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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. Jerking, Twisting, Falling on ice...how it impacts your musclesNone of the information provided in any way replaces your regular medical care. Your doctor should be your first stop after a hard fall, hitting your head or other serious injury.  When you jerk or twist to keep from falling it's often with relief that you haven't hit the ground, but for some reason you are sore in the following days. These jerks or twists are sudden movements that our body was not prepared for, similiar to when we're in a car accident and don't see the other car coming towards us. Muscles can become sore and stiff as a result of the twist. When you do fall you can injure your muscles, joints and tendons depending on how you land. The icy ground has little to no give so it's similar to a fall on cement. The impact hurts where you land, but also the muscles around the area as they are jarred. How Massage Therapy Can HelpAgain, check in with your medical doctor first for serious falls to rule out breaks, fractures, concussion...  Apply ice to the area right after you fall for the first 48 hours to reduce any swelling. As the hockey mum of a goaltender I used to put a slice of fresh lemon under the ice pack. I'm not sure how it worked but the lemon would draw any bruises to the surface (which looked terrible) and they would heal faster. After 48 hours heat will help more with the healing process as it encourage blood flow to the injured area. Massage Therapy 2 to 3 days afterwards will first focus on pain relief and easing any swelling or fluid build up in the area. Because you're likely still sore or bruised it will be a lighter massage. Often this can also help to deter scar tissue from forming. It's also an opportunity to assess other muscles that may not have sustained impact but were jerked or twisted as a result of the fall.  Regular weekly Massage appointments afterwards will help to improve recovery and will focus more on loosening muscles that have become tight, while assisting your body's return to it's pre-injury state. 
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 OK, so you’ve done the work, peeled back layers of your life, like an onion, to discover at least one thing that is no longer working for you. That something is up for change as you create holistic balance in your life. You’ve explored the ways that work for you and hopefully found 2 or 3 that work and you’re in the process of integrating those changes. Now what?
 The basis of a holistic approach to health, to life and to change, is acknowledging the mind, body and the spirit connection, and nurturing that connection. What affects the mind has an influence on the body and visa versa. Anything affecting either or both, mind and body, impacts upon our spirit. Let's take stress as an example. When we're feeling stressed about a situation we can feel it in our body. Some feel is as stomach upset, some as shoulder pain from tightened muscles, others experience headaches. Often, and at the same time, stress can cause a loss of hope, thus affecting the spirit. Unexpected change is often uncomfortable and can create stress. Despite change being an ongoing occurrence in life it is one we can't seem to embrace. The drastic changes that COVID19 has brought to our lives is hard to navigate and it is no wonder that many balk at embracing it. But, what are our choices?  I am hearing a whole range of emotions from clients, family and friends as the life changes imposed by COVID19 unroll. Anger, fear, depression, anxiety, frustration, sorrow, shock,, grief... are just a few. Many feel changes "forced" upon them are impossible to steer through. There are many of us that have had to slow down or stop work due to social distancing or loss of business, parents are being asked to work at home while also home-schooling their children and at the same time keep them indoors and away from playgrounds and friends, those deemed essential are busy and stressed as they are daily put at risk of infection, as humans we are social beings and we are not able to spend time with our friends, or family members that live elsewhere... I cannot think of any emotions that would be inappropriate, but there are ways to navigate through them, grow from them and thrive, holistically. The first step in taking a holistic approach to the changes of COVID 19 is to acknowledge every single emotion experienced as valid, there is no right or wrong way to feel. Secondly, is to understand that those emotions are having an impact on your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  Take some time over the next few days to allow your feelings, write them down or express them through art. If you meditate, try to check into where you're feeling those emotions in your body and what they feel like. Don't try to tamp them down as emotions are energy and energy needs to move to be released. Upcoming posts, as we travel this journey together will address ways to not only deal with the mental, physical and spiritual impact of COVID19, but ways to grow holistically. Tips that will assist you in addressing change throughout life, often making it something easier to embrace. You may want to work through the steps as they are presented or may find yourself jumping back and forth. There is no right or wrong way to work through these steps, your way must work for you in realizing the benefits of a holistic approach.
 REIKI is an ancient Japanese healing technique My connection with Reiki, from when I received my first session, through learning, sharing sessions and also teaching, has been a journey filled with twists and turns and a lot of lessons. Not all of it easy, but I think those experiences have made me a better teacher and practitioner. Reiki is all about being open to allowing and receiving energy that is loving and healing. Deservability can raise it's ugly head in whether we feel we're worthy. That self-judgement is completely dissolved as we feel the vibrations of Reiki's beautiful energy.  Holistic health involves the mind, body and spirit What has changed the most in my Reiki practice is a better understanding of how many different physical and emotional journey's clients and students are on. They are as unique as the individual. Remaining open, without judgement but instead with acceptance, is a place that I have learned to greet each person with. This has spilled over into all of the holistic sessions that I practice and teach. While a lot of what I have learned and practiced is from textbooks and lectures, I've also come to the understanding of how important it is to embrace holistic healing, that if the mind is feeling out of sorts, stressed and anxious, the body is likely reflecting that as well. Healing one without addressing the other usually leads to a temporary feeling of well-being, but in addressing both many clients experience better outcomes. A few months ago I had a client book in for Reiki who was brand new. She had experienced trauma and said to me "I want to heal, but do I really have to talk with you about what happened". "No, you don't" was the answer. I knew that she would draw Reiki to those areas that needed healing and that I was simply there to support and facilitate that process. Twenty years ago I likely wouldn't have had the same trust and faith, but I've witnessed it with too many to discount it now.  Learn to share Reiki with others at a Level 1 Class In teaching Reiki I find that students will struggle with what they are feeling when giving a session, moreso that they are not feeling anything or not feeling enough. It takes some time and practice to come to the understanding that sharing a Reiki session is not about what you the student or practitioner is feeling. What is the most important aspect of Reiki is what the recipient is experiencing and knowing that is enough. Reiki, or the idea of working with energy, brings a lot of questions from clients and the public. I am always happy to talk with you and, if I can, answer any questions you may have about Reiki. However, the best way to learn about it is to first experience it.
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Teresa Graham,
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