Massage + Bodywork
Bodywork is such an effective way of attending to our personal health. Bodywork is the therapeutic or personal development techniques used to promote awareness in our bodies. Bodywork brings a balance to our lives, a moment or series of moments at which we learn to care for ourselves. It is a term used by health practitioners working in alternative medicine, employing 'alternative' techniques such as movement, manipulative therapy, postural improvement, somatics, breath and energy work, and natural remedies.
As a manual therapist I focus on the structure-function relationship of the body through not only the muscles but also the fascial, visceral, circulatory and nervous systems. I use this work to address recurring patterns within the body and overuse injuries, alleviate and effect chronic and acute pain, support transformations of postural deviations, and create awareness in the body by combining manual therapy with somatic work -a deep, personal knowledge of the body. I believe somatic work helps to heal our patterns that inhibit us from living more fully in our bodies.
As I work I often tell my clients what I feel within the tissues (muscle, fascia and other connective structures), how I find them supporting the body, and identify areas that need more space (through our work on the table) or support (through at-home self-care). If needed, I will end our sessions with self-care suggestions; stretches, rituals, or activities, as I find self-care to be the essence of bodywork; how we begin to listen to, learn from, and care for our bodies, to understand our individual definitions of health.
As a manual therapist I focus on the structure-function relationship of the body through not only the muscles but also the fascial, visceral, circulatory and nervous systems. I use this work to address recurring patterns within the body and overuse injuries, alleviate and effect chronic and acute pain, support transformations of postural deviations, and create awareness in the body by combining manual therapy with somatic work -a deep, personal knowledge of the body. I believe somatic work helps to heal our patterns that inhibit us from living more fully in our bodies.
As I work I often tell my clients what I feel within the tissues (muscle, fascia and other connective structures), how I find them supporting the body, and identify areas that need more space (through our work on the table) or support (through at-home self-care). If needed, I will end our sessions with self-care suggestions; stretches, rituals, or activities, as I find self-care to be the essence of bodywork; how we begin to listen to, learn from, and care for our bodies, to understand our individual definitions of health.
There are many modalities of bodywork, all with corresponding depths and quality of touch. I apply many of the following techniques in a single treatment, always considering the needs of the individual, treating the body that arrives on my table.
Deep Tissue
Deep tissue is a modality that addresses the muscle tissue within its strata of the body, deep to the surface of the skin, deep at its boney attachment. It requires great understanding and knowledge of the functioning anatomy and applied kinesiology (mechanics of the body in motion), as well as great attention to the client. There are, however, tender points, or referral patterns of pain that occur within deep tissue massage, and many other modalities of touch, that are indicators of muscle tightness, fatigue, or injury, and their systemic connections. You should always feel comfortable, and encouraged to communicate your need, at any moment I can adjust pressure and techniques to your comfort levels.
Myofascial Release
Fascia is a fibrous sheath that covers muscles individually, within groupings, and also systemically. Myofascial release addresses the fascial adhesions, or points at which the fascia has become stuck. It is slow, methodical work, with varying depths of pressure, and is generally applied with massage oils or lotion.
Stretching and Shaking
Moving the body through passive and active stretches can reveal habitual patterns of use, and trigger muscles into releasing at their attachments, opening up for more range of motion in the joint. Shaking, in addition to stretching, lubricates the joints and encourages more healthy and steady movement. When muscles are having a difficult time releasing, or we find tender points, or a stickiness in the range of motion, shaking of the muscle or joint effects the muscle's cells that are telling the muscle to fire, essentially tricking them into releasing.
Cupping and Gua Sha
Cupping and Gua Sha are applications taken from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. Cupping can be done two ways, with fire or with a suction bulb, I use the latter. Cupping uses the absence of air within a glass cup to create a suctioned seal on the skin, and encourages blood flow to the the underlying muscle tissue and surface of the skin. The cup can be moved over a group or muscles, or across muscle fibers, or left in place. Gua Sha, also found in more modern physical therapies, is a scraping of the skin with a smooth flat tool, to again, encourage blood flow to the area. Gua Sha is an effective application for scar tissue. Both applications can often leave red to purple discoloration called sha, either in flecked markings, or with cupping, full to semi-circles on the skin. The markings will fade in a matter of days, similar to a bruise.
Somatic Alignment
Somatic Alignment work is done clothed on the table, and includes body awareness, breath and movement cues, repetitive passive range-of-motion and intrinsic muscle engagement (small structural muscles, ligaments and tendons) to help reset joint/bone alignment, proprioception (how we orient ourselves in space) and our nervous systems. This work is subtle, small, yet profound. It is patient work, requiring a lot of listening to your own body, and may not be for everyone.
Perinatal Massage
Pregnancy massage uses a culmination of the above techniques, with an understanding of the common discomforts of pregnancy. Depending on where the women is at in her pregnancy -usually when she can no longer lay on her stomach which is often around the second trimester- the treatment will be performed lying on her side on the table with pillows and bolsters placed to support the hips, belly and neck and arms. "During pregnancy there is a huge increase in circulating fluids, widening of the hips, loosening of joints, strain on the low back and shoulders, numbness in the hands and "sciatica" pains. Getting regular massage during pregnancy alleviates the discomfort that comes with all of these changes occurring in the body."
Postpartum is an equally important time to get massage, as the body is in recovery from delivery and changing again, shedding pregnancy hormones and habits and adapting to the new, recurring habits of caring for an newborn, and infant. Sore wrists, neck, and shoulders are common with the new habit of holding and feeding baby. Aside from body aches and pains, massage can help with depression, fatigue and is a gift of time to give yourself where you are giving much to others.
Postpartum is an equally important time to get massage, as the body is in recovery from delivery and changing again, shedding pregnancy hormones and habits and adapting to the new, recurring habits of caring for an newborn, and infant. Sore wrists, neck, and shoulders are common with the new habit of holding and feeding baby. Aside from body aches and pains, massage can help with depression, fatigue and is a gift of time to give yourself where you are giving much to others.
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