graceful movement/Magic Carpet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C_40B9m4tI

"Gifting" It's that time of year!

Massage is a great gift!  and here are some reasons why...

• Massage is clutter free!  
• it has many health benefits
• it feels great!
• it can relieve aches and pain
• it's a gift of relaxation and rest for busy people
• stress can disappear, at least for that hour
• it's like a mini vacation
• you feel more alive and aware after the drowsy feeling slips away
• you can redeem the gift at your convenience
• It shows you care!

I am certified!

After hours of training in The Rossiter System, I am now a Certified Rossiter Coach and can help you on your way to a life of movement without pain!

Would you like to be able to move in the way your body was meant to move?

Would you like to be able to walk more fluidly and powerfully?

Would you like to be able to, perhaps even, run?  or to dance?

If so, then The Rossiter System of workouts is for you!  The Rossiter System of Workouts is for anyone, no matter what age, who really wants to improve their flexibility, mobility and balance.  It can work for feet, ankles, calves, knees, hamstrings, hips, low back, hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders and neck.

Are you determined to use your body in the way it was meant to and without pain?

Call or email me for more information, an assessment and/or a free demonstration.

Get rid of pain with Rossiter!

The Rossiter System is a 2 person stretching workout that works on the tight (and most of us are very tight!) connective tissue in our bodies. These workouts get rid of pain! They create space in the joints allowing for freer, easier movement.  This is not a massage session!


How does it work?

The PIC is the "person in charge" and is the one benefiting from the workout.  The Coach guides the PIC.

The PIC stays fully clothed  (loose clothing for easy movement is helpful.)  After listening to the PIC about their pain and what they want to accomplish, the Coach will instruct the PIC in how to move.  Most of the workouts are done lying on a mat on the floor.  Work on a knee is done while resting the leg on a chair.  The Coach uses his/her foot to provide warmth and weight to "anchor your tissue in place while you hunt for pain and stretch your body with power." The Coach will increase the weight placed on the muscle until the PIC tells her to stop. Following the Coaches guidance, the PIC will then actively stretch.  (The more weight and the more intense the stretch, the more relief will be felt.) A stretch generally lasts 10 seconds.  A whole session may last 20-40 minutes.

There are a few rules, including:

• You must be able to get on the floor and get back up on your own.  
• If you have ever had surgery or a cortisone shot on the lower back, you cannot do the lower back work.
• no work is done on broken bones or an area where surgery was done in the last 3 months.

When I first learned about Rossiter, I had been having pain and tightness in my leg that prevented me from sitting cross-legged for the past year or so.  After a 5 minute demonstration, one stretch, there was such a feeling of lightness and ease in my leg.  I felt at least 70% better!  I attended the training to become a coach over the summer and after doing the workouts, I can now comfortably sit cross-legged.


If you have pain and are interested in Rossiter, please call me!  I am happy to answer any questions and do a free demonstration!

Chronic Pain, Are you bravely putting up with it?

Many people have aches and pains, much of it chronic pain, often debilitating pain. Maybe this pain is tolerable. Maybe this pain means you take ibuprofen daily or some other medication to mask it. Often people will have an injury. That injury could have occurred from an accident or from repetitive use! We may note that new pain, try to ice it, or medicate it. Whatever we do we have to continue with our day right? So we tolerate it. It becomes a part of us. It means we don't run up those stairs anymore... we have to go on with our life right? So we limit our movements so we don't feel that pain anymore, or as much. This limited movement becomes our "New Normal." How many times do you hear someone say something to the affect of "oh I can't do that anymore" with a resigned sigh. "It's just the way I am now."

Living with this "new normal" - walking more carefully or with a limp, asking someone to help you reach up to get something because your shoulder doesn't reach anymore - actually increases your chance of more injury, leading to more pain and then more limited use of your body! The initial injury get worse, just by holding it. The holding is a tightening, a contracting of the muscles. This cuts off a flow of blood to the area, which causes more pain and so the cycle continues. (I'm talking about chronic pain here, if its a new acute injury, holding it and limiting movement can be necessary)

Tolerating chronic pain can adversely affect your life in other ways. I know when I have pain, I am NOT gaily going about my daily activity. It's a struggle. I move more slowly, I sigh, I don't think as clearly, I don't enjoy. It affects my ability to think creatively. It affects my relationships, it affects how productive I can be in a day. And that is because the pain is trying to grab my attention, taking a little bit away from my mental ability and emotional stability. Even if I don't feel the pain because of medication - it's still there trying to get attention.

So, how does one stop this cycle? Pain is the way your physical body communicates with you. Rather than masking it or ignoring it, listen to it! find out what it is telling you. Maybe an injury needs to be healed. Maybe a contracted muscle needs to be released, maybe you need to stop doing that repetitive motion or do something in a different way. Massage can help. Not only will a massage work to release the contracted muscles or tight fascia and bring a blood flow back to the area to decrease the pain and increase the healing in your body, but a good MT will listen to you and help you make changes in how you do something to cut down on repetitive use injury.

