Heated Stone Massage

One of my favorite modalities of massage involves the integration of heated stones.  The long, sweeping strokes of the warm stones, combined with the healing focus of traditional lomilomi, conjures the feeling of deep tumbling waves on the ocean and places the mind and spirit in a state of blissful relaxation.

My path to learning heated stone integration began about 2 years ago, and as a practitioner, it is one of my most treasured experiences.  After months of mastering the technique, I began collecting my stones one by one from the rustic cliff-side beaches of San Diego.  Each one has a unique shape, heft, and voice that I have learned to partner with to create a massage that is designed to transport the mind, body, and spirit into the healing arms of the ocean.  Perfect for a cool, cloudy morning in San Diego.  If you have never experienced heated stones as part of your massage, I urge you to treat yourself to this beautiful art form.

For more information, see the following article from Massage and Bodywork Magazine.  To book your next session, visit my website today to schedule your outdoor heated stone massage.

Craniosacral Therapy explained

One of the modalities that I work with in my training as a bodyworker is Craniosacral Therapy. CST is often misunderstood as purely "energy work".  In fact, it is much more somatic in nature.  While tuning in to the intrinsic rhythm and pulse of cerebrospinal fluid within the body, CST focuses on holding space for the somatic "creature nature" of the human organism, allowing relaxation, postural correction, and healing to arise on its own without gross physical manipulations of the body and its structure.

Here is a great article with some background on Craniosacral Therapy, its development and effectiveness in treatment, and some scientific reasoning for why and how it works.

Re-Entry

Vacation time is such a great way to reset and reward ourselves for hard work.  I have just returned from a fantastic two weeks in New York City and beautiful green Michigan, where I reconnected with good friends and close family, pampered myself with pedicures and a night on Broadway, and had a once in a lifetime experience attending the traditional Hindu wedding of my new niece and nephew.

Time away from home can certainly take its toll on a body though, whether sleeping in unfamiliar hotel beds, riding amusement park rides at Cedar Point, or walking along Fifth Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge.  I will be easing back into my own work and home today by receiving a relaxing Watsu session from my friend and fellow bodyworker Keith Anderson at the Wave Academy. If you are a water baby and have never tried this form of bodywork, you are in for a treat!