Muscle and Movement Therapy

What Stress feels like

Stress feels like you have been in a competitive push-up contest all day. It feels like you have been walking through cold wind and rain, curling into yourself to keep warm. Stress feels like your central nervous system is in hyper-drive causing: burnout, injury, chronic pain, headaches, back pain, TMJ, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, digestive and sleep problems. When I feel high levels of stress in a person, I know making their pain go away is only the tip of the iceberg.

Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol make the heart work harder, as muscles tighten, blood pressure rises and your breathing rate increases. Some of the physical problems listed above are also accompanied by emotional problems, such as: depression, anxiety, low sex drive, memory and concentration problems and mood swings.

Massage is a great way to help combat stress, but it would be good to come up with ways to manage your stress, giving yourself a fighting chance. Many of the articles I read, suggested developing some level of spirituality, getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, getting physical activity, connecting with people, serving, reducing sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and drugs, managing your time, and finding fun and relaxing things to counter the stress.

BREATHE. There are many apps and lots of information on meditative, or breathing patterns that help to control and lower the hyper-drive of the central nervous system.

See, hear, touch, taste, smell. Ground yourself in the moment if it seems to be getting away from you. Life is a special occasion. Live and move optimally.

*If you are looking for a physical therapist, I highly recommend Luke Hartmann, he is excessively knowledgeable. (stayunbroken.com)

Types of Massage Services

(If you don't know which one to choose, it doesn't matter, we can talk about it at the time of your appointment)

Structural Integration

Structural Integration works to realign the body and reset the resting length of short or long muscles, and the techniques used require client interaction through increased communication and movement.

For Saturday sessions please call, text, or email me.

Tuina

Tuina is an Eastern modality as the foundation of Chinese medicine. It involves shaking and vibration of the muscles and movement of the joints, while stimulating the flow of chi through meridians and meridian points. It is a great tool for assessing tension and increasing blood flow. Blood flow can be increased through a technique called Gua Sha, which involves scraping the skin with a Chinese soup spoon. It can raise a "blossom" where there is lack of blood flow due to tension in the surface layer of skin and muscle.

For Saturday sessions please call, text, or email me.

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep Tissue Massage is a form of bodywork that aims to relieve tension in the deeper layers of tissue in the body. Deep Tissue Massage is a highly effective method for releasing chronic stress areas due to misalignment, repetitive motions, and past lingering injuries. Due to the nature of the deep tissue work, open communication during the session is crucial to make sure you don't get too uncomfortable. Keep in mind that soreness is pretty common after the treatment, and that plenty of water should be ingested to aid with the flushing and removal of toxins that will have been released from the deep tissue during the session.

For Saturday sessions please call, text, or email me.

Swedish Massage

Swedish Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oils or lotion with an array of strokes such as rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced mental clarity, improved appearance, and greater flexibility.

For Saturday sessions please call, text, or email me.

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