January 10, 2012 in Aroma Touch Therapy, Energy Work, Essential Oils, Massage Therapy, Wellness, Women's Health by empoweringwellness

Complementary and alternative medicine – some basics

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to healing modalities that don’t fall into conventional Western medical philosophy, including bodywork, acupuncture, herbology, homeopathy and mind/body techniques. CAM is becoming a more familiar term as approximately 125 million Americans suffering from chronic illness — arthritis, back pain, hypertension, and depression — look for solutions that conventional medicine can’t provide.

“Complementary” modalities are used together with conventional medicine, such as utilizing aromatherapy to lessen a patient’s discomfort following surgery. “Alternative” modalities are used in place of conventional medicine, such as using herbs to treat stomach upset rather than taking pharmaceuticals. And the merging of alternative and conventional medicine is referred to as “integrative medicine,” connoting the idea of combining the best of both healing philosophies.

CAM is continually gaining the respect of the Western medical system, as indicated by the nearly 100 medical schools now offering courses in alternative therapies. The University of Arizona is an exceptional model of such a school, offering the nation’s only postgraduate, two-year Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM). Founded in 1994, PIM is designed to teach small groups of physicians how to integrate holistic modalities into their practices. These doctors are committed to a fundamental redesign of medical education including such principles as:

- Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body’s innate healing response

- Consideration of all factors that influence health, including mind, spirit, and community

- A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative medicine uncritically

For more information and research about CAM, visit the nonprofit Alternative Medicine Foundation.

November 28, 2011 in Emotional Healing, Energy Work, Massage Therapy by empoweringwellness

Massage Therapy – Healing through the scars

In my post today, I continue on my theme from last week on the positive effects of regular bodywork and massage on body image.

Healing through the scars

A negative body image is not necessarily about those few extra pounds on the hips. It might instead be tied to the scars of past injuries and surgeries. Massage can help here, too. For example, for burn victims, research has shown massage can help in the healing process, while for postsurgery breast cancer patients, massage and bodywork can reintegrate a battered body and spirit. And of course, in the case of physical or sexual abuse, massage therapy helps to reconnect the client with her body.

In addition to softening scar tissue and speeding postsurgery recovery, or helping to heal the trauma of violence and abuse, massage therapy and bodywork is about respect, reverence, and learning to look at, and beyond, the scars.

The Value of Touch

Touch is a powerful ally in the quest for physical and mental health. It not only can help you be more in tune with your body, but it can help create a sense of wellness and “wholeness” that is often lost in our segmented, over scheduled lives. When we regain that connection, it’s much easier to remember that our bodies are something to be cherished, nurtured, and loved, not belittled, betrayed, and forgotten.

Take the first step. Schedule an appointment with me today by using my online scheduling system.

May 12, 2011 in Emotional Healing, Energy Work, Wellness by empoweringwellness

“Tissue Memory” and Trauma Recovery

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Susan Kingsley-Smith for her Empowering Solutions program on BlogTalk Radio. We spoke about how the body is affected by past trauma and stress. We also discussed ways to move past the pain and trauma.

I hope you’ll take the time to listen to our broadcast.

Peace dear friends.

September 25, 2010 in Energy Work, Mindfulness and Meditation, Wellness by empoweringwellness

A meditation for self-compassion in times of stress

I have an extensive library of books on meditation and meditative practices. One of my very favorites is “Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind,” by Jeffrey Brantley, MD and Wendy Millstine, NC. I refer to it often and I use it as one of the textbooks for my workshops on breathing, meditation and meditative practices. I would like to share with you today, one of the meditations in the book that I have modified.

Brantley and Millstine give us some background for this meditation by suggesting that we practice compassion and self-love for ourselves as we bear the burdens of stress and pain. We often become angry when we are in pain, whether the pain is physical, emotional or spiritual. We feel anger towards the pain, and then carry that anger towards ourselves. Sometimes we may feel helpless or vulnerable, and that fuels the pain and anger, which only serve to increase the pain we feel.

