Today my heart feels heavy.
I know that may not be the most enlightening way to start my blog-post, but it is real talk from a wise woman and I know that many are going through similar struggles.
How do we care for ourselves when our hearts are heavy with grief and sadness?
Everyone has a different way of dealing with it: some sleep extra long hours and just "stay under the covers".....some have trouble falling asleep and zone out on screen time.......some binge out on "comfort foods".......some lash out with anger and alienate those around them.......some feel overwhelmed with emotion and despair, like they may never see the light of day within their hearts again......
What are some healthy ways to care for ourselves when we feel lost, confused, or are mourning for the loss of loved ones?
For me, even though the tendency to isolate can be compelling, it is important to find community somehow. When we are seen and witnessed exactly how we are in any given moment, the healing can slowly begin to take root within our hearts.
How do you care for yourself in these times? Share an experience when you didn't want to leAve the house (or even if you wondered whether you could leave the house), but then your perspective shifted and you came back feeling a new space for breath within your system.
Nothing can replace eye to eye contact with another human being. But Cyber witnessing can work wonders too!!
No matter what, keep your head up, you are not alone.....
Monday, April 18, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
i know enough to know that i don't know enough
Today I went down to the RYSE Youth Center in downtown Richmond, CA, just a couple of miles from where I live.
I had been wanting to stop in there because of the impact of a film I saw last year called, "Romeo is Bleeding", centered around a theatrical re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet, but set in modern-day Richmond.
I have lived in Richmond for just over 4 years, and before that more places in the Bay Area than I can count. Before moving here I didn't really know much about this town, other than that it had a history of gang violence, was the "home" of Chevron, and that the place I found was gonna be a lot safer than the part of Oakland I had been living in prior.
The central figure and co-writer of "Romeo is Bleeding" is a young man named Donte Clark. Donte's story and his poetry has really had a profound affect on me. His writing is like nothing I have ever heard before. He is living the reality while telling it through rhyme and I was very effected by his skills. Today, I got to meet Donte and shake his hand and it was my honor to do so. Since the release of the film, he has been named the Poet Laureate of Richmond, and is developing further projects.
The history of gang violence I learned showed me so much about what I don't understand about the world. It showed me that the histories here in Richmond are deeply personal and have a family legacy that goes back decades. It showed me so much about how my day to day struggles and challenges are seriously completely inconsequential considering the fear some people face on a day to day basis just to walk to the store or get in and out of their houses.
The thing is -- sure -- it's not my "fault" that these realities exist. I only recently moved into this area and started calling it my home. There is a rather large boulder in my yard that I believe to have held sacred energies for people for many, many, many years before I ever knew of this hillside!
I love getting on my bike and riding out to the bay, to Point Richmond, along the greenway, out San Pablo Dam Road and into the hills. It's amazing to be able to walk outside my house and wind up over at Wild Cat Canyon, a massive open space preserve that connects to an even bigger open space preserve.
But that's just it: my experience of this place is one of a total white-priveleged outsider. I am not directly affected by the realities of this gang violence in any way. I was able to take over the lease of a pretty great house and property, and since then my view of the entire SF Bay Area has changed dramatically as a result of the expansive vista!
This right here is of such importance for me and others to begin to understand: being blissfully ignorant of the histories of violence and racial inequity in my community is what white privilege looks like! And because it doesn't affect me directly, it is super easy to ignore it.
As a white woman, I could just continue along as I was, going to Target and to Kaiser and to see my accountant at Macdonald and 27th. Up until watching the film, I had absolutely ZERO context for what was happening in the neighborhoods I drive through.
I had no idea how dangerous it is for people of one part of Richmond to be seen in another part of Richmond -- parts of the area that I myself pass through with only the mildest of concerns that someone might notice how nice my bike is......
So the fact that this newby white girl from Kansas suddenly learned the history of the place where she lives is hardly interesting. Who cares?
That there are alternatives to violence being presented to at-risk youth -- that matters. That there are people organizing around the arts to express the pain and suffering that gun violence means to their bodies, to their minds, to their spirits, to their hopes and dreams -- that really matters.
The RYSE center is a place like many other community youth centers: it is a safe place with cool programs to keep kids off the streets and nurture their talents and visions, and I have already learned so much from one of their rising stars.
One of the directors of RYSE took my card and told me that they often times have "Self-care Sessions", where kids are taught different ways to manage stress and trauma. I am hoping to talk with him and see what of my skills might be of service!
Offering time down at RYSE Center will hopefully give me an opportunity to give back to my community and to get to know some of the amazing people who call Richmond home.
I had been wanting to stop in there because of the impact of a film I saw last year called, "Romeo is Bleeding", centered around a theatrical re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet, but set in modern-day Richmond.
I have lived in Richmond for just over 4 years, and before that more places in the Bay Area than I can count. Before moving here I didn't really know much about this town, other than that it had a history of gang violence, was the "home" of Chevron, and that the place I found was gonna be a lot safer than the part of Oakland I had been living in prior.
