Anima Wellness-Your Reflexology & Massage Retreat

Getting The "Spa Experience"

2011-02-21T20:55:00.013-10:00

People often talk to me about their massage experiences with other therapists or in other places. When they mention getting a treatment at a hotel spa, they often wince at the prices…they can’t believe those therapists are getting so much money...

I explain that generally spa therapists are only getting a pretty small percentage of the total service price (usually around $20-$25 an hour, plus tip), and that “you’re paying for the amenities.”

And it’s true. All those clean towels, the endless supply of hot water, the beautiful furniture and facilities, and the staff it takes to maintain and support your luxuriating experience doesn’t come cheap.

Many of us figure we can get three “regular” massages in a clinic for the price of one spa experience. So we opt for those instead. And that’s probably why I haven’t had a “luxuriating experience” in a hotel spa since seven or eight years ago when my sister and I had a spa day at the MGM spa on a trip to Vegas.

Until today…

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I just got a hot stone massage at the Halale’a Spa at the St. Regis in Princeville, Kauai. Halale'a is--fittingly--Hawaiian for "House of Joy." The spa is so named because the land on which the St. Regis is built was known as Halale'a in ancient times.

From the moment I walked in, the entire spa experience was exquisite, and yes...deliriously joyful! Walk through it with me:

Arrive an hour early—there are “amenities” to experience. Walk in and be greeted by the kind receptionist.

Get led back to the women’s lounge to get your locker, already stocked with a robe, towel, hangers and a secure space for your personal belongings. What’s your size…you’ll need your spa slippers!

Head to the sauna and take that awesome book called “Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends” that you’ve been wanting to read for about a year. It can’t be a coincidence that you’re reading a book about taking care of people and “giving them the love” in business when you are in a space where you are feeling totally taken care of and are totally “feeling the love.”

Go from sauna to steam room. Steam it up. Aaaaaahhhhhh! Call yourself crazy but it seems like you can actually feel your toxins pouring out of you.

Drink a bottle of Hawaiian Springs water…come on, it’s right there waiting for you and you’ve just lost a lot of water in your sauna and steam extravaganza.

Take a shower in the one the receptionist recommended, the one with shower heads on all sides, and water raining from the ceiling as well.

Enjoy the smell of the shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shave cream…doesn’t the rich, scented shave cream make shaving your legs a delight?

Put on your Halale’a Spa signature bath robe. So soft and yet so cozy.

You’ve got time. Slide into the women’s lounge waiting area and keep pouring over that book. The love is really flowing now—you and the author are one.

But wait, you’re at a fancy hotel spa…don’t go without the flavored water in the lounge. Today we have orange slices in the water…ah, you needed that vitamin C…the real stuff is so much better than a supplement pill.

“You must be Ms. Nino (or Mrs.________ or Mr._______, fill in your name here!)” your therapist says softly…she knows all about “inside voices” and she’s not even a Kindergarten teacher!

Follow her to the treatment room. Don’t worry, there’s a heating pad on the table…she notices you look a little chilled and assures you that she’s turned the heating pad on.

Get excited…it’s a hot stone massage…your favorite kind! Feel how the heat from the stones sinks into your skin, first superficially and then at a very deep level. Say “ta-ta” to tension…it’s heading South.

Sense the warmth and the weight of the smooth basalt stones sliding over your skin. Feel the stones as they apply taro butter cream with maile accents over the terrain of your tired muscles.

Watch your thoughts slowly walk out the door…you are in the zone. You are thanking your body for the work that it has done for you these past…well, all your life. “Here you go body…it’s all about you today. Thoughts, be gone!”

Marvel at the therapist’s skill. She has really smooth transitions. Has she read Thomas Meyer’s "Anatomy Trains"? And that one move, where she went from the soles of your feet up the legs, glutes, back, shoulder, down the arm to the hand, and then backtracking back home to the foot…that was spectacular! Talk about fluidity of movement! Talk about honoring the fascia lines…OK, she has definitely learned about Anatomy Trains.

Know that it’s coming to an end soon, but you’re OK with it. It was so good and think about how many hugely deep breaths you’ve taken over the course of the last hour. That’s enough oxygen to go scuba diving for hours. Your cells are thanking you.

Thank her. Tell her she has excellent skill. Because she does. And it feels good to be reminded.

Shower it up once more. Take a few final cavernously deep breaths. Listen after you turn off the water. You can hear another spa-goer let out a pleasantly deep-breathed sigh as well. People are happy here. They have found a relief that they’ve been looking for.

Time to go. Say goodbye to the nice robe. It’s been nice wearing you, but my time here is through.

Pay up…tip big…and know, those “amenities”…they were worth every penny!

******
I got back to my hotel room and was exchanging emails with a beloved client. I mentioned that I’d just gotten a massage and “it was heavenly.” She replied, “It couldn't have been better than yours and probably twice the price.”

It was more than twice the price. And yet, I’m still--OUT LOUD--promoting my competition.

Because every once in a while, ladies and gents, the full-blown hotel spa experience is just what the doctor ordered…so so so relaxing.

It can end up being one of those times when you just feel totally and completely “taken care of” and particularly, as adults, those moments are few and far between.

At the end of the day, your wellness practitioner is supposed to help you take great care of yourself. Sometimes, it may come in the form of a pricey hotel spa experience. And when it does, be assured that if I’m your wellness practitioner, I will say, “More power to ya’, Sister (or Bro)!”

Springtime Massage

2010-05-02T15:41:00.004-10:00

(The excerpt below is from the article "Seasonal Self-Care" by Mary Kathleen Rose. The article is provided by massagetherapy.com. For the full article, visit http://bit.ly/9MRzm5)

Spring
Spring is a time of growth and change, and naturally gives rise to the urge to become more physically active. The growing light and warmer days are conducive to greater movement, including therapeutic and recreational exercise. Bodywork that supports you in your exercise regimen can be useful in this phase and helps keep you motivated.

This is the natural season for sports massage, or techniques that address muscle soreness after exercise. Deep-tissue massage or orthopedic modalities can address specific muscle pain or tension. Getting work on trigger points or motor points of muscles helps them relax after exercise. Massage before exercise, using techniques of broad or specific compression, can help prevent soreness by warming and activating the muscles.

Many people find that massage in the early part of the day, while relaxing, can also be rejuvenating, helping them feel motivated to exercise. It also helps you feel energized and in tune with your body. Conversation during the session should focus on your specific needs. It can be useful to tell your therapist what kind of exercise you are doing and what your goals are as they relate to your physical activity.

Hawaiian Heart of Palm-KCC Farmers' Market

2010-03-22T08:30:00.006-10:00

Gida, a student of the KCC Culinary Program, works in the Wailea Agricultural Group booth at the KCC Farmers' Market. Here she shares information about fresh hearts of palm, grown sustainably on the Big Island and sold each Saturday at the Market.

(NOTE: Right when we took the video they started playing live music at a nearby booth...sorry for the background noise!)

"Give It Fresh Today" at KCC Farmers' Market

2010-03-22T08:15:00.005-10:00

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of visiting the KCC Farmers' Market for the first time. It was a feast for the senses and I was blessed to meet Vivian Chau who is the founder of the "Give It Fresh Today" program. Through the program, marketgoers give donations of fresh food which is then used to feed the hungry on the island.

For more information, contact Vivian at:
PHONE: 808-282-0053
EMAIL: giveitfreshtoday@gmail.com

"What If I Snore...or (GASP!) Worse?"

2010-03-20T12:31:00.005-10:00

Massage and reflexology clients are often reluctant to fall asleep during a session. They don't want to fall asleep because they want to enjoy every minute of the work, but ALSO because they are worried they might snore or do something embarrassing while sleeping.

Today a client mentioned not wanting to fall asleep because "something might slip out" (i.e. flatulence). Rest assured. As bodyworkers, we've seen it all before. We know you sometimes have gas. We know you sometimes may be so exhausted that you crash and drool during the session. We know these things because we're human too, we've experienced them ourselves, and we understand the processes of the body.

In fact, we LOVE the processes of the body. We love them so much that we decided to study them and make a career out of working with the wonderful creation known as the human body.

