Hand & Hand Mobile Massage |

Aromatherapy & Massage, Nuking Food Safely, Breathing Exercise

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 20:45:36 +0000

Aromatherapy and Massage

Karrie Osborn

Aromatherapy, a process utilizing the purest essence of a plant, is a 4,000-year-old technique that has enhanced the health of everyone from modern-day pop divas to the scholars of ancient Greece. The art of massage has its own deeply rich roots, with even Plato and Socrates touting the value of hands-on bodywork for good health.

Separately, these two therapeutic traditions hold individual prowess in the realm of personal health and well-being. Together, however, they become a formidable health alliance that can address not only a person’s physical health, but the health of the mind and spirit as well.

A Natural Complement

Our senses were designed to work best in conjunction with one another. Our sense of taste would not be as acute without our nose lending its support to the process. Our auditory senses might seem hollow if we weren’t gifted with sight as well. Indeed, there exists a quiet partnership between all our five senses that’s built on synergy.

Let’s see how it works. Essential oils are extracted from herbs, flowers, and plants with the intent to improve a person’s health and well-being. Addressing everything from arthritis to whooping cough, effects of the approximate 3,000 oils found globally can range from sedative to stimulating and antibacterial to antispasmodic. The benefits derived from aromatherapy during a massage come in part from the contact the essential oil has on our skin, but even more so how it affects us when it’s inhaled and absorbed through the soft-tissue linings of our nose and mouth.

The scientific explanation suggests that the essential oil’s molecules, when inhaled, lock onto receptor cells at the back of the nose, sending an electrochemical message to the brain’s limbic system. This message appears to trigger memory and emotional responses, causing…(To red “The Rest of the Story”, please click here Spring2022Newsletter

Enhance Your Massage Experience, Neck Stretches, Back to Massage

Tom Saulnier — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 16:53:57 +0000

How to Enhance Your Massage Experience

Tips for Before, During, and After Your Session

By Kristin Coverly

In a lot of ways, a massage session is like a 5k run: a physical activity that can be done with little to no preparation, but that is a much more enjoyable experience with some thoughtful planning. Can a runner just show up to the starting line, zip through the race, and then head back to their regular life and to-do list? Sure. But do most runners set goals, carefully plan their food and hydration, and stretch before and after so that it’s a better experience for them and their bodies? Absolutely.

Let’s think about your massage or bodywork session like a 5k and explore the self-care aspects of your massage pre-, mid-, and post-session so that you, too, get the most out of your experience.

PRE-SESSION

What do runners do to prepare for their race? They set goals, choose appropriate clothing, hydrate, eat wisely, stretch, breathe, go to the bathroom, and get to the event before the start time. You can use these same strategies to prepare for your bodywork session.

SET GOALS

Your body’s needs change from day to day (sometimes hour to hour), so of course they’ll change from session to session. While last session you really needed some extra work on your legs that felt tight and sore from hiking, this time

you might want to focus more on your neck and upper shoulder muscles to help alleviate the headache that’s been lingering for a few days. Take a few minutes to determine what you need today, communicate those goals to your massage therapist, and you’ve actively participated in creating a session to meet your unique needs.

CHOOSE APPROPRIATE CLOTHING

Go into the session thinking about how you want to walk out of the session. No one wants
to put tight, constricting clothing on after a massage, so prepare to have a loose, comfortable outfit to wear. One of my clients comes to her sessions straight from work, so she brings a change of clothes to put on afterward.

DRINK

Plan to drink water throughout the day so you don’t (To read “The Rest of the Story” please click here BSAutumn2021)

Cornerstone of Health, Healthy Holidays, Massage for Old Injuries

Tom Saulnier — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 16:32:52 +0000

A Cornerstone of Health

Why Now, More Than Ever, You Need a Massage

While you may be tempted to trim your wellness budget when economic times are tough, now more than ever, massage should play a role in reducing stress and strengthening the health of Americans.

When you feel your best, you are more likely to be able to face the challenges difficult times present. With greater health and peace of mind, you can face difficulties with poise, clarity of purpose, and strengthened emotional reserves.

Truly, massage is more than a luxury–it’s a vital part of self-care that has a positive ripple effect on us as we work, play, relax, live life, and care for others.