An Offer and A Challenge!

Is your health and well being at the top of your priority list? in the middle? moves around depending on the day? don't even think about it? Is it worth $2.50 a day? *

Massage can be an important part of a commitment to your health and well being and can address your physical, mental, emotional as well as spiritual health. Often people think of it as a luxury, one of those things you only "buy" if you have the extra cash or if you finally feel as though you deserve something just for you. However, I know from personal experience, that getting massage regularly can contribute to your health and can help to prevent issues of poor health! When I am not at my best physically, it interferes with my ability to be productive in my day. This affects how I feel emotionally, which then affects my ability to think clearly. Massage is an investment into your future health and well being.

Time and time again, people say they cannot afford to receive massage. I say, if it is what helps you, you cannot afford NOT to get massage.

So first...

The Offer: in the spirit of believing that massage should be a part of any health plan and my desire to allow for the opportunity for regular massage for every person who wants it, despite economic hard times... for a limited time, I am going to offer a sliding scale. my rate is 75$ for a 60 minute massage. However, if you know and appreciate how massage can be beneficial to your health and yet the rate keeps you from getting regular massage, we can discuss a sliding scale rate and agreement for you.

and now...

The Challenge: save the money you spend on lunches out or the daily coffee from the expensive places - put that money towards caring for your body, mind and spirit and consider getting a massage once a month.

* Only $2.50 a day will get you one 60 minute massage a month at my regular rate!

Happy Spring!

Spring! Along with the arrival of wonderful sunny warmth, colorful flowers, singing birds and chirping peepers, comes the return of the "active" in our lives! We all are encouraged by this gorgeous weather to get outside or start exercising, whether its gardening, running, canoeing, biking or just hitting the gym more often. However, for many of us, our bodies are unused to the activity and not really ready to just jump right in! Our bodies may respond with loud complaints of pain, stiffness and sometimes even injury.

For any activity you start, after a long winters rest, it is best to start off slowly! We can be so eager to get out and bike 10 miles. If you haven't been on a bike all winter, try a smaller ride for the first time. Take care of your body! Pay attention to the messages your body sends. If you feel a kink or a twinge somewhere, stop what you're doing and stretch or adjust what you're doing until you no longer feel it. Take frequent breaks. Drink plenty of water. If you find yourself bent over the handle bars of a bike, be sure to stop periodically and stretch your arms, legs, neck and back. Our muscles have a way of 'locking' into place when we hold a particular position for long stretches of time. This will reset your muscles giving them a rest.

If you want to begin an exercise program, but find you have a tendency to injure yourself through overuse or incorrect positioning, contact a personal trainer for a few sessions. They will help you to stay on track without injury.

If you are a gardener, digging and raking can quickly produce aches in your body. Because of the nature of the repetitive movements, stress to the overworked muscles can occur quickly, with injury not far behind. When raking, especially, we tend to do it one-sided. This sets up an imbalance. See if you can switch sides. Rake for 10 strokes on one side, then 10 on the other, them switch again. Don't forget to pause and listen for birds and smell the warm breeze! Gardening involves so many different activities, I could write a whole post on that alone! I guess again, the main thing is to go slowly and listen to your body.

And don't forget! massage can be incredibly helpful to nurture those tired sore muscles as they adjust to the "active season."

Free Massage Giveaway

Natick Navigator http://www.naticknavigator.com/ is an online social network and local news source for Natick. It's newly up and running! With the help of all who join (residents, businesses, community groups and others) it will be an active and dynamic site where you can seek information about Natick businesses and share information with friends and family. Natick Navigator is closely linked with Framingham Navigator http://www.framinghamnavigator.com/ sharing much of the same information.

Take a look and if you are local and you like what you see, feel free to join! If you join, friend me and invite one other person to join, you will be included in the drawing for a free massage!

Massage therapist: speaking!

I got the chance to speak at a recent face to face meeting of a local online networking group - MET Group. It was fun!

Renew! rejuvenate, revive, refresh...


Find more videos like this on MET Group


So, revitalize... how do we do this for ourselves? We all know the basics (its following them that is hard!)

eat well
take vitamins/nutrients
exercise
get enough good sleep/rest

During the meeting there were some great additions:
sunshine
relationships/connect with others
singing/chanting
playing music
learning something new.
Find something you love and do it.

I think what is very important and people tend to forget or even to disregard the importance, is to slow down, take a deep breath, check in with self. Just stop. and breath. Your body will tell you what you need in many cases, especially if you listen.

Body Balance Awareness tip #2

Do you ache when you wake up? What is that about, anyway? One would think that you would feel at ease and rested after a nights sleep, not as though you had been out sledding on Icy Hill!