This meditation helps us to remain present and to act with kindness and compassion towards ourselves. I personally have embraced this meditation and use it as a matter of practice whenever I feel fear, anxiety and uncertainty. I use it to support myself during challenging moments in my life.

1. Find a comfortable location, a quiet space in your home. I have a very comfortable chair in my living room that I always use. It has become my “meditation chair,” and my body has become so accustomed to it, that it naturally settles in and relaxes!
2. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and take in several long, slow and deep breaths. Feel the air fill your lungs and savor it as you slowly exhale, deliberately bringing attention to your body.
3. As you begin to feel more comfortable and more focused, let yourself become more open to whatever is upsetting your mind or your body. Name this upset gently, and with compassion – for example, “This is my anxiety about my health,” “This is my fear about losing my loved one,”, “This is my back pain.”
4. Continue to breathe mindfully and remain present for the experience at it unfolds before you. As best you can, let yourself relax and soften. Allow the chair or sofa on which you are sitting to do the work, feel yourself sink deeper and let yourself be calm.
5. Speak to the part or parts of you that are in distress. With compassion and kindness, offer them relief. Visualize offering a drink of cool water to anger. Imagine a gentle touch or a massage at the site of the pain.
6. Speak quietly and kindly to the upset. “May you be at peace.” “May you be released.” “May you be safe.”
7. Take as much time as you need and continue to practice. Be patient, not requiring anything to change. Allow your heart to fill with compassion for yourself and for the pain and upset, regardless of what happens next.
8. When you are ready, finish your meditation by speaking compassionately towards yourself. Speak to yourself with a kind and understanding voice. For example, “May I live with peace and ease.” “May I live free from fear and anxiety.” “May I live free from pain.”

Namaste.

June 18, 2010 in Emotional Healing, Energy Work, featured, Massage Therapy, Mindfulness and Meditation by empoweringwellness

Learning to Breathe

I wrote this post originally for Owning Pink, and it was first published there on June 9th, 2010. I am republishing it here to share it with my clients and readers.

It’s amazing what children can teach us.

Recently, I had the pleasure to work as one of more than a dozen or so caregivers participating in a “Day of Pampering” for the women of an organization that operates an undisclosed 200 room safe house in Northern Virginia for female domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and their children. The Day of Pampering was being held at a local church. The congregation there had graciously offered to open their doors to the volunteers and survivors. My job that day was to give Reiki, Cranial Sacral Therapy and bodywork to survivors who had signed up for the day.

My first “client” of the day was Najya. That is not her real name, but we have to protect her identity. She came to me on that day to receive energy work. Reiki and Cranial-Sacral Therapy can be very effective methods to re-introduce nurturing touch to survivors, as they are very non-invasive techniques.

I always ask for permission before I begin the session and before I apply touch. It’s the client’s session – in this case, Najya’s session – not mine. She needs to set the tone and the pace. Permission is always required.

Breathing

While I do not have a set protocol when working with survivors, I often like to begin with a deep breathing exercise. It’s a safe exercise, and it helps to bring the client into the moment, helps her to relax, and helps re-connect her with her body.

It’s fascinating. We don’t think about how we breathe, we take breathing for granted and many of us have literally forgotten how to perform this basic act. We have lost our ability to breathe naturally, in the way in which our body was designed. Our lungs are teardrop shaped, and they are meant to be filled from the bottom up. That means breathing from deep within the belly, engaging the thoracic diaphragm, and filling our lungs with air from the bottom up. However, most people fill their lungs from the top down. They engage chest and neck muscles when they breathe. It’s called “chest breathing”, and this is often the source of neck and shoulder pain, and the cause of headaches.

As I began the session, I guided Najya through a typical breathing exercise. I usually do variations of this exercise.

But, Najya was definitely having trouble with this. Try as she might, she just couldn’t seem to get the hang of engaging her belly muscles, engaging her diaphragm. And I just wasn’t doing a very good job guiding her through this.

“I can’t get a full breath,” she said frustratedly.

“No worries,” I replied. “Let’s just move on.”

