Healing in Nature

A Creek Near the Iron Horse Trail.  Photo: Amanda Killen

Often, when in the city, I imagine what the landscape would look like without buildings and freeways and man made structures.  Here in Seattle, where the city seems to rest precariously and lightly on the hills and beside the lakes and water, that is relatively easy.  We live in an area that is abundant with the power of nature.  The beauty of this region is what draws many people to live in the Pacific Northwest.
There are few things as healing as nature.  Which is fortunate, since we live in a natural world.  Even made made structures originally, are sourced from nature.
Spending time hiking, in the forest, by a stream or walking on the beach can be one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to quiet the mind, become present, feel grounded, connect with yourself and reduce stress.  Something about the quiet and being surrounded by trees, moss, with the sound of birds or a stream, or the incredible quiet of the wind.
For me personally, there is almost nothing I love more than the natural world and I believe we would have a healthier society and healthier people if we all spent more time connecting with nature.  There is something that nature simply does for the soul.  Sometimes it can be hard to be aware of if your life is busy and most of the time you are keeping track of your todo list.  But take a little time for yourself.  Take a little time to enjoy your natural environment.  You may just find your worries and thoughts melting away, if only for a moment.

The Power of Vulnerability

Finding the Natural Rhythm

Most of us move too fast.  There are many, many factors in our lives in modern society which compel us to move faster than what is healthy for us.  We end up compromising our well being, and the authentic speed and rhythm inherent in our bodies and spirits because we feel a scarcity of time and money and are for the most part, are driven to work to earn a certain amount of money within what we perceive as a very limited amount of time.
When I talk about health, I'm not referring to measurements on a scale, blood pressure, cholesterol, or anything that can be quantified.  Health is synonymous with quality of life.  In my own experience, I've found there's almost nothing that diminishes quality of life faster than moving too fast.  When we move too fast, we do not allow the time to absorb the things which would fulfill us.  We might know we are making a living and we might be getting everything done on our to do lists, but it can create a feeling of emptiness when our systems do not have time to take in what we really need.
And I think we need the beauty of nature.  I think we need authentic contact with other human beings.  I think we need to live the true of expression of what we feel called to give in this world to be truly healthy.  I think these factors are more important in our health than other quantified measurements.
If we move too fast, we miss these things.
There is a natural rhythm and living dynamic to our systems.  When we feel exhausted, that's usually our systems telling us we need rest.  When we feel restless, its the same system telling us we need movement of some kind.  When we are moving at a speed where we can feel, we can respond to the feedback of our bodies in a way that feeds us and keeps us in balance.  "What is needed now?" is always the question.  The answer is not always the picture of what we think should be.  The good news is, that means life gives us a lot of surprises.
Being healthy is living in that dynamic where we can draw on the intelligence and resources available to us in the moment to fulfil the needs our systems tell us are wanting and knowing that there is no final fulfillment of that dynamic, but a constant flow of needs, the seeking to fulfil and the fulfillment which creates the circumstances for a new need.
When that dynamic can move freely, we are in life.

Image from: net_efekt

The Importance of Compassion

In our world today, people are often unkind to each other.  There is a lot of violence in our world, even in the Western world.  Often it is not physical violence, but the energy of fight, of combativeness.  Many people come from broken families with deep emotional wounds that have never been healed.  Most of us have these wounds even if we grew up with very loving families.  Everyone has experienced unkindness, being judged, and many have directly experienced physical violence.
How do we create a world where that no longer has to happen?  There will always be conflicts, but I believe that cruelty is unnecessary to solve problems.
The hurts that exist are there, and healing them can only come about by recognizing them and giving them unjudged space to be felt.  This quality - compassion - is so important for healing and for creating that better world.
It is what I want to bring to my work and what I want my practice to stand for.  To hold each person in compassion, whatever experiences have happened.  Wherever you are right now, this is where compassion happens.
To go with this intention in the world, for others, and for ourselves - I think this is the only way to create healing and the only way out of violence, both direct and subtle.
This is the power that holds all things, all emotional movements, all thoughts, stress, wounds and memories.  This is the power that allows all things to be without judgement, without trying to change them, just a simple recognition that what is, is.
It requires looking and not looking away.  It requires being with.
Healing begins when we see what is, without judgement or explanations.
In massage, this intention is far more powerful than touch itself.
A massage therapist who has unkind thoughts while giving a massage can cause harm instead of helping to heal.
However, when a massage therapist holds the intention of compassion in her touch, this can create more healing - to physically experience that compassion through touch in the body.  All trauma is stored in the body, and it can be greatly healing for the intention of compassion to hold old emotions directly through physical touch.
This is the essence of healing and massage.

