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Ergonomics, Stretching and Mindful Self Care, Massage Returns, Practice Forgiveness

Tom Saulnier — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 03:07:17 +0000

3 Ways to Triumph Over the Work-From-Home Slump

Ergonomics, Stretching, and Mindful Self-Care

By Cindy Williams

While many have dreamed of having a job working from home, none expected to have it launched on them as it was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as states begin reopening and businesses start unlocking their doors, many people are continuing to work from home. And many people are starting to feel the “slump.”

Any time change comes unexpectedly, we move forward as best we can, even if it’s not perfect. In this time we’re living in, healthy postural habits, exercise, mental and emotional resilience, and self-discipline might easily have found their way to the back burner. But new bad habits are the easiest to squash. To address some of these challenges, following are three ways you can continue your best self-care while working from home.

SET UP A DESIGNATED WORK SPACE

As appealing as they might look, the sofa and bed aren’t optimal work spaces. Although the term laptop might lend itself to thinking it’s OK to work from your lap, doing so is hard on your body. It’s impossible to sit up straight and keep your spine, arms, and head properly aligned when your lap becomes your desk. This can result in neck, shoulder, low-back, and wrist pain. Following are some things to keep in mind when setting up your work space.

Use an office chair, if possible. (To read, “the rest of the story”, please click here BSSummer2020)

Reflexology-More than just Foot Massage, Relieve Jaw Discomfort, Trapezius Stretch

Tom Saulnier — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 04:39:09 +0000

Reflexology – More Than Just Foot Massage

Nonthreatening. Gentle, yet robust. Relaxing and therapeutic. These are the words clients use to describe reflexology, a therapy deep in tradition, but “new” in the realm of Western medicine. Reflexology is a therapy that uses gentle pressure on a client’s feet to stimulate the body’s own healing process. While most commonly associated with the feet, reflexology is also effective when performed on the hands and ears.

In foot reflexology, the therapist uses body maps that correspond to various points on the feet (see page 8) and applies pressure to those points with the goal of improving function in the body’s corresponding systems and organs, and providing balance to the body overall. According to the Reflexology Association of America, “These techniques stimulate the complex neural pathways linking body systems, supporting the body’s efforts to function optimally.”1 Using “micromovement techniques,” like thumb or finger walking, reflexology is different than massage, reports the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing (CSH). “Where massage therapists work from the outside in, reflexology practitioners see themselves as working from the inside out.”2

FROM PAIN RELIEF TO STRESS RELIEF

Used in hospitals throughout Europe, and considered a form of health care in China, reflexology continues to find advancement here in the West with each new research inquiry.

According to Diana Thompson, a leader in the field of massage and bodywork, reflexology is more than just…(To read ‘the rest of the story’, please click here BS Spring-2019

Aromatherapy, Effective Stretching, Touch for Trauma

Tom Saulnier — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 00:55:47 +0000

The ABCs of Effective Stretching

Combining Massage and Stretching Can Increase Joint Flexibility and Relax Overused Muscles

By Anita Boser

Olympic athletes, sedentary office workers, and chronic-pain patients can all enhance the effects of massage by stretching between sessions. When done as part of a health-care regimen, massage and stretching increase joint flexibility and relax overused muscles. Get the most out of stretching, and your next massage, by following these stretching ABCs.

Awareness. Stay aware of sensations when you stretch. You are more likely to pull a muscle if your awareness is somewhere other than on your body.

Breathe. Holding your breath is counterproductive. Emphasize your exhale to get a better stretch.

Connective tissue includes ligaments, tendons, and fascia. We think stretching is good for our muscles, but our connective tissues bene t just as much. The best stretches for connective tissue are fluid and elastic.

Dynamic stretching is a new way to warm up. It is based on research showing that using traditional, static stretches before exercise can actually impede athletic performance. Dynamic movements are more effective than static stretch holds in improving performance and muscle elasticity.

Ease into and out of a stretch several times before holding it. This softens the connective tissue around the muscles and gets nerves prepared to reduce muscle tightness.

Feel your sensations as you stretch. They will guide you toward the best results. Feel for the stretch point— where the amount of pull on the tissues is just enough for the muscle to let go. If the muscle tightens or is painful, you have gone beyond the stretch point. The stretch point is always less than your maximum.

Genetics. How flexible you are has more to do with genetics than how much you stretch. Some people can stretch every day and never be able to do the splits. (Take it from me!) On the other end of the spectrum, hypermobile people have to be careful not to overstretch already loose ligaments.

Hold. You only need to hold a stretch until you feel the tissues release. If you don’t feel a release within 30 seconds, back off, as you’ve probably caused sensors in the tendons to tighten the muscles.

Interoception is awareness of what is going on inside your body. While most of us ignore our innards unless there’s something terribly wrong with them,
it turns out that developing this awareness helps us self-regulate and increase pain tolerance. Stretching with awareness is one way to develop interoception.

Jaw. Tension in your jaw while you stretch is a sign that something is not right. Envision your lower jaw being heavy and your upper jaw being light.

Keep your joints in line when stretching to make sure you are getting to all parts of the muscle and connective tissue. For example, when stretching your hamstrings, if your knee turns to the side, you avoid lengthening the muscles on the side of your leg.

Lift. It’s easy—and counterproductive—to sink into a stretch. Instead, lift throughout the movement and hold phases. This engagement is particularly important to prevent injury to ligaments, especially for people who are hypermobile. (to read the complete article and this issue of Body Sense Magazine, please click here BS-spring-2017_compressed