The Wellbody Blog

Feeling Great with Integrated Massage and Energywork

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:16:11 GMT

The physical body can be seen as a point of access by which we can contact more subtle, energy aspects of the self. In working with the physical body, my intention is to stimulate the flow of energy. It may feel like massage, but it's much more! For example, working with a client's feet, I am opening the foot chakras and encouraging intake of energy from the earth. Stretching the limbs, I am opening joints to encourage the flow of energy through them. Working with the head, I am helping to balance and redistribute the energy that for many people tends to collect around the head. Rocking the body, I am balancing energy between the left and right sides. Working with particular areas of tension, I am encouraging frozen energy to soften, melt and begin to flow again. Flowing strokes help to encourage energy to flow freely, while percussive strokes re-build energy in depleted areas. And so on.. I also often work with people verbally to help bring consciousness back to areas of the body that they have "vacated." These are usually areas of pain and tension. It's not clear to me whether muscles hurt because we have withdrawn our consciousness from them, or whether we withdraw our consciousness from muscles because they hurt. But in any case, it is clear to me that bringing consciousness back to the body is very healing. After a treatment from me, your physical body will almost undoubtedly feel great. That's partly because of the fabulous benefits of massage--but even more, I believe, it's because of the energy healing that is the foundation of all of my work. Learn more about energy healing here: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/energy-healing.html. May you be in radiant health. --Nancy 8/11/10

The Healing Power of Breath and Awareness--So Simple But So Effective

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:15:26 GMT

It is amazing to me how powerful simple self-healing tools such as breath and awareness can be. Frequently in my practice, I will place my fingers or hand on a tight or injured muscle and ask my client to breathe into the muscle and bring their awareness to it. More often than not, without any further manual manipulation, this is enough to bring about a softening/relaxation of the muscle. Often the response is profound, with the muscle literally feeling like it is melting under my fingers. I find that this is especially true if the treatment is within the context of an energy healing. This happened just today. My client had had a serious injury that cracked his pelvis. As painful as that was, it was the subsequent tightening of his lower back that was causing him the most pain at this time. I could feel the disturbance in his field over the cracked area of his pelvis, and worked a lot there to smooth, balance, and calibrate it, so as to support its healing. I also wanted to help him with the pain in his low back, and felt that hands-on work would be most effective. I placed my hands on his back and asked him to breathe into it and bring his awareness to it. After doing this for a little while, he appeared to go into a deep state of rest. Afterward he commented on what a deep relaxation this had brought to his lower back. He was very surprised at this, since he has no familiarity with breathwork, yoga, or meditation. "It really felt like I was breathing into it," he said. "I could feel it relax and let go. I can stand up straight now, and it feels even better than it did before the accident!" It was very rewarding to me to see my client feel so much better. And it is always inspiring to me to see such illustrations of the power of consciousness and our own amazing abilities for self-healing.

Give Yourself a Low-Cost Wellnes "Staycation"

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:58:51 GMT

Whether or not you go on vacation this summer, you still need a break from routine for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. If you can't take a vacation, create a renewing, wellness "staycation." Set aside a week or two where you take time off from your normal activities (work, etc.) and shake up your usual routine. Schedule in a lot of low-cost self-care. (And don't let anyone or anything pre-empt it!) Here are some ideas to get you started:

Make time for daily meditation and reflection.
Get out into nature for a hike or a day at the beach (preferably an uncrowded one).
Read that inspirational book you've been meaning to get to.
Visit an uplifting friend.
Go stargazing.
Do yoga.
Find some new recipes and make a point of pampering yourself with delicious and healthy food.
Plant some vegetables.
Take on a rewarding home or garden project that will make you feel GREAT when it's accomplished.
Take a class.
Write in your journal.
Schedule some fun and healthy self-care activities such as a massage, facial, or new haircut.
Buy yourself small, healthy treats--a new book, fun article of summer clothing, flowers for your house--whatever would please you. (But don't spend a lot of time shopping! That's an energy-drain.)
Go site-seeing in your own town or region.
Create some art--whether or not you're "artistic." Just play!
If you've got little kids, just follow them around and do what they do. They're great role models!
Start an enjoyable new exercise routine. (emphasis on enjoyable)
Nap!