Econony of Trust, or Why I Have A New Sliding Scale

Massages at HealingTree Massage Therapy are now priced on a sliding scale from $20 - $60 based on what you can afford and/or what you feel the massage is worth.

Why the sliding scale?  Why so cheap?

I want to make massage available to everyone.  I understand that many people cannot afford a massage at full price and for me, I get a deep satisfaction from my work when I come from a place of wanting to give massage rather than coming from a mindset of wanting only to get something from my business.

I want to come from a mindset of abundance and trust and connection where I can focus my attention more on doing the work I love to do instead of a mindset of fear that there may not be enough.

I believe this mindset is one of the biggest causes of stress in our society - something that my work directly addresses and seeks to relieve.  The fear that there will not be enough.

But how to come from a place where there is enough.  A place of trust, knowing one's needs will be met and extending that trust to the world in every aspect of life.  That is the place I want to work from.

Made to Move - Why Movement is Essential for Health

Our bodies are made for movement.  As a massage practitioner, I work on soft tissues of the body, namely muscles, ligaments, tendons and the connective tissue that surrounds and interweaves all of this called fascia.  These tissues are designed for movement.
Unfortunately, many of us have jobs that place us in immobile positions for long periods of time, often sitting positions, often leaning forward over a desk or computer.  When we remain in one position for too long, certain muscles are held tightly static, while others are lax.  This can cause postural problems and atrophy of muscle tissue, it can reduce flexibility and diminish metabolism and circulation in muscle tissues.
This is often why we may feel sore after sitting at a desk for hours at a time, or why postural problems and back pain can develop over the long term.
Movement is needed for healthy circulation of the body which brings nutrients and removes waste products from muscles and all other vital tissues in the body.  It increases the amount of oxygen going to your cells which can leave you feeling more energetic and vital.
Movement is an essential part of heath.  The body needs a variety of movement for muscle tonicity to stay in balance, maintaining healthy posture.
And as we've all heard before, exercise leads to a release of endorphins into the bloodstream which decreases stress, boosts immunity, and makes you feel good.
So what do you do if you have a job where you are sitting in one position for long periods of time?
Move!
Take breaks at least once an hour to walk around, stretch.
Pay attention to your body and be aware, would it feel good to do; neck rolls, shoulder rolls, stretch your back, drink water?  Your body will tell you what kind of movement it needs to restore balance.
An exercise you can do almost any time while sitting at a desk or even during a meeting: Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor.  Alternate pushing your feet gently into the floor.  You can also do this while standing.  Few people will even notice you are doing it.
Experiment.  See how you feel after doing this exercise and how you feel when you don't do it.
Even subtle movements can make a big difference.
Because our bodies were made to and love to move!

Why does my head hurt when you work on my neck?

Referred sensation and pain from one area of the body to another is fairly common and it occurs all throughout the body.  In fact, this phenomenon is the cause of something called trigger points.
A trigger point is a small, hard nodule of tissue with the characteristic sign that when pressed, refers sensation to another area of the body.  Most of the time these referral patterns are predictable, but sometimes they are not.
When a trigger point is active, this means that even when no pressure is applied to an area, it will often be painful itself and will actively refer pain to other areas of the body.  Unfortunately, this can also stimulate latent trigger points to become active in those areas, causing further pain.
This means, if you have an active trigger point in a muscle in your neck, this could cause a headache (or a shoulder ache).
Fortunately, treatment for trigger points is usually straightforward.  Applying pressure to the trigger point and holding that pressure, though often causing referred pain, will often deactivate a trigger point, reducing or eliminating pain at the site itself and at referred sites.
This is part of why massage can be very effective in reducing aches and pains, it directly addresses trigger points, a major source of muscle pain and discomfort.
While the cause of trigger points is unknown, there are certain conditions which are known to cause active trigger points.  These can include exhaustion or overexertion of a muscle, remaining in the same position for too long (say, at a desk), repetitive motion, and of course, stress.