Dropping into the parasympathetic state during a massage is particularly beneficial because it enhances the therapeutic effects of the treatment and promotes deep relaxation. Here's why:

1. Stress reduction: A massage session is typically designed to induce relaxation and reduce stress. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, a massage helps counterbalance the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the stress response. This shift into the parasympathetic state promotes a profound sense of relaxation, calms the mind, and reduces stress...

Choosing to stay quiet during a massage can be beneficial for several reasons:

Enhanced Relaxation: Remaining quiet during a massage allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience and relax more deeply. It allows your mind to quiet down, reducing mental chatter and promoting a meditative state. This can enhance the overall relaxation and stress-reducing benefits of the massage.

Improved Sensory Awareness: When you refrain from talking, you become more attuned to the physical sensations and feedback from your body. You can better focus on the touch, pressure, and...

When it comes to the world of massage therapy, there's a common misconception that all practitioners are simply referred to as "masseuses." However, it's important to recognize that not all individuals who provide massage services fall under the same category. In fact, there is a significant distinction between licensed massage therapists and masseuses. This article aims to shed light on the differences between the two and highlight why it's crucial to understand their unique roles.

Licensed Massage Therapists: Trained Professionals:

Licensed massage therapists (LMTs) are...

Massage therapy has been used for centuries as a means of promoting relaxation and healing, and it continues to be a popular form of alternative medicine today. Massage therapy involves the use of manual manipulation techniques, such as kneading, rubbing, and pressing, to promote physical and mental well-being. Here are some of the many benefits of massage therapy:

1. Promotes relaxation and reduces stress: Massage therapy can help to reduce stress by promoting relaxation and decreasing tension in the muscles. This can have a positive effect on both the body and the mind,...

Do you often feel stressed out or experience body pain? One of the best ways to alleviate these discomforts is through regular massage therapy. Some people see massage therapy as a luxury service that’s only reserved for the affluent, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a proven form of treatment that provides remarkable physical and emotional benefits, regardless of your age or fitness level. This blog post will highlight some of the significant benefits of regular massage therapy, so you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety:...

It’s springtime when afternoon light brings me to Gina with a lofty goal: release deep grief. We talk briefly. She listens, then says, you have an interesting neck. Interesting is a word used to avoid judgment. I’m cool with that, for I have come not to be judged, but to be nudged. Little do I know what that means to a soul like Gina.

She motions me toward a room and I think, what am I made of, anyway? Bones. Muscles. Ears. Eyes. But what of the millions of cells awash in emotion, holding old story? Will Gina find them? Yes, I discover, because her Goldilocks Treatment (I made that...

In a competitive marketplace, it can be a challenge to attract and retain employees and at the same time improve productivity. That is why more and more of the country's top employers are realizing the benefits of providing employees with a massage therapy program. This is a low-cost solution which offers many gains for both the employer and employee.

What are the main benefits of having a corporate massage therapy program in your company?

Benefits to Employers

Many companies who implement massage therapy programs for their employees notice an almost...

Originally I was going to write on observations produced from several meditations that have been completed since reading the book The Posture of Meditation by Will Johnson. In a broader sense, of course, it will be an accumulation of everything I have learned and experienced since the day I took that first breath outside of my mother’s womb. A Sankrit proverb describes the power of breath in the saying “For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.”

I found myself not breathing and in an unusual position a few days back. My mind, which is normally quite or...

In yoga we practice balancing postures, such as tree pose and triangle. In each of the balancing poses we need to focus our eye’s attention to one spot on the wall, connect our feet to the floor with intention, and most importantly remember to keep breathing. We can learn from these poses by recognizing the importance of finding balance in our everyday lives.

Do you ever drive home from work, pull in the driveway and question how you just there? Not being fully present throughout our days can lead to feeling scattered and distant. Being present with the task at hand and focusing our...

Yoga's popularity is on the rise, with studios and classes sprouting up all over. Have you ventured into a studio near you? Is the curiosity there, but you’re uncertain of what to expect? Finding the courage to step in and try a class is the first step in creating your yoga practice. Yoga unites the mind, body and soul, promoting holistic health and awareness. We work to achieve this unity by practicing the postures (also known as poses or asanas). For many of us, the hours of the day fly by, and adding an additional hour-long yoga class seems like an impossible stretch. However, making...

We human animals seem to have a much harder time releasing trauma than do other living creatures in the wild. In “Waking the Tiger,” author Peter Levine describes the way wild feline experience the coming and going of a threat, “tensing in response to danger and as the threat passes, the tiger's muscles shake, twitch and let go, right then and there, letting go of the fear-related energy which now is forever out of mind and body.”

Unreleased trauma is typically at the root of disruptions in human health and peace of mind, denying us the capacity to live a joyful and creative life....

“There will come a time when a diseased condition will not be described as it is today by physicians and psychologists, but it will be spoken of in musical terms, as one would speak of a piano that was out of tune” - Rudolf Steiner. It has only been since the age of science that the west seems to have lost its cultural memory regarding the power of sound as a healing modality. Internally by exercising the power of voice or externally by exposure to music, tones, beats and chants – sound has always had the power to cure what ails you. The Greeks of antiquity knew it ...both healing and...

Some call it the “monkey mind,” that endless stream of thought that runs unchecked throughout the limitless boundaries of intellect. James Joyce captured it in Ulysses, an epic novel that analysts call stream-of-consciousness. But the Russian mystic G. I. Gurdjieff would deny that we rarely if ever, achieve true consciousness. Have you ever thought about what remains if and when you stop the mind’s chatter?

Kirtan is a form of yoga chanting, intended as a holistic healing experience designed to bring participants into a more organic form of meditation, either in stillness or in...

February conjures up ideas of love as Valentine’s Day approaches and hearts and roses are scattered all around. Often, this focuses on love between couples; however, there are many other ways to recognize this beautiful emotion. Love for a child, a parent, pets, or friends are each important aspects of a well-fulfilled life. This love creates feel-good hormones, or endorphins, in all of us and makes our world a happier place.

Celebrating love can take us on many journeys, be expressed in countless ways, and provide our greatest joys as well as our greatest pains. A quote by Max...