Prenatal Bodywork and Doula Services

If you or anyone you know is expecting, just an FYI that I am a certified doula, and as such, I offer a special Doula Bodywork Package. For $450, you will receive a prenatal session, attendance at your birth with in-hospital services, and a postnatal massage session. If your pregnancy goes past your due date, I offer an acupressure session with Clary Sage oil to help facilitate labor. The postnatal session would ideally take place in the hospital, or when you first get home to specifically address the stress your body experiences during labor. An integrated session with craniosacral therapy is especially great after childbirth because it will rebalance your body, enhance your feeling of safety, and help to stabilize the parasympathetic (rest and digest) mode of your central nervous system.

Sturgeon Full Moon Fire Pit

Named by Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon, August marks the time of year when sturgeon in the Great Lakes are most readily caught. It is also known as the Green Corn moon, marking the corn harvest that occurs in late summer. Please join me and others in celebrating the upcoming full Sturgeon moon on the evening of Sunday August 21st. Festivities will begin at 7:30 pm and continue until 10 pm. As always, we will have a fire pit, sumptuous beverages, fizzy water, and smoked fish especially for the occasion.

Full moon celebrations begin with appetizers and socializing. As it gets dark, we write down our intentions for things to let go of while enjoying dessert (chocolate mousse or brownies, anyone?). We can then throw these written intentions into the fire, either silently or while addressing them aloud to the group. We also honor the deceased by talking about any people who have passed since the last full moon. The event will be a potluck, so bring an appetizer or dessert. Beverages provided will include Glenlivet, Vikre Boreal Cedar Gin (distilled from fresh cedar and Lake Superior water), and my special house tonic water which consists of tarragon, rose petals, cilantro, basil, and rosemary muddled with unflavored bubbly water. Just like drinking summer in a glass! Please email, call or text if you'd like to attend. For those who cannot but still want to acknowledge the full moon, remember that the whole two week period that follows a full moon is a ripe time for letting go of things in your life that you are ready to shed.

Massage for Cyclists First thing's first, if you ride a bicycle, please remember to always wear your helmet! Now that we got that out of the way, is your riding form proper and aligned correctly? As you pedal, the balls of your feet near your toes should power you forward, not the arch of your feet. Also, pay attention that your legs extend out straight as opposed to toes sticking outward or pointed inward. Next, engaging your core muscles as you bike can take some of the weight off your lower back and thereby reduce compression in the lumbar area. Using your core muscles will also prevent you from leaning on your handlebars which can create tension in the shoulders and wrists. For prenatal and recently postnatal ladies, it is important to support the pelvic floor by remaining seated while cycling In addition to regular stretching before and after rides, as well conditioning the core, leg, and glute muscle groups, massage is key for preventing cycling injuries and reducing soreness and inflammation. Massages are recommended shortly after a long ride, a few days before a long ride, or between rides for maintenance. Here is another article on how massage can benefit cyclists and help to prevent injuries. Also, if you've had an accident on your bike, even a minor one, your craniosacral rhythm was likely thrown off as a result of the trauma. Scheduling an integrated session of massage and craniosacral therapy can help rebalance your body's natural rhythms, and get you riding safely again.

CranioSacral Therapy for Anxiety

How can CranioSacral Therapy (CST) treat anxiety? Well, anxiety symptoms can sometimes result simply from physical compression in the dural tube, or the membrane that surrounds the brain, spine, and nervous system. Symptoms are then misinterpreted as a result of being overworked, or having a chemical imbalance, when in reality the anxiety may be caused by that minor compression in the body. Compressions are often the result of injuries, trauma, or grief we have experienced that gets stored in the body.

CST restores the length of the dural tube, which in turn restores your motivation to move and exercise. Exercise being another key to soothing anxiety. CST will also calm the nervous system, strengthen and promote resiliency in the body and mind, as well as increase feelings of relaxation, grounding, and lead to more restful sleep.

For clients with anxiety about an upcoming birth, or perhaps those who are assigned to early bedrest, CST can calm and stabilize you until the baby is born, whether it be through surgical or natural birth. CST is also useful for those who suffer from panic attacks, especially prenatal panic attacks. If you do suffer from prenatal panic attacks, consider CST for the baby once they are born, as the feeling that something is wrong can transfer to the baby while in the womb.

Happiness and Visualization for Self-Care Sage advice for expecting mothers and those of us who just need a friendly reminder now and again, mentally checking into your own special happy place has tremendous benefits. Visualizing yourself in a place where you feel safe, loved, and comfortable will prompt chemical changes in your body that produce endorphins and switch your body into parasympathetic, or rest and digest mode. Imagining yourself back on your honeymoon can be extremely helpful when experiencing contractions during labor. Especially as honeymoons are often when conception takes place, going back to a time and place in which you felt pleasure, love, and trust can work wonders for easing delivery of the baby. Alternatively, if you are having difficulty bonding with your new baby, visualize yourself going down a long tunnel or even an aisle in the grocery store, where the baby is at the other end of that tunnel or aisle, so that you have to actively go to meet the baby. It doesn’t have to be a dark, scary, or cobwebby vision, just so long as it helps bring you closer to your baby. On the same note, remember that visualizations don't have to be new-agey, you can always imagine yourself inside of your favorite store, or anywhere else you feel a sense of joy and peace.