​Naturally, as I’m aging, the repetitive strain on my hand, elbow and shoulder joints is showing up as pain. My body is shouting loud and clear, and has been for a couple of years, with regards to offering Massage as a service, in the same way that I have for many years. While I don’t offer Massage Therapy in BC, it is what I’m trained in and I bring the best I’m able to, for each client’s holistic sessions.

​Listening to your body is a big part of a successful Craniosacral Therapy session. I find myself wishing that I didn’t have to have clients fill out Health Intake forms in advance, but instead could just get quiet and listen in to what their body is saying about what is going on. The movement or not of subtle rhythms, the areas that are showing me tensions or ease in the fascia, where joints and bones are not quite sitting as they should and the body is unable to get comfortable…  (but I do have to have the Health Intake Forms and Consent forms in advance and yes, I always read them over)

​It takes some patience though. While I do find that clients who receive Craniosacral Therapy sessions achieve results much faster than the other modalities that I offer, you still have to consider how long your body has taken to get to where it is. The history of injury and illness, the stressors and how they’ve impacted your nervous system. It can take some time for those to unwind and ease…but they always do.

It is completely different when working with babies and children, as they don’t have that same history, as teens and adults do. Their little bodies seek immediate relief to issues that have been with them for a very short time. A little ones session is markedly different to that of an adult. They still can realize amazing results. ​

Craniosacral Therapy is all about feeling the subtle rhythms and messages that your body is sharing. To sense those subtleties, I need to focus in a different way. It's important that I shut down that analytical Massage Therapist mind that wants to track and follow what makes sense to my soft tissue knowledge of the body. That is not what I want to bring to your Craniosacral Therapy session.

Instead of tracking  I  need to pause and listen to what your body is sharing with me. What your body's priority for the session is. I want to sense and feel where the fascia is restricted throughout your body, what your cranial rhythm feels like, where the body and cranium is shifting and turning to accommodate restriction and  lack of mobility.

So no, I haven't fallen asleep. I'm closing my eyes to limit distractions and enhance my other senses, mainly my touch sensitivity. I want to really tune in to the person who is in or under my hands, make all of my touch senses available to what I'm feeling and sensing.

​Your sense of vision is the more dominant of your five senses and can actually shadow your sense of touch. 

I am also likely to remain with my hands in one place and my eyes closed. The time ensures that I've picked up all of the rhythms and messages your body wants to share for that session. It also allows me to wait for and feel those subtle shifts once change has happened. It often takes time and patience for your body to respond and I don't what to miss it when that happens. Taking that time makes the outcome of your session better.

The same is true for younger clients, actually moreso. Little ones are unlikely to lie quietly as adults do for their sessions. There will be movement and there will be noise and I still want to have the same level of sensitivity happening in my hands. So yes, my eyes will likely be closed during a little one's session as well.

It is kind of like listening to music with your eyes closed. Do you notice that you pick up on more of the rhythms and words to a piece of music when you close your eyes and just listen? By limiting your sense of vision  your auditory senses can take prevalence and are enhanced. 

Limiting one of the 5 senses to enhance the others can also create new neural pathways in the brain. In limiting one of the senses you're training your brain to learn more from another or other senses

Try this: close your eyes and pick up an object. Use your sense of touch to notice how it feels, what the temperature is, what the weight of the object feels like in your hands. Take your time and allow your brain to process this new information from touch instead of sight.

Next with eyes closed, try touching the arm of someone you know. Just a light touch. Notice the temperature of the skin, the texture, can you feel a pulse or rhythm? Take your time and the more your brain moves to sensing through touch the more details you will notice.

The dural tube is the membranous sheath inside the spinal vertebrae that encloses the spinal cord, nerve roots and cerebral spinal fluid. It extends from the base of your skull to your sacrum and optimally moves freely. During a Craniosacral Therapy session many clients experience rocking, release or other techniques to encourage it to be free of adhesions. ​

​The flexion shape offered by a hammock supports the natural curve of the spine as it eases fascial and muscle tension. With your head in a slightly elevated posture (think of the end of a banana) the hammock relaxes the neck while also offering a position that opens up the airways. The support of a hammock along with gravity offers decompression gapping/ease between the vertebrae of the spine and relaxation of the muscles and fascia. There is also the calming, cocooning effect that is offered.

​Often when my hands are working with the Sphenoid Bone a client will mention that they are feeling sensation further down in their body, around their hips, legs, lower abdomen, lower spine... “That’s weird!” has been the most common comment. But actually, it really isn’t.

Because of where they are situated and their attachments to other bones, the Sphenoid and Pelvic bones don’t act alone, nor do they soften and ease alone. As the fascial attachments of the pelvic bones unwind there is often a corresponding ease of tension felt through the legs, feet, knees, hips, lower ribcage, spine and abdominal organs (all linked through fascia). ​

Intraoral Craniosacral Therapy is only applied as it is needed and often, the work of Craniosacral Therapy through the rest of the neck, shoulders and cranium is enough to achieve the release of tensions. The cranium will always be treated first, and that may or may not include additional attention to facial bones.

Because the areas in the mouth tend to release quickly, intraoral work may be applied towards the end of a session. Gentle and slow in application, I find I'm not in the mouth for very long as areas respond rapidly.

Work in the mouth can be sensitive and I encourage you to read "Intraoral Craniosacral Therapy & Trauma Informed Care"

As a Massage Therapist by training for 30 years and an equal amount of years as a Craniosacral Therapist, I am passionate about assisting others in realizing just how important it is to care for their holistic self in between sessions, and on a daily basis.

Your muscle tissues begin to shrink and shorten beginning at about age 30 so a regular stretching practice is essential to maintaining flexibility and strength throughout your life time. Yin Yoga targets that, but because of the long held poses, also gives your all important Fascia the opportunity to relax, unwind and loosen. I can't emphasize enough just how vital that is to enjoying greater pain free movement.

Because I believe so strongly in these practices towards holistic well-being I was finally nudged by spirit to offer this series at no charge. In that way cost is not a barrier to promoting and supporting others well-being journeys whether they come to me for sessions, or not. In my heart it immediately felt right, and so that is what I did.

As a holistic practitioner for 34 years I embrace the concept that to achieve and maintain optimal wellness and balance you need to find and maintain equanimity between your Physical Body (what you feel), your Mental Body (what you think, your Emotional Body (what you experience/express) and your Spiritual Body (your sense of purpose and connection.

In about 6 weeks I will be adding more content to what is posted in the series and through the months ahead will create and add more, so you can expect it to be continually changing.

I hope that you enjoy.