THE BIG SWEAT!

What a perfect Father's Day gift.

Headed out to the Ojai Foundation today, 7:30 AM prep, 11 AM enter the lodge, more than 3 hours later, an intense, but blissful 4 rounds, we all emerged, 28 of us! including sweatlodge leader, Paul Perrotta.
It's been a few years since my last "sweat". My first was 10 years ago at the Ojai Foundation. It had been my version of a "bachelor party", where I invited 5 friends to join me there for the weekend. (It was a few weeks before my wedding back in 2001.) Quite a commitment, a show of support for these guys to join me in this venture. It was the first sweat for all of us, except for my bud, Marcus, who turned me on to the idea, and to the Foundation.

For those of you who've never experienced a Native American sweatlodge, I highly recommend it. A very healing ritual, where one expresses gratitude, offers up prayers, chants, attempting to purge oneself of suffering in mind and body. The "medicine" provided by the lodge's deep heat transforms and stills the mind and cleanses the body. The sense of community within the lodge is also very powerful - a safe place to reconnect with our own natural rhythms.

Here's the link to the Ojai Foundation. You can contact the sweatlodge leader, Paul, directly http://www.ojaifoundation.org/program/sweat-ceremony

ME AND LANCE, WHO KNEW?

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
-Lance Armstrong

Go Lance!
Getting into this whole blog thing. I was a bit thrown to discover a whole mess of instructional videos I'd done over 3 years ago for a company called Expert Village. They are now accessible through various websites including ehow.com, and Lance Armstrong's own livestrong.com.

It's a multi-part series on Shiatsu massage. As I recall, the shoot for it was pretty intense. One 12 hour day, just me, a volunteer "client" and the cameraman. Trying to cram in as much info as possible. Everybody was wonderful to work with, but I felt a bit out of my element. No script. The whole thing was on me. So I was the teacher/therapist, as well as "writer" and "director", And I remember feeling the need to walk that line, providing honest therapy and technique, and at the same time having to continually connect to the camera lens, i.e. the audience.

Now, that I've been doing my massage practice for some time, I've come to realize just how much of a moving meditation it really is. As in yoga (or any sport or creative endeavor for that matter), you ideally get lost. IN THE ZONE. Moving intuitively!!!!!! Every massage is different, every body (every canvas -'scuse my pretentiousness, please!). As yoga teacher, Bryan Kest has stated. "we all come to the mat with different life experiences." So, ideally, when I work on someone, and, if I'm fully "present", I'm different , as is the body I'm working on. So, to perform massage and still be cognizant of the camera, it'll inevitably be somewhat of an "act".

For what it's worth, I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you, Lance, for posting.

http://www.livestrong.com/video/1211-introduction-shiatsu-head-face/

KNOTS DEFINED!

Knots! What are they? I think of them as stored-up energy.... untapped energy - that, when released, can allow you to fall into a more natural, relaxed rhythm. At first, this “new body” can seem unfamiliar, a bit strange.

We all carry a certain amount of tension. This tension is our body’s natural defense in dealing with all the stress of daily life. Running around, driving, taking on the responsibilities in our personal and work lives. It’s our way of coping with all that we do. If untreated, this “coping” can lead to much more serious health issues.

Just like yoga, massage has the power to awaken the body’s intelligence. The practice of massage informs both the client and the practitioner (me),

“Hey! Something’s off here. This knot needs to be dealt with, and dissipated. It’s having a harmful impact on this body’s well-being. It’s causing pain.... anxiety. It’s creating an uncomfortable and awkward way of walking, leading to bad posture....”

Our bodies easily become imbalanced. This ”imbalance” will often become our norm, what we’re used to. And we’ll even accept pain as part of who we are.

So, what exactly are these knots? Besides, being what I call “stored-up energy,” these “knots”, or trigger points, are, in fact, spasms - tightly contracted muscle tissue, and they’re due to constricted blood flow. This poor circulation can be due to many factors. For many of my clients, it’s job related. such as, the prolonged repetitious use of the same muscles, over and over again. For others, it’s a job which has them sitting or standing too long. In both these instances, certain muscles can be overused or mis-used, while others are neglected, and thus, weakened.

Poor “body mechanics” is the true culprit. We get used to compensating for what is demanded of us - usually ignoring the signals (stiffness and sore muscles) our body sends to our brain. This is what I mean by the body’s “intelligence.” We know something’s off. But we often refuse to listen. We stay focused on our obligations, and the need to simply drive on - often until the situation becomes truly unbearable.

Lifting heavy objects, an awkward fall, or a sports injury can easily cause trigger points. And, emotional stress can also lead to muscle tension.

My job as a massage therapist is to assist in restoring a client’s physical and mental well-being.

By finding these “knots”, and by carefully kneading and massaging, we’ll release the stress, and, ultimately, bring about a healthier, and happier You!