A 15 min vacation

Many people understand the importance of getting a regular massage. The biggest problem they face, however, is time. Aren't we all on a tight schedule? What is the best thing you can do? multitask of course! There are many options when it comes to an office massage. You can designate a room where a therapist can come and do a full body session with all the works, or you can have a relaxing massage right in a chair. Have you ever thought about the benefits of utilizing hot stone? it's very doable even in a chair fully clothed. In fact instead of using hot boiling water, we use dry methods to heat up the stone. You get the benefit, with a very convienent avenue. The world of massage therapy is amazing in that it really caters to everyone. We all know that everyone is different and what works best for some doesn't for others. So if you are too busy to come to the therapist, let the therapist come to you. While you're at it get some of your co-workers to join in and get everyone relaxed and centered to finish up the work day with pizazz!
Don't worry about being too relaxed, you will be amazed at your renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Any therapist will tell you

It may sound strange to someone who has never been a therapist, and before massage therapy school, I never really thought about the advantages the therapist receives in giving a massage, or why they almost seem as if giving up the job would be the hardest thing ever.
 Some may think we do it for the money, some may think we do it out of pride. The truth is, that the bible is right. When you are doing a service for another person, whether money is involved or not, there is such a reward that is undescribable. I got finished giving a massage tonight to a client who is going to race in a marathon on the weekend. Knowing that I was helping to make that happen is amazing in and of itself. But as I left to go home, I was aware of how I was in a positive more giving attitude. I realized that going out of my box to help another person, helps me as well.
I'm certainly not saying don't pay your therapist, because they definitely deserve it and have expenses to take care of as well. I guess I could even admit that receiving that payment, gives me a feeling of accomplishment in addition to the feeling of satisfaction of having helped another person.
The really cool part about the helping, is that 9 times out of 10 it's a complete stranger, who you may or may not ever see again. It could be that it was someone traveling through town and needed to get the kinks out after a long drive, or it could be someone who has been suffering and needs a few sessions to get their system back in check.
Whatever the reason or need, being a therapist and reaching out to help another person is one of the most rewarding jobs around. Not many people can actually look forward to going to work, but those who are therapists know that it's one job we "get" to do.

The Value of Light work

Many people wonder why so many are now turning to natural healing methods such as crystal healing, or energy work. There's also modalities like Craniosacral, and Lymph Drainage that are very light but have amazing results. Although Deep tissue work is very effective, there are those who are not able to withstand the deep deep pressure and often leave problems ongoing due to the fact that they just can't find a modality that they are able to tolerate.
There is more and more education all the time becoming available to teach therapists how to be effective in their work and yet the client doesn't seem to feel the "pain" of the session.
I recently attended a workshop put on by the Structural Integration Institute of Utah and found the methods to not only be extremely effective but very client friendly. There was no situation where we had to tell the client to just bear with it, because ripping them apart was "good" for them.
The more I delve into therapies that take the time to be effective in a non-intrusive way the more I am excited about the results I am seeing from clients and the way their bodies respond in a positive way.
An effective treatment not always means pain and suffering. There are many therapists out there and in here at Abundant Health League who believe in the body's ability to self correct using a more gentle persuassion. If you really think about it, who actually "likes" the alarm clock with the loud obnoxious noise to startle them out of bed? As human beings we tend to rebel against something forcing us out of bed in the morning. On the other hand, those who wake up slowly to soft music, usually have a more relaxed and calm beginning to their day.
When you take this same theory and apply it to bodywork, we can see the benefits right away. At first the client's body may rebel, but once it realizes that we are not there to intrude, but to assist, the body naturally relaxes and allows the therapist to do their work. Believe me it's very effective.
Once the client understands the method, its easy to take the mystery out of the therapy and understand the modality for what it is, simply put, just a gentle method to maximize results.

Massage Therapy and Weight Loss management

Everyone these days it seems like are always looking for a new method to losing weight. Everywhere you look, there's some new miracle drug, herb, tea, etc.. that promises weight loss.

We do know that the best method has always been diet and exercise, but what happens when those two things just don't seem to work? I've known some people who have actually resorted to starving themselves to try to get the weight to come off. The fact of the matter is that not every diet program works for every person. It's important to find something that is not only doable, but something that is going to have long lasting healthy effects.

Where does massage therapy fit into all of this? The answer can get long and complicated, but to simplify it, one needs to understand that our muscles do more for us than allow movement in our body. Muscles, tendons, and all of that wonderful connective tissue, hold more together than just our body. It actually stores all kinds of things for us from memories, to emotions and beyond. When you make the decision to use a massage therapist on a regular basis, you may notice some changes right away, or you may find that the changes may take more time. I began getting regular massages, and at the time didn't really understand all the benefits. I was pretty new to the whole concept. I found that after a few months my appetite was more under control, and I began losing weight. The really cool part was that within those few months was that I lost 10 lbs!

What part did massage therapy really play? The first thing you have to understand about the massage therapy process is that immediately you are going to stir things up, and right out the gate it's going to affect your circulation. How many people breathe and feel better when their circulation is working? Circulation itself can mend a whole bunch of issues. Then of course by stiring the pot, you are creating an enviroment where muscles and that connective tissue have an opportunity to let go of items they don't really need to be holding onto. Isn't it human nature to hold onto feelings, frustrations, and traditions? our bodies do the same thing.

For instance, your body has an injury, immediately changes happen to protect it, and if that injury isn't properly taken care of  adjustments have to be made on a more permanent basis until something takes place to take care of the root of the problem. Only we can take it further and understand that what affects one thing, affects a lot more.

In short our bodies respond to treatments of massage therapy. Whether it's something simple like a chair massage at the office or a fair, or a more in depth treatment on a table, keeping the massage a priority pays off in many ways, and the benefits are far reaching. Who knows you just may find you have more energy, less weight, and less sickness.

post series

I recently started a health league for professionals to help get their name and reputation out in the public view. In creating the website I felt it was necessary to create a blog. luckily I was able to put the blog right on the website. Since I have this blogger, I thought it would be great to take blogs that I create for the website and share them here. So in the next little while you may see some new posts that are directly related to my massage therapy business. I really believe in massage therapy and I want to educate the public on its benefits.

I went years not understanding massage therapy. I understood chiropractics, but as far as massage therapy was concerned, I really didn't understand much about it. My first experience with it was while my husband and I were on an anniversary weekend. I had a terrible headache and went to see the massage therapist at the resort where we were staying. Needless to say, I came out of it with a headache still. I didn't understand the different modalities or even what to ask for when scheduling the appointment. There are many times that massage therapy can take care of a headache, and there are times when we need to call in the reinforcements, such as the chiropractor to finish the job.

It is my hope that by sending out some education on the subject, others may not have to suffer for years like I did, simply because it was a world that was misunderstood, and not enough public awareness.