Anahata Healing Arts

Nearly Grand Reopening

2009-07-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

The new massage space is up and running! It's not quite what we had planned on originally....I think it turned out even better. Instead of an addition we chose to build a yurt! Yes, a massage Yurt. In case you aren't familiar with yurts you can check them out at www.coloradoyurt.com to see just what one looks like. It was quite an endeavor, but its done! Thank you Tim! We'll be posting some pictures later this week so you can see just what it looks like. As for the Official Grand Reopening I'll be doing that as soon as we finish ripping up the concrete and making the new patio area. Look for the official notice in about a month. Until then, please excuse the mess, we're under construction....

Daylight savings is almost here!

2009-03-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

It's time to start preparing now for that hour of sleep your are about to lose in the wee hours of Sunday morning. At 2am Suday morning we spring forward (pun intended!) to 3am thus losing a whole precious hour of sleep.

Most folks don't even remember this is going on until they show up an hour late for church on Sunday morning or someone reminds them at the bar on Saturday night. While an hour may not seem like a big deal it messes with your circadian rhythm and can leave you sleep deprived causing you to be more prone to accidents or can even exacerbate existing mental illness. What I found interesting was that the Spring transition tends to be more disturbing to evening type people while the Fall transition is so to morning type folks. So you night owls might want to end your Saturday evening out just a big earlier this weekend!

In terms of health and wellness, sleep has a tremendous impact. Being sleep deprived may compromise your immune system causing you to get sick more often, make it difficult to concentrate, or cause short term memory loss.

You can ease the transition by starting to get up just a little bit earlier each morning. Set your alarm for 10 or 15 minutes earlier for the days preceding the jump forward. You won't miss 10 minutes of sleep one night. And no hitting the snooze button!

Pain in the neck

2009-02-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting at my computer most of the day today. Yeah, I got up several times to go to the bathroom, get food, do some laundry, but I've spent most of the day working at the computer. It's 3pm now and I am starting to realize that I am getting a bit of a headache starting right at the base of my neck telling me its time to quit this and go do some other work. But it got me to thinking....As a massage therapist I see a number of clients with specific pain issues from tension headaches, to low back pain, chronically tight neck and shoulder muscles. These folks come, get massage, feel better, go home feel good for a period of time and then the same issue returns. At this point I start to discuss with them what their activities are like that might be perpetuating the problem.

For folks who spend a large amount of time working on a computer you might want to take a minute to do an ergonomic evaluation of your set up (there are actually entire jobs and businesses dedicated to this one thing!). Is your screen right in front of you or do you have to look to the left or right (even just slightly to the side)? Do you have to scrunch down in your chair to look at it straight on? Is your chair at a comfortable height? Enough low back support? How is your posture? Are your shoulders hunched over? How is the height of your monitor? Mine was too low and I found myself slumping down to look at it. I put a small box under it to raise it up and I began noticing quite a difference within just a few minutes. Ok, I can go on, but you get the idea. You want to make sure that your workspace is set up to create the least amount of strain possible. I know you're thinking that having your screen just a little bit to the left isn't going to make a huge difference, but over time you'll start to feel it.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Brrrrrr

2009-02-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

Still cold here in East Berlin, PA! I know its no surprise that its still cold in February, but my thoughts have turned to spring and I was just hoping the weather would too. Just passing along some tips to help you all survive the rest of this cold weather with me.

Just can't get warm? Try a hot stone massage at your next appointment instead of your usual massage. It just feels fabulous on those cold winter days (I already have one booked for myself next month!). Not only does it feel great, it is very therapeutic as well. The heat will help to quickly loosen up tight muscles and the stones can even been used for doing some of the most relaxing trigger point or deep tissue work.

As I'm typing I'm looking down at my chapped dry hands. Yeah, I know I do massage, my hands are in oil for hours every week! But I have to wash my hands just like everyone else (probably more than everybody else - before and after every appointment) and I don't always get around to moisturizing until its too late. So, to treat myself later I am warming up my paraffin wax and taking my hands for a warming moisturizing dip later this afternoon. If I could I'd give myself a body wrap. I've got a great seaweed gel and a European Rose Mud that are great for bring moisture back to dry winter skin. I guess I'll settle for giving myself a nice scrub and then a head to toe coat of Shea Butter!

And of course an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so, make sure you wear gloves and try to moisturize before your hands turn to alligator skin!

More room!

2009-02-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

We've hemmed and we've hawed, we've huffed and we've puffed....and we're gonna blow the house down. Alright, just one wall....but then we're going to replace it with a new room. My new massage room!!! With a gigantic closet! We hope to start as soon as we can this spring so watch out for updates and pictures and our grand re-opening!

2008-11-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

Holiday Specials

Gift Certificates:
(1) 1 Hour Massage - $45
(2) 1 Hour Massages - $90
(3) 1 Hour Massages - $110

Special Holiday Treatments

Cranberry Orange Wrap - $50.00

Cranberry Sugar Scrub
Cranberry Orange Seaweed Gel Wrap
Whipped Shea Butter Moisturizing Treatment
Add a 1 Hour Spicy Gingerbread Massage for $35.00

Hot Chocolate Wrap - $50.00

Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Hot Cocoa Mud Wrap
Whipped Shea Butter Moisturizing Treatment
Add a 1 Hour Cocoa Massage for $35.00

Hawaiian Christmas Wrap - $50.00

Pineapple Sugar Scrub
Warm Mango – Papaya Rose Moisturizing Mud Wrap
Coconut Crème Moisturizing treatment
Add a 1 Hour Coconut Lime Massage for $35.00

Beware of scam!

