – certain-sized particles of dust or smoke – can make it appear to be so.

Have you ever heard the expression “once in a blue moon”? This common expression attests to the infrequent occurrence of this scenario. You would only use the expression when you don’t want or expect the event to happen any time soon.

Well, it’s here. The Blue Moon has arrived, tomorrow night for most of us. What is it that you have been putting off waiting for your Blue Moon?

Do you have a ‘good suit’ in your closet, or special ‘holiday china’ in the cupboard, or ‘company towels’ in the bathroom? Well, tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting for. Start by drying your hands on the special towels, then put on your best clothing and eat dinner on Grand-ma’s fine bone china.

Do you know why you should break all these age-old traditions? Has absolutely nothing to do with astronomy, it’s all about you. It’s time to live your life to its fullest. Take time to do something to support yourself. Take a long bubble-bath with a glass of your favorite beverage, maybe candles, definitely some great music of your choice. Follow that by slowly and deliberately enjoying something you love but don’t allow yourself to indulge in, maybe a couple pieces of great chocolate. Finally, and probably the most important, get to bed early. Give yourself a good night’s sleep. Never mind looking at the moon, it’ll be there next month. Take care of yourself so you’ll be here to enjoy the next one!

What is a healer? What isn't a healer?

A healer is someone who facilitates healing in another. No one heals anyone else. The healer does not “do” the healing. “Nature” does the healing. The mind-body-spirit has a natural, self-healing capacity. The healer simply plays the role of a “catalyst”.¹

In short, while I am a Healing Touch Practitioner, and my work has the ability to assist your body in healing any dis-ease which comes your way, I cannot heal. I don’t claim that I can, I don’t even like to consider myself a healer. I prefer the definition of facilitator or catalyst.

Healing Touch provides energy to your body from its source.  The source of the energy is based on your belief system. If you are a Christian, for instance, your energy is being offered to you by the Holy Spirit. If, however, you are an atheist, the energy comes from the Universe. It doesn’t really matter where you are in the Religion Continuum; there is a place for your energy source, the only thing that changes is how you refer to it.

There are specific treatment protocols for many physical maladies and general treatment procedures which would cover virtually any case profile. It’s all about your vibration, how to lift it and assist your body in fighting off the problem.  For example, a good strong Human Energy Field (HEF) or aura helps support your physical body and fend off those dreaded ‘cold germs’, thus supporting your body’s natural immune response. The longer your HEF has to fight, the more depleted it becomes and just like your family car, without topping off the tank, you will not get the expected performance.

Stress plays an important role in this scenario because stress can steal important energy reserve, just like a tiny leak in the gas tank. So, even if you top it off regularly, you are still fighting the ‘energy thief’ all the time. Some form of stress reduction is mandatory.

Boosting your HEF with Energy Work such as ‘Healing Touch’ helps support your body’s natural ability to fend off simple annoying bugs like those causing you to suffer from seasonal allergies, common cold and may other childhood infirmities.

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¹   http://www.social-consciousness.com/

Is Meditation important to my wellbeing?

A regular practice of meditation is going to help your over-all wellbeing? Even if you “don’t know how to meditate”, daily time to be quiet with yourself while being awake and aware of your body will have a positive impact on your state of mind. The benefit will start by seeing subtle changes such as improved concentration, less general agitation, better general physical health and a deeper understanding of what makes you tick.

Regardless of your choice of vocation, a clear mind makes you more productive. Meditation allows your brain to ‘rest’ and become sharper.

If you get upset by little things, or by things which “may” happen, meditation will help you get on top of these things. You will be able to more clearly see what’s important and what is safely let go. This will definitely help you maintain physical health. Worry causes stress, stress causes illness. Stress avoidance isn’t a dodge, isn’t an escape, isn’t irresponsible, it’s health maintenance.   There have been numerous studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety.

Meditation enables us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Knowledge of your spiritual self being tied to your physical self is a skill lost in recent years, the age old practice of meditation helps bring balance, reduce stress, improve joy!

Should I choose a male massage therapist?

While the general opinion is slowly changing, there is still a strong stereo-typical view of what goes on behind closed doors in a massage studio.

When you go to a coffee shop, are you concerned about the gender of your barista? When you go to a dentist for a check-up, does it matter if it’s a Dr. Jane or a Dr. George? If you wanted to attend The Emerson String Quartet playing Shostakovich's 15th quartet, would the gender of the violinist sway your decision to attend?

When you go to a professional to avail of their services you should be concerned only of their training, skill level, specialties and experience. The gender carries no particular weight in the measure of their abilities.

Massage therapists are professional folks who are concerned for the overall well-being of their clients. There is a difference to your therapist regarding your treatment based on your overall health and any current situations you are facing, or medications you may be taking; however there are no considerations relating to your gender.