We know that during a massage circulation increases. We know that with increased circulation, body processes rev up (i.e. digestive system) and that some gas may be released as a result. To us, this is "par for the course" and not a big deal!

So if you want to fall asleep, fall asleep! When you snore, we take it as a compliment because we know that you are a) relaxed, b) comfortable enough with us to sleep, and c) allowing your body to do what it does best: heal when in a rested state.

You're Not Sick...You're Thirsty!

2010-03-16T17:57:00.005-10:00

In his controversial and fascinating book, "Your Body's Many Cries For Water," F. Batmanghelidj asserts "You're not sick...you're thirsty!" In the book he draws on extentive research to describe how many health conditions originate from chronic dehydration.

Dr. Batmanghelidj explains how the body possesses many different thirst signals. A dry mouth is not a reliable indicator of your body's water needs. He outlines more reliable indicators, provides ways to recognize when your body is calling for water, and describes how much you need individually based on your body type, age, etc.

I found this book particularly interesting because bodyworkers are always encouraging our clients to drink water.

During bodywork, muscles and tissues are stimulated and therefore release a number of accumulated materials, which many believe to be toxins.

Because bodywork induces increased circulation, these materials are naturally flushed out during and following the bodywork session.

When the body is well hydrated, this process runs smoothly and the client is less inclined to feel a "detox reaction" which occurs when the system is overwhelmed by the release of toxins.

Symptoms of such a reaction may include nausea, light-headedness, or flu-like symptoms, in addition to potential pain and soreness in the areas that have been addressed during the session.

Rehydrating after a session and throughout the rest of the day--in addition to coming to the session properly hydrated--dramatically decreases the likelihood of a detox reaction.

So next time after your session, please remember to drink up! Your body will thank you!

A-L-O-H-A

2010-03-08T12:33:00.003-10:00

I have posted the lyrics of this song for no other reason than it makes me really happy to read them, listen to them, and sing them. I hope it makes you happy too! Aloha!

A-L-O-H-A...

...i ka leio ke aloha ai,
e makana `ia,
e na lima pono e...

People are you listenin' to what we're about to say?
We are on a mission, tryin' to find a way.
If you and me make a guarantee,
to spread a little aloha around the world.
And I know we, we can work it out,
and make this world a better place. (For you and for me.)

A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.

A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.

Could you imagine all around the world,
A little aloha in every boy and girl?
Could you imagine how simple life could be,
with a little aloha in you and me?

Let's spread a little bit of aloha,
put a little love in your heart,
take a little dip in the ocean.
Ah yeah (ah yeah), uh-huh (uh-huh).

(Sing it.) A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.

A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.

Aloha means hello, and aloha means goodbye,
and aloha means I love you, and I want to take it higher.
(I want to get high) With a little aloha...
(I can touch the sky) With a little aloha... aloha.

Let's spread a little bit of aloha,
put a little love in your heart,
take a little dip in the ocean.
Ah yeah (ah yeah), uh-huh (uh-huh).

(Sing it.) A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.
A-L-O-H-A, a little aloha in our day —
spread a little aloha around the world.

Super Green Salad Dressing Recipe

2010-02-22T20:37:00.003-10:00

I attended a get-together recently and one of the attendees, Michelle, made one of the most incredible salads I have ever tasted! I asked her for the dressing recipe and she graciously sent it along to me. Here are her comments regarding the preparation and the recipe itself...ENJOY!

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Unless you are planning to give out I would suggest making half or even a quarter of the recipe. I have also substituted the dill for cilantro and it is just as delicious. If you don't have all the dry spices, don't worry about it.

2 ½ cups olive oil
2 ½ cups flax seed oil
¾ cup lemon juice – fresh!
½ cup patis – fish sauce
5 garlic cloves
½ white onion
¾ cup almonds
¼ cup parsley – fresh (I just use the whole bunch)
¾ cup dill – fresh (I just use the whole bunch)
1 ½ tbs dry parsley
1 tsp fennel seeds – crushed
1 ½ tsp rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup Braggs Liquid Amino’s (Health Food Store)

Mix all ingredients – except oil – add that in last - in a high power blender and refrigerate. It makes a lot – 8 cups!

Use on salads – and as a marinade on chicken breasts – or add on top of any white meat or fish………yummy!

Natural Healing for Bulging Discs

2010-02-17T06:33:00.006-10:00

(Here is an article from fellow Hawaii Chamber of Commerce member, Dr. Zen. I have always been a supporter of chiropractic and I believe this really describes the process in plain terms. www.zenchiro.com)

Each set of bones (vertebrae) in your spine are cushioned by a disc that makes movement easier. This disc also acts as a "shock absorber" to keep the bones from rubbing against one another any time you move.

When a disc moves out of its proper place, it's called a ruptured, bulging, herniated or slipped disc. All these terms mean the same thing – the disc is damaged. A person with a damaged disc can experience pain and loss of movement in the area of the damaged disc. And… if the disc exerts pressure on a nerve that is exiting the spine, other areas of the body can be affected as well.
What causes a damaged disc?

• Normal wear and tear on the disc that results from the aging process (disc degeneration). This can cause a loss of fluid (nourishment) that discs need to remain soft and flexible.
• Sudden movement or lifting a heavy object may result in injury to the disc.
• Repetitive movements that put stress on the spine, such as sports, improper lifting techniques, etc., can cause disc damage.

If a damaged disc doesn't press on a nerve, there may be very mild pain or no pain at all. However, if the disc places pressure on a nerve, the area of the body affected by the nerve may experience pain, numbness, "pins and needles," muscle spasms or weakness.

Typical medical treatment usually includes pain management medications, exercise, physical therapy or surgery if the condition does not resolve itself. However, chiropractic care is a conservative, non-invasive, all-natural approach to healing herniated discs.

Chiropractors are trained to locate and correct nerve interference in the spine caused by bones that have shifted out of place. In the case of a herniated disc that interferes with proper nerve function, chiropractors administer a series of low force adjustments that can facilitate healing of the damaged disc.

Article courtesy of Zen Chiropractic, www.zenchiro.com

It's In The Marrow And The Blood

2010-02-10T10:33:00.001-10:00

I have always been awed at the fact that we as humans have learned how to physically share body parts. We can give our blood, our marrow, and even our organs to our fellow human beings.

Isn't that incredible? To think that your blood can be coursing around in another person's veins...bringing them better health and healing!

With that in mind, I just wanted to share with you two (easy) opportunities to help out.

1) Sign up for the National Marrow Donor Program
http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/Join_Now/join_now.html
There is a pretty simple form to fill out online and then they will send you a kit to swab your cheek and send back to them. A piece of cake!

It can be terribly difficult to find marrow matches for those in need so obviously the more we have in the registry, the better.

2) Give Blood through the Local Blood Bank
http://www.bbh.org/
You can make appointments online to donate blood at the Dillingham location.

There are also mobile blood drives happening every day of the week at sites throughout the island. Visit
http://www.bbh.org/asp/mobiles_all.asp to find one near you.

If you live out of state, visit http://www.aabb.org/Content/Donate_Blood/Where_to_Donate/ to find a donation site near you.

Thanks for reading. I hope you will consider taking advantage of this awesome opportunity to share your gifts with the world.

Headaches and Reflexology

2010-02-01T19:45:00.001-10:00

Headaches and Reflexology
Article courtesy of
Shannon Kuharik
www.relaxingfeetreflexology.com

Did you know that stress can cause tension headaches (stress headaches) and migraines? Amazingly, 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches, and of them, 28 million suffer from migraines. Treatments for these headaches are generally over-the-counter pain relievers or prescription drugs.

Emotional stress is actually one of the most common triggers of migraines and tension headaches. During stressful events, certain chemicals in the brain are released to combat the situation. The release of these chemicals can provoke blood vessel changes that can cause migraine headaches. Daily stress, such as from a high-pressured job, can lead to chronic tension headaches.

Reflexology can help. A 1996 Denmark study of 220 participants showed that three months after a completed series of reflexology treatments, 81 percent of patients confirmed that reflexology had either cured (16%) or helped (65%) their symptoms. 19 percent of the patients re-ported that they had been able to completely dispense with the medications they had been taking before the study. So try Reflexology for your chronic headaches.