The central figure and co-writer of "Romeo is Bleeding" is a young man named Donte Clark. Donte's story and his poetry has really had a profound affect on me. His writing is like nothing I have ever heard before. He is living the reality while telling it through rhyme and I was very effected by his skills. Today, I got to meet Donte and shake his hand and it was my honor to do so. Since the release of the film, he has been named the Poet Laureate of Richmond, and is developing further projects.
The history of gang violence I learned showed me so much about what I don't understand about the world. It showed me that the histories here in Richmond are deeply personal and have a family legacy that goes back decades. It showed me so much about how my day to day struggles and challenges are seriously completely inconsequential considering the fear some people face on a day to day basis just to walk to the store or get in and out of their houses.
The thing is -- sure -- it's not my "fault" that these realities exist. I only recently moved into this area and started calling it my home. There is a rather large boulder in my yard that I believe to have held sacred energies for people for many, many, many years before I ever knew of this hillside!
I love getting on my bike and riding out to the bay, to Point Richmond, along the greenway, out San Pablo Dam Road and into the hills. It's amazing to be able to walk outside my house and wind up over at Wild Cat Canyon, a massive open space preserve that connects to an even bigger open space preserve.
But that's just it: my experience of this place is one of a total white-priveleged outsider. I am not directly affected by the realities of this gang violence in any way. I was able to take over the lease of a pretty great house and property, and since then my view of the entire SF Bay Area has changed dramatically as a result of the expansive vista!
This right here is of such importance for me and others to begin to understand: being blissfully ignorant of the histories of violence and racial inequity in my community is what white privilege looks like! And because it doesn't affect me directly, it is super easy to ignore it.
As a white woman, I could just continue along as I was, going to Target and to Kaiser and to see my accountant at Macdonald and 27th. Up until watching the film, I had absolutely ZERO context for what was happening in the neighborhoods I drive through.
I had no idea how dangerous it is for people of one part of Richmond to be seen in another part of Richmond -- parts of the area that I myself pass through with only the mildest of concerns that someone might notice how nice my bike is......
So the fact that this newby white girl from Kansas suddenly learned the history of the place where she lives is hardly interesting. Who cares?
That there are alternatives to violence being presented to at-risk youth -- that matters. That there are people organizing around the arts to express the pain and suffering that gun violence means to their bodies, to their minds, to their spirits, to their hopes and dreams -- that really matters.
The RYSE center is a place like many other community youth centers: it is a safe place with cool programs to keep kids off the streets and nurture their talents and visions, and I have already learned so much from one of their rising stars.
One of the directors of RYSE took my card and told me that they often times have "Self-care Sessions", where kids are taught different ways to manage stress and trauma. I am hoping to talk with him and see what of my skills might be of service!
Offering time down at RYSE Center will hopefully give me an opportunity to give back to my community and to get to know some of the amazing people who call Richmond home.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Online Scheduling! Plus: snap the sugar habit with me
Greetings and salutations to all who come by this blog!
Today I write with a short note from a wonderfully rainy San Francisco bay area, and I could not be more thrilled to announce some recent changes in my business.
For starters, I now have on-line scheduling! Check it out at my soon-to-be-released brand spanking new website: www.jupitermassageandwellness.com
Massage news:
You will notice above that I have made a rate adjustment effective January 1. These new rates are reflected above and I believe are competitive in my industry for someone with my experience.
I have added Saturday mornings to my schedule, as you will see, and that has been great for several folks already.
In addition! I am now seeing clients at the Alameda Hospital, the second Tuesday of each month. This has been a fun full-circle for me, as my very first job out of college was working in a hospital in Kansas City, MO. I have always dreamed of working on the stressed-out staff in this environment!
If you know of any other organizations whether hospitals, companies, or corporations, that want to offer chair massage on-site, let me know.
Lastly, every few months I like to offer the "Snap the Habit" cleanse for anyone who is wanting to develop a sustained healthy relationship to carbs and sugars. If you're anything like me, sugar is there when I feel down and blue, meaning: emotional eating tendencies!
Join me and my colleague Mayah Hegre as we offer our third Snap the Habit cleanse.
With this cleanse we have supported many others to break their addictions to carbs and sugars, and bring loving attention to those automatic unconscious eating tendencies. It's only 5-days and it really works. The cost is under $200 (see details below).
To join simply send me an email at my new email address: jennifer@jupitermassageandwellness.com!
Thank you so much for your time and attention, and your business, and I hope to see many of you in the near future.
Jenny JUP
**********
Here are the details for the Snap the Habit cleanse;
5-day cleanse begins Monday, Feb 1.
Each day you will enjoy 3 delicious protein shakes and bars (safe for diabetics), lots of water, and certain key vegetable snacks that we will discuss. You can learn more about the cleanse by going to my website at www.jennyjup.usana.com and clicking on "Healthy Weight".
