When I have limited time to re-energize I throw my legs up the wall.
This easy, restorative yoga inversion:
•Rests my back, letting gravity and the earth support me.
•Sends blood flowing to my heart and brain, increasing circulation.
•Deeply relaxes my legs, supported by the wall and my core.
•Engages my breath to guide the monkey/ruminating mind to let go.
•Revives me, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Try it, you’ll like it!!
Chronic or not, a little bit of back pain goes a long way! Massage Therapy can be a key component in gaining relief from back pain. In my massage practice in Iowa City, IA I see a diverse population. Neck and shoulder pain is a common complaint with back pain following close behind.
When folks come to me with back pain I find out as many details as possible. To form a comprehensive plan of treatment I want to know it’s origin, intensity of discomfort/pain, length of time of discomfort and about consultations with doctors or specialists.
I combine several different massage techniques and find that working the affected area of muscles releases tension and spasms while producing feel good hormones (endorphins)
that result in less pain and discomfort and help with depression and anxiety caused by back pain. By treating the affected muscles, metabolic waste from the tissue will release and circulation will increase to bring nutrition to the muscles and tissues. This combination assists the muscles in recovering from soreness or soft tissue injury and begin renewing.
It’s important to take your back pain seriously. Speaking from my own experience I know that it can be a long road to recovery. Finding a comprehensive team of both traditional and alternative practitioners who can assist in your recovery plan is important for your recovery.
Remember, Barb Brender of Bodywork For Life’s Seasons in Iowa City, Iowa has your back! I would love to team with you and your other practitioners to ease your pain and discomfort into a distant memory. I am living proof that with dedication and perseverance it can be done!
Do you have difficulty with sleep? Is it hard to unwind? Do you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep? Does your mind take you places no mind should go, especially in the middle of the night?
Try this simple series of self-massage to shift your mood from frustrated to relaxed.
Begin by noticing your breath, take a slow, soothing breath in filling your lungs comfortably, and exhale out sending that soothing feeling throughout your body. Just breath! So easy, yet we forget that this simple act will always bring us back to the present moment, not the moments before or after.
Sleepy Time Self-Massage
Stimulating specific acupuncture points relieves tension and helps release melatonin, your body’s natural sleep hormone.
Begin by massaging the crown of your head with fingertips, in a circular motion for approximately 30 seconds. Don’t watch the clock! Massage long enough to feel the soothing affect.
Next, with fingertips, make small circular movements at the outer ends of your eyebrows for 30 seconds.
Then, with the pads of your thumbs, swipe the upper, then lower edges of your eye sockets, from the inner to the outer corners. This feels really good.
Finish by rubbing your palms together until they feel warm, and then place them over your eyes for 45 seconds. Gently rest the heels of your hands over your closed eyelids for another 30 seconds.
And remember, having regular massage therapy helps balance your over all sense of well-being, benefiting every part of your day, waking or sleeping.
It’s fall in Iowa City. With the change of seasons, daylight savings time and colder temperatures, it’s ripe territory for seasonal allergies, colds, flu and SAD. Studies have shown that massage therapy is a viable option in our regiment to stay healthy, happy and active during the fall and winter months. In addition to other benefits research shows that regular massage therapy helps support our immune system, keeping us healthier.
Researchers from Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that people who receive regular massage experience measurable changes in their body’s immune and endocrine response and had an increased number of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that defend the body from disease.
Boost your immune system, increase circulation and overall well-being by enjoying the many benefits of massage therapy this fall and winter season.
Rodeo Beach CA
My new massage therapy studio, on the east side of Iowa City, has been open for one month. I have received lots of the same feedback about my new space. My clients tell me it’s a magical place.
Magical?
I ask each one what they mean by that. Here’s a compilation of what they’ve said. It’s the deep sea blue color of the wall that makes me feel I’m floating on water, it’s the sound of the water trickling over the rocks in the fountain that helps me drift away and along, it’s the photographs on the wall of favorite beaches and cliffs along the Pacific Ocean, it’s the low lighting of the screen lamps and candles that relax and help me let go, it’s the music playing softly and rhythmically in the background, it’s the soothing smell of lavender, it’s the placement of the furnishings which lets the energy flow, and so on.
