I'm not sure why it took this long for the penny to drop, after all I've been both a single mother and Reiki practitioner for years. However, today it dawned on me just how energy scattering it is to raise kids. Often during a Reiki session for a new parent I intuit their need for Chakra balancing during the session, today I had an "ah ha" moment. A single parent when my son turned 16 months, my experience comes from the mother role, however I suspect the same diffusion of energy happens to every parent. As mothers we wear many different hats. The one who steps up to discipline and at the same time will be the nurturing cuddler who kisses the boo boo before the bandaid goes on. I found myself setting household chores and rules, sitting on the benches at hockey games cheering myself hoarse, being ready to listen and learn when a problem came up, helping with homework, cooking nutritious meals, making sure the house wasn't a complete wreck, that school and sports schedules were met, and that hopefully, I was also managing to instill values that are important...and on and on the list goes... I know that I'm mentioning those parts of the job that all parents take on. And please, don't read this as a list of complaints. I love being a mum and was ready to take on whatever needed to be done for my son through all his stages of growth. Is it any wonder that when a parent lies down on the table for a Reiki session that their energy is often frenetic and scattered. Their energy feels like it's zipping in many different directions at once and feels somewhat fragmented. While their Chakras often feel out of balance, the Male/Female energies feel distorted as well. I can only assume it is because of the multiple roles that are part and parcel of parenting. A number of clients that are also parents often mention feelings of complete overwhelm, anxiety and fatigue. Really, it's no wonder. If your energy is scattered in many directions you end up trying to manage life from a level of physical and mental depletion. If your energy is out of balance then you're more easily knocked back by life events, both large and small. When my child was 9 I began to experience Reiki sessions and in the year that followed began my Reiki training. I would return home from a session with feelings of inner serenity and a sense of balance. What I noticed was that home was also calmer, harmonious and more peaceful. I was still juggling full time work, hockey practice, school and all the other activities, but somehow they just didn't feel as frenetic and crazy. I also recall people making mention of how serene our home felt when they entered it, that it wrapped them like a hug. From an energetic viewpoint this change in my home environment was likely due to my taking time, on a fairly regular basis, to lie back on a treatment table, allowing my breath to slow, my mind to still and my energy to centre. From that space my being had collected the fragments of my scattered energy into my centre, from which it could emanate outwards to the people and environment that I was in contact with. It's pretty amazing what an hour can do to help us heal. I guess my only wish would be to have discovered Reiki right at the start of parenting. With shifting hormones, postpartum issues, sleepless nights, teething, terrible twos, trips to the principal's office,... my suspicion is that those years would have been a little less draining.
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From a Massage Therapy or holistic therapy point of view bloating is seen as a symptom of something happening in the body. For example: a symptom of PMS and Menopause may include bloating, indigestion or inflammation in the colon may produce bloating. Regardless of the reason for the symptom, holistic health looks at the whole picture and works to reduce bloating through addressing the cause, while also reducing the discomfort that bloating can bring. One of the best applications is abdominal massage. A practice well worth having your massage therapist give while also teaching you how to self massage at home. Abdominal massage can assist air or gas to move through the colon to be released, while helping to reduce inflammation, ease pain and improve digestion. It is a gentler form of massage where the organs between the ribs and pelvis are treated. While the benefits of abdominal massage include improved digestion and relief of constipation it also assists in regulating metabolic function and reducing the build-up of wastes in the body. The feeling of abdominal bloating often comes about when our metabolism is impeded and wastes are not being released as they should. Reflexology is another form of therapy that can work on the nerve endings in the feet that correspond to bloating due to gas. Adults and colicky babies alike respond really well to having that part of their foot treated. Want to learn more? Book a session for yourself or baby at Atmosphere Health and Teresa will teach you how to self massage and/or how to treat baby for a happier, less bloated, belly. I probably ask about your self care time at pretty much every appointment. While your sessions with me count as self care it really is a practice that needs to be followed daily. Making it a habit isn’t really that difficult….here are some easy tips to bring self care into your daily regime AND they take 15 minutes or less
…just a few things to get you started! What ideas do you have for self care?
Here are some clues to tell if you may have a deficiency:
Holistic and natural health practitioners are discovering more and more that clients are magnesium deficient. I experience this with clients often, especially lately.
To help clients boost their Magnesium levels I often suggest taking a supplement or increasing your intake of Magnesium rich foods (Click here to a link with food suggestions). The second best way to increase your Magnesium is through the skin by applying Magnesium Oil to your skin. From an article in Collective Evolution: I never seem to realize that my life has become out of balance until I receive that universal kick in the butt that knocks me back with a cold or some other malady that forces me to stop and take a break. Not one to sit still for too long I find these occasions at first, really stressful. However, once I get over my “too much to do for this to happen now” mindset, I settle into listening to what my body, heart and spirit are saying. What brought my attention to the issue of balance this time was not the usual messages but instead it was a picture from a recent performance at a friends wedding, where as part of a dance I had a sword balanced on my head. It took many years to develop the ability to balance the sword well as I danced with it. I can balance it, twirl and spin with it, get down to the floor and back up again... So in tune with this sword I intimately know it's exact balance point and when it has moved or shifted away from that and may fall. A slight shift in my posture or the way in which I hold my head will bring it back to it's balance point. I had seen pictures in the past but this time it brought a number of questions to mind “why don't I have the same intimate knowledge of when my life has moved out of balance as I do with my sword?” “why do I have to wait for the “fall” before I have a realization of imbalance?” More importantly “what changes do I want to make so that I create that awareness for myself?” Cold and flu season seems to be coming around the corner again. There are so many wonderful, natural remedies to build your immune system and keep the bugs at bay, or to ease your symptoms more quickly, however, Massage is not one of them. Often people think that the aches and pains of a bad cold or flu will feel better after having a massage. What actually happens can make you feel worse What is Plantar Faciitis?A pain in the bottom of the heel that is becoming more of a problem for many people! For those dealing with this condition it’s usual to experience sharp pain first thing in the morning (which may or may not improve through the day) and again in the evening after resting. If you study the structure of the foot and it’s biomechanics it all makes sense. There is a band called the plantar fascia that runs from the ball of the foot to the heel. This band doesn’t stretch easily and when it is forced beyond it’s “elastic limits” it can tear at it’s weakest insertion point, the heel bone. There are many sites with information about Plantar Fasciitis and what causes it…let’s explore what can be done to help heal it. (this is assuming that you have a correct diagnosis) |
Teresa Graham,
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