At the end of the 5 days you will feel an incredible surge of new energy and a sense of empowerment and fortitude to carry on with these new habits! Plus: recipes from Nikki Stephens, Holistic Health Coach. YES!
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we'll have a 30-minute group coaching call with Mayah Hegre, who will walk us through our EFT practice. (Learn more about EFT here: https://www.youtube.com/
Purchase your Reset kit by Jan 25
(contact me directly to place your order)
Cost: $122.50 plus shipping and tax
EFT Coaching: $50 to Mayah Hegre
Today I write with a short note from a wonderfully rainy San Francisco bay area, and I could not be more thrilled to announce some recent changes in my business.
For starters, I now have on-line scheduling! Check it out at my soon-to-be-released brand spanking new website: www.jupitermassageandwellness.com
Massage news:
You will notice above that I have made a rate adjustment effective January 1. These new rates are reflected above and I believe are competitive in my industry for someone with my experience.
I have added Saturday mornings to my schedule, as you will see, and that has been great for several folks already.
In addition! I am now seeing clients at the Alameda Hospital, the second Tuesday of each month. This has been a fun full-circle for me, as my very first job out of college was working in a hospital in Kansas City, MO. I have always dreamed of working on the stressed-out staff in this environment!
If you know of any other organizations whether hospitals, companies, or corporations, that want to offer chair massage on-site, let me know.
Lastly, every few months I like to offer the "Snap the Habit" cleanse for anyone who is wanting to develop a sustained healthy relationship to carbs and sugars. If you're anything like me, sugar is there when I feel down and blue, meaning: emotional eating tendencies!
Join me and my colleague Mayah Hegre as we offer our third Snap the Habit cleanse.
With this cleanse we have supported many others to break their addictions to carbs and sugars, and bring loving attention to those automatic unconscious eating tendencies. It's only 5-days and it really works. The cost is under $200 (see details below).
To join simply send me an email at my new email address: jennifer@jupitermassageandwellness.com!
Thank you so much for your time and attention, and your business, and I hope to see many of you in the near future.
Jenny JUP
**********
Here are the details for the Snap the Habit cleanse;
5-day cleanse begins Monday, Feb 1.
Each day you will enjoy 3 delicious protein shakes and bars (safe for diabetics), lots of water, and certain key vegetable snacks that we will discuss. You can learn more about the cleanse by going to my website at www.jennyjup.usana.com and clicking on "Healthy Weight".
At the end of the 5 days you will feel an incredible surge of new energy and a sense of empowerment and fortitude to carry on with these new habits! Plus: recipes from Nikki Stephens, Holistic Health Coach. YES!
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we'll have a 30-minute group coaching call with Mayah Hegre, who will walk us through our EFT practice. (Learn more about EFT here: https://www.youtube.com/
Purchase your Reset kit by Jan 25
(contact me directly to place your order)
Cost: $122.50 plus shipping and tax
EFT Coaching: $50 to Mayah Hegre
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Ode to Harbin Hot Springs
I feel like I could write several entries in my Ode to Harbin Hot Springs, and if you've ever been there I'm sure you can understand! For any of you who have never been there, it is a large piece of property in Lake County, CA which has been for many decades an internationally loved clothing optional hot spring and teaching resort. It recently was consumed by fire and yes, will absolutely be re-built. But, it will never be what it was......and so here is a tribute to a place that gave me so much:
****
Oh Harbin! For nearly 20 years you have been my place. The place where it became ok to have the body I was given......
The first time the towel came off I'm thinking to myself, "whoa, I"m really going to do this just - hang out naked with a bunch of strangers - ???!!!"
But then I looked around, and I saw the glorious sagging shoulders, the tanned wrinkles of a tall man's hind side.....the rolls of fat....and I realized what the hell -- you mean, it's ok? it's just fine?? to be imperfect??
And that was the whole point or rather, the perfection in each unique expression of human embodiment was "ok", no shame to have a body, no reason to hide it's just bodies with souls inside trying so hard to find some balance, to work it out, to be "normal", or to not stand out at least.
Like many people I grew up in an environment which seemed to place shame on the body, particularly as it relates to anything remotely sensual. So it's interesting that I ended up doing massage therapy for nearly 20 years, learning how to be in my body, while assisting another in being in their body, providing therapeutic touch, learning about breath and holding patterns, subtle realms and --- all of these things having to do with the body.
Being nude at a hot springs is really no big deal, it's absolutely respectful and people are for the most part mindful, in my experience. I found the experience to be wonderfully healing, every single time. And so I returned to your shores my dear beloved Harbin, on countless occasions, to soak in the simple safety of "I'm ok just the way I am". My way of being in my body is alright. It's ok. I'm ok. My body is ok. The world may not be ok, life might be tough at the moment, but, I'm here now, in this glorious place, so, it's cool, I'm good.........
And then there was also: your water.
