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Chair massage is a popular way of relieving stress and releasing tension right in your home or workplace. You receive your massage in a specialized ergonomic chair which I bring to your location. In addition to the usual health benefits of massage, another benefit of chair massage is that it is done over the clothing. With seated massage, you can avoid the discomfort and awkwardness that you may feel in disrobing for a traditional massage. Also, chair massage sessions are usually shorter than traditional massage, making it convenient enough to fit into your busy schedule.
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle yet powerful technique that is effective in releasing neck pain, back pain, and mental stress (among other things). It does this by optimizing the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through the spine and around the skull. Developed by physician William Sutherland, this therapy provides a very soothing and relaxing healing experience.
Structural integration employs soft tissue manipulation with the goal of realigning the body in relationship to the force of gravity. The theory underlying structural integration asserts that often the body's connective tissue is "bound up," thus restricting opposing muscles from working independently of one another. Thus, we aim to loosen the restricted connective tissue by using a practice very similar to deep tissue massage. Practitioners typically prescribe a specific sequence of ten sessions lasting between 75 and 90 minutes in order to "unlock" the whole body.
Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage therapy. The word Shiatsu comes from two Japanese words - "shi" (finger) and "atsu" (pressure). In addition to the direct stimulation of pressure points along the energy pathways of your body, gentle stretching techniques are applied over a wider area of the body to integrate the point work and encourage the flow of Chi (energy) throughout the body. Shiatsu is a meditative healing art that honors the body, mind and spirit.
Developed in the former Soviet Union, Russian Massage is considered to be one of the most non-invasive and relaxing forms of massage therapy. Combining aspects of both therapeutic and sports massage, it uses a variety of specific techniques to release stress and enhance circulation. As with all forms of massage therapy, open communication during the session is encouraged to make sure you are enjoying the experience as much as possible.
Reflexology is a type of bodywork that focuses on applying pressure to the specific nerve zones in your feet. Unlike other foot massages that intend to mostly relieve tension in the feet themselves, reflexology is a far more in-depth science that aims to harmonize your entire body. According to reflexology, every part of the human body is mapped into your feet. Reflexology treatments have been found to be highly effective for conditions such as allergies, headaches, and depression. I like to suggest that Reflexology be combined with CranioSacral 25 minutes each for maximum effect. See my special services link.
Sports Massage is a type of massage designed for highly active people who engage in athletics. Engaging in sports is harsh on the body and can often lead to injuries in both the short and long term. Sports Massage enhances performance and prolongs a sports career by helping to prevent injury, reduce pains and swelling in the body, relax the mind, increase flexibility, and dramatically improve recovery rates. Sports Massage is also highly effective in aiding the rapid recovery of an athlete from an injury by encouraging greater kinesthetic awareness and in turn promoting the body's natural immune function.
Note that pre-event massage is vastly different than post-event. Pre-event sessions last only about 15-20 minutes and post event massages are a full 45 minutes
Trigger Point Therapy is a style of bodywork that focuses on stimulating and releasing "trigger points" in your body. Trigger points are tender areas of tension similar to acupressure points, except they occur in the belly of the muscle rather than along the energy pathways of the body. These "knots" are built up throughout a person's life due to physical, mental, and/or emotional stress. During a session, focused pressure is applied through a variety of techniques order to release your trigger points. This process can be quite painful at times, yet the effects are lasting and profoundly transformative.
Swedish Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oils or lotion with an array of strokes such as rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced mental clarity, improved appearance, and greater flexibility.
Deep Tissue Massage is a form of bodywork that aims to relieve tension in the deeper layers of tissue in the body. Deep Tissue Massage is a highly effective method for releasing chronic stress areas due to misalignment, repetitive motions, and past lingering injuries. Due to the nature of the deep tissue work, open communication during the session is crucial to make sure you don't get too uncomfortable. Keep in mind that soreness is pretty common after the treatment, and that plenty of water should be ingested to aid with the flushing and removal of toxins that will have been released from the deep tissue during the session.
Acupressure is based on one the most ancient principles of healing - that simply touching a specific point on the body will release stress and improve health in the body. In an acupressure session, I apply firm pressure directly to these "points" on your body, which relieves your muscle tension and improves your circulation. This simple and powerful technique has been shown to very effective in treating headaches, backaches, and even insomnia.
CranioSacral treatment is combined with Reflexology for maximum stress relief. Since migraine headaches are on the rise and traditional western medicine has no real cure for the problem, Reflexology addresses this issue by stimulating pressure points on the foot to ease the body's pain response. CranioSacral treatment is used in the second half of the treatment to further stimulate the body's pain response by manipulating the Occipital notch at the base of the brain. The body corrects itself every 3 seconds and by stopping the body's correction I create a still point in the nervous system and force the migraine to do what the healer wants it to do. You go into a different state of conciousness and awaken healed.