SPACE IS THE PLACE

Suzuki Roshi: ‘Sometimes a flash will come through a dark sky…The sky is never surprised when all of a sudden a thunderbolt breaks through. And when lightning does flash, a wonderful sight may be seen. When we have emptiness, we are always prepared for watching the flashing.’” When I listen to my thoughts, in general…

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Hot Stone Massage – Meditation in Motion

By Joy Sablatura Rockwell Hot stone massage is one of the most deeply relaxing forms of massage. With hydrotherapy, one applies a hydrocollator pack to the back to relax the muscles before being able to massage on a deeper level. With hot stones, the therapist has the heat of the smooth lava rocks penetrating each…

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NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST

Your mind naturally wanders, but, as it says in the Lord of the Rings, “Not all who wander are lost.” When we do Deep Massage, we cultivate healthy “psycho-mechanics,” We attend as much to the movement of awareness as to the movement of our body. So to facilitate the client’s clear experience of our touch,…

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Neuromuscular Therapy: The Nemerov Method

by Howard Nemerov “Jane” reported pain in her left shoulder area. Initial assessment revealed tension along the superior medial border of her left scapula, as well as a zone of spinalis tension along her left lower thoracic spine. The Nemerov Method explains the “why” that correlates with the “what”. Persistent tension usually is a sign…

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Ornament, Crime and Massage – The Art of Massage #7

Ornament and Crime? Got your attention? Well I’m not really going to write about that. However, that was the title of a famous essay written by the architect, Adolf Loos, in 1908. He was a founding member of the “Bauhaus,” a modern movement that approached design with a heightened sense of the beauty and efficiency…

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Healthy Holidays – 5 Tips for the Natural Traveler

Planning a vacation or business trip? Consider packing a small kit of natural remedies before you go. Unfamiliar surroundings, unusual foods, and jet lag can make you vulnerable to viruses, stress, and gastrointestinal (GI) upset. Colorado Naturopathic Physician Michael Sutton suggests the following items: 1. Grapefruit Seed ExtractThis extract fights and prevents viruses and helps…

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Massage for the Soul – Zero Balancing

If you wanted to massage your soul, how would you do it? We all want to feel healthy – not just in our bodies.  We want to enjoy clear thinking, emotional vibrancy, spiritual inspiration – things more commonly more associated with soul than with body. Recently someone called Zero Balancing a “massage for the soul.” …

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Helen Keller was Right about Massage (and life)

Helen Keller was right – “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” In some ways every day is an adventure; every day a hero’s journey. We don’t know what will happen. We can see the obstacles and opportunities that arise as part of the incredible journeys, short and long, we take in this life.…

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What Exactly is Clinical Massage?

By David Lauterstein We hear the terms “medical massage,” “clinical massage” and “orthopedic massage therapy” used in our field these days. But what is Clinical Massage really? Clinical massage therapy uniquely focuses on the treatment of soft tissue to maintain, develop, augment or rehabilitate the patient’s physical function. Clinical massage therapy can improve the functioning…

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“Wisdom of the Body” – Stanley Kunitz on poetry (and massage)

These words are excerpted from the essay “The Wisdom of the Body” from Stanley Kunitz’ book Next-to-Last Things.  I’ve found them inspiring my massage therapy again and again over the years. For ages before (human writing), “immense quantities of human experience,” in Alfred North Whitehead’s phrase,”had been accumulating in men’s bodies.”  The body, in its…

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