Calming

So, for the next 10-15 minutes I performed gentle massage, Reiki, and some Cranial Sacral Therapy. I focused my attention on her head, neck and shoulders – gentle, very subtle manipulations, in a very nurturing way. I checked in with Najya throughout, always asking permission to move on. It was her session, and she was in control. And as progressed through the session, I noticed that she began to relax and become more present and in the moment. As that happened, her breathing began to subtly shift from her chest to her belly and diaphragm. And in the end, she was breathing deep from her belly.

Her head was in my hands, and I was about to end the session. I asked her, “How do you feel?”

She took a few seconds to reply and said, “I feel calm.”

I don’t know what made me ask, but I said, “Do you have any children?”

She looked at me, smiled and said, “Yes, I have a baby boy. He’s 8-months old.”

“Have you ever watched him breathe?” I asked.

She thought about it for a second and said, “Not really. No.”

“Where is he?” I asked in hopes that she had brought her young son to the daycare center that the safe house volunteers provided.

“He is here. He’s in the nursery,” she replied.

And then I quickly answered, “Let’s go see him.”

Connecting

I helped her off the massage table, and we walked down the hall together to the nursery. As we entered, Najya walked over to a volunteer who was holding a very big baby boy in her arms, rocking him as he slept. He had a dark head of hair, and a gentle smile on his face as he slept in the arms of his caregiver.

Najya smiled at the volunteer and whispered, “Let me take him.” The volunteer gently handed over this plump baby boy to his mother.

“What is his name?” I asked.

Najya replied, “He is Bahir.” She looked down lovingly at this beautiful baby boy.

Najya cradled her son in her arms. He was sound asleep, and as she held him, she broadened her stance and began to sway slightly, mimicking the rhythm of his breathing.

“Put your hand on his belly,” I whispered as I moved closer to both of them. “Close your eyes and feel the sensation of his breath.” She placed her left hand on his belly, and then closed her eyes, searching for the rhythm of his breath.

“Feel his breath and make it your own,” I said. As I said this, I could watch this little baby boy extend his belly, breathe in through his nose, and ever so slightly breathe out through his mouth.

We stood together in silence for several minutes and Najya began to connect with her son.

After a few minutes I asked, “May I hold him?”

Without a word, she slipped her son into my arms. I quickly said, “Place your hand on his belly, and place your other hand on your belly and mimic his breathing.”

Then, the three of us were just stood there in silence, swaying gently. There was a gentle rhythm to his breath and I was able to count Little Bahir’s breathing patterns. His belly filled to the count of five, and he exhaled to the count of eight. He was sound asleep and just doing this naturally.

“Feel his breath and begin to breathe as one,” I said.

And so we stood there for several minutes. I’m not sure how much time really passed. But, I could see that her breathing patterns had changed. She was now taking deep full breaths, in a very relaxed and natural way. She was breathing as her body was designed to do.

I also noticed subtle changes in her posture. Her shoulders were no longer up around her ears. Tension lines had disappeared from her face.

“Continue to focus on the breath,” I said and I returned her son to her arms.

Returning

When we were born, we all breathed like babies. And then somewhere in the transition from baby to “little person,” we forgot how to breathe. We lost the connection to our belly, and to that place that grounds us to the earth.

But, we can definitely recapture this feeling. We want to breathe this way. It only requires training and desire.
Najya, Bahir and I stood together in the silence for a few more minutes.

“How do you feel now?” I asked.

She replied, “Wonderful!”

“Practice this,” I said. “Mimic the way your son breathes and let him teach you,” I said.

I stood there for a few minutes more and then quietly slipped out of the room.

It was a wonderful day. One of my favorite parts of the day was to walk around and watch the children rolling in play doh, making jewelry, playing on the play ground or in the nursery, so content and being rocked and played with by a volunteer care-giver.

I saw nearly 20 “clients” that day. But Najya was the most memorable. As I packed up my table and supplies at the end of the day and carried them to my car, I noticed Najya from across the parking lot. She glanced up and saw me. She placed her hand on her belly, and I could see that she took a deep breath from all the way across the parking lot. She closed her eyes and smiled.