An Ode To Food!

2010-01-24T16:53:00.003-10:00

I think it's funny to being doing a post on food when just last week I was doing the Daniel Fast...we humans are a feast or famine species, huh?

Anyway, I am preparing my weekly Anima Wellness newsletter and the topic is none other than food (and its many pleasures).

We associate certain foods with certain people...with my late father, I have a vision of pan-fried steak, and roughly-cut summer tomatoes and purple onions, DROWNING in olive oil and salt and pepper. We'd be sitting out on the patio of my childhood home, listening to the San Francisco Giants game on the radio, and feasting on the culinary delight and the sheer beautiful of the valley below us, the Valley of the Heart's Delight.

Tell me your food vision...post a comment below!

Daniel Fast: Complete

2010-01-18T07:13:00.003-10:00

Yesterday was my last day of the Daniel Fast. It was a great week overall. I feel focused, detoxed, and ready to take on greater challenges. I also feel calmer and more led by the Holy Spirit than I have been in recent months.

I also happened to run into my mentor (and former teacher), Dr. Tate, yesterday. He told me my eyes look clearer...I take that as a win!

He and I discussed the fast and the way such exercises really increase your awareness about foods. We often get into rote habits of poor nutrition, without even realizing it. Fasting shines a light on these bad habits.

I would encourage this fast to anyone interested in a physical and spiritual purification or re-focusing.

Daniel Fast: Day 4

2010-01-14T11:48:00.005-10:00

Today is my 4th day of the Daniel Fast and I feel fantastic! It's interesting how when you are forced to be creative in your diet, you can come up with some really great recipes. This morning for breakfast I had a stir fry of potatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, and tomatoes (weird, huh?). I put plenty of spices in there and it was delicious. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I just feel "clean." (Yesterday, I was experiencing some of the "detox effects" of the fast, so feeling great today is a welcome change!)

From the spiritual side, I definitely feel a closeness to God that I haven't felt in a long time. My desire for prayer and reading the Bible is very strong and I feel a quiet joy and a sweet peace. Praise God!

Fasting for Physical and Spiritual Health

2010-01-12T06:53:00.010-10:00

Many religious traditions use fasting as a way of cleansing and drawing closer to God. As a Catholic, I have always appreciated the opportunity that Lent affords, a time to "give up" something that is special to us. Not only do I save a little money and lose a little weight (no Starbucks!), but I have an opportunity to cling a little closer to God during that time, especially when I'm longing for that treat I've given up.

But a fast need not be religious. Fasting for physical health is a great way to cleanse the body of the many toxics we are exposed to on a daily basis. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the things we drink, even the soaps and other products we use on our bodies, all of these contribute to our toxic load. It's a nice gesture to the body to give it a break once and a while!

Yesterday a friend and I started a fast called the "Daniel Fast." It's a biblically-based partial fast based on two accounts of the Prophet Daniel's fasting experiences (seed Daniel 1 and 10). The Daniel Fast eating plan is similar to a vegan diet with additional restrictions. (We are actually only doing it for 7 days, though the "official" fast is 21 days.)

It's only Day 2 and already I'm feeling a little different physically! A client once shared her experience with a similar type of fast saying..."you just feel so CLEAN." And that's how I'd describe it as well. I have this vision of all of my cells expelling any sort of toxicity and renewing themselves, supported by the wonderful whole foods I'm taking in.

For more information about the Daniel Fast, visit http://www.daniel-fast.com/

For the Daniel Fast blog, go to http://danielfast.wordpress.com/

I have also included additional information about the Daniel Fast below.

Enjoy and happy fasting!

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The Daniel Fast for the body, soul and spirit
(From http://www.daniel-fast.com/)

The Bible teaches us that we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. The Daniel Fast affects all three parts of us as we enter into a period of time for focused prayer and fasting.

The Body - Certainly our bodies are affected as our diet is changed, for some in very dramatic ways, during the Daniel Fast. Many men and women experience detoxing from caffeine, chemicals and sugar. The symptoms are most often headaches, leg cramps, fatigue and malaise.

Most people lose weight during the Daniel Fast. And many report healings from diabetes, allergies, arthritis and cancer.

The Soul - Frequently referred to as "the flesh" in the Bible, the soul is also greatly impacted during the Daniel Fast. The soul is the seat of our emotions, intellect, personality and will. It is in the "soulish realm" where we experience cravings, frustration, anger . . . and even happiness.

During the Daniel Fast, your soul may very well rebel against the dramatic change in your diet. Experiencing and winning this battle over the flesh is often one of the most powerful lessons of the Daniel Fast.

The Spirit - Our spirit is that born-again part of us that surrenders to God and then abides with the Father and the Son. Our spirit is filled with the Holy Spirit when we yield to Him. During the Daniel Fast, we want to put our spirit in charge of the other two parts of us. When our flesh is acting out with a craving, we take control of it with our spirit (just as a parent takes control of a rebellious child).

Fasting is always coupled with a spiritual goal. So during this time of fasting, you will want to focus on prayer, study and meditation.

VIDEO: Benefits of Reflexology

2010-01-10T18:16:00.002-10:00

Benefits of reflexology include releasing the prolonged tension in the body that causes pain, helping internal organs function better and working with the body from the inside out to relieve pain and discomfort. Discover the benefits of food, hand and ear reflexology with information from the founder of the American Academy of Reflexology, Bill Flocco, in this free video on alternative medicine.

Touching Heaven: Bodywork and the Realm of the Incredible: A Therapist's Viewpoint

2009-12-02T05:54:00.002-10:00

(I found this article incredibly moving and inspiring. Thank you to David Lauterstein and Massage & Bodywork Magazine for sharing this with the world.)

Touching Heaven
Bodywork and the Realm of the Incredible: A Therapist's Viewpoint

By David Lauterstein

Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, December/January 2004.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

"There is but one temple in the Universe and that is the human body. Nothing is holier than that high form. We touch heaven, when we lay our hand upon the human body."
-- Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher

Heaven, according to science, is not demonstrable. But we know, both as givers and receivers of bodywork, that heaven often seems to make an appearance within the context of a massage session. Grace "descends" and our clients are often gifted with deep insights, visions, emotional breakthroughs, extraordinary energetic experiences and new levels of integration of body, mind and spirit. It is not necessarily, nor should it be, our intention as massage therapists to make people have extraordinary experiences. However, probably every bodyworker has had numerous moments when she and the client are filled with awe at the extraordinary power of bodywork. It is our privilege to be present and playing a midwife role to the birth of new experience.

Not so long ago, I was nearing the end of a session with a psychotherapist who had been working long and hard on a major undertaking. I had used Zero Balancing with clearly held pressure points, tractions and rotations to facilitate a sense of open space within. I had integrated pauses and a relaxed pace to convey a sense of having all the time in the world.

As I finished, she was quiet for a long time, breathing easily, but obviously still exploring deep within her experience.

Finally she said, "That was incredible."

Then she was quiet for an even longer period of time. And it appeared she went much deeper into herself.

She then said, "That was more than incredible."

Facilitating more-than-incredible experiences is one of, if not the, greatest thrills in being a massage therapist. However, it is unfortunate this experience is rarely discussed and that the descriptive language of just such an occasion is so underdeveloped. This article is meant to take us a step out of the existential closet and say loud and clear -- massage and bodywork often takes us up to and beyond the limits of the human imagination.

The Importance of the More-Than-Incredible
Why is the extraordinary impact of bodywork discussed so infrequently? Some possible reasons include the difficulty in putting the more-than-incredible into words -- this is an experience that is mostly non-verbal. To some, it may sound silly or even overly sensual to describe how ecstatic the experience of massage can be. Also, some clients may be embarrassed or feel pretentious vocalizing the spiritual results of the work. On the other hand, practitioners may fear jeopardizing their mainstream, paramedical position. Insurance companies aren't paying for the incredible. Ordinarily, there is not curricula in our schools that systematically explore the extra-ordinary. And it's not socially supported as a conventional health goal.