That water, the holy buoyant bounce of minerals carving aerated particles of love on my skin, the slightest slime of earth sliding on my shins, gently protected by the overhanging branches of a healthy happy fig tree, its leaves like giant, fleshy, chlorophyll hands waving in the dappled sun.
The water holds me like a pillow, all soft and smooth, there's no need to move it's just the perfect temperature. There is no time or space, I am a fig dropped in water by the tree of life....hanging loose in the moment, breathing up and down, integrating, listening, hearing, the zen eye of third mind unfocus......
Then comes an impulse to heat up......I move like a cherub bounding in slow-motion towards the corner, flanked on one side by the fig tree and a giant bouquet of resplendent flowers splayed out against a cobalt blue wall, I float up the half-moon stair and duck into the doorway to the hot pool room, and hydrate.
That hot pool is no joke. It is 4 and a half feet deep -- or more? -- and full of natural spring water that is very, very hot. It is safe, but you must stay hydrated and you must know your limits. For me, it took quite a while to descend. I had to acclimate at every step, making sure no one needed in or out, giving myself plenty of time, allowing first my feet, waiting waiting waiting.....then my shins, oh wow, this is hot, then my hips, ok whoa, this is amazing, i can do it, and finally allowing myself to submerge up to my neck.
Then: the basking glow of our agreed SILENCE.......
This was the sacred home to so many, the cascade of muscles just - releasing their hold on my bones just -- letting go of the holding on -- my knees a prayer of now, my arms floating as if in space -- which is where my mind is, my jaw hanging slack like a weighted sack. I am in my own experience with laser focus, all my cells are organizing for my survival, trusting myself to know when it's been long enough (which, for me is not too long usually).....
The moment I know, ok, it's time to get out....I just slowly begin to move into action toward the dragon-crafted metal rail. I love the feeling of grabbing it and pulling myself through that hot water, completely limp and landing my gentle feet on the first step like i was set down by gravity, a weightless form with a name and then pop! up from the heat like a rubber ducky would if it got knocked over, steam coming off my back......
Hydrate.
With ease and an inner wonder I move past the kind anonymous being in the doorway and turn right into the cool wide stair leading up to the cold pool. The gentle forest overhang is damp and forgiving, eager to hear my silent glee as the steam leaves my skin and I reach for the end of the heavy metal chime, its quiet clang an anthem to the divine.
Exposed to the sky I step onto the wooden platform surrounded by saints and angels hiding behind leaves and branches, guarded by Kwan Yin and the occasional deer with their big, brown, wondering eyes. I find my way to the cold pool, its silent white stairway brisking me in, colding my breath away, the ancient freeze.....
The perfect bouquet of fresh flowers awaits me in its goddess vase, her ceramic smile so bright it stings, my breath sucked into my chest in shock, the flowers screaming "colors"!!! against a knowing white wall.
My legs are ok, can handle it, but my torso gets so scared!!! of that cold so I make myself, with one big bounce and a breath, dunk under and immediately emerge up the stairs and out, now brought into the stillest point of all, the perfect contrasted cellular structure where my mind is a vast empty sky.....
I take comfort in the silent solace of soaking souls, blissing inside, dipped in the ancient inferno and the sacrament of cold.
All old souls transform repeatedly upon receipt of this place one is taken when you contrast back and forth, hot/cold, hot/cold, it brings a new kind of center, a now quite contented indeed, so relaxed I have really none whatsoever a need, just, eternal present on the bench....in front of the goddess statue.....ancient wisdom informs the rest, and sweet silence emerges within my sense of self.......
*********
Thank you oh Harbin, with your communal kitchen and your carpeted porches, your well-worn trails and gardens, your immaculate Temple, your restaurant, your wild turkeys, your store, your library and your creek, your camp-grounds and your showers, for your comfort and your yoga classes: until we meet again old friend!
****
Oh Harbin! For nearly 20 years you have been my place. The place where it became ok to have the body I was given......
The first time the towel came off I'm thinking to myself, "whoa, I"m really going to do this just - hang out naked with a bunch of strangers - ???!!!"
But then I looked around, and I saw the glorious sagging shoulders, the tanned wrinkles of a tall man's hind side.....the rolls of fat....and I realized what the hell -- you mean, it's ok? it's just fine?? to be imperfect??
And that was the whole point or rather, the perfection in each unique expression of human embodiment was "ok", no shame to have a body, no reason to hide it's just bodies with souls inside trying so hard to find some balance, to work it out, to be "normal", or to not stand out at least.
Like many people I grew up in an environment which seemed to place shame on the body, particularly as it relates to anything remotely sensual. So it's interesting that I ended up doing massage therapy for nearly 20 years, learning how to be in my body, while assisting another in being in their body, providing therapeutic touch, learning about breath and holding patterns, subtle realms and --- all of these things having to do with the body.