It’s amazing what children can teach us.

Breathing,

January 21, 2010 in Energy Work, Mindfulness and Meditation, Wellness by empoweringwellness

A Simple Exercise to Balance Your Energy

Your body is naturally hard-wired to react to threats in a way that is meant to protect you (think of encountering lions, tigers and bears, oh my!). But your body and your mind may pay the price if your “fight-or-flight” reaction – a natural protective mechanism – is constantly “on.”

Stress today comes from different sources than that of our ancient ancestors. It may come from fighting traffic during the daily rush hour, the rush of getting yourself, your family off to work and school everyday, from pressures related to job and career and managing your workload, and from worry about making ends meet in this difficult economy. And while these daily stresses may not be immediately life-threatening, if left unchecked and uncontrolled, if you allow your body’s natural stress mechanism to be left continuously in the “on” position, you will begin to pay a price over the long haul.

When your body perceives a threat, and is under stress, it releases a combination of nerve and hormonal signals that prompts your adrenal glands, located atop your kidneys to release a surge in hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. According to an article from the Mayo Clinic, here’s what happens when these hormones are released:

Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies.

Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes.

Fortunately, your body’s stress response is usually self-regulating. As the perceived threat goes away, blood pressure returns to normal, adrenal glands stop producing cortisol and adrenaline and your body returns to normal functions.

The problem occurs when levels of stress are constantly present in our lives, even at low levels. When this happens, the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and the other stress hormones begins to create health problems. Such problems include:

o Hypertension
o Heart disease
o Sleep problems
o Over eating, which can lead to weight gain
o Skin problems, rashes, eczema etc.
o Short-term memory loss

So, how do we cope with the stress that is a part of our daily lives? As the woman and primary care-giver in most families, you have to put yourself first. As I am fond of telling my clients, “If you are going to constantly write checks off of your wellness account, we have to put some deposits into the bank from time-to-time!”

It’s all about achieving balance in your life, finding the time you need to maintain your optimum health, while at the same time caring for your loved ones. Some of the things you can do include:

Exercise – finding 30-minutes a day, at least 3-4 times a week doing an activity you enjoy. Walking is a great form of exercise. Remember, exercise isn’t punishment! As human beings, we are meant to move, to walk, to run, to stretch, to jump, to throw. Incorporate simple, joyful activity into your life

Get plenty of sleep – this is one lifestyle factor that you can directly control, not just for yourself, but for your family. Turn off that TV early, and set a goal to get 7-8 hours of rest every night. Your body needs this time to recharge and re-energize

Find time to meditate or use other relaxation techniques – I lead a very busy life, but I’ve mastered the art of the “5-minute meditation!” Ideally, I will find more time each day, but I have also found that taking short, little meditation breaks, as short as 3-5 minutes, really help me become calmer, more grounded, balanced, and focused. Just find a quiet spot, turn off outside distractions like the TV or radio, focus on your breathing, and let your mind find that calm, quiet space it needs

Surround yourself with friends – there are few greater joys in life than good friends. Surround yourself with them and they will help you find comfort

Counseling – Talk therapy really works. If you find that you cannot manage the pressures of your life on your own, please do not be afraid to go out and find a professional that can help you. Start with your doctor and get a referral. If she can’t help, here is a good resource for you.

Finally, here is a simple energy medicine techniques that I think you will find helpful.

Connecting the Central and Governing Meridians

This is a technique that strengthens the Central Median, which will help you stabilize your body’s energy systems, and will help you to center and ground yourself.

1) Stand with your arms loose at your sides, feet comfortably apart
2) Breathe in through your nose, and then out through the mouth several times until you begin to feel a sense of calm taking over your body
3) Place the middle finger of one hand between your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose (this is the point of your third-eye chakra)
4) Place the middle finger of your other hand in your navel
5) Gently press each finger into your skin, pull it gently upward and hold for about 20-30 seconds while continuing to breathe deeply through your nose and out through your mouth.

You can repeat this technique 2-3 times or until you feel a sense of balance and grounding.