On "Adventurousness"

A young woman I worked with yesterday had a shattered vertebra from a 30-foot fall and was lamenting that she would never be able to do something adventurous like Skydiving. 

My response?

"Well, if you want to experience skydiving, you can just stick your head out of the window of a car going down the freeway because that's what it's like.

If you want to be adventurous you don't have to do highly risky, extreme sports. You simply have to be willing to step out of your safety zone. You can stay on a sailboat for a week, hike the Appalachian Trail, or the Inca Trail, take a different route home, or simply try a food you never thought you would eat, or learn something you never thought you would learn. Being adventurous is more a frame of mind, where you are open to new experiences and possibilities, than it is in engaging in high-adrenaline activities."

She smiled and shared with me an experience she had in SouthEast Asia with scooters. I think she got it. smile emoticon

More Connectedness for 2014

In a bodywork context, I often talk about how we Americans are so "in our heads" -- that we often don't think about our bodies until something hurts or is going wrong. This is why we sometimes become clumsy, have accidents and suddenly wake up one day in pain that seems to have come out of nowhere. This is why massage, working out or getting some sort of physical activity puts you back "in your body" making you more grounded and centered.

This is a free webinar type of thing I would recommend checking out. We could all benefit from begin more connect to our bodies and to each other. 

"We’ve all been raised in a disembodied world – sitting at awkward desks for far too many hours, squinting at screens, learning through our brains alone, and thinking of our bodies as machines to feed with fuel rather than exquisite works of art to savor.

The result? We feel lethargic, isolated, disconnected and depleted. We develop strange diseases. We put on weight. We feel tense and uncreative."

Here is to a more connected 2014!

Some Thoughts on "Energy" and Holistic Health Care

To my holistic health care pals: Please, please, please! Before you go making qualitative judgments about others' "energy" check in with yourself first to: 

1) Be very, very clear about what is yours and what is theirs. What are your judgments? What is your history you are bringing to this? Does this person or situation remind you of someone or something from your past? 

2) Ask yourself: Is this person really putting out the sort of energy I think they are putting out? Or is my qualitative statement simply a reflection of how I feel about this person or situation? 

Am I offended or uncomfortable in some way? Does this person or situation make me feel scared or insecure? How can I learn to peacefully exist with this situation or person and not feel this way without feeling the need to change them or shut them out? How can I personally grow from doing so? 

3) Is it possible I am making this qualitative statement to avoid dealing with my own issues and feelings about this situation or person and addressing them as an evolved adult human being? 

4) Why do I feel the need to make a qualitative judgement or statement at all? If it is not my "stuff" and truly is theirs, why not just let it roll off my back and go about my business? Is it really my place to make this assessment? 

Seriously: if you consider yourself a "healer" (which I have never called myself)  you need to heal your own issues first--especially before you try to assess others' spiritual or energetic well-being. There are some very charismatic leaders in the San Francisco bodywork community that encourage this sort of thing, and I think it is very dangerous and destructive if used indiscriminately. 

One Path to Personal Freedom and Happiness

Years ago, a friend mentioned "The Four Agreements" as a path to spiritual growth. I, being one who does not easily buy into popular self-help guides, wrote it off as another trite self-help guide to co-opting Native American spirituality.

I recently revisited the four agreements and discovered that on my own, I had actually adopted them over the years and discovered a path to both personal freedom and happiness. Many of you who knew me in my previous practice--True Massage & Wellness--know that the name of my practice did not come form some idea that my massage was the only "True Massage", but from a desire to support my own--and others'--being in a place of authenticity and personal truth. Of being "True". It has been a lifelong path and my calling, really.

Simply put, the following Four Agreements are simple instructions to live more authentically and to cultivate more compassion and love around you. They can be rephrased in many ways, but ultimately, they are pretty straightforward.

Where do these fit into your life?

• Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
• Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.
• Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
• Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

A Solution for Positional Vertigo!

The solution for vertigo! If you've ever had it, you know how scary it can be. Imagine standing up and the entire room spins!

When I had vertigo after an accident in which I sustained a head injury, I had a difficult time finding someone who knew how to treat my vertigo. I finally found an ENT that could do it--she was the only one in her who knew the Epley Maneuver. This is how she fixed it and I am glad to see this instructional video, since a lot of healthcare practitioners don't know how to treat it.

Can Alkalizing Nutrition Make a Difference?

Some of you know that I am fascinated by and am studying nutrition independently. I have learned over the years, that nutrition makes a huge difference in how our bodies feel on a day-to-day basis. 

There are so many fad diets out there (yes, "Paleo" is one of them), that it is really confusing. I have recently read a book, Your Heath...Your Choice, about the benefits of consuming an alkalizing diet that I think is a good way to find a rational, balanced approach to eating a healthy diet that is energizing, reduces atherosclerosis, reduces inflammation, and prevents illness by maintaining an environment that is inhospitable to pathogens and cancer.

 Following an alkalizing diet aligns with general common sense in regard to what is more healthy, though there are some exceptions. For example, organic leafy greens are one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat. Lean animal proteins, however, are more acid-producing than fatty animal proteins. Fats are actually less acid producing. Contrary to what you may think based on their taste, lemons and other citrus fruits are very alkalizing, whereas plums and blackberries are more acid-producing. Grains are very acid-producing, especially in refined form. So are artificial sweeteners, sugar and pasteurized cow dairy (goat is less acidifying).

 Honestly, it's a bit of a challenge to get your body to the correct pH of 7, but a good place to start is by testing your pH daily. I challenge you to try eating more alkaline for at least one week and see how you feel! Here is a chart to use as a guideline. There are other charts out there with varying information, but this is a decent one.

One thing I want to emphasize: you don't need to buy a bunch of products (except maybe some pH test strips) to follow this, despite the fact that there are a lot of websites selling "alkaline water" and so on. If you want to make your filtered water more alkaline, squeeze some lemon into it!

To make some better choices: Pick the tomato/feta/spinach omelette instead of the ham & cheese. Ask for your sandwich to be wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of bread, or try to have a salad of dark, leafy greens with some lemon for at least one meal per day. If you have any questions about this, feel free to email me, comment, or just let me know how it goes!

Authenticity: be TRUE, especially to yourself to be happier and enjoy life more!

A great article about authenticity!
This concept is where our name comes from! When you come to see us, you don't have to be anyone but yourself. No fancy makeup or clothes required. :)