Being nude at a hot springs is really no big deal, it's absolutely respectful and people are for the most part mindful, in my experience. I found the experience to be wonderfully healing, every single time. And so I returned to your shores my dear beloved Harbin, on countless occasions, to soak in the simple safety of "I'm ok just the way I am". My way of being in my body is alright. It's ok. I'm ok. My body is ok. The world may not be ok, life might be tough at the moment, but, I'm here now, in this glorious place, so, it's cool, I'm good.........
And then there was also: your water.
That water, the holy buoyant bounce of minerals carving aerated particles of love on my skin, the slightest slime of earth sliding on my shins, gently protected by the overhanging branches of a healthy happy fig tree, its leaves like giant, fleshy, chlorophyll hands waving in the dappled sun.
The water holds me like a pillow, all soft and smooth, there's no need to move it's just the perfect temperature. There is no time or space, I am a fig dropped in water by the tree of life....hanging loose in the moment, breathing up and down, integrating, listening, hearing, the zen eye of third mind unfocus......
Then comes an impulse to heat up......I move like a cherub bounding in slow-motion towards the corner, flanked on one side by the fig tree and a giant bouquet of resplendent flowers splayed out against a cobalt blue wall, I float up the half-moon stair and duck into the doorway to the hot pool room, and hydrate.
That hot pool is no joke. It is 4 and a half feet deep -- or more? -- and full of natural spring water that is very, very hot. It is safe, but you must stay hydrated and you must know your limits. For me, it took quite a while to descend. I had to acclimate at every step, making sure no one needed in or out, giving myself plenty of time, allowing first my feet, waiting waiting waiting.....then my shins, oh wow, this is hot, then my hips, ok whoa, this is amazing, i can do it, and finally allowing myself to submerge up to my neck.
Then: the basking glow of our agreed SILENCE.......
This was the sacred home to so many, the cascade of muscles just - releasing their hold on my bones just -- letting go of the holding on -- my knees a prayer of now, my arms floating as if in space -- which is where my mind is, my jaw hanging slack like a weighted sack. I am in my own experience with laser focus, all my cells are organizing for my survival, trusting myself to know when it's been long enough (which, for me is not too long usually).....
The moment I know, ok, it's time to get out....I just slowly begin to move into action toward the dragon-crafted metal rail. I love the feeling of grabbing it and pulling myself through that hot water, completely limp and landing my gentle feet on the first step like i was set down by gravity, a weightless form with a name and then pop! up from the heat like a rubber ducky would if it got knocked over, steam coming off my back......
Hydrate.
With ease and an inner wonder I move past the kind anonymous being in the doorway and turn right into the cool wide stair leading up to the cold pool. The gentle forest overhang is damp and forgiving, eager to hear my silent glee as the steam leaves my skin and I reach for the end of the heavy metal chime, its quiet clang an anthem to the divine.
Exposed to the sky I step onto the wooden platform surrounded by saints and angels hiding behind leaves and branches, guarded by Kwan Yin and the occasional deer with their big, brown, wondering eyes. I find my way to the cold pool, its silent white stairway brisking me in, colding my breath away, the ancient freeze.....
The perfect bouquet of fresh flowers awaits me in its goddess vase, her ceramic smile so bright it stings, my breath sucked into my chest in shock, the flowers screaming "colors"!!! against a knowing white wall.
My legs are ok, can handle it, but my torso gets so scared!!! of that cold so I make myself, with one big bounce and a breath, dunk under and immediately emerge up the stairs and out, now brought into the stillest point of all, the perfect contrasted cellular structure where my mind is a vast empty sky.....
I take comfort in the silent solace of soaking souls, blissing inside, dipped in the ancient inferno and the sacrament of cold.
All old souls transform repeatedly upon receipt of this place one is taken when you contrast back and forth, hot/cold, hot/cold, it brings a new kind of center, a now quite contented indeed, so relaxed I have really none whatsoever a need, just, eternal present on the bench....in front of the goddess statue.....ancient wisdom informs the rest, and sweet silence emerges within my sense of self.......
*********
Thank you oh Harbin, with your communal kitchen and your carpeted porches, your well-worn trails and gardens, your immaculate Temple, your restaurant, your wild turkeys, your store, your library and your creek, your camp-grounds and your showers, for your comfort and your yoga classes: until we meet again old friend!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
news from the table
One of the things I love about massage therapy is the immediate transformation that takes place within the system of my client.
There are few fields of work where the impact of your skills and training can be so immediately apparent!
On Wednesday I was given an opportunity to work with a woman who is having a lot of nerve pain in her lower leg. She has been seeing a chiropractor, doing yoga, and generally paying attention (rather than ignoring it and hoping it will just "go away" like many choose to do).
She had a one-hour session, and wanted some "relaxation" work, but requested that we spend most of the session supporting her knee/leg area.
The area did not present as very inflamed, but my client said it was hyper sensitive to touch and could suddenly supercharge a pain sensation down into her foot. So I was of course approaching the area with a lot of caution and communication.