Whatever the reason, we must overcome the difficulty and resistance to discussing and further developing the more-than-incredible results of our work. Its relevance to massage and to modern culture needs to be elaborated. I believe it is deeply related to the possibility of humankind making progress in frontiers beyond just technological. We need to make progress in the realms of mind, emotion, spirit and body as well.

Real Health, Real Care
What is this more-than-incredible realm? Of what use is it? How shall we explore it as massage therapists and as humans? What relevance might it hold for our world today?

Clinical orientations to the contrary, massage is not mostly a medical modality. For instance, in a client with supraspinatus tendinitis, I may spend 5-10 minutes focused on the tendon. However, the majority of the session is spent enhancing the person's posture and positive energetic experience.

I don't want my clients to say, and I don't think many therapists are satisfied with, "What a competent massage!" I want my clients to say "Wow! I feel great." The allopathic context is such that I don't go to the doctor and ask him at the end of the session whether I can come back next week. But with a good bodyworker that's exactly what I'd say. Because the experience has been so deeply pleasurable (as well as symptom relieving), I want more.

In spite of the language that says allopathic medicine is healthcare, it is more appropriately called disease-treatment. The disease-treatment system, because of its focus on acute conditions, its narrowly clinical education, and the insurance industry, doesn't have the time or the inclination to explore health. Thank goodness, of course, for high quality disease-treatment. Many of us would not be here today were it not for the tremendous, life-saving advances in allopathic medicine. But the goal of our life is not mere survival and neither should it be of our medicine.

Massage is specifically a health modality. It results not just in relieving musculo-skeletal symptoms but also in people feeling qualitatively better and different. We practice one of the only forms of healthcare that specifically addresses the whole body and not just a part. After the massage, the person's whole body commonly feels lighter and taller, more radiant, more alive. Clients feel more connected to themselves, the people and the environment around them. Massage is unique, incredible health amplification.

Massage/bodywork is also specifically a care modality -- the human hand is the primary instrument for the direct transmission of care. On one level, all we need is love. Massage is, because of the unique qualities of human touch, the most explicitly loving of all health modalities. You cannot take love out of the touch equation without a palpable loss of spirit.

It is the precious birthright of massage and bodywork to grandly and uniquely explore and expand the whole realm of health and care.

Structural and Energetic Healthcare
Massage is clinically effective and can properly be used within an allopathic context. We help re-weave fascia with precision and we impact circulation and help muscles, tendons and ligaments heal. With sufficient knowledge, we support new and more effective postures and movement patterns. Through our effects on the autonomic nervous system we can relieve stress, including its negative effects on digestion, elimination, respiration, heart rate, circulation, lymphatic flow and the formation of trigger points. All this and more constitute the mechanical consequences of massage. Were that all we could do, we would indeed be practicing a wonderful and largely medical modality.

Now let's look at energy. Frankly, we make people happier. We help them let go of short-term stress and confusion. With sufficient knowledge and sensitivity, we help clients let go of long held tensions sustained through chronic emotional postures and beliefs. We encourage more flow and balance within -- take your pick of language -- the meridians, chakras, nadis, energy centers. We enhance the person's experience of the pleasure in being alive. Through the explicit connection of touch, we help people know that they are not alone in this world. Often during a massage the client has a direct experience of psychophysical health that gives him a new vision of how different this life could be, how each and every one of us could participate in a heaven on earth. If you want to follow your bliss, you often could do no better than to follow your massage therapist into her treatment room.

Touch is Miraculous
Human touch is the most sophisticated physical tool in the known universe. We can not synthesize a material that functions like the skin of the hands, let alone something that operates with the sensitivity, intelligence and motor complexity of the human neuromuscular system through the hands.

Touch is also the only way to bring two energy systems into direct contact with one another. Michelangelo's image of God's and Adam's hands approaching has the enduring power to remind us of the literal sharing of that spark of life.

Every time we lay our hand on the human body with pressure and with consciousness, we are uniting the worlds of structure and the worlds of energy in the only possible way for this to be done. Human touch is the only context in the known universe in which there is a simultaneous and conscious contact of both structure and energy.

Touch is Ecstatic
Touch is by definition the most ecstatic (from the Latin ex-stasis meaning "out of stasis") form of medicine and healing. It uses movement to help us out of stasis, out of being stuck.

It helps take us beyond our usual sense of self. A person cannot change without new experience. The therapist, by helping us let go of tensions we ourselves have not been able to relieve, opens us up to new experience.

I once saw a T-shirt that read, "Forget your work, forget your boss, forget your name." Many is the time I've laid on a massage table and within just a few minutes I have entirely forgotten all my problems. On the table we take a vacation from the usual self and the usual world. The great English psychotherapist Marion Milner said, "All real living must involve a relationship, recurrent moments of surrender to the not-self." How clearly and dependably massage results in this relationship.

There is a deep unmet need for ecstasy in our culture. Unfortunately, we provide mostly debased forms, and many are addictive: Drugs, alcohol, TV, food. Massage is one of the only socially acceptable contexts in which people can experience deeply ecstatic states. It is our task and challenge not to let this remain underexplored. And it is our responsibility to let the ecstatic journey that bodywork often provokes not be merely a narcissistic "trip." The ecstatic power of touch must be something for everyone to be delighted and educated in, something for us all to pick up, not just a few to carry.

Touch is Art and Science
In so far as we interact with the world of structure, we are engaged in an applied science and require the knowledge and respect for the world of anatomy and physiology. In so far as we engage inspiringly with the world of energy as well, we need knowledge and respect for the world of psyche, spirit and the mysterious.

"Haptic" is the term given to the kinesthetic sensing of reality -- it involves our direct experience of the world through pressure, temperature, proprioception and balance. We are used to thinking of art as being something we see or hear. But ultimately art is a bodily-felt experience manifesting in chills up our spines, in the heart-lifting effects of melody, the inspiration and exhilaration of a beautiful sentence. As creative bodyworkers we have the great privilege of working directly with the human mind, body and spirit -- not paints, not tones, not turns of speech.

We are artists and our medium is the greatest living organism in the known universe. A case can accordingly be made for massage being the highest of all art forms.

Touch is the Art of Manual Evolution
The acupuncturist J. R. Worsley described healthcare as addressing three realms: Disease, disposition and destiny.

As healthcare practitioners we work amelioratively with anatomic and physiological disease. We impact as well the challenges of disposition. For instance, we can help re-set the autonomic set point of the "Type-A" personality. We can take the puffed-up personality and help them establish a more grounded sense of self. We can help a person -- with compassion, touch and the right timing -- heal the chronically broken heart.

Finally, we can be the midwives to destiny. Who is it that you at your most healthy will become? Each therapist hopes their client will not only feel better but will have the restraining forces to their self-fulfillment removed.

Destiny is collective as well as individual. As each person becomes more fulfilled they also become naturally less self-centered. In this way, the spread of health begins to result not just in individual health but in the growing health of the community. Curing disease depends on immunity. But fulfilling destinies calls for and amplifies community.

It is the destiny of humankind to use the gift of embodied consciousness to evolve. We are still fighting our way through a difficult pre-history. May we use the gift of conscious touch to help people evolve their societies into prioritizing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over the desire for profit and material gain. Touch reminds us again and again that joy lies in relationship, not in acquisition. The evolution of relationship is part and parcel of the highest role of bodywork.

What Can We Do?
We need to overcome the separation of energy work from structural work. It is neither in the structural realm nor in the energetic that the real power, the evolutionary leverage, of bodywork lies. It is precisely in their union. Let's share our stories about more-than-incredible experiences of both givers and receivers with one another. The struggle of new experience to find its way into language and into collective consciousness is an important one.

Being self-critical will also be an asset. We will not be good scientists until we are willing to defend energy work from the overly wishful thinking of some of its devotees. Correspondingly we can restrain the clinically minded from allowing our scope of practice to be defined by insurance companies.

We can develop energy curricula based in Western psychology, science and the wisdom traditions of the East. For instance, the chakras have tangible correlates with basic existential functions. No one should be graduating from massage school without classes in the role of the heart area in healing.