If you'd like more ideas for relaxation, you can go here: www.Tacoma-Massage-Therapy.com/relaxation-techniques.html . Making time to take care of yourself like this will bring you health and wellness benefits for months to come--especially if you incorporate some of them into your normal routine. Happy summer! Copyright 2010 by Nancy Hausauer. All rights reserved.

Is It Normal To Feel Like Crying During a Massage (Yes.)

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:36:03 GMT

A visitor to the site recently asked whether it was normal to feel like crying during a massage. The answer is, yes. It's actually pretty common for people to cry or feel like crying during a massage. And many do. I've certainly cried on the massage table. For me, it usually comes out of the blue--a complete surprise. I often don't know what it's about--and I don't need to. It isn't like talk therapy, where you discuss it with your therapist. Afterward I feel lighter, cleaner. (Of course, you can discuss it with your talk therapist later if you want or need to. But often it's fine to just cry, let it go, and move on.) A massage therapist with any experience at all won't be surprised by tears. When a client of mine sheds tears, I usually just continue doing what I was doing, perhaps a little more gently. I'll watch closely to see if I need to adjust what I'm doing, following the client's lead. Even an intense bout of weeping eventually subsides, with little or no lingering emotion, in my experience. It's like a natural event--a storm that rains hard, and then moves on, leaving a sense of calm in its wake. (And maybe even glorious sunshine.) So, the bottom line is: If you feel like crying during a massage, go right ahead. You'll most likely feel much better for it. 6/30/10 Copyright 2010 Nancy Hausauer

Review: Dr. Jeffrey Thompson CD "Meditative Stream"

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:40:00 GMT

I recently added the CD "Meditative Stream" to my collection and I like it a lot. It's part of Dr. Jeffrey Thompson's "Brainwave Nature Suite," (The Relaxation Company). It's very simple--an hour of stream sounds with occasional bird calls. Behind it (inaudibly, to me), are embedded theta brainwave pulses. Theta waves are the brainwave pattern characteristic of meditation and the creative process. The theory is that your own brainwaves entrain to these embedded pulses, allowing you to easily achieve a creative/meditative state. This brainwave-pulse-embedding technology works for me, whether it's theta (creativity/meditation), alpha (relaxation), or delta (sleep). Dr. Thompson/The Relaxation Company has a wide variety of CDs using this technology. Some are better than others (musically). "Meditative Stream" is lovely--refreshing is the word that comes to mind. The recording quality is great, so it's just like sitting stream-side for an hour--a sublimely rejuvenating, restful experience.

Walking on Pavement Is Hard on Your Body!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:39:25 GMT

Walking my dog yesterday on the beautiful Foothills Trail, much of it alongside the glorious Carbon River, I was reminded of how hard walking on pavement is on the body. Walking on the asphalt bike path jarred me with every step. When I moved off the paved surface to unpaved ground, I immediately felt better--knees, ankles, feet, back--everything. It reminded me of when I had a serious knee issue. Walking off-pavement reduced my knee pain by at least 50, making it tolerable to walk. It seems counter-intuitive. Walking on a nice flat, smooth surface should be easier on our muscles and joints, right? But it's not. Our bodies were designed to walk on natural ground, in all its uneven glory. When the ground underneath our feet is uneven, it forces us to use a variety of muscles to adapt to it. This stimulates and exercises more muscles than walking on pavement does. When walking on pavement, we use the same muscles over and over and over and over. Using more and different muscles helps to balance use and development of muscles and muscle groups. And balanced muscle groups help us prevent muscle and joint injury, dysfunction, and pain. Anyway, that's what makes sense to me. The bottom line: get off the pavement whenever you can!