This got me thinking about how much the healing space has to do with the healing happening in the space. How much our environment impacts us on a subconscious level. If you think about it you will quickly see what I mean. How do you feel in a sterile doctor’s waiting room? Are you calm and relaxed, or maybe a little anxious and on edge? How do you feel when you walk in nature? Are you absorbed by what you see and hear and transported beyond your daily stresses? What about when you walk into a place of reverence, a place where you worship or a place where you go to see beautiful art and artifacts of the world? How do you feel in your everyday life?
I am committed to my intention to create a quiet, healing and safe place for my clients. Each day, and between clients I clear the stagnant energy and refresh it with new universal healing energy. I set my intention for my time with each client, remembering the uniqueness of each and addressing and honoring what I have learned and continue to learn from them. I center myself before each session, anchoring solidly to my root and other chakras. I send gratitude to each and every individual who spends time with me and strive always to provide what it is they are seeking.
I like to share with my clients the fact that giving massage therapy to them is also deeply relaxing and healing for me. I experience a state of meditative focus where all my worldly stresses fade away and my focus and intention come to the forefront. I see with my fingers, letting them feel and tell me everything I need to know about the tissue I am working with. I use my sense of hearing to guide me deeper into the work. I get lost in the journey of each massage as it guides and informs me of the work at hand. For this I am very grateful and constantly healed.
As your massage therapist I will suggest things you can do between appointments to assist in your well-being. Here are some favorites I like to share with my folks.
One I like to suggest to folks who are feeling achy, have tight or sore muscles, or are avid athletes is to take Epsom Salt baths. Take a couple of handfuls of salt and put it in a very warm bath. Sit and relax until the bath cools down. I do this often because it draws out any tension or stress in my muscles. Grandma was right about Epsom Salt baths!
I like to tell my folks this little trick using tennis balls to help work out chronic knots or areas of discomfort. You can make a handy little massage tool with two tennis balls and a knee high sock. Simply place one ball in the toe of the sock and knot then add the second ball and knot. Lean up against the wall or lie on the floor and place the balls over any tight or uncomfortable areas and work them out. The beauty of this is that you control the pressure and the placement of the balls. Remember; never roll directly over your spine!
Another favorite is to remind folks that our breath will always bring us back to the present. It’s something that is always with us. When you feel stressed or tense pay attention to your breath. Are you breathing fast and shallow? Stop and mindfully bring your breath all the way down to your belly, even stick out your belly as you fill it with healing “air” energy. Then slowly exhale, from the bottom of the belly to the top of you lungs and let go of anything that is not serving you in this moment. Do this a few times and you’ll soon notice you are feeling more focused and calm. The oxygen you are sending to your muscles is helping them relax and let go too!
Stay tuned for more suggestions and remember to breath, breath, breath!
Root Chakra Art by Candida Maurer
Elephants are among the most grounded of animals with their huge bodies and great weight and they express earthiness to me. Since the color of the root chakra is red, I included the reddish trees and their roots in the drawing in order to symbolize the necessity of connecting deeply into the earth to find our ground. There are four petals on the lotus of the root chakra to again symbolize the steadiness of the earth energy.
This is an exciting time for me. I am plantng new roots in another location for my practice. I am sharing the space with one other extraordinary practitioner, Jenny Wolffe, LMT. Jenny and I have opened a beautiful studio on the east side of Iowa City. We call ourselves Integrative Practice: Bodywork & Massage Therapy. Our studio is at: Eastdale Plaza, Ste. 27, 1700 S. 1st Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240.
Here are the styles of bodywork and massage therapy we offer.
Both Jenny and I have created a peaceful and healing space for our clients. The atmosphere is bathed in beautiful earth tones that remind us of our root and the benefits of being rooted to Mother Earth.
If you ever feel you are too much in your head, just take off your shoes and stand in your yard. Feel the support of Mother Earth and the soft coating of grass under your feet. Imagine growing roots from your feet through the earth. Become the tree, strong, rooted and connected both to earth and air. Reach up and let the air enter through your crown and down through your central channel, ending up at your feet, rooted to earth.
Our intention for our new studio is to mindfully and respectfully offer exceptional bodywork and massage therapy to our current clients and welcome new folks to come and see what it is we do.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, we will help guide you to the care most appropriate for you.