So, my tip #2 is to deal with the body aches at the very start of a day. When you wake up try to lie there for a minute and check in with your body. Do a quick scan from the toes up to the head and be aware of how your body feels. Then follow this routine. Remember, your body is just waking up. Think about how a cat gets up from a nap, with long, luxurious, stretches, no hurry, give yourself the time and go slowly!




1. Focus on the toes: wiggle them around and flex them, stretching them out.
2. Now the ankles. flex your feet downward and then upward. Make circles first one way, then the next. As you do this, feel the muscles stretch in your calf and shin.
3. Then focus on your pelvis. tip the pelvis one way, then the other. If you can, raise your knees to your chest and feel the stretch in the thighs and lower back.
4. Then sitting up at the edge of the bed, rub your hands together, put them together palms facing and push the fingers against each other to stretch them. Circle your wrists and flex them, stretching out the muscles in your forearms.
5. Shrug your shoulders up and down. Put your arms behind you and try to touch your shoulder blades together in back - carefully!
6. Then flex your head forward, then back, then side to side. roll your head in a circle one way, then the other.
7. Now stand up and stretch your arms upward, shrug and roll your shoulders around and bend over to stretch to your toes.

Now go and enjoy the day! Oh and don't forget to smile! stretch those face muscles too!!!

Walk-In Chair Massage

Today until 2:00 only.

Show how much you care!

Give a loved one a gift certificate for a massage! Order before Valentine's Day and receive 10$ off the regular price of $40.00 for a 30 minute massage or $75.00 for a 60 minute massage. Call 508 397-4184 for more information!

little island of time

This fall I worked giving chair massage to the employees of various companies. The massages were either paid by the company or possibly a benefit of the health plan, I'm not sure since I was working for someone else who set it up. Anyway, I think it is such a fantastic thing for a business to provide massage for their staff. It's just a nice perk for the employees who very likely work really hard with added benefit of a little stress relief. Some of the people I met had never had a massage before. I love when people lift their head off the face cradle after the massage, often with a look of bliss on their face. Or amazement maybe, and gratitude for this little island of time to themselves. I feel grateful that I can provide someone with something a little different in the midst of their busy workday.

Sometimes I feel that a 10 or 15 minute massage is such a small amount of time, but it is amazing what can be accomplished! First of all is the reminder to some people they even have a body! and that it works better when it feels better! That reminder can change and improve how a person moves through their day. A massage chair is perfectly designed to allow the therapist access to the body parts that tend to hold most tension: neck, head, shoulders, back and lower back, as well as arms and hands. A therapist can relieve tension in the shoulders and address trigger points that may be referring pain elsewhere, such as headaches. After a massage, people often comment on how they didn't know their hands were so tight. A chair massage during the day can give such respite and remind ourselves to roll those shoulders, and stretch your arms up periodically. Especially if you find yourself hunched over a computer for much of your day.

I now have Company Massage Offerings. This is ideal for a company that schedules a health awareness day or Staff Appreciation Day Event where one or more therapists give chair massage throughout the time arranged. I also offer an Appreciation Certificate Program where a chosen staff member receives a specially designed certificate for a massage. This could be monthly or however frequently the company requests for their program. Some companies use this to highlight the hard work of a particular staff member. Others use it as a benefit of employment, giving a certificate to an individual after a certain amount of time of employment.

Please call for more information and if you know of any company with hard working deserving employees, please pass on this information. thanks!

Body Balance Awareness Tip #1!

I'm adding a new feature to my blog. Every week or so, I'll add a new Body Balance Awareness Tip. I think often people go about their day with little awareness of how they use their bodies. I've been practicing becoming aware of how my body feels as I do daily activities. For instance, sometimes I sit at the computer, thinking I'm just going to take a moment to check email. 20 minutes later I get up and wonder why I am so sore! I've begun to realize that my quick email check wasn't all that quick and when I sat down I didn't adjust myself to sit for any length of time - I find when I do not pay attention I end up sitting on one half of my butt and my feet are turned and curled inwards.

So, here is Body Balance Awareness Tip #1
Try this while you are at the computer. First, sit evenly on the chair facing the computer squarely, shoulders relaxed and feet flat on the floor. Then, every 20 minutes or so, stop briefly and check in with your body. Start from the feet up (or the other way) Are your feet relaxed and flat on the floor? Are you sitting evenly? or are you crooked with your weight to one side of your hips? Are your shoulders up around your ears? Are you hunched over? Is your head cocked to one side? Just notice and gently shift until you are sitting relaxed while you work, even if you're just doing a quick check of email!

2010! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

I saw two beautiful blue birds in the bushes while waiting for the school bus this morning. Their gorgeous blue wings contrasted brightly against the white snow.