My overall strategy was to just tune into the heat in the knee joint, see if I could feel any hot spots or tissue bulges, and also attempt very gentle bone manipulations, very slight traction, and as always, Reiki.
With my client face-down, I gently lifted her femur off the table, with the lower leg gently bent, so I could give the joint a weightless sensation as I began to do a very slow, subtle rotation of the knee. As always I was checking in every step of the way with my client to ensure that she was comfortable with the maneuver.
She reported feeling comfortable with the movements, as well as relieved that she was comfortable with the movements! So that was a good start.
Once we got her onto her back and I had more ready access to the front of the knee and the side of her leg, I began with some Reiki through the sheet. Right away I noticed a bunch of tears wanting to push through my eyeballs onto my cheeks!
This didn't surprise me too much, as I am an empath and at times I do seem to get in touch with emotions held unknowingly within my clients.
But because I had good rapport with her and felt that she would want to know, I did tell her that I was feeling a lot of sadness in that moment, and she seemed to really appreciate that. I could feel her body get a little bit heavier on the table, and I found a small area of "extra tissue" lateral to the patellar tendon. It seemed to hold the key to her troubles, and I said to her, "this is the spot, isn't it". She immediately acknowledged, YES! That is where it seems to originate.
With that knowledge I just took a nice deep breath and held the joint gently on either side. I felt that we could conceivably relieve the area by slowly grabbing hold of the tibia and the fibula and just gently offering the tiniest bit of traction. Again, making sure my client was comfortable and following the cues of her breath and her energy I was able to feel her body get heavier yet again on the table, a sign that tension is relieving and healing can occur.
In addition I did work the muscles of the lower leg ever so gently, to just push circulation through and into the knee joint, as well as working her foot and doing some rotations of the ankle and point work through the sole of the foot.
I still don't really know what is wrong with her leg. It may be a bursa, it may be arthritis, it may be a nerve impingement, or something else entirely.
But after the session I could see that she had made a large step towards a more relaxed, supported system, and she said she was feeling a lot of optimism that her leg could be normal again. She said the session was "magical and superior" and wanted to book the second session in her 4-pack for just a couple of days later.
With the client's full knowledge I called the chiropractor who has been working with her, and just let him know what we had done in our session, how it made her feel, and asked him when he had a moment to check his records for her and let me know if he had any good ideas for further treatment.
This type of exchange is what keeps me in the business after 18 years and counting. I love supporting people in their experience of being in a body. It can be puzzling!
There are few fields of work where the impact of your skills and training can be so immediately apparent!
On Wednesday I was given an opportunity to work with a woman who is having a lot of nerve pain in her lower leg. She has been seeing a chiropractor, doing yoga, and generally paying attention (rather than ignoring it and hoping it will just "go away" like many choose to do).
She had a one-hour session, and wanted some "relaxation" work, but requested that we spend most of the session supporting her knee/leg area.
The area did not present as very inflamed, but my client said it was hyper sensitive to touch and could suddenly supercharge a pain sensation down into her foot. So I was of course approaching the area with a lot of caution and communication.
My overall strategy was to just tune into the heat in the knee joint, see if I could feel any hot spots or tissue bulges, and also attempt very gentle bone manipulations, very slight traction, and as always, Reiki.
With my client face-down, I gently lifted her femur off the table, with the lower leg gently bent, so I could give the joint a weightless sensation as I began to do a very slow, subtle rotation of the knee. As always I was checking in every step of the way with my client to ensure that she was comfortable with the maneuver.
She reported feeling comfortable with the movements, as well as relieved that she was comfortable with the movements! So that was a good start.
Once we got her onto her back and I had more ready access to the front of the knee and the side of her leg, I began with some Reiki through the sheet. Right away I noticed a bunch of tears wanting to push through my eyeballs onto my cheeks!
This didn't surprise me too much, as I am an empath and at times I do seem to get in touch with emotions held unknowingly within my clients.
But because I had good rapport with her and felt that she would want to know, I did tell her that I was feeling a lot of sadness in that moment, and she seemed to really appreciate that. I could feel her body get a little bit heavier on the table, and I found a small area of "extra tissue" lateral to the patellar tendon. It seemed to hold the key to her troubles, and I said to her, "this is the spot, isn't it". She immediately acknowledged, YES! That is where it seems to originate.
With that knowledge I just took a nice deep breath and held the joint gently on either side. I felt that we could conceivably relieve the area by slowly grabbing hold of the tibia and the fibula and just gently offering the tiniest bit of traction. Again, making sure my client was comfortable and following the cues of her breath and her energy I was able to feel her body get heavier yet again on the table, a sign that tension is relieving and healing can occur.
In addition I did work the muscles of the lower leg ever so gently, to just push circulation through and into the knee joint, as well as working her foot and doing some rotations of the ankle and point work through the sole of the foot.
I still don't really know what is wrong with her leg. It may be a bursa, it may be arthritis, it may be a nerve impingement, or something else entirely.