Finally, we can resist the tendency to identify health as a property of the individual. Let us combat the somewhat narcissistic, vitamin-pushing orientation of the so-called health magazines. Health is behavior, and it largely depends on how we treat one another, as well as how we treat ourselves. We need to take the necessary steps to make this a healthy world.

The Biology of Heaven on Earth
We are a dream that matter has had throughout eternity. With the miracle of human touch we effect the union of art and science, the integration of energy and structure in touch, and the conscious experience of ecstasy. It is our responsibility as massage therapists to know the heavenly and earthly dreams that touch holds for us. It is our job to make these dreams come true. As William Blake said, "Art and science cannot exist but in minutely organized particulars." I hope that this article acts as a call to action for all of us to even more imaginatively and systematically contribute to the art and science of being a human.

Author's Note: In this article, to avoid the awkwardness of always saying "massage/bodywork," I use the terms massage and bodywork interchangeably for all the various therapies that utilize touch and/or movement.

David Lauterstein is the co-founder of The Lauterstein-Conway Massage School in Austin, Texas. Having been involved in bodywork for nearly 30 years, he is the author of Putting the Soul Back in the Body, editor of the manual, "The Alchemy of Touch," and author of the pathbreaking article series, "The Seven Dimensions of Touch" (see www.tlcschool.com under "Articles"). Lauterstein teaches in Austin, throughout the United States and in England. He can be reached at dltlc@io.com or 512/374-9222.

Bibliography
Field, Joanna. An Experiment in Leisure. New York: St. Martins Press, 1937.
Johnson, Robert. Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987.
Lauterstein, David. Putting the Soul Back in the Body. Austin: Lauterstein-Conway Massage School Publications, 1984.
Lauterstein, David. "The Seven Dimensions of Touch," see www.tlcschool.com -- click on "Articles"

Self-Care

2009-11-30T10:54:00.001-10:00

In massage therapy school, you are taught the importance of "self-care." In order to best be able to minister to others,
whether as a bodyworker or simply as a human being, you need take care of yourself.

Whether that means going to the gym, getting a massage or reflexology session, taking time to mediate or pray, or
setting aside a day to go to the beach or read a good book, self-care is necessary for us to be our "best self."

I notice that if I don't get regular bodywork, I'm simply not as good of a bodyworker.

What will you do this in this coming year to take care of yourself?
•Write it down.
•Make an appointment with yourself.
•Recruit an "accountability partner" if you need one.
•Just do it!

VIDEO: Training in Reflexology

2009-11-30T09:45:00.003-10:00

My teacher and reflexology mentor, Bill Flocco, explains this process of professional training in reflexology to help you with self-care, family care, and ultimately a professional career in this wonderful practice.

VIDEO: History of Reflexology

2009-11-16T19:57:00.002-10:00

The history of reflexology includes the natural study of the feet, hands and ears as they relate to other parts of the body, and it began as a science and has developed into an art over the years. Discover reflexology with information from the founder of the American Academy of Reflexology in this free video on alternative medicine.

Regis Sings the Praises of Reflexology On "Regis and Kelly"

2009-10-23T06:41:00.002-10:00

This is a wonderful thing for the art and science of reflexology when well-known people can appreciate and communicate its many benefits!

Don't Get Another Massage Until...

2009-10-09T01:31:00.013-10:00

Most people love getting massage, reflexology, and other forms of healing touch. It's a wonderful investment in your health and wellness (and it also just feels really good!).

But there are some things you can do to get even better "returns" or "dividends" on your investment.

Sign-on for our free report to learn how!

VIDEO: Origin of Reflexology

2009-10-05T14:45:00.007-10:00

Where did reflexology come from? Egypt? China? India?

While there are many theories about the origin of reflexology, the first recorded evidence we have of its usage was actually right here in the United States, in the early 1900s.

Below find a short video featuring Bill Flooco, the director of The American Academy of Reflexology in Los Angeles, who also happens to my teacher and reflexology mentor!

Reflexology As It Relates to the Skeletal System

2009-09-13T20:59:00.005-10:00

By Wendy Coad, "The Reflexology Professor"

When it comes to pain and how it affects the body, most people think of the skeletal system first - as in the spine, hips, knees and shoulders. The skeletal system happens to be one of the most important systems of the body. If we treat it right and maintain it well, it will be happy to return the favor.

Holistic Healing For The Skeletal System

Your skeletal system comprises the bones of the body together with all the ligaments and tendons that connect them. The skeletal system functions to give you shape, protect the internal organs and facilitate your movement. It's also where most of your blood is produced.

The skeletal system accounts for about 20% of the weight of your body. Locomotion like walking, dancing, and running are all possible due to the combined effort of the muscles together with the bones. When your muscle contracts it takes along the attached bone creating movement.

The spine, also known as the backbone provides the central support to the system. It's comprised of 26 bones and has curves that absorb some impact and allow your body to balance itself.

Take minute right now and look at the medial (arch) side of your feet - see the curves that your arches and heels make. You'll notice that it has the same curved shape as your actual spine.

The arch side of your foot, as we know, is the reflex to the spine.

The spine is comprised of several irregular bones called "vertebrae", is made of spongy bone covered by a coating of compact bone. In between most of the bones is cartilage which keeps them from touching each other.

Your breast bones, comprised of your sternum and ribs provide a framework to enclose your chest. This case protects your heart and lungs.

The skull is also a part of the skeletal system. It protects your brain and encases all the glands in the skull as well.

Each hand has 27 bones while your foot has 26 bones. Interestingly your hand and feet contain more than half of the bones in your entire body! What's amazing is that we are born with over 300 bones but as we age the bones start joining in and we end up with 206 bones!

And let's not forget the joints - also an important part of your skeletal system - the points where your bones meet. Each bone of your body forms a joint with one or more other bones. The joints help you stretch, bend twirl and engage in all of your movements. Some people are double jointed which means that they are blessed with more flexible ligaments and as a result can bend them more than usual!

As you see, our skeletal system is extensive and stretches along the entire body. This is also one system that's more prone to all the ill effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, wrong posture and accidents. Some issues that affect the skeletal system are below:

Fractures:

This is when a bone breaks. There are different types of fractures:

Simple - This happens when the bone breaks but without any damage to your outer skin.

Greenstick - When the bone does not crack completely. There is a partial crack.

Compound - This fracture occurs when the bone breaks and the outer skin is hurt as well.

Comminuted - A situation when the bone is broken into many pieces.

Did you know that the bone that's most commonly fractured is the collar bone?

Bones are made up of living cells, they are full of nerves and blood vessels. When a fracture occurs, lots of blood is brought to the area to help your body rebuild your bone. In order to repair the damage, the blood forms clots as an adhesive mechanism, holding everything together.

Before doing reflexology on or around the site of a fracture, wait until the body has healed. There is some risk of clots breaking off and moving through the blood which may create a dangerous situation for the rest of the body.

Postural deformities:

Kyphosis - A case where there's a hunch in the back. It happens when the spine curves outward.
Lordosis - This is the opposite of Kyphosis. It happens when the spine curves inward. This can happen due to faulty positioning or due to any spinal disease.

Scoliosis- This is the bending of the spine sideways. Certain abnormalities in the vertebrae or the muscles may lead to this.

Other skeletal problems

Some other issues that might affect the bones or joints are:

Arthritis: This is the result of the joints being inflamed. This results in swelling and the movement being restricted.

Osteoarthritis: A painful wearing down of the joints that leads to the movements being restricted.

Rheumatoid arthritis: This is a very common disease that affects mostly women. A disease of the immune system, the joints start getting damaged and this leads to the bones being deformed.

Gout: An affliction caused due to the accumulation of salts (uric acids) in the joints.

Osteoporosis: This happens as a result of loss of some of your bone tissue.

Lots of people suffer from back problems as they age due to vertebrae that start to become displaced. The result is stiffness and may lead to pain as well as a restriction in movement.

The skeletal system is affected by your lifestyle. From doing heavy work to leading a sedentary life or maybe not getting the right nutrition, the spine takes the brunt of all these situations and more.