2008-09-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is not directly related to massage, health, or well-being...but I am going to stretch it a little bit and hope this saves a couple of people some headaches later! I got this email a few minutes ago and it was a new scam to me. Never saw this one before.... When I went checking on the internet I found that others had received it in various forms lately. So, its junk, delete it!

Dear CEO,

We are One Net Technology Limited which is the domain name register center in Asia. We mainly responsible for domain name registration and dispute. I have something need to confirm with you. On the September, 9, 2008, we received an application formally. One company named "M-Shop International Holdings Ltd" wanted to register following:

The domain names:
anahatamassage.asia anahatamassage.cn anahatamassage.com.cn anahatamassage.com.tw anahatamassage.hk anahatamassage.net.cn anahatamassage.tw
and Internet brand:"Anahatamassage" through our body.
After our initial examination,we found that the domain names and Internet brand applied for registration are as same as your company's name and trademark.These days we are dealing with it, hope to get the affirmation of your company because that may relate to your intellectual property on internet. Now we have not finished the registration of M-Shop International Holdings Ltd yet, in order to deal with this issue better, please let someone in your company who is responsible for trademark or intellectual property rights contact us as soon as possible.
Best Regards,

Got a headache from Monday?

2008-09-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Self-Help: Reflexology for Headache Relief
In reflexology the fingers and toes correspond to the head, neck, and sinuses. When suffering from a headache you may find it helpful to work the fingers on both hands. This can be done by massaging the fingers or gently pinching or squeezing them. If you’d like, you can try “thumb walking” to work the points. To practice, hold your left hand palm side up in front of you (do this with the opposite hand if you are a lefty!). With your right hand place your thumb on top and your other fingers around the other side below. Pretend that your thumb is a caterpillar and that it is creeping across your hand like and inchworm. Here is a video on You Tube that gives a very nice demonstration of the technique. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fodggSIKBcc

I’ve never had a massage before…

2008-09-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard this from lots of folks over the years or “I’d love to get my mom a gift certificate, but I think she’d be too uncomfortable….”

This largest part of many fears is the fear of the unknown. I don’t know what to expect so I’ll let my imagination run wild for a bit and think of every possible horrible scenario I can. So, when it comes to getting a massage, add taking your clothes off and it pushes those fears to a whole new level.

I’d like to hopefully dispel some of those fears by educating you about what a massage appointment is like. Keep in mind that this is how one of my sessions goes. It is likely that this will be similar most places you go, but you may find some slight differences.

First, I’ll have you fill out a health history. Whoa! Why do you have to know all this stuff?!?! Don’t worry, I keep all your information private. And, there are certain conditions for which massage is not appropriate or for which slight modifications to technique need to be made. Some examples:

Fibromyalgia – in general, your therapist might want to limit the amount of pressure or trigger point work done during each session to avoid triggering a flare.

Pregnancy – there are reflex points, particularly around the feet, knees and ankles that can stimulate uterine contractions or induce labor. These points should be avoided to be on the safe side.

Conversely, there are conditions for which there are extremely beneficial massage techniques.

Constipation – gentle abdominal massage can help to promote regular bowel movements.

We’ll briefly discuss your health history and reason for seeking massage therapy. Are you there strictly for relaxation? Or are you looking to relieve tension in a specific area? I’ll ask if you want a full body massage or if you want me to spend the entire session or the area of tension. Too often I hear, “Oh, just do whatever you think…” Remember, this is YOUR time! You can pick and choose how much work you want on each area. It’s okay to be “bossy”. If you want 30 minutes on your back, 10 minutes on feet, and 20 minutes on your neck and shoulders, don’t be afraid to tell me. That way, I know that you are getting what you want out of the session. If you decide, part way through the session, “oh heck, just spend the rest of the time on my back” that’s just fine too!

Next, I’ll show you to the massage room to give you instructions. On my table I use a fitted sheet to cover the table, with a flat sheet on top, and a blanket on top of that for added warmth and privacy. I’ll ask you if you have any other questions before we begin. Here’s the scary part for many, taking your clothes off. I will give you any final instructions and then leave the room to allow you to get undressed privately. Keep in mind, you can remove as little or as much as you feel comfortable with. In general, most people will either remove everything or will leave their underwear on. Remember all the sheets and blankets. These will be used to keep you appropriately draped at ALL times. I only uncover the part that I am working on and I tuck the sheets securely so there is no chance of accidental exposure. For a great overview of massage draping, you can view this You Tube video. His draping methods are very similar to mine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwML9VUUshw

During the massage I will check in with you from time to time to make sure that you are comfortable. Are you too warm? Too cold? Is the pressure too much? Not enough? Does the face rest need to move up or down? If there is anything else that you need to make you more comfortable, let me know. At the end of the massage, I will once again leave the room allowing you to get redressed in private.

Hopefully, this has reduced some of the fears surrounding massage. For me, and hopefully all massage therapists you encounter, privacy and respect are of paramount importance.

My first blog post....ever!

2008-08-21T12:45:00.001-07:00

Hi All! It seems like everyone has a blog these days, so I felt like I needed one too! Actually, I thought that in the long run this would be an all around easier way of doing my monthly newsletter. People were having trouble opening some of the newsletters that I sent out and the beginning of the month always seemed to come way too quickly. If you've received my newsletter in the past, you may have also noticed that you haven't seen it in a couple of months....but hey, I haven't had anything else going on recently to distract me from my newsletter writing duties! ;)

Let me just tell you a little of what's to come. This blog is going to be dedicated to the art of health and well-being with an emphasis on my areas of expertise or interest. Posts will include tips and tricks, information about different types of bodywork, helpful websites, book reviews, all kinds of good stuff! Aaaaand....if you want to learn more about something, just ask, if I can get you the information, I will!

So, give me a couple of days to figure this out and look for the first real post on Monday. Something to look forward to at work!

Be well!