Maintenance ~ What is it?

Much like regular maintenance to keep your car operating well, your body, mind and spirit require regular maintenance as well. From a Holistic therapy viewpoint, maintenance begins when your body, mind and spirit have reached a point of homeostasis.

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Homeostasis
~ a relatively stable equilibrium between elements. A state of balance among all the body systems.

This means that you've met or come close to your goals (less or no pain, freer more flexible movement, cleared emotional clutter, ...) whatever they may be, and now it's time to maintain where you're at.

Yes, there are always layers in the healing process. Kind of like an onion has layers. There will be times that you may need to shift between maintenance and more frequent sessions, set new goals and then return to maintenance.

But, what I have discovered with clients who have undertaken and met their original goals is that they often develop a heightened sense of awareness. With that heightened awareness they know more quickly when something feels "off", address it sooner and shift back to maintenance relatively quickly.

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Before Maintenance

• What are your holistic health goals physically, mentally, spiritually?
• Have you discussed these goals with your Holistic Practitioner (s)? THIS is a really important step!!
• How much time are you willing to put towards achieving your goals?
• What lifestyle changes are you willing to make?
• Do you have a team of Holistic Practitioners supporting you, or are you going to take time to do your own research?

In shifting towards and maintaining your holistic well-being time, money and personal will all come in to play (as they do with any life change). I'll often hear from clients that they "will do anything to feel better". But stop and consider what that means and whether it's realistic for you.

Understanding that people have limited time and limited resources is one of the reasons that I often give clients 'homework'. It offers the opportunity to continue and expand upon the changes that were made during their session, while moving them towards their goals.

Homework will be related to their goals and what showed up in the most recent session. It may include stretches or hot baths to feel less pain and increase range of motion, more regular yoga sessions to improve flexibility and movement, journaling, meditation or nature walks to bring greater peace of mind, or simply to rest.

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What Clients Say

Those clients that book regular maintenance Holistic sessions tell me that they generally feel better overall.
They may have gone for a hike, or completed a work out that left them sore, but not hurting as badly as they had in the past.
That through meditation, Yoga or Reiki they had specific " ah ha" moments related to something they've been working on or were bothered by.
Or, they were emotionally triggered by an event but found that they took a pause and a breathe and were able to deal with or walk away from the situation with greater ease.
That at the end of a Craniosacral session they feel more deeply relaxed and at peace than any time they can remember.
​These reports make me smile.

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Life is a roller coaster of events that can bring emotional, physical and/or spiritual upheaval at any given time. When you have prepared yourself, taken the time for self care and healing, and feel a sense of homeostasis within, it's much easier to ride that roller coaster.

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Related articles:
​Holistic Maintenance ~ how often should I book a session?