 It always makes me smile a little when I'm a few movements into a Massage Therapy session and I hear "You can go deeper" from the client, face down on the table. Yes, I can go deeper, but are your muscles at a point where they are ready for that? Is your Fascia ready? Movements are lighter at the beginning of a Massage Therapy session for a few reasons. Firstly, with my hands I'm feeling for temperature changes in the areas that I'm treating, usually checking for heated areas that may be signaling inflammation. If I start getting deep into the tissues right away, increasing circulation, I'm not going to be able to check for inflammation as easily.  Massage Therapy relaxes the Nervous System Clients will find their Massage Therapy session more beneficial if muscles are "calm" and part of the slower, lighter movements is to encourage the nervous system to relax and the muscles to open, allowing my hands to move in more deeply. Muscles are more likely to be "on guard" if I am trying to dig deep right from the start, and that can cause them to spasm. If you are hurting and clenching because the Massage is too deep or feels uncomfortable I will cause more damage than good. Massage Therapy does not have to be deep or painful in order to be effective.
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We've been walking on some icy surfaces in Calgary for a couple of weeks at least, and I can feel it in the muscles of your legs and hips! Apparently there is more to come through the weeks ahead...ugh. What are your muscles telling me? To avoid falling or slipping we tend to walk differently on icy surfaces. The shoes we wear hopefully have a better grip, but they also tend to be heavier and clumsier than our usual footwear.
Our stance, or centre of gravity should change to feet wider apart and slightly bending forward over our feet to shift body weight where we need it to maintain balance. Hands out of pockets to balance and holding handrails to catch our fall if we go down, shifts our balance as well. We may hit an icy step and jerk or twist our body to keep from falling. Your muscles tell me all about it. Yes, I do hear you.  We're all more than a little burned out by all that goes with the COVID19 pandemic and the changes it has brought to our lives. I myself would give just about anything to give and receive a hug right now. And while there seems some light at the end of the tunnel we are still a ways off from being able to relax and return to a more normal life. Some clients have expressed their unhappiness about the new infection control protocols that I initiated on January 4th of this year, and I want you to know that I do hear you and I do understand. That being said, I do have to follow them, while still providing you with an optimal, therapeutic session. (If you're not aware of them click here)
 Happy New Year! While not much has changed in the move to 2021, there is a light at the end of the tunnel with regards to Covid19. A big thankyou to all of you for navigating all of the changes that 2021 brought to your sessions due to COVID19, I have really appreciated your understanding. My association has updated the infection control protocols that I must follow, effective January 4th 2021. It's really reassuring to know that in Alberta there have not been any COVID cases related to clients having Massage Therapy. This indicates the infection control protocols we have been using have been working and now a few additions can only be of benefit. Click here to read about the new protocols for my Calgary clients. Click here to read about the current provincial mandates for health sessions with me.  The New Year kicks off for me with additional continuing education in Holistic Nutrition followed by specific holistic nutrition that benefits muscle and joint issues, and then on to Yin and Restorative Yoga teacher's program and also a course in Assisted Stretching. If you don't already, subscribe to my enewsletter for updates and how these courses will be added to the services I offer.
I wish for you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Years! Cheers, Teresa! Nature spirals in and out through the seasons … so do we. Have you noticed the whorls and circles in the trunk of a cut tree, how a cat will curl up and around itself to sleep within a tucked up ball, the spirals of sea shells, plant leaves, wave patterns in the sand left by the ocean’s waves…   It may seem in Autumn and Winter that nature doesn't continue the spiraling process but it does. The leaves on a tree begin to dry and curl until a wind blows through the branches and the tree opens and releases the leaves to the ground. Snowflakes have circular patterns as they fall to the ground. Cats spend more time curled up to stay warm but they do get up to stretch luxuriously. Nature spirals in but also opens up and releases. The human body spirals….our dna spirals within, we have linings (fascia) around our cells, muscles, our organs, even our skin acts as a lining that holds us together. Our mind spirals with emotions that wind us up or loosen and relax us. During the Fall and Winter months we are more likely to curve inwards to protect against the colder breezes, we're more likely to cocoon indoors and wrap ourselves up, curl our posture around that hot cup of cocoa.