All is not lost however. You can still eat right, exercise and get those bones to help you lead an active life. Some of the steps that you can follow are:

If you want your bones to stay strong and healthy, you need to put on those jogging shoes once again and get out in the crisp, fresh morning air for a walk or a jog. You can also engage in a lot of other sports and activities to keep your bones active. The more your bones are used, the better they remain.

You should always remember to wear proper equipment while you are into sports like football, hockey or lacrosse. Make sure you wear the helmet and proper knee and elbow pads.

Make sure that your posture is right while you are sitting at your desk or doing reflexology. Many of us tend to slouch while working. Try to consciously correct your posture while you are at work.

You should drink a lot of water and quit drinking spirits altogether. Alcohol doesn't do any good to the body and the sooner you stop drinking, the better. Smoking too is an absolute no-no. It can make your bones more brittle by leaching nutrients out and you'll wrinkle like a prune.

And last but not least - reduce stress in your life and take adequate rest.

Be nice to your bones and they'll be nice to you!

Next week I’ll outline the session details and the exact point location of each of the skeletal reflexes.

So go and get your skeletons out of the closet and stay tuned - there’s a lot more to come…

And, you can read more calcium notes in the Helpful Hints section of the newsletter below.

*******************************
Online health and reflexology expert Wendy Coad, "the Reflexology Professor" publishes the popular "Reflexology Secrets, Tips and Techniques" bi-monthly e-zine to subscribers from around the world.

If you're ready to enjoy health, express creativity, gain knowledge and skyrocket your reflexology or bodywork career, get your FREE tips at http://www.reflexologyprof.com/ or http://www.reflexologysuccess.com/
*******************************

2009-08-29T16:00:00.004-10:00

Nancy's Birthday Bonanza Special: On August 31, I turn 35 years old! And in honor of my "BIG 35," I want to give YOU a gift. Take advantage of my Birthday Bonanza Special: ALL 60 MINUTE BODYWORK SESSIONS ARE ONLY $35 during the month of September.

WAKE Up That Body: The Vascular Flush!

2009-08-26T13:48:00.007-10:00

Hydrotherapy is the practice of using water to soothe pain and treat disease.

There is one form of hydrotherapy that is really easy to perform on yourself and it's called the "Vascular Flush."

The vascular flush is an alternating hot and cold hydrotherapy treatment, in which you apply cold then hot water to one area or your whole body (and then repeat the process 2 or more times).

The cold water causes the vessels in the area to constrict, the hot causes the vessels to dilate, thus creating a natural pumping mechanism. The pumping motion flushes wastes and acids from the tissues, replenishing the area with freshly oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood.

Best of all, the flush is a SERIOUS WAKE-UP call when performed during your morning shower. It's a great way to start your day as it gets your blood pumping and gets you ready to perform all your daily tasks!

RECIPE FOR A FULL-BODY-WAKE-YOURSELF-UP VASCULAR FLUSH

Shower as usual

Toward the end of the shower, switch the water to cool (or cold if you're really daring!)

Cool water for 1 minute

Hot water for 20 seconds

Repeat 2 more times

End on cool!

WOW...You're awake now, aren't you?

(If you alter the time, just make sure that you stick to a 3:1 ratio for Cold:Hot, and that you always END on cold.)

**NOTE: SPRAINS AND INFLAMED AREAS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED WITH A VASCULAR FLUSH. Please consult your medical doctor or qualified healthcare professional if you have any questions regarding the use of hydrotherapy and vascular flushing.

******
Heat or Hot Water Therapy concerns, precautions, and contraindications: (incformation courtesy of http://www.honolulu-chronic-pain-management.com/

The application of Heat should never exceed 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Use common sense to avoid burns. Never fall asleep while using heat and never use any kind of heat that can cause fires. The application of Heat should be avoided if you have:

• Cancer
• Hemorrhage
• Reduced skin sensation
• Weakness
• Skin Lesions
• Pregnancy
• Tuberculosis
• Anemia
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Body Temperature that exceeds 104 degrees Fahrenheit
• PVD-peripheral vascular disease
• PAD-Peripheral Artery Disease
• Peripheral Artery Occlusive Disease
• Pulse-heart rate exceeds 140 beats per minute
• Skin sensitivity to heat
• Kidney Problems
• Inflammation

Hawai'i is Happy!

2009-08-14T18:33:00.002-10:00

Did you know that Hawai'i is the 2nd happiest state in the nation (next to Utah)?

Check out our Anima Wellness August Newsletter to learn more!

http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?anima-wellness&ID=AEwMDJy0DBy0jEwEDExcLBxczBy0DCwA

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Hawai'i is Happy
*Laughter Is, Indeed, the Best Medicine
*Quick-Fix Special of the Month

Laughter is, indeed, the best medicine!

2009-08-11T19:09:00.001-10:00

Proof of What Happens When You Get too Many Vaccines

Shared via AddThis

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2009-08-11T10:17:00.000-10:00

Anima Wellness on Facebook

Sign Up For The Anima Wellness Newsletter!

2009-08-08T20:01:00.000-10:00

Lest We Forget...We Live in Paradise

2009-05-31T22:01:00.005-10:00

This weekend I attended a seminar with a speaker from the Mainland...he was awestruck by the beauty of our blessed islands. I appreciated the reminder....Lest we forget, we live in Paradise, a sweet message from none other than Mark Twain himself serves to remind us:

"No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but that one, no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and waking, through half a lifetime, as that one has done. Other things leave me, but it abides; other things change, but it remains the same. For me its balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surfbeat is in my ears; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud rack; I can feel the spirit of its woodland solitudes, I can hear the splash of its brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago."

"Roughing It In the Sandwich Islands: Hawaii in the 1880s"
~Mark Twain

Military Memorial Day Special 2009

2009-05-21T23:04:00.005-10:00

Honolulu, May 20, 2009 – Active military are in luck this Memorial Day weekend as Nancy Nino of Anima Wellness is offering them a free 30 minute massage and/or reflexology session (offer valid through Thursday, June 4).

Located inside Connie Gayle Beauty Center, on the corner of McCully and Beretania, Anima Wellness (http://www.animawellness.com/) provides reflexology and massage services which address the individual needs of each client.

Known to reduce the effects of stress, bodywork—like massage and reflexology—can provide a wonderful respite to those on active duty who face the stresses of service and of separation.

Complimentary sessions are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, by appointment only.
Appointments can be made via e-mail at appointments@animawellness.com or by phone at (808) 347-4747.
Active military I.D. required.
Please reference the Military Memorial Day Special.

Unbeknownst to him, Nancy’s cousin inspired the offering: “My cousin, Mike, recently returned from his most recent tour to Iraq. Offering these services to his fellow servicemen and women is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to him and to all those who sacrifice on my behalf.”

For more information about the benefits of bodywork for stress reduction and pain management, and for other wellness tips, visit http://www.animawellness.com/

Aromatherapy Level I Certification Course (NOT just for massage therapists!)

2009-05-21T17:46:00.004-10:00

(Alexandra Avery was my aromatherapy teacher in massage therapy school. I am taking this course and I would recommend it to anyone...it's NOT just for massage therapists but anyone who has an interest in aromatherapy and its many benefits.)

HHAC Continuing Education Program presents:

Aromatherapy LEVEL I Certification Course
with Alexandra Avery

June 13th, 20th, and 27th (Saturdays 9-5pm)
(21 hours)

· How essential oils work!
· History of aromatherapy!
· Principles of using essential oils!
· Essential oils and the immune system!
· Practical applications of aromatherapy in massage!
· Psychological effects of essential oils!
· Extraction Methods!
· Contraindications, safety, and purity!
· Blending techniques and making your own blends!

Alexandra has been practicing Aromatherapy since 1975 and is approved to teach through NAHA (National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy). She is a licensed aesthetician and skin care specialist, and maintains a private practice in Kailua.

Cost of course is $392.67 ($314.14 for HHAC students and alumni)
Course cost includes textbook Aromatherapy & You

Deadline for registration: May 30, 2009

Contact the Office of Student Affairs 808-266-2467
or studentaffairs@hawaii.rr.com to register.

HHAC reserves the right to cancel class 72 hours in advance if minimum enrollment is not met.
Limited space available, registration is required.