Learn How to Cultivate Your Seventh Chakra, the Gateway to Unity Consciousness

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:16:54 GMT

For each of us, it's possible to rise above the worries and confusion of daily life and have a sense of peace, harmony, unconditional love, and even bliss. It is possible to feel completely connected to all things, including one's higher power. Cultivating your crown chakra can help you prepare for these higher spiritual states. Learn seventh-chakra cultivation and self-care exercises on my new energy healing website page: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/crown-chakra.html

Learn How to Cultivate Your Sixth Chakra and Expand Your Spiritual Awareness

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:54:50 GMT

Extraordinary intellect, intuition, wisdom, and spiritual insight are available to everyone--but few of us even begin to tap our vast potential. Clearing your 6th chakra supports these capacities. A new page on my energy healing website helps you learn how to cultivate this key energy center with exercises and activities that anyone can do: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/third-eye-chakra.html

Featured June Therapy: Rose Harmonizing Treatment

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:51:48 GMT

Celebrate the arrival of summer with a luxurious, rose-imbued massage, including a rose-hip-oil blend (high in Vitamin C, it fights sun damage and is rejuvenating for your skin), beautiful rose essential oil (wonderful for body and spirit: soothes, harmonizes, nurtures, and supports self-esteem) , and a spritz of rose-water at the end (just for fun). ($65 for one-hour treatment)

Learn How to Clear Your 5th Chakra and Live Your Truth

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:48:43 GMT

Does your life reflect the fullness of who you are? Are you speaking your truth and saying the things that really need to be said? Are you hearing others' truths? Are they hearing yours? Are you fully exercising the divine spark of creativity that lives in you? Would you like to get below the surface of things, to access deeper levels of insight? Clearing your 5th chakra can help you with these sacred intentions. This new page on my energy healing website will help you learn how. www.the-energy-healing-site.com/5th-chakra.html

Learn How to Clear and Balance Your Heart Chakra (and Open to Love)

Thu, 27 May 2010 22:46:57 GMT

The heart chakra, the fourth of the seven chakras, governs unconditional love, healing, and connection. Clearing and balancing your heart chakra can help you heal emotional wounds, rise above jealousy, fear, and hatred, raise the vibration of your relationships, have deeper emotional connections to others, forgive yourself and others, and develop more compassion. The heart chakra is key to ongoing spiritual development. Visit the new page on my energy healing website and learn down-to-earth methods to clear and balance the heart chakra: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/heart-chakra.html

Learn How to Clear and Balance Your Solar Plexus Chakra (and Free Your Sacred Power)

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:04:11 GMT

The solar plexus, or third, chakra, is the subtle energy center in your upper abdomen (between navel and sternum). When your solar plexus chakra is cleared and balanced, you'll find it easier to believe in yourself and create the life that your soul longs for. Visit the new page on my energy healing website to learn how: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/solar-plexus-chakra.html

Where to Find Plantar Fasciitis Night Splints in Tacoma

Wed, 19 May 2010 17:10:09 GMT

I've had several people contact me lately asking where in Tacoma they can find night splints to help heal plantar fasciitis. I was in Target the other day and saw that they had them in the foot care area of the store (in the cosmetics and drugs section.) They were $29.99--which is a lot cheaper than I've seen them online (the average on-line price seemed to be about $79 from what I could see). I have no idea whether the Target night splints are any good--but I wanted to put it out there for people as a possible resource. If you've got plantar fasciitis, please also be sure to read the section on my website about things you can do for it. There really are some easy things that help a lot in many if not most cases. Wishing us all happy feet! --Nancy

Learn How to Clear and Balance Your Sacral Chakra (And Open to Joy)

Wed, 19 May 2010 17:05:08 GMT

It's easier than you think! The sacral, or second, chakra, is the subtle energy center in your lower abdomen. When your sacral chakra is cleared and balanced, you'll find it easier to enjoy life's pleasures, "go with the flow," and be open to experiencing the joy that is all around us--but sometimes difficult to let in. Visit the new page on my energy healing website to learn how: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/sacral-chakra.html

Learn How to Clear and Balance Your Root Chakra

Tue, 18 May 2010 22:11:21 GMT

You may be interested in a new page on my other website about energy healing. It's called "Clearing Your Root Chakra to Build an Unshakeable Sense of Security." The root, or first, chakra, is the subtle energy center at the base of your spine. When your root chakra is cleared and balanced, it creates a solid foundation for the rest of your chakras and for a productive, satisfying life. Here's the link: www.the-energy-healing-site.com/root-chakra.html .