 You do know you deserve it right? Deserve to be Pampered, not just every now and then but all the time. Indulging in what makes us feel cared for and pampered is the ultimate selfcare gift that we can give to ourselves. When we are in that pampered state we often are feeling relaxed, empowered and refreshed. Wouldn't approaching your day to day tasks be easier and more satisfying if you're feeling strengthened and renewed in mind, body and spirit?  What makes us feel pampered and comforted is likely to be different for each person reading this and I have to be honest that I love to hear about what each person's choice is, mostly because it often gives me ideas on new things to try. Below you'll find a special offering added to Services for the month of October, something I put together based on feedback from clients. Through the month the ideas around pampering and comfort will also be explored on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds and I would love it if you would share your preferences for pampering and comfort with other readers and myself. October's Health Session Special Enjoy 90 minutes of relaxation, balance and rejuvenation during the month of October 2020 with a blend of Relaxation Massage, Reflexology and Reiki.
This special will be offered and must be booked and received between October 1 and 31st 2020. Not usually offered, you can, for this special only, purchase gift certificates for yourself or others to receive a session at any time. A popular Christmas treat! For Calgary clients
For Fraser Valley clients
For many it feels like forever since we've seen our friends, family, clients and colleagues, but with staying home and keeping everyone safe, we're now seeing a light at the end of this tunnel.
The idea of businesses re-opening can be both exciting and scary. With regards to Booking your Massage Therapy or Holistic Sessions, I want to put your mind at ease.  A holistic approach means taking care of something in all aspects. When we talk about holistic living, it means a complete and whole approach to the well-being of our body, mind and spirit. We are not just our bodies nor just our minds or spirit, if one is off balance the others are likely affected … and both should be addressed as we journey towards maintaining wellness.  In our normal busy states of being, people often tend to be very much in their "heads". The mind is busy thinking, planning, remembering, engaging. For most occupations we have to be, however, what is going on with the body during this busy time?  Two things that I notice when clients are in for a session, especially Massage Therapy; They often don't realize just how many sore muscles the have in their body until I begin to work on them, and I can often feel the muscles begin to relax as people talk on the table about the issues keeping them busy. It's as though air is finally being released from an overfilled air mattress, the muscles become softer and more fluid. This is often my reasoning to asking questions before a session starts. How are you doing, on all levels, that day? Your answers give me some insight into how you're connecting with all aspects of your holistic well-being. When you plan an activity is it purely physical? Or do you also account for how it will feel on a mental/emotional level and how it feeds (or not) you on a spiritual level?  An example of what I mean by the question above. Some years ago when looking for a workout I needed to find something that I would stick to. While I played a lot of team sports and did competitive swimming in high school, my life just didn't have a space of time for that as a business owner and single mother. I thought back through the things I had tried during my growing up and pre-mum years for what I had really enjoyed doing. Here was the list I came up with:
 My workouts became: Taking Belly Dance classes and moving on to also teach (moving the body freely with music is so energizing!), yoga because I loved it and it really goes hand in hand with taking care of dance muscles and joints and walking or hiking in nature. This holistic approach to my well-being fed me on all levels, mind, body and spirit. I take this same approach to other activities, and to my work. I love the work I do and the interactions that I have with clients. My work doesn't feel like a job but instead is a passion that I get to take part in every day. While I've been a secretary and interior designer in past careers and did find some satisfaction in that, they don't feed my soul in the same way as providing Massage and Holistic Therapies does. The holistic approach to well-being is not just about the body. It also takes into account your mental state, how you're feeling about your day to day activities, and if they feed you on a spiritual level as well.
 With the changes life has brought us during the Covid19 pandemic I encourage you to take some time to take a look at your daily activities and ask yourself if they bring a holistic balance to your well-being or do they need to be tuned-up, changed or dropped completely. Once you begin to take a holistic approach to one or two activities, you'll find it begins to change your approach to others. Note: This is not a space for you to be self-judgemental or look for blame, it's simply having an honest look at ways to make positive changes for your whole healthy being. I hope that you'll share your experiences. Join me during the month of April for A Journey into Taking a Holistic Approach to Covid19
 I invite you to join me on a holistic journey. Through no fault of our own, life turned upside down on us the past few weeks. Our daily norms, for the most part, have had to adjust drastically and while change is a constant in life, as humans we tend to struggle with it. "We're all in this together" is a beautiful sentiment, and though true, it does little to alleviate personal feelings of worry, uncertainty, fear, anger... Broad statements such as this can actually cause us more stress, especially if we're feeling isolated and can't relate to it.  Taking a Holistic approach to change means allowing yourself to feel what you feel, all of it, expressing it and then working through ways that work for YOU to accept, shift and move forward. That shift needs to happen on all levels; Body, Mind and Soul, for our beings to fully integrate and journey forward. It opens a door to fully embracing that we really are, all in this together. Join me through the coming weeks as we navigate this journey together. The chart below identifies the steps we'll be taking, what you'll discover as the theme in blog articles, social media posts and some new video offerings.
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Teresa Graham,
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