As a wellness practitioner, massage therapist, resource creator, woman, wife, mother, grandmother, founder of Be Well And Renew, and more, I decided to share with you some of the choices I make to be my best each and every day.
Yes, some days I am more successful than others, but that is simply the flow of life. If it was always the same we would be lulled into monotony. I’m sure you are familiar with the phrase, we wouldn’t know happiness if we didn’t know sadness. This applies to every emotion we can experience.
Each of us has the opportunity to choose bodywork modalities, wellness practices (aka exercise), and health buddies that bring us a sense of health and wellness. So what choices have you experienced? Which ones do you love most?
I am Bobbing
I absolutely love to float. This is something I was introduced to several years ago and life hasn’t been the same since. The first time I went into the float tank, my mind had so much to process. Although the tank has a sense of deprivation without sound or light, there is a tremendous sense of awareness of my breath, my body, the feeling of the water, and the joy of simply bobbing in the water. There is an option to have soothing sound or a blue light in the room, but I choose to float without these sources of input into my sensory being.
The first time my thoughts were processing what was happening in my mind, body, and spirit. I was caught up in thinking and observing so many things. As I reflect on this I wonder how often we allow pure nothingness? The only thing that I was aware of was the sound of my breathing. With my ears (with earplugs) underwater, my breathing became exaggerated and became much louder than you would normally notice. I have shared many times that I was most happy when I was in the gap between the inhale and exhale, or exhale and inhale. It was a few moments of simply being.
As I visited the float tank more frequently, I experienced more profound relaxation. When I am asked by my family what I would like as a gift for a holiday, birthday, or special occasion, I ask for gift certificates for floating. I tell others that it is a wonderful time of being off the grid, so to speak, and I adore this window of time.
Here is a link to the float tank I visit which is located in Naperville, Illinois. They have 4 separate float tanks. I have gone with friends and then go out for a light meal or time to chat and share life with one another. It's the perfect afternoon or evening for me.
Massage Therapy
I am sure if you know me at all, that you are not surprised by this choice in my wellness, health, and enjoyment for body, mind, and spirit. I have the privilege of receiving massages from several different practitioners. Each one
has their own special gifts and style of delivering relaxation to me.
When I was in massage school over 20 years ago in my business class, I created a name for my business which was Be Well Massage. In all these years, my goal and my mission has not changed. My goal is simply for you to Be Well.
The freedom in that statement is that it is different for each of us and it is not for me to decide, but everything that I offer is to help you satisfy your definition of wellness. I did adapt the name of my business many years ago when I wanted to have a website. Be Well was not available so I pondered what URL would convey the mission and vision of my business. My final choice was Be Well And Renew. It is so wonderful to realize and acknowledge that it is about the constant renewal of the cells in our physical body and how I might contribute to the sense of wellness to each and every client that visits my healing space, or the space I may occupy elsewhere.
One of the tremendous lessons I have learned over the years of giving and receiving massage therapy is to speak up for yourself. Do not lie silent when something is not providing you the benefit that you seek. Whether that is the level of pressure or the area of focus that you seek, your therapeutic time is for you, so own it and ask for what you need, within the scope of practice that your practitioner provides.
My Thoughts Have Power
We have all heard how powerful our thoughts are, or can be. The practice of how we use that choice and the freedom of our thoughts can be incredibly profound.
How do you speak to yourself?
What kind of inner dialogue are you aware of and how does it make you feel?
What do you believe is possible for you?
These thoughts can be extremely repetitive and so unconscious that it can be surprising when they become more conscious.
One modality that I have learned to enjoy is so surprising that it is hard to describe. Access Consciousness is a modality where 32 touchpoints are touched in a protocol that helps to release limiting beliefs and at the same time opens you to thoughts and beliefs that serve your highest potential. That’s quite a mouthful and may seem like a big claim. The truth is that there is nothing required. You do not need to undress, you do not need to talk, and you do not need to stay silent. It is your session and you get to choose how it unfolds. It has such a sense of freedom without any expectations. The practitioner (me) will move from the touchpoint or series of touchpoints on the head to the next and will be repeating some statements silently. The principle behind this modality is that our thoughts are energy, as is all of us and everything around us. This series of touchpoints help to discharge the energetic charge our thoughts may contain that is not serving your highest good, and open you up to thoughts and beliefs that do serve the possibilities and potential that you already possess.
Let’s Clear This Up
Do you have a space in your world that you would love to have cleared? There are many ways to clear a space. We can dispose of material possessions, rearrange possessions, and also clear the energy of the space in which we reside or work. There are many ways to achieve this. I love purging items that no longer have value for me, but truly know that they can be valued by someone else. I am so grateful for the organizations that help transfer these valuables from one person/family to another. In my healing space I sometimes use my rain stick to clear the energy of the room, or I may burn a smudge stick of white sage.
I also help to clear energy in my clients through the modality of Reiki. This has become much more commonplace to people and some of the stigmas around being a Reiki practitioner or recipient is being released. I don’t believe those judgments serve any purpose. Each individual has the freedom to choose what they want to believe or receive.
Reiki sessions can be integrated into more traditional bodywork, such as massage, but can also stand as a treatment all by itself. There are energy centers in the body and this modality helps to clear the energy that may not be helping you exist in your best body, mind, and spirit.
Here is a great link by Jessica Estrada in Well + Good about the principles of Reiki, but here are the basic principles (also known as affirmations):
o Just for today, do not worry
o Just for today, do not anger
o Just for today, be humble
o Just for today, be honest
o Just for today, be compassionate towards yourself and others
Thank you for taking this journey with me through the bodywork and modalities that I enjoy most. I would love to answer any questions or provide the services that are within my scope of practice to your body, mind, and spirit for your highest good and joy-filled life.
My wish is always for you to Be Well