Featured May Therapy: Creativity-Enhancing Treatment

Mon, 03 May 2010 17:22:56 GMT

(Yes, it really works!) It's May and the world is bustling with creativity. Stimulate your own creative juices with a creativity-enhancing treatment. Includes energy work especially to support your creative genius, brain wave entrainment technology for creativity, and bodywork to support your parasympathetic nervous system (encourages divergent thinking). Give yourself time to be inspired, imagine, and create after the treatment! ($65 for approx. 1 hour) This is a great treatment not only for artists, designers, writers, and others in the traditional creative fields--but also for anyone who has a problem they need to solve. Problem-solving is a creative act, too!

An Alternative, Pain-Free Trigger Point Treatment

Mon, 03 May 2010 16:05:58 GMT

A recent visitor to the site asked about excruciating neck pain with trigger point therapy. Please, don't continue with any therapy that causes you excruciating pain. A little discomfort is probably OK with most therapies--but agonizing pain--NO! There is another way to deal with trigger points that I've develope. Often when I'm dealing with trigger points, and always when trigger point therapy is too painful for people, I use this alternative method. I locate the trigger point (either by feel or by my client's letting me know when I've reached a really painful spot), hold very gentle, non-painful pressure on it, and invite my client to breathe into it and bring their consciousness/awareness into it. Often I offer some guided visualization, too. This usually brings about a softening in the trigger point or area of extreme muscle tension. Often I can literally feel the contracted area just melt away, and the client reports that the tenderness has either gone away or diminished significantly. The most important point here is: DON'T CONTINUE WITH THERAPIES THAT CAUSE YOU EXTREME PAIN! and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That being said: Happy May! It's been rainy in Tacoma, but the trees have leafed out and the spring flowers are blooming, so it's beautiful. If it's spring where you are, I hope you have a chance to drink it in.

Your Feelings Follow Your Face!

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:58:47 GMT

I'd suspected it all along, because for years I've noticed that if I'm feeling down and force myself to smile for a while, pretty soon I'm feeling better. Now I know it's not just my imagination. I was reading the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and he cited research that confirms it. The researchers found that if you frown, you start to feel worse. If you smile, you start to feel happier. Your feelings really do react to the expressions you're wearing on your face! So take a moment to arrange your face in a way that expresses the way you'd like to feel right now. I'm guessing you'd like to feel relaxed and happy, so..... Relax the tension in your forehead, eyes and jaw. Let your mouth and your eyes smile. Hold that pleasant expression for a while, and voila! A good mood! Of course if you'd like to feel fierce and intimidating, that's another story!

New Graphics!

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:36:34 GMT

I'm in the process of overhauling the graphics of my site.....so if things look a little ragged, that's because I had to stop in the middle. Life is like that!

Featured Therapy for April

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:43:04 GMT

Spring is in the air--time for a good spring clearing! April's featured treatment combines invigorating bodywork, energywork focused on clearing, and refreshing aromatherapy to lift your spirits and your vitality, wake up your body, and clear your energy field. Great if you've been feeling a little low or if you're preparing for a challenge.

Tennis Elbow: Best Self-care Methods for Relief

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:11:44 GMT

Tennis elbow? Learn what to do to heal your own elbow pain-including exercises, stretches, massage, and heat/cold therapy. One of the most complete elbow tendonitis self-care resources on the web.

Tennis Elbow Exercises: Long Term Relief and Prevention

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:09:50 GMT

Are you feeling pain at the outside of your elbow? Could be tennis elbow. Learn tennis elbow exercises for long-term relief and prevention.