I have been a Certified Massage Therapy Professional since 2002, my client base is equally balanced between male and female clients ranging in age from a few days to 101 years old. Everyone deserves the benefit of massage therapy, as everyone benefits from the effect of touch. You are likely aware of the effect of skin-to-skin contact for a new born baby. They absolutely require touch in order to thrive. That need never goes away, from your first breath to your last you benefit from massage. That new born infant has no idea of the gender of the person touching them; they just instinctively know that it’s right!

What if the massage treatment hurts?

This depends on the type of massage and the depth of the strokes. A light, relaxing massage that doesn't probe very deep into the muscles, shouldn't hurt, ever. With that being said, there is a 'feels good' hurt and an 'ouch, stop it' hurt. A good massage, even a really deep tissue massage, should always stay in the 'feels good' hurt range. Many therapists like a scale of one to ten, “one” being “I can’t feel that at all”, ( as with some energy therapies, or Lymphatic Drainage massage) and “ten” being “If you do that again I’m gonna hit you! Your therapist will usually want to stay in the 6-7 range in this scenario, but he/she won’t know where it is unless you speak up.

Pain can be an indication that the muscle is possibly injured or inflamed and pressure should be adjusted. Also, pain can cause you to tighten up and negate the relaxing effects of the massage. The most effective and deepest massage always works with your body's natural response, not against it.

To be effective, massage doesn’t have to be deep (meaning the therapist is pressing hard against your muscle, trapping it against your skeleton.) Massage therapy not only addresses the physical needs of a person, but also their mental and emotional needs and wants in order to help the person feel relief from physical injuries, get rid of daily stress or help them maintain good health in general. There are many advantages to massage therapy. The physical advantages of massage therapy, such as relieving arthritis, circulatory problems, pulled or strained muscles, tension headaches, increasing the immune system, insomnia and many other physical problems can help a person’s physical body feel better. There are also many mental benefits as well, including satisfying the need for a nurturing touch, relieving anxiety and increasing awareness of the mind-body connection (Source). The unique element of touch involved in massage therapy is especially important for patients choosing this treatment for mental purposes because it gives the patient a sense of love and care.

Bottom line here is communication with your therapist. He/she won’t know how effective his/her treatment is unless you communicate.

40 days...changes a habit

Please join me from August 8 through September 16, 2012 while I participate in a Global Sadhana ( literally "a means of accomplishing something" ) entitled "Transforming Negativity to Love". Join us to see the world transformed by love. Watch as every heart is transformed to know the sweetness of love and every mind releases the shackles of negativity.

Join thousands of yogis around the globe in this daily meditation. Takes only about 15 minutes and is guaranteed to reduce stress and "Transform" Negativity to Love.

Click the image below to see instructions for the meditation, and join me beginning August 8th!

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When should I get my next massage?

A question that I am asked by almost every client is, “when should I come back for another massage?”

Simply, getting a massage as often as possible, according to the international massage association, is one of the secrets to the long life span of Bob Hope and George Burns was that they each got a massage every day! And it makes perfect sense, because massage can help bring more fresh nutrients to the cells and help take away waste products. One of the reasons we look older as we age is that we lose collagen. Massaging the skin helps to bring fresh nutrients to your cells making it easier for them to create new collagen.

Most of us do not have the financial resources of these two stars so we need to make a more reasonable evaluation of when we should return. One of my bodywork gurus told me that we should receive some type of work once a week. This might include a haircut, a manicure, a facial or, of course, a massage. So while this might be optimum, again, many people don’t have resources to accomplish this goal. Often, your massage therapist will massage your scalp, hands and feet, in fact, most of your body so you are covering many of the bases by getting a massage.

Massage therapy can also be beneficial in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Relaxation is important to reduce stress and lower levels of stress are typically associated with lower levels of anxiety. Individuals can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular and other severe medical conditions by receiving massages on a regular basis.

Get the Most From Your Next Massage

* Before the session, give your massage therapist accurate health information and share your expectations.

* Your massage therapist will probably use oils, lotions or powders to decrease friction on your skin. If you have allergies, tell your massage therapist.

* Music might be played during your massage session. If you find music distracting, let your massage therapist know your preferences. The same goes for talking during your session. If you prefer the room to just be quiet, speak up and request quiet.

* Report any discomfort you experience during the massage session, whether it’s physical or has something to do with the environment.

* Provide your massage therapist feedback during the massage concerning pressure and speed of hand movement.

* Discuss any apprehensions you have about massage therapy with your massage therapist. Remember, your massage therapist is a professional who is dedicated to the profession.

* Remember, too, the therapeutic benefits of massage are cumulative, so the more often you get a massage, the better you will feel and the more quickly your body will respond.

I am a qualified AMTA massage therapist, see my AMTA page HERE


Source: Parts of this article were excerpted from mtj® (Massage Therapy Journal®) Spring 2010.