But after the session I could see that she had made a large step towards a more relaxed, supported system, and she said she was feeling a lot of optimism that her leg could be normal again. She said the session was "magical and superior" and wanted to book the second session in her 4-pack for just a couple of days later.
With the client's full knowledge I called the chiropractor who has been working with her, and just let him know what we had done in our session, how it made her feel, and asked him when he had a moment to check his records for her and let me know if he had any good ideas for further treatment.
This type of exchange is what keeps me in the business after 18 years and counting. I love supporting people in their experience of being in a body. It can be puzzling!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Summer Newsletter
Greetings clients, colleagues, and community members!
In this newsletter you will find information about a seasonal women's group I am offering, new massage therapy offerings, and an upcoming cleanse!!!
Self-Care Sundays: 12-week women's group for increased vitality
If you know any women who may be interested in Self-care Sundays, please feel free to forward this message on!
Are you a woman feeling like you need time to connect with yourself in new ways? Are you struggling to understand the messages from your body? Do you or anyone you know struggle with your monthly cycle? Do you have endometriosis, uterine fibroids, heavy bleeding, intense cramping, or are dealing with a general loss of vitality and depletion?
Meeting for 6 alternating Sundays at a comfortable home in Richmond we will go through the Steps for Vibrant Health as put forth in Dr. Christiane Northrup's book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. We will share a nutritious, wholesome meal together in mindful silence, and each woman will be given the opportunity to retreat into solace for alone time, and to be seen and witnessed within the group in a conscientious sharing circle. Uncover your personal health story to understand your body's wisdom more clearly, look into your personal beliefs around value, worth, and contribution. Do it with other women who are committed to personal growth and taking charge of their health in an empowered way!
In 12-weeks we will have a much better understanding of our bodies, a fuller connection to our inner guidance, and a plan of action in place to reclaim our natural vitality.
Cost: $250 up front. Installment, sliding-scale available;
Where: East Richmond Heights, 94805 When: 10am - 1pm every alternating Sunday beginning Sept. 13 - Nov. 22
To register: contact me directly at jenniferbenorden@gmail.com
Where: East Richmond Heights, 94805 When: 10am - 1pm every alternating Sunday beginning Sept. 13 - Nov. 22
To register: contact me directly at jenniferbenorden@gmail.com
Massage Therapy: El Cerrito, Oakland, corporate, and in-home offerings
I have been working at the Ojas Wellness Center at the El Cerrito Plaza for a year and a half! THANK YOU so much to Nicole Becker from Ojas Yoga Studio who invited me into her studio. It is an honor to work with such a wonderful teacher. Check out the studio if you haven't been there yet! www.ojasyogacenter.com
FYI: My office is down the hallway quite a ways from the yoga studio, towards the Joanne's Fabric's end of the building: Ojas Wellness Center, Office # 729.
Series Packages
These are my top-sellers right now. Get a discount by purchasing a 4-pack series of 30-min, 60-min or 90-min sessions. It's a nice way to commit to your on-going self-care, while reaping a savings at the same time!
Wednesday afternoons, Oakland
I have started seeing clients in Oakland on Wednesday afternoons over on Grand Avenue near the lake. If you are interested to set up a session with me over there my normal rates apply.
Corporate Massage
Back in 1996 when I very first began working as a massage therapist, I started out in the corporate sector, working for Excite.com, Yahoo.com, and eventually Google!
I am interested to get back into that setting. Ideally an employer will see the value of bringing in a massage therapist regularly and will subsidize it for their employees. After all, massage therapy helps to avoid repetitive stress injuries, helps with migraines and headaches, keeps people feeling energized and appreciated, and can go a long way towards increased productivity and the not-so-proverbial, "bottom line" of any company.
If you know of any companies who would like to bring in a seasoned massage therapist for regular employee appreciation, please do let me know!
My new passion: Scar-tissue
Over the past couple of years I have really gotten interested in working with scar-tissue. If you know anyone who has had a recent or not-so-recent surgery and still has tightness around their scar, or even tenderness if it's a recent scar, I have begun to see wonderful results with this.
For a very recent injury which is tender and fragile, this is my favorite time to work with clients because the subtle energy work helps the tissue to relax and breathe better! A very, very delicate touch is applied which is almost like a feather, and I can almost watch as the area relaxes. This allows for a speedier recovery and over time I've been privileged to work with a couple of clients to see their scars become more supple and soft.
Maybe I can help you with yours! Call me and we can talk about it.
In-home Massage
As always, I love bringing my table to a client's home to set up a spa day for them and/or their family members. I offer one-hour, 90-minute, and two-hour in-home massages for up to 3 people at a time. There is a travel fee attached to all out-call massage sessions.