Invest In Yourself, Invest in Those You Love
In economically challenging times, it is vital to invest in preventative health care. The last thing you want is to get sick, have to take time off of work, and pay expensive medical bills. Staying healthy means maintaining your ability to take whatever life has to throw at you. Besides lowering stress levels and, in turn, reducing the risk of stress-related illnesses, massage also boosts immunity, helping you fight colds, flu, and other viral infections.

Following is a sampling of a long list of bodywork benefits: (To read the “rest of the Story”, please click here Winter21Newsletter )

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Skin Care Through Seasons, Hot or Cold for Injuries?

Tom Saulnier — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 01:02:00 +0000

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Bodywork Treatment Proves Successful

Cathy Ulrich

It started as a vague feeling of numbness in her thumb and first two fingers, then progressed slowly to a definite tingling that woke her several nights a week. “It’s not so bad on weekends when I have a chance to rest my arms, but it’s now getting in the way of things I like to do at home,” says Marie, who spends long hours during the work week typing at her computer keyboard. “I love to knit and cook, and I’ve had to curb these activities, as well.”

Diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, Marie displayed the classic symptoms: soreness in her forearms, pain in her hands at the end of a long day at the computer, and a feeling of tightness that had spread from hands and wrists all the way to her elbows. And recently, she’d been getting headaches.

Marie has a couple of different options for treating the problem. “My doctor tells me he can operate, but the surgery isn’t always successful,” she says. “He recommends I try bodywork first.”

Because Marie does the same motion in the same way many times a day over a long period of time, she has literally worn out the tissues involved in that motion. This type of injury — called a repetitive strain injury, or RSI — creates tiny tears in the fibers of the soft tissues of the body. While they don’t immediately cause loss of function, these micro-tears set up conditions for chronic inflammation that will eventually manifest as pain, soreness, tightness, tingling, and burning.

CTS – The hand and wrist combination work together as an amazing, mechanical anatomical wonder. Imagine…(To read “The Rest of the Story”, please click here Autumn21Newsletter

Importance of Proper Posture, Smart Sunscreen, Healthy Grilling Tips

Tom Saulnier — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 00:21:38 +0000

The Importance of Proper Posture

Correct Alignment Leads to Better Health

Hope Bentley

Talk of good posture often generates images of women walking in a circle with books balanced on their heads or soldiers standing at attention. But good posture does not have to be rigid or ridiculous. In fact, far from ridiculous, it may be the key to good health.

According to Patrick Wroblewski, a Boulder, Colorado-based structural integration practitioner, “Good posture is a dynamic, working awareness of how gravity is coming down through the body.” In other words, just as the body moves and changes throughout the day, so should posture.

Wroblewski explains that many people come in to his practice with complaints of lower back pain, and stiff necks and shoulders, most of which have a direct correlation to poor posture. If a person sits hunched in front of a computer screen all day, it’s likely the head hovers towards the screen, the lower back has collapsed and the tail bone is supporting the weight, and legs are crossed or splayed. Bad standing posture includes the same hunching or lateral misalignment, like standing with a hip cocked to one side. These common forms of less-than-perfect posture mean less-than-healthy consequences for the body.

Does Posture Matter?

Ever feel low on energy? Get sick often? Experience headaches or digestive upset, like constipation or diarrhea? Feel less agile than you used to be? Your postural habits may be behind these symptoms. Proper posture means (To read “The Rest of the Story”, please click here Summer2021Newsletter)

On the 12 Month of Membership, My Chamber (SVCC) Gave to Me…

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 02:10:07 +0000

10 Reasons You Should Gift Yourself a Massage

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:43:37 +0000

10 Reasons You Should Gift Yourself a Massage

The season for self-care starts today!

– by Karrie Osborn

Over the years, we’ve often reminded you in these pages that sharing a gift of massage with others is a wonderful way to show you care. And while that is still an important message we hope you will share this season, even more important is reminding yourself that you’re worthy of that gift too . . . now, and all year long. Here are 10 reasons why you need to gift yourself a massage.

1. IT’S A HEALTHY WAY TO INVEST IN YOURSELF

Now, more than ever, self-care needs to be a priority. Show yourself some love by investing in yourself. Research shows touch is a necessity, a basic human need. If a child is deprived of human contact, they fail to thrive and have issues with social attachments. Isolated elders have shorter lifespans. Touch is important to our human DNA, no matter where we fall on the lifespan timeline. Therapeutic touch, with all its intention, is even more powerful and is a loving gift you need to honor yourself with more frequently.

2. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR BODY

When it comes to the physiological benefits you can reap from massage, researchers are constantly adding more and more value to that list. A few of the most impactful massage benefits research has proven include:

Improved immune system function
Improved muscle and tendon recovery
Improved sleep and reduced fatigue in cancer patients
Increased pain relief without the side effects of narcotics
And don’t forget all its preventive benefits either!

Truth is, massage may feel like a luxury, but it is actually a sound investment in your health. In fact, hands-on therapies have an incredible return on investment.

3. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR MIND

In addition to the peace and well-being that naturally blossoms from a cared-for body, many forms of massage and bodywork have specific restorative effects on the mind. While your body is getting its therapeutic attention, your mind has a chance to go quiet—something that doesn’t come easily in today’s world—and you get to double up the therapeutic benefits.

Massage can work at a deeper level too….(To read “the rest of the story”, please click here BSwinter2020

Vision & Muscle Tension, Healthy Holidays, Immune to Inactivity

Tom Saulnier — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:51:48 +0000

Is Your Vision Causing Muscle Tension?

– Mary Betts Sinclair

Do you have tension headaches or chronic tension in your upper body? How about neck and shoulder stiffness? Maybe you experience strain in the temples, forehead, neck, shoulders, or back, especially after a long period of working at a computer or reading a book? If so, your tension could be related to how you look at the world.

Healthy vision is comfortable, efficient, and relaxed for the viewer, while poor visual habits can interfere with free and easy movement, making the body chronically tense. We use our eyes much of the day, and if we strain to see, we create tension in the face, neck, shoulders, and back muscles. Squinting and straining when we have trouble making something out, or stiffening our entire neck, spine, and pelvis every time we look up can affect the entire body.

Most of us develop these vision habits without even being aware of them, but there are other health factors that can play a role. Up to 5 percent of children are born with some kind of visual abnormality, or develop one in the first few years of life. A lazy eye, for example, may cause a child to hike up one eye or one shoulder, or twist the neck to look out of the better-sighted eye at all times. Being sensitive to light might cause a child to develop the habit of hanging the head forward. Injuries to or near the eyes can also cause chronic tension in the muscles of the eyes or structures near the eyes. And finally, emotional stress can cause us to hold our muscles tight while we look out at the world.

What To Do

Step One

Talk with your massage therapist about your pain and strain. During a session, your therapist can check you for extra tension in …(To read “the rest of the story” please click here Winter2020 Newsletter )

Clearing Clutter, Healthy Energy Boosters, Easing Holiday Angst

Tom Saulnier — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 01:00:34 +0000

Clearing the Clutter

The Psychology of Place Inside and Out

Shirley Vanderbilt

What’s cluttering your life? Is it the stuff in the corner of the bedroom, or the stuff in the corner of your mind? What are you tolerating that keeps you from expressing your true self? Authors Bruce and Lou Stewart say that clutter–both in our environment and our mind–is stagnating, blocking the free-flow of energy, or chi, in our homes and lives. Whether we’re detouring around a box in the living room or repeating a negative pattern in our head, it’s time to clear the path.

In their new book, “Your Way Home–The Psychology of Place Inside and Out,” the Stewarts present a unique approach to clutter-clearing by combining Lou’s expertise in feng shui with Bruce’s mastery of neurolinguistic programming (NLP). While feng shui has to do with external placement and structure, NLP is a psychological approach that addresses our internal structure of mind, body, emotion, and spirit. With feng shui, we can free energy flow by rearranging the room; with NLP tools, we can do the same thing with our mind. The goal is to bring balance between the inner and outer sanctums by clarifying our core, or essential self, and allowing our environment to reflect and support our core values.

Making the Connection

When the Stewarts first blended their feng shui and NLP skills together in workshop presentations, they noticed it was easier for people to clear their environment when they were connected to their core.

“It really is a cycle,” Lou says. “The environment and our core are reflections of one another. When we know our core, it’s much easier to…(To read “the rest of the story” please click here Fall2020Newsletter

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)