Massage Therapuetics

Reiki is a form healing touch that looks to replenish and rebalance the body, mind and spirit. Therapists fine tune their intuition, empathy, and compassion to create a healing environment for the subtle energies within the body to restore balance. Affecting physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health restore harmony and balance in the energy system to enable a person's innate ability to heal themselves.

Each Energy Healing session will be different and may include a variety of methods for the practitioner to connect and integrate. Practices may include grounding, meditation, breathwork, traditional hand placements of Reiki to channel energy, theta healing, sound bath, or tuning forks. 

Traditional Thai Massage is a holistic therapeutic practice that restores balance to all systems in the body  resulting in overall well being. 

While fully clothed, on a cushy mat on the floor, we will work through various ranges of motion with a blend intuitive techniques that work for the individual’s unique body and energy. Become deeply relaxed while at the same time feel completely invigorated and energized! Utilizing rhythmic compression along sen lines and trigger points to help unlock blockages inhibiting a pain-free and mobile life.

Thai Bodywork 

With lineages from Thailand we use a rhythmic compression to soothe the nervous system; however, taking the continuous trainings from the US and applying new scientific breakthroughs in neuroscience, we extend this method to become a more structured approach in working with networks of muscles, fascial planes of movement, trigger point therapy, and active release techniques. Thai Bodywork aims to increase mobility, function, and soothe the nervous system. 

Here, we approach Thai Bodywork in a way that is specific to treat dysfunction in the body that result in chronic or acute pain.

CranioSacral Therapy  is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system, which has been shown to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, as well as many other systems of the body, such as digestive, musculoskeletal, respiratory, circulatory, and more. 

CST has also been shown to help with the physical components related to such somatic conditions as Post Traumatic Stress, depression, and anxiety among other brain and central nervous system disorders.

Myofascial Release massage works the web-like protective band that covers your body’s muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments and tissues. This protective band is made of elastin and collagen fibers. The band or fascia is dynamic, meaning that it responds to forces, either internal or external and resists these forces to protect the area that it covers.

When you sustain an injury or experience acute or chronic inflammation in an area, you can develop scar tissue on the fascia. When this occurs, it loses its dynamic nature and becomes hardened. In this form, it can restrict natural movement, create biomechanical imbalances, and cause pain.

Myofascial release massage focuses on breaking up the hardened fascia to restore a healthy level of flexibility and range of motion. The massage therapist uses their hands to stretch and break down the fascia to regain precious flexibility. The process takes time, and a specific area can be focused on for over five or more minutes. Several sessions are usually required to achieve lasting improvements.

The primary benefit of myofascial release is the lessening of pain during movements. Over time, flexibility and range of motion can be increased using this technique. Treatment sessions will include an initial visual assessment of the client’s posture and movement as well. 

If you’re starting to feel old injuries flaring up again, consider myofascial release to combat the pain and regain your natural mobility.

Research shows prenatal massage therapy can help reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health. Studies done in the past 10 years have shown that hormone levels associated with relaxation and stress are significantly altered when massage therapy is introduced to women’s prenatal care. This leads to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health.
In women who received bi-weekly massages for only five weeks, hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (hormones associated with stress) were reduced, and dopamine and serotonin levels were increased (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression).

• Reduced back pain
• Reduced joint pain
• Improved circulation
• Reduced edema
• Reduced muscle tension and headaches
• Reduced Stress and Anxiety
• Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles
• Better sleep

The lymphatic system plays a central role in the removal of metabolic waste. When the lymphatic flow is interrupted or becomes sluggish through lack of hydration, poor diet or inactivity, all other body systems are affected negatively. One way to kick start the lymphatic system and improve its efficiency is through lymphatic massage.

Lymphatic Massage uses gentle, rhythmic strokes along the body to gently “pump” lymph manually through the body. Improvements in lymphatic flow improve the removal of waste from the body. In turn, these support the body’s ability to detoxify and increase its metabolic rate. The positive effects of this type of massage therapy range from reduced fluid retention to better pain management and an increased feeling of well-being.

Lymphatic massage also can have a positive effect on the nervous system and, therefore, support the body and mind in dealing with chronic conditions that are associated with the nervous system.

Trigger points are discrete, focal, hyperirritable spots located in a taut band of skeletal muscle. They produce pain locally and in a referred pattern and often accompany chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Acute trauma or repetitive microtrauma may lead to the development of stress on muscle fibers and the formation of trigger points. 

Palpation of a hypersensitive bundle or nodule of muscle fiber of harder than normal consistency is the physical finding typically associated with a trigger point. Palpation of the trigger point will elicit pain directly over the affected area and/or cause radiation of pain toward a zone of reference and a local twitch response. 

It is common to find relief after just one session of Trigger Point Therapy that is not just a temporary fix. During a trigger point massage, you participate in the session by breathing deeply into the area of tension where the therapist is applying pressure. Using isolated cycles of pressure and release, he or she is able to find the trigger point and ease the tension it’s causing.

Swedish massage is unquestionably one of the most recognized and popular massages techniques offered. 

During a Swedish Massage, your therapist will employ long gliding strokes in the direction of blood returning to the heart. These purposeful movements help to warm your muscle tissue, release tension, such as those tight “knots” you may have been experiencing in your neck, shoulders, or back. 

With the intention of working the deeper layers of connective and muscular tissue in the body your therapist will integrate more of their body weight to apply firm pressure and slow, deliberate strokes. 

People who suffer from chronic pain, high blood pressure, or muscle injury and overuse tend to benefit most from deep tissue massage. Be sure to communicate openly with your massage therapist about the pressure they’re using and your comfort level. Some pain is to be expected, but it should be manageable and should never feel like you’re “bracing” your muscles.

Ashiatsu is a barefoot massage technique in which the therapist delivers deep, broad, consistent pressure while utilizing their feet and body weight. Working with gravity instead of against it, Ashiatsu therapists are able to provide an effective therapeutic massage without causing pain or discomfort to themselves or the receiving client.