Getting the most from your massage
Brittle paper notes
mingle and collide
telling stories from branches above
-Elizabeth VanDuine
|GREETINGS|
Though I’d rather be more in tune with natural rhythms like the solstice and moon cycles, the end of daylight savings time really gets my attention. A sucker punch that the new season is real and it is dark a lot and dark early. It is a bit of a let down after the full, long days of the previous season - or at least the potential of satisfyingly full, long days - yet I remind myself that it is an invitation to slow down, crawl into bed sooner, and rest more. It’s OK. Restore.
|GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MASSAGE|
When I bring our session to a close and walk out of the room, do you groan inside and wonder where all the time went? Did she actually massage my other leg? Is that it? Sometimes I have been the one on the table wondering the same thing. In contrast there have been other times when I was sure that the therapist had been super generous and was extending our session only to find that they were exactly on time. Why can one session feel so short while another feels indulgently long?
Mindfulness.
Have you thought about receiving your massage mindfully? Of course you have the freedom to receive a bodywork session any way that you would like, really there is no wrong way, but if you care to optimize your wellness experience, read on. I’ve got some tips for you.
{Share}
On your way to my office, turn off the radio and take stock of your mind, body, and being. Why did you make the appointment? How does your body-mind feel right now? How do you hope to feel after the session? I ask about your massage hopes and dreams each visit, or some version of that question, because your answers set the tone and help me craft our work together.
{Quiet}
Consider receiving the work in silence, or at least be intentional about the conversation you want to have. A quiet vibe creates a space where your body can be heard. Sometimes it speaks in whispers. Either way, silence or easy conversation, can serve you, but be sure that you are not engaging in conversation out of a discomfort with silence. Small talk not necessary.
{Workshop your Session}
Consider receiving bodywork as a practice. When you are distracted by your to-do list or reliving an experience you would rather forget, just notice what is coming up and let those thoughts move on through. No need to solve or fix. It is common for emotions to lodge in our tissues. Cultivate non judgemental curiosity, redirect your attention to where your body is being touched and what that is feeling like in the here and now. Notice and redirect as necessary. But if you ever need anything different - more or less pressure, a slower pace, a change in position - say something, anything, and we will make adjustments together.
In this workshop, you are the healer and I am merely the facilitator. Tune in to your inner landscape. Perhaps you will notice shifts in your thinking and feeling body.
{Complain}
Showing up for help with physical pain? Go ahead and complain! Tell me all about it. When did it start? What makes it worse and better? What’s the quality of the pain (achey, sharp, dull, sudden, etc)? Does it radiate? Our work with painful areas may require a bit more verbal communication than other types of sessions. It is important to work just shy of your pain response, the moment when your body flinches or pulls away. Frequently that is a blurry line and a process to figure out. Once your body reacts to actual or potential discomfort, your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) has joined the party. It is a healthy, protective response, but we will need to tone it down again before moving on.
Even when we are actively working to ease painful areas, my goal is to weave in enough of the relaxation response to activate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and repair) and to invite your body’s magnificent healing capacity to the table.
{Exit Plan}
When our session comes to a close and I leave the room, you have time for a few integrating breaths before jumping off the table. This is an opportunity for you to sync up your mind and body and to notice how you are feeling. You may feel calm, spacey, spacious, open, inspired… Make a choice about how you will move through the rest of your day.
|LEARNING|
Cupping class! I recently spent a day with colleagues learning about and experimenting with cups. It was a great opportunity to play and receive candid feedback. Cupping is a useful way to augment massage - increasing circulation in the body, decreasing pain, and improving mobility in restricted tissues. If you are interested and I haven’t offered, please ask!
|SHARE|
Have you noticed that I am a proponent of resting and restoring for optimizing wellness? One of the tools that I frequently use is non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR, to reinvigorate my mental and physical state as needed. I like to use Andrew Huberman’s 10 minute NSDR recording as it fits neatly into my lunch break.
This is a viable at-home (or office) practice that simultaneously offers that restful state you get from a massage and the mental acuity from caffeine. I think that it will help you show up as your best self when you need a little boost.
It’s quick, free, and effective.
Below is a link to the youtube version which is universally available. If you use spotify or apple music, you will find links to those versions in the video description.
NSDR with Andrew Huberman
|LOCAL EXPLORATION|
Like many of you, we really value high quality, local, and organic (when possible) food. That is one crucial way we can be well in the world - nourishing ourselves with healthy meals and supporting our hard working farmers. Check out Daybreak Growers Alliance. We have been getting food from them every other week (year round) and it has been fantastic! You can purchase add ons, pause your subscription when necessary, choose your items, or be surprised, CSA style. It is flexible and has always been excellent quality.
I just noticed that if you sign up before November 19, they will donate a box to a neighbor in need. Win-win!
