I think of myself as having different tools for different circumstances. I’ll use one, some, or all of them in a session depending on what my client wants, needs, and what their body responds to. Each body is different, each day, and I aim to listen to what works in each moment, bringing the body and mind into more ease, openness, and connection.  

 

Movement

 

One of my favorite tools is Sensory Repatterning, a technique that uses rhythmic undulations and passive joint mobilization to imprint a different sensory experience in the cells and nervous system. It’s calming, creative, and playful, opening the door to natural possibility in our own bodies.  

 

Heat

 

Heat is both practical and pleasurable (for most!); it’s soothing, relaxing and healing. Through the use of hot stones, the muscles are warmed up in a gentle way, naturally releasing tension in the surface tissues of the body. This allows easy access to deeper muscular tensions and facilitates blood flow in the muscles, which helps eliminate toxins like lactic acid from the muscle body.

 

Breath

 

We all have experience breathing, and often we constrict our breath when we don’t want to feel something. This can happen in massage when we reach an area of sensitivity, yet what’s needed is a deepening of breath and the ability to open our bodies to feeling sensations so they can release and move on through. When needed, I’ll guide my clients through intentional breathing to release any discomfort or tension.

 

Focused Attention

 

During a bodywork session, I see and listen with my hands. Often I find bundles of muscular tensions called trigger points. Trigger points are tight spots in the muscles that refer pain to other places in the body. For example, pain in the shoulder can refer to pain in the forearm which can refer to pain the hand. If a client is in pain, I map out the areas of pain and tension, apply focused attention and pressure to each area until they dissipate and the discomfort lessens or dissolves.