Happy new beginnings in your life too, however they may be manifesting. And remember, our root chakra is our anchor to the earth and will support us through this incredible, ever shifting journey we are on.
Stay tuned for the announcement of our opening gathering in the month of July!
Providing massage therapy to geriatric clients is a true pleasure to me. I have years of experience massaging my own mother and others. I was mom’s caregiver for six years and one of the things that always made her more comfortable was having a massage. It was nearly a nightly event at our house. I would get her comfortable in the massage chair and work out the stiff and painful spots in her neck, back, arms and legs. I quickly felt stress and discomfort leave her body, replaced with peaceful breathing and wonderful sighs. When the massage was over mom would be very calm and relaxed and often took a nice nap, waking to feel refreshed and quite happy.
As we age, and I know this to be true from my own experience, little and sometimes not so little aches and pains crop up. Being able to work with a population who experiences this frequently is very satisfying to me. Just like with my mom, I quickly notice them calming as their breathing gets more quiet and less strained. As time goes on they report feeling better in their daily life experience.
Some of the benefits of massage therapy for geriatrics include:
If you visit me for a massage I will do everything I can to accommodate any physical limitations. We will find a way to make you comfortable and relaxed and focus our work on your needs and expectations. I have a great appreciation for folks who have lived through many years of life and feel very rewarded and honored to work with them. I look forward to working with you.
Okay that’s a bit dramatic, but my point is there are lots of people out there who think about massage therapy as a luxury, not as a part of taking care of their own health. In Iowa City, a city of great diversity and higher education, we think differently. We know that massage therapy and other similar health care modalities are essential to our overall health and sense of well-being.
My clients have come to feel and see the benefits they receive from having regular massage therapy. They tell me they have a higher tolerance when things get stressful and feel more comfortable and at ease in their bodies. They have learned to listen to their bodies and have found the optimal interval of time that works best for them to receive massage therapy. Whether it’s twice a week, once a week, bi-monthly or once a month, they know what keeps them at the even keel they’ve come to appreciate and count on.
Did you know that many employers offer flex health spending programs that include massage therapy in their list of modalities they will reimburse? Check with your employer and see, you may just have a gold mine waiting for you to tap into.
The University of Iowa, our largest employer in Iowa City, includes massage therapy in their health flex spending program. This forward thinking employer even has a Mindfulness Class which they offer to their employees and the general public.
It’s time to let go of that old myth that massage is a luxury only for the rich and famous and join the growing group of us who realize the significant impact massage has in keeping us healthy in mind, body and spirit.
Beautiful Henna Baby Belly, Fannie and twins
Whether you are in your first trimester, second trimester or coming up to your third and awaiting the big day, pregnancy massage, from a certified therapist, will help you get in touch with each transition in relaxed comfort. Tell me where you’re feeling discomfort, where you feel the baby is resting and how it’s impacting your body. During this incredible transformation and creation of life your body is changing…literally, in every single moment. Every incredible moment.
Receiving a pregnancy massage is to experience true nurturing and self-care. Something every expecting mom deserves to prepare her for the upcoming arrival of baby. Stop, relax and really check in with yourself and your baby. I guarantee you’ll feel a profound shift in your own well-being and quite a lot of happy activity from the baby. Babies love pregnancy massage, they seem to thrill from the increase of “feel good” hormones and become quite active. When mom is happy, calm and relaxed, baby is too!
Pregnancy Massage is a tremendous relaxer for every expecting mom. During pregnancy you and your body are on an incredibly expansive (not just your waist line) journey. You are the vessel for a new life and your health and well-being directly impact your baby. Every day, in so many ways, your body is changing as your baby grows.
I will partner with you along this journey, moving through the different stages, adjusting your session to accommodate your specific needs and preferences. Learn more techniques to calm and relax yourself while experiencing the physical transformation and benefits of certified pregnancy massage.
Thoughtful baby shower gift: As a single or group gift, a package of one pregnancy massage per month and two after baby is born, is a wonderful way to gift the pregnant woman in your life. Each month you’ll know you’re supporting her in her journey, even if your miles away.
bodyworkforlifesseasons.com 