How Is Your Nervous System?

I have been talking to clients and friends. Some people are finding a new groove in this new world, appreciating the change in pace, and the opportunities for new ways of being, while others are really struggling to find their flow.. or their feet, or being affected by the news on every level, and others are working harder than ever, doing their jobs with endless meetings online, not taking many breaks, sitting at the computer all day.

I have been doing a lot of thinking, creating and sitting at my computer, taking my work into the online arena, so that I can continue to support you with bodywork and creativity. I am by no means the perfect example of ‘balance’, because I am a ‘recovering perfectionist’ and an overachiever, but I have done my best to not overeat when I feel stuck, to move a lot, get out for walks, breathe, ask my husband for a massage when my head and body feel fragmented, and do whatever energy techniques I know will help me to calm my nerves. 

(I have so many tools in my toolbox for this, that I want to share with you….Here’s one you can do easily to help calm your nervous system: Sigh and sing …. watch the video here.  I also highly recommend daily NAPS! )

There is a lot we can do for ourselves, and we must learn ways to help ourselves get back to a state of calm and flow, especially in these intense days of uncertainty.

You know, when I saw this virus coming at us like a wave in March, I knew that massage therapists were not going to be able to work for a long while, which meant that none of us would be able to receive effective, healing bodywork and loving touch to calm our nerves, for a very long time. 

Now, two months later, I wake up in the mornings, concerned about my clients who I know have busy minds, and struggle to stay connected to their bodies, like I do.  I wonder how they are doing. I wonder how they are managing to stay centered and grounded if they can’t get hands-on healing touch, after experiencing the profound benefits of it.  These thoughts are a real concern for many of us bodyworkers, as we grapple with the reality of this ‘new world’ of masks and gowns, and gloves and extreme sanitation protocols, and the risks that still remain, even if we do all that is required to prevent the spread of this virus. 

Knowing the positive effects that regular bodywork have on my own nervous system health, my mental health, and my overall sense of wellbeing, and knowing how it has helped my clients over the years, I was deeply concerned – and I still am. 

I know that there is nothing that replaces the calming effect of healing, loving touch on the body.

I am very lucky that my husband loves to both give and receive healing massage, and so we have been able to support each other through this time.

But if you are on your own, or your partner or kids don’t like touch, or like giving massage, then what are your options? There are some massage therapists opening up, adhering to these very strict protocols. Maybe they can help. Maybe there is a physical therapist, chiropractor or body stress release practitioner in your area ( I know some if you need one)  who you can see? I recommend you make an appointment if you feel safe enough, to get some the hands-on touch.

Experience Healing Kahuna Massage – ONLINE

An added option is to experience an ‘online Kahuna massage’ with me. It will never be the same as the hands-on experience, but it is proving to be effective in reducing the stress response, relieving aches and pains, helping people to feel more ‘open and free’ in their bodies and hearts, and relieving neck and shoulder tension from too much computer and cellphone time. Calming the nerves is giving people a chance to get in touch with what they are really feeling on an emotional level, too, and finding ways to move through that. 

If you cannot imagine what an online massage session could look like, then watch this video here. I recorded a real session with a client who allowed me to share it with you. 
After the session, Sue said,

“My neck and shoulders had more space and I felt I was walking up straighter! I feel that I achieved and received far more than I expected from a session online like this !  It was an incredible experience! My intention was to open my heart and my hope was to ease the achiness in my body.After the session I felt wonderful – open, relaxed, happy and less achy.  And I had a smile on my face as I sat and reflected after the session.”    Online Massage is new territory for us all :))

Aloha Flow Online Massage is Available Now –  

IN FLOW PROJECT:
FB:@inflowproject
YouTube Video Channel : In Flow Project

 COMING SOON…. a meditation with paint.

FlowPainting is a heart-centered, free-flowing, intuitive, meditation with paint.  It is creative process that will ignite your creative spark, connect you to your intuition, help you to be a more creative problem-solver, and help you to stay in flow. I have used this simple, profound process for myself – and shared it with many people –  over the years to release tension, keep me moving, and to quiet my mind so that there is space for answers to arise from within. It is a deep process, done mostly in silence, that gets you in touch with your thoughts and helps you to move from stuck to flowing.
(Learn more here….)