Tennis Elbow Massage: Easy Self-Care for Faster Healing

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:45:42 GMT

Are you feeling pain at the outside of your elbow? Could be tennis elbow. Tennis elbow massage is an easy, effective remedy you can do for yourself. Learn how.

Tennis Elbow Stretches: Help to Relieve and Heal Your Elbow Pain

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:34:04 GMT

Are you feeling pain at the outside of your elbow? Could be tennis elbow. Stretching the top of the forearm is one piece of the healing puzzle. Learn how to perform tennis elbow stretches.

Ice Massage: Powerful Medicine in a Dixie Cup

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:25:05 GMT

Ice massage is one of the best things you can do to help heal and relieve tendonitis and other muscle pain. It's safe, effective, and free. Learn how to perform this powerful healing technique.

Tennis Elbow Causes: Not Just Tennis!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:17:13 GMT

Are you feeling pain at the outside of your elbow? Could be tennis elbow-"lateral epicondylitis." Learn some common tennis elbow causes.

Ice Therapy for Injury and Inflammation: A How-To

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:29:30 GMT

When and how to use ice therapy (cryotherapy) for injuries such as ligament sprains, muscle strains, overuse injuries, and other muscular pain.

Plantar Fasciitis: Self-care for Heel Pain Relief

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:40:35 GMT

Heel pain? Learn the single best thing you can do for plantar fasciitis, plus exercises and stretches for prevention.

Heel Pain Causes: Plantar Fasciitis

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:29:34 GMT

Learn about one of the most common heel pain causes: Plantar Fasciitis.

The Night Splint: Self-Care for Plantar Fasciitis Relief

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:19:15 GMT

Learn how an inexpensive, safe night splint might help you cure your plantar fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis Exercises and Stretches: Self-care for Heel Pain Relief

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:31:01 GMT

Description Are you hobbling around with plantar fasciitis? Learn plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches that help to relieve and prevent heel pain.

Upcoming Movie "The Difference." A Scam?

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:27:23 GMT

The short answer is I think so. At any rate, if you're being asked to participate, I think that what they're looking for is investors. The Australian producers of the movie have been contacting people in the U.S. (I received both an email and a phone call)in alternative health fields and asking them to "get involved" in what they claim will be a historic, ground-breaking, evolutionary movie that's kinda sorta like "The Secret." In neither the email nor the phone message I received was it clear how they wanted me to "be involved." But the messages were intriguing, and of course, complimentary, designed to make me feel special. I got the email first and it sounded fishy to me, especially since I couldn't find any more specific information on the web, so I deleted the message. Then I got a voicemail message. I wondered where on earth they got my home phone, since it's my business phone that I put on my websites. Felt kind of intrusive and creepy. So I searched the web again for information, came up with the same vague claptrap--until I found a 2/17/10 blog entry by a woman in San Diego who had received the same invitation and actually attended an event to learn more about "getting involved" with "The Difference." In short, what she found was that it was a pitch for investors. They were asking for money. And apparently they don't even have a concept for the movie, let alone a movie. So unless you want to invest your hard-earned money in an unmade movie without even a clear concept, I'd steer clear of this particular "opportunity." It may not be a scam to take advantage of a demographic group that's generally generous and trusting (as it appears to be on the surface). But even if it's not a scam, it doesn't sound to me like a very good business proposition. I just wanted to share the information that I found, so that people who receive the invitation to "get involved with The Difference" can make a more informed decision. I wish the highest and best good for everyone involved.

Tinnitus Relief

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:51:29 GMT

Tinnitus? How massage and other drug-free, self-care techniques might help you stop the maddening ringing in your ears.

Natural Headache Relief

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:17:08 GMT

Learn natural, drug-free headache relief techniques that you can do at home to help relieve headache pain.