This training is an approved course through the NCBTMB.

Honolulu "Star Bulletin" Article on Reflexology

2009-05-20T22:52:00.003-10:00

It's always great to see the good word about reflexology being spread to the public...check it out http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090518_foot_reflexology.html

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH: Ear Reflexology

2009-05-16T18:24:00.001-10:00

Ear reflexology has a particularly profound effect on a person. The reason for this is that on the ears there three types of points.

While the foot, hand, and ear reflexology maps all have somatic points (points which relate directly to specific body parts), only the ear map has functional and master points.

Functional points address specific conditions such as asthma, hypertension, and constipation. Master points support more general bodily functions such as stress relief, circulation, and hormonal balance.

Therefore, you can work with the ears to target particular concerns that are not necessarily associated with one specific body part.

The Monthly Special for May is 30 minute ear reflexology session as an add-on to any other session for only $20 ($15 SAVINGS OFF THE REGULAR PRICE OF $35).
This is a great way to start a massage or reflexology session because it has a wonderfully calming effect on the Central Nervous System.

E-mail us at appointments@animawellness.com or call us at 808-347-4747 to set up an appointment for your favorite type of session + the ear reflexology add-on today!

How Would You Rate Your Spiritual Wellness?

2009-05-16T18:14:00.006-10:00

Visit http://tinyurl.com/qendo4 to read "How Would You Rate Your Spiritual Wellness," the most recent issue of the Anima Wellness newsletter.

All the World's A Twitter

2009-04-21T20:33:00.004-10:00

Visit http://www.aweber.com/b/1LplJ to read "All the World's A Twitter," the most recent issue of the Anima Wellness newsletter.

"The Edge Effect" (Talk About Brain Power!)

2009-04-17T12:08:00.005-10:00

A client recommended to me a fantastic book by Eric Braverman, M.D. called "The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity with the Balanced Brain Advantage."

The book speaks in laymen's terms about the four primary biochemicals which "make up the brain code" and dictate brain (and thus bodily) function: dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA, and serotonin. Each biochemical is extremely important for our everyday function but each person is generally dominated by one of the four.

Braverman provides a series of questions whereby you can determine which of the four is your dominant type and what you can do to support your dominant type as well as to balance the other three so that you don't "lose your edge." Excesses or definciencies in either your dominant or secondary chemicals cause imbalances which lead to common--though Braverman would argue, preventable-health challenges and illnesses.

Check it out!

Offer of the Month: March Madness Special

2009-03-14T15:02:00.000-10:00

I can help you "stop the madness" of today's stressful world with this month's "March Madness Special," featuring THREE 60 minute reflexology sessions for $140 (for a total savings of $40). That's less than $47 a session!!!

This is an unbeatable deal which is only available until March 30.Reply to this e-mail or give me a call at 808-347-4747 to purchase your package and book your appointment for the first of three reflexology/relaxation sessions!

(All sessions must be completed by June 30 and must be used by the same person. This special cannot be combined with any other offer, discount, or package.)

I Can Help You Stop the MADNESS!

2009-03-14T14:58:00.004-10:00

Check out the latest issue of my Anima Wellness Reflexology & Massage Therapy newsletter at http://www.aweber.com/b/1EGv_ to learn how!

Offer of the Month: St. Valentine's Special

2009-02-03T13:09:00.002-10:00

This February, bring in your sweetie or your best pal for a bodywork session to celebrate love and friendship. Buy one session and receive the second session of equal or lesser value at 50% off! (Not to be combined with any other offer.)

What Does Punxsutawney Phil Know About Wellness?

2009-02-03T13:06:00.002-10:00

America's favorite groundhog knows a lot, actually...check out the lastest issue of my Anima Wellness Reflexology & Massage Newsletter to learn more:
http://aweber.com/b/12IEN

We've Picked A Winner!

2009-01-15T21:41:00.001-10:00

We have a winner for the "I REALLY Need a Massage Contest." Visit www.IReallyNeedAMassage.com for details, as well as offers for ALL entrants!

VOTE for reflexology through Change.org

2008-12-07T16:23:00.004-10:00

There's a movement of citizens inspired by the presidential campaign. Americans are now submitting ideas for how they think the new Administration should change America. It's called "Ideas for Change in America."

Click on the image below to vote for "Preventive medical care: Reflexology."

The top 10 ideas are going to be presented to the Administration on Inauguration Day and will be supported by a national lobbying campaign run by Change.org, MySpace,and more than a dozen leading nonprofits after the Inauguration. So each idea has a real chance at becoming policy. Right now (as of 12/7/08) this idea is number 13.

I REALLY Need a Massage: Anima Wellness Contest

2008-12-05T19:02:00.004-10:00

With the holiday rush up and the economy down, many hawaii residents are in high "stress mode." I have an antidote to that...a series of 12 massages ABSOLUTELY FREE!

I want to know why you REALLY need a massage. PLEASE BE SPECIFIC.

Everybody feels like they NEED a massage...but I want to know why you REALLY need a massage.

Visit http://www.ireallyneedamassage.com/ and post a comment at the bottom of the page letting me know why you REALLY need a massage.

All respondents will be considered and a winner will be selected on January 15, 2009.

The winner will receive 12 60-minute sessions of bodywork (reflexology or massage, client's choice) to be redeemed over a 6 month period. That is a $780 value ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE.

See you in the treatment room...

Military Thanksgiving Special 2008

2008-11-10T12:58:00.001-10:00

During Thanksgiving week, all active military and their families are eligible to receive a free 30 minute massage and/or reflexology session in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. Appointments are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday of Thanksgiving week. Appointments can be made online or by phone at (808) 347-4747. Active military I.D. required. Please reference the Military Thanksgiving Special.

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How Energy Affects Us

2008-10-23T05:38:00.009-10:00

This election time is an excellent opportunity to for us to study the affect of "energy" on people. I have been amazed to watch the vitriol exchanged on both sides of the aisle. Do you notice what it does to people?

Watch next time it happens...one person begins with a negative comment. The next receives that energy and then responds.

If he or she agrees and responds in agreement, the energy of negativity grows.

If he or she disagress and responds with a negative attitude, the energy of negativity grows.

We are moved by issues and we are motivated by thoughts about the fate of our nation. Elections are important--if stressful--and they deserve our attention. But that being said, we need to realize the affect that stress has on our bodies and souls.

While I most certainly will vote come November 4, I personally have chosen to limit my intake of media election coverage. After watching some of the first presidential debate and feeling pains in my chest and heart, I realized continuing to watch was going to have a physical effect on me. The negativity that was exchanged was settling into my own body, taking up space there.

While it may not be in our nature to do as Christ commanded ("Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"), it IS, nonetheless, our responsibility. This can apply to presidential candidates, as well as to the person who cuts you off on the freeway. I am may be annoyed with that person--and usually am--but it behooves me to "assume only love" and not let that annoyance settle within me. Then the negativity spreads.

On November 4, I will be heading into the ballot box and placing a vote for one Presidential ticket (as well as for other state and local issues). However, until that time (and thereafter), I will be holding the four members of both tickets tenderly in my heart and prayers. They are all making great sacrificies in order to take part in the process and serve our great country. Each one of them is--as my dad used to say--a "child of God and heir of heaven." Each one of them needs my love and prayers.

In holding each of them in my heart, I am saying no to the negativity that abounds surrounding the election. I am not allowing it to enter my body and stifle my spirit.

Will you join me?

Who do you do it for?

2008-10-19T20:34:00.007-10:00

On my desktop of my computer, I have a picture of my brother's four little boys from the first day of school this year. The three older boys are dressed in their school uniforms and backpacks and the youngest, Dan, is dressed in hip little play duds and his own backpack (he's not yet two and won't be heading to school for a while). Dan looks so proud sporting his backpack, standing tall, and hanging with the big boys.

They are who I do it for...those four boys and the 28 other nieces and nephews I'm blessed to have in my life. When I get up in the morning, I do it for them. When I do something that's difficult or unsettling or just plain boring, I do it for them.

