 Teresa Graham, RMT & Holistic Practitioner I chose my profession because people, their health and well-being, matter to me. I have been so fortunate to have found and to be able to work in a field where I can impact that directly. Each and every person that I see is of great importance to me, and the fact that I am trusted with your well-being is an honour that I take very seriously. My association has reached out to URGE RMTs to do our part in preventing further spread of Covid-19 by shutting down operation. From my personal perspective, my ethics as a (non-essential) healthcare practitioner requires me to put your health and safety first, always. It is impossible to offer safe distancing with most of the therapies that I offer. On Tuesday evening I had to make a difficult decision to temporarily suspend providing massage and most holistic services. The situation with Covid19 is fluid and changing and I will be reassessing regularly. I really look forward to when I can book clients again. I'm sure we will all need some mind and body stress relief. In the meantime, scroll down for what is still available and how I will be reaching out and staying connected with you until I can see you in person again. Stay healthy, safe, and don't forget to practice self care! Warmest Regards, Teresa
 When We're Back
To reassure you for when I re-open. I always take sanitizing seriously, between each client, and that will not change. All linens are changed between clients, individual oil containers are used and hard surfaces are wiped down with disinfectant. I will however be mindful and implement any other suggestions that are put forward by Alberta Health or Health Canada to ensure your good health and safety.
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 The "sigh" is something I wait for, and eventually, in every holistic session, it comes. That is when I know that a client has given over to allowing the holistic session to work with them on all levels (mind, body and spirit) The human sigh, while often a spontaneous occurrence, conveys a wide range of emotions and has an abundance of holistically healthy benefits. Our breathe impacts our emotional and physical state and the sigh can encourage a state of balance.  A sigh is the body's reset button. Whether we're releasing stress and tension, relaxing, or even in the midst of a panic attack, a sigh can trigger a spontaneous reset for mind, body and spirit. Sighing reminds us to breath more regularly, and often more deeply while at the same time encouraging us to come down a little from high anxiety. Take a Moment:
How do you feel?  You'll probably notice that your shoulders have moved down from your ears, your mind feels a little less foggy and overall, you feel "lighter". At the beginning of a Reiki or Craniosacral Therapy session I encourage clients to take 2 to 3 deep, slow breaths as it begins to encourage relaxation. However, I know they are in a deeper state of allowing stress and tension to release, when they sigh...and they always do. So let your body sigh...it's Good For You  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.
Let's explore together some ideas to improve our holistic well-being through 2020. The calendar below is filled with suggestions to help with that. Take one a day (you may need longer than a day for each step and that's totally ok...take all the time you need), pull out a journal and explore what the theme for the day means for you, your life, your well-being. You may find that some questions, suggestions, ideas resonate to stay as they are, or need to be changed up. The idea is to take a look at your life from a holistic point of view, and make some changes where you feel the need. Each day you can follow along with the day's theme on my Facebook page. I welcome your comments, suggestions, stories, ideas, questions, etc. with each post. Challenge yourself, challenge others...the results will make a positive difference.  I plan to take the challenge, I hope that you will join me!
Helping Body, Mind and Spirit transition selfcare through the seasons takes some thought and planning, but you can make it easier.
Falling into Self-Care Activities
Self Massaging Autumns Dryness Away Self Massage rituals to moisturize your skin This year the dry weather seems to have arrived a little earlier and my skin regime has already needed to change. Increased dry brushing to get rid of dead skin cells and LOTS of moisturizing. I make moisturizing a self-massage ritual. Usually coconut oil, blended with favourite essential oils and massaged into muscles, joints and skin. This increased and focused touch is a great way to improve body awareness plus skin that just feels good to live in. For my scalp and hair I use warmed coconut or sesame oil to nourish and nurture. Wrapped up in a towel for a few hours my upper being absorbs all the goodness. Lots and lots of Massage Therapy
Seasonal Eating Selfcare Seasonal and Fresh foods for your dietary self care Do you also prefer warm foods in your tummy when the weather is colder outside? There is nothing quiet like a steaming bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. Or starting the day with a bowl of oatmeal and warmed fruit. Preferring to buy local and fresh my self care nourishment includes lots of squash, kale, beets, carrots, apples and pears blended into stews, soups, oatmeal and other deliciousness. The addition of warming spices such as cinnamon, clove, curry, nutmeg speak to my soul this time of year. Cozying up to Self Care
How do your self care rituals change through the seasons?When you have to stay indoors rather than be outside, what do you do for self care?A holistic health colleague and I were discussing ways to promote our businesses last week and how to get our messages of wellbeing out to the general public. What we couldn't decide was whether approaching potential clients from the viewpoint of emotional wellbeing was the best way to share, or if physical wellbeing was better. Why was this a dilemma for us? I think it lies in the fact that we, as therapists, look at wellbeing from a holistic point of view, while mainstream media presents to the public a very "physical symptoms and dis-ease picture" viewpoint.
 In researching what the public is searching the internet for, the focus is very much on disease and symptoms labels such as Fibromyalgia, Plantar Faciitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, PTSD, Stress, Back Pain, Menopause symptoms, Cancer, Anxiety Disorder.... While there is no disagreement with the labels, a holistic therapist looks at each client as an individual and how those symptoms are specifically affecting them. How they are feeling, that day, on an emotional and physical level. When a client comes to see me for a Massage Therapy session and lists their problem as Back pain. I'm assessing, as they move, how the pain is affecting their movement, is their spine appearing to be out of alignment, any signs of swelling or inflammation in the muscles, are they in emotional distress from the pain, what is it keeping them from doing, is it affecting their sleep, are they clenching their jaw or sweating from pain, how are they describing it, what words are they using... Why so much in the way of assessment? I've probably already seen 3 other clients that day with Back pain and I guess I could treat them each the same way BUT is that really going to be beneficial for each? It might be but likely not. I assess because I want to know how this is affecting their overall holistic wellness and I want to treat them in such a way that all levels of wellbeing are addressed  I may find as I'm workingwith them that the pain began after an emotionally upsetting day. As they talk about this during their session the muscles will often open up and let my hands work out the pain and tension of the emotion. They may cry, laugh, get angry as the loosening muscles allow the emotion to be released...which is wonderful. While they are likely of the mind that it was the massage that loosened the muscle, I'm more likely to believe that releasing the emotion was much more beneficial. That was only one of the 3 clients that day with Back pain. What about the other two coming in with completely different circumstances but the same symptoms. Perhaps baby gaining weight is putting excess strain on the pregnant woman's back muscles, or they slept in an awkward position, or the busy teacher is stressed out and clenching their muscles. That is why so much assessment happens.  So in getting back to the original dilemma around promotion, we wondered how to best get that message across as holistic therapists. I think what we decided was to go for the symptoms and use the language that potential clients understand, and then begin to plant seeds, educate and present the ideas that encompass holistic health and wellness.
That isn't to say we would try to change people. Each person has their own beliefs around health and wellness and what is best for them in the way of therapies. Each individual knows their body far better than I, and their beliefs bring them the holistic wellness they feel comfortable with. As a therapist, it is up to me to honour and understand, learn from each client and adapt my therapy session to best meet their needs, and at the same time share knowledge about how the body works and it's amazing abilities to heal through holistic wellness. |
Teresa Graham,
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