Why Is Sequence Important in Lymphatic Facilitation?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:59:51 GMT

Happy Groundhog's Day! I don't want to turn this into the lymphatic blog, but another visitor to the site asked another great lymphatic question: "Why is sequence important in lymphatic facilitation?" Lymphatic facilitation, of course, is another name for lymphatic massage or lymphatic drainage. You can learn more about lymphatic massage here, at my website. The simplest answer to the question about sequencing is that you can't move liquid into a vessel that's already full. You have to create a space for it. Proper sequencing creates that space, so that lymph fluid from vessels on down the line has somewhere to go. Thus lymphatic massage starts at the supraclavicular fossa of the neck, below which is the thoracic duct of the lymphatic system, which returns filtered lymph fluid to the bloodstream. Following lymphatic drainage of the neck, the subsequent general sequence for other areas of the body is proximal to distal, then distal to proximal. The lymph, of course, must always be moved toward the group of nodes responsible for draining that area. There are cautions for lymphatic massage that should always be observed. For example, do not seek lymphatic massage if you have major heart problems, serious circulatory system problems such as thrombosis, a bacterial infection, cancer, or bleeding. If you or your therapist have any doubts, you should get an OK from your doctor.

How to Stimulate Lymphatic Flow in Your Body

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:14:56 GMT

A visitor to the site recently asked what I'd recommend to stimulate lymphatic flow. That's a great question! There's a lot that you can do to stimulate lymphatic flow in your body. The key thing to remember is that there is no "pump" for the lymphatic system. Lymph fluid is primarily moved through your body by muscle contraction. So specifically, here are some things you can do to get your lymph moving: 1) Walk! Yes, a brisk walk is one of the best things for moving lymphatic fluid. It gets the muscles of your legs contracting, which pumps the lymph from the lower part of your body. Just one more of many reasons why walking is good for you! 2) Breathe! Another simple but highly effective lymph-flow-stimulator. We have many lymph nodes in our intestines. The action of breathing deeply into the lower third of the lungs--belly breathing--significantly helps to pump lymph up from our lower body and move it through these nodes. When I feel a cold coming on, I do a lot of deep (but comfortable) belly breathing. Usually, that takes care of the cold--I never actually get it. 3) If you can't walk, do that old "bicycle" exercise where you lay on your back and put your feet up into the air, supporting your hips with your hands, and move your legs in a bicycle-riding motion. 4) I've heard that taking a shower with alternating hot and cold water, finishing with cold, can work. But I don't like cold showers, so I can't vouch for this one! Walking and belly breathing are also great for your health in other ways. There's simply no down-side! Simply relaxing, too, is great for your immune system. It doesn't actually pump lymph fluid, but it helps the immune system as a whole to function as it's supposed do. And surprise! Walking and belly breathing also help you relax. So walk. Breathe. Be radiantly healthy.

Neck Pain and Stiffness: How You Can Help Yourself

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:55:33 GMT

Suffering from neck pain and stiffness? Here are some self-care tips--including exercises, stretches, self-massage, acupressure, and posture--to help you help yourself.

Acute Neck Pain: What to Do When Neck Pain Strikes Hard

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:18:28 GMT

When acute neck pain starts, here's what to do right away to speed healing and keep it from getting worse.

Neck Exercises To Relieve Pain and Stiffness

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:36:11 GMT

Suffering from neck pain and stiffness? Here are some easy neck exercises that will help you find long-term relief.

Neck Massage: Trigger Point Therapy and Acupressure for Neck Pain

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:35:19 GMT

Learn specific neck massage for muscle trigger points and acupressure points that can cause neck pain and stiffness. They're easy to learn: you can do this for yourself, or have a friend do it.

Neck Stretches For Long-Term Pain Relief and Flexibility

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:31:05 GMT

Learn some simple neck stretches that will help you find long-term relief from neck pain and stiffness.

Neck Pain Red Flags: When to Call Your Doctor

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:46:28 GMT

Most chronic neck pain can be treated successfully at home. However, there are some neck pain red flags that indicate you should seek treatment from a medical doctor.