I don't necessarily think..."Yes, I'm getting up this morning for Vincent" or "Hmm...today I'm taking out the trash for Claire." It's on a deeper level. I know that whatever good I do in this life will somehow benefit those beautiful little (and in some cases grown!) nieces and nephews that I love.

When they are small, they are so helpless and delicate and beautiful...and when they grow older, they become so competent and bright and even more beautiful. It is a blessing to watch them grow. Living in Hawaii now (while they live in California), I notice it so much more distinctly. I appreciate them even more and thank God for the gifts they are in my life and the inspiration they provide.

Who do YOU do it for?

The Wellness Trifecta!

2008-09-17T18:37:00.001-10:00

Today was a great day in my wellness career journey. It was, in fact, a wonderful trifecta.

1) In August I took a test to become nationally certified in reflexology, which is offered by American Reflexology Certification Board. One is not required to be nationally certified to practice reflexology; in fact, there are only about 1,000 people in the country who have the certification. I wanted to become certified, however, because it was encouraged by my dear teacher, Bill Flocco, from my reflexology school, the American Academy of Reflexology, and because national certification establishes practitioner credibility and a certain level of knowledge.

The test consists of three parts: a written exam, a practical exam, and the submission of documentation of 90 reflexology sessions. The greatnews is I received my results today for the written and practical exam and much to my delight, I passed! It was a long 4 weeks waiting for my results in the mail, but thankfully, I did it! Now...on to those 90 reflexology sessions...

2) Also in the mail today I received more good news. I passed my Hawaii state massage therapy licensing exam which I took last week. That means I can actually start working here in the aloha state...it's about time!

3) Yesterday I found a massage therapy room for rent in a salon here in Honolulu. The salon is called Connie Gayle Beauty Center. It's a great location right off the freeway and the room itself is lovely. Today I firmed up the room rental details with Connie herself and I look forward to setting up shop there as soon as my state license paperwork is completed.

I can't wait to create a wonderful relaxing place where honolulu residents and tourists alike can come to receive reflexology, massage, and all the benefits that come along with taking time out to care for the beautiful body, the "temple of the Holy Spirit" that God gives us.

Getting out of your own head

2008-03-22T14:11:00.000-10:00

I am so excited to be in massage school. Yesterday I completed Level I (of 3) and I have this wonderful sense that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I'm definitely challenged by the creative process of the massage because I tend to get wrapped up in the technical aspects of the session (i.e. what muscles I'm working on, how much time I have left, what variety of strokes I'm incorporating). As such, I sometimes end up neglecting the creative and intuitive aspects of the experience. The other day, we had to do a complete one hour massage blindfolded. It was by far the best massage I have given to date because I was able to get out of my head. I trust that with more and more practice, I will be able to leave some of the science behind and embrace the art of the experience.

You give what you are

2008-01-10T12:35:00.000-10:00

I moved to Hawaii on January 1 and have been looking for a place to rent since then. I've been anxious to find a place because my belongings that I shipped will arrive shortly and I want to be settled before massage therapy school starts on the 21st. In addition, I have my Reflexology Certification Test back in Los Angeles on the 18th, so I've been concerned about that (and getting enough studying in while looking for a place to live).

Today, after many strike-outs, I think I've found a great place to live. So long as I'm approved via credit check, I'll be in there shortly! I'm thrilled.

I realized something very interesting through this process. Since I've been anxious and stressed in the housing hunt, I have had absolutely no desire to do reflexology on anyone. I did two sessions when I first arrived, and haven't done one since. It's almost as if I was protecting myself from giving a bad session and protecting my client from receiving this nervous energy.

Today, with the housing search (hopefully!) behind me, I can't wait for my 4 o'clock session and am excited to set up more appointments. It's amazing how connected your psyche is to this kind of work. You bring to the table what you are at the time. If I were to work on someone in the last week, I would be bringing them all my stress, worry, and anxiety. I have a great responsibility to myself and especially to my clients to maintain my own wellness and bring calm, wholeness, and peace to the table. That is a daunting task! But I am up to the challenge!

Falling in love with the Christ on the table

2007-11-23T13:14:00.001-10:00

This past Wednesday evening, while I was reflexing my 15-year old niece who is recovering from Hepatitis induced by a prescribed medication, I came to realize what sometimes happens to me while I'm giving reflexology to a client, friend, or family member. I absolutely fall 100% head over heels in love with the person. The Holy Spirit fills me with Christ's love for that person and I am truly overwhelmed by that love. I was looking at Ksenia, who was adopted from Russia and the age of 11 and has suffered greatly from the trauma of her childhood, and I saw an incredible beauty (and peace) beaming from her face that I had never seen before. I understood, in a profound way, how much Christ loves each and every one of us, because he was loving her through me in that moment. I felt Christ within myself and saw Christ within her at the same time. Sometimes I can't believe how blessed I am to be pursuing a career that affords me moments like these. Praise the Lord!

Reflexing the World to Health

2007-11-21T09:48:00.000-10:00

As of this past weekend, I have completed five of the six weekend courses required for my 150-hour reflexology certification from the American Academy of Reflexology. Different from massage, reflexology is the study, art, and science of using specific touch techniques on reflex maps resembling the shape of the human body that are believed to exist on the feet, hands, and ears. As a part of the certification, I am required to do 25+ hours of practicum, and I have had the opportunity to work on family members, friends, and acquaintances. I am ecstatic and I love having the knowledge and the skills to help people with relaxation, pain management, and overall well-being.

Yesterday when I was doing reflexology on one of my brother's colleages, I felt this complete rush roll through me. I was positive it was the Holy Spirit. I didn't want to mention it to her for fear that she would think I was crazy, but I felt I had to. I told her and she smiled and didn't comment much then. She was able to relaxing very completely during the session. After the session she said that she was in an altered state and she agreed that it was the Holy Spirit. How wonderful to be able to give people 1 hour where they can completely calm themselves, relax, and find physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sanctuary. What an honor to be able to help someone do that!

Hawaii Healing Arts College

2007-06-11T13:29:00.001-10:00

Today I visited the Hawaii Healing Arts College in Kailua, Oahu. Diedre, the Admissions Coordinator, who spoke with me and gave me the tour was wonderful. She has a gentle way about her and she is so passionate about the schools and its offerings. The school classrooms, clinic, and massage rooms were incredibly orgranized and clean and the general "feel" of the place was one of peace and focus. I feel this will be a wonderful place for me to get my core training in massage.

While I have talked to a number of representatives from various schools throughout the U.S.A. and have personally visited a couple of other schools, I have never had the "A-ha...this is where I'm supposed to be" feeling that I had at HHAC today. To top if off, as I thumbed through one of the text books Diedre provided, I found one chapter began with a quote by Pope John Paul II on healing. I mentioned it aloud and Diedre, an Irish Catholic, proceeded to tell me the story of her visit to Rome with her mother, aunties, and sisters for her 40th birthday. She explained that her visit occurred right before JPII died and she spoke of the incredible peace that eminated from his person. When I left, Diedre said goodbye with a hug, and I could feel her sincerity and the aloha spirit alive within her.

What is "Anima"?

2007-06-06T20:06:00.000-10:00

Anima is the Italian word for soul. As in English, the word has many meanings. Your anima is first and foremost the immortal part of your person, the part that remains long after you die. Your anima is God-given.

Your anima is also the emotional side of your being, as in "I love you with all my heart and soul" or "Ti amo con tutto il mio cuore e la mia anima." It is your emotional energy, the spirit and passion you bring to your relationships, your artistic endeavors, your work, your life.

It sits in the belly of your belly and in the heart of your heart. It is the driving force behind much of what you do...sometimes it is the essence of you, sometimes the epitome of you.

Sometimes, we meet--or we are--a lost soul, "un'anima persa." In these seemingly soul-less times, we can easily forget about our true anima, that eternal piece of us created long before we were born and sustaining long after we are dust.

David did not forget his anima. Rather, he praised the Lord for it:

Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one.
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.
I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew;
my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them! Psalm 139: 13-17

Remember your anima...do something today to remind you of this gift from God. You are alive. You are the only you in the history of the world. You were created for a special purpose. You are one of the many precious designs David thanks God for!