Availability:
Ojas Wellness Center - Thursdays 2:30-9pm; Saturdays 2:30-7pm
In-home massage - Saturdays 11-2; Sundays 11-4; Wednesday 5-8
Oakland massage - Wednesdays 2-7pm
Rates
Please note I will be increasing my rates in the fall
30-min: $40
60-min: $85
90-min: $125
2-hr: $160
To schedule:
Snap the Habit
In the fall my colleague Mayah Hegre and I are getting excited to offer a 21-day cleanse incorporating EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). We have offered this cleanse as a 5-day cleanse in the past, but are looking forward to providing more support to help people truly break their addictions to carbs and sugars!!! Stay tuned for more information.
Jupiter Wellness
I am currently developing a new website!!!! So excited. It will have on-line scheduling and more information about my women's groups, my cleanse, my massage therapy work and more. I am hoping to release this in the fall so stay tuned!
********************
In summary, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your self-care strategy. It is my honor and privilege, and I look forward to serving you throughout the rest of 2015 and beyond.....
Warm regards,
Jennifer
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Massage Therapy: Making Contact
On Thursday I did a brief presentation about my work as a massage therapist for my colleagues in my networking group. I was so nervous for some reason! But folks seemed to like it so I thought I would share it with you all here:
We are spinning in space inside an atmosphere of gravitational force.
Our bodies, just like a tree, are perfectly designed to operate gracefully inside gravity. But learned behaviors, unconscious habits, injury, family legacy -- all these things play into what you might call "holding patterns".
My job, as a Massage Therapist, is to make contact with these holding patterns, to raise awareness of these areas within the system of my client, to awaken circulation through stuck places within the body.
For me, discussing the many different layers of embodiment is a complex, multi-dimensional exploration.
There is the *cosmic* reality: gravity. Indeed, gravity and postural imbalance are I believe the two biggest factors leading to pain within the body.
Then there is the *energetic* reality: The magnetic field around every living being, creating, if you will, an individual atmosphere.
Then there is the *physical* reality: blood, bone, nerve, muscle, organ, connective tissue, and breath, among many other things.
Then, the *historical* reality: did this person have an easy birth into this world? Have they broken any limbs? Have they torn any ligaments? Have they been cut or bruised and have they had any stitches?
And finally there is the *spiritual* dimension: what gives meaning to a person's life? What fulfills them? What makes them super sad? Have they been loved? Cared for? Have they created what they came here to create?
All these stories live within our bodies.
In my work, I always start and end my sessions the same way: I ask my client to take a nice, deep, cleansing breath, and I do so as well. Then we take another. During this time I am bringing my mind into alignment with unconditional regard -- the foundation of my work. For me, unconditional regard is bringing myself into a neutral state of mind, a place of acceptance, compassion, and respectful witness.
I bring my hands a few inches above my client's back, and I bring my awareness to my breath, I align my posture, I feel the ground beneath my feet and I enter into my client's personal atmosphere, making contact with the surface, yes….but with an awareness of that gravitational field, the physical pressure which actually holds all of us on planet earth.
And then, all the connections start getting made, how the hips hold up the ribs with a spine running right through to the brain, a bowling ball on a flexible stick. We're bi-pedal so everything criss-crosses, left knee, right nip, left shoulder, right neck, left jaw……
The mind kinda starts to dissolve, the right now makes a much longer pause, muscles letting go of all their holding, moments hold together by an organic human being, in a body, from a body, of a body, and breathing…..
Awaken to the now with massage therapy!
After nearly 20 years in this profession I can say that I am still endlessly fascinated, excited by, and inspired by the possibilities of healing in the human body.
Clinical deep tissue has taught me practical functional knowledge that I can apply to athletes and weekend warriors.
Reiki and energy work has taught me how the subtler planes often hold deep release within the tissue.
Injury and surgery have taught me how it feels when pain shoots through the body, bringing compassion and empathy, as well as a felt sense of how soft tissue manipulation can speed healing.
A great referral for me is someone looking to commit to their self-care and personal growth through massage therapy.
I now offer 50% all my treatments for anyone dealing with chemotherapy or cancer.
I am selling a lot of series packages these days, and through the month of March am offering one 25-min add-on to a 60- or 90-minute 4-pack.
My office is located at 729 El Cerrito Plaza, and my office hours are Thursdays and Saturdays, 2:30-9pm. I am available for corporate gigs and out-call/in-home sessions on other days.
Do your body/mind a favor: book a session today!
We are spinning in space inside an atmosphere of gravitational force.
Our bodies, just like a tree, are perfectly designed to operate gracefully inside gravity. But learned behaviors, unconscious habits, injury, family legacy -- all these things play into what you might call "holding patterns".
My job, as a Massage Therapist, is to make contact with these holding patterns, to raise awareness of these areas within the system of my client, to awaken circulation through stuck places within the body.
For me, discussing the many different layers of embodiment is a complex, multi-dimensional exploration.
There is the *cosmic* reality: gravity. Indeed, gravity and postural imbalance are I believe the two biggest factors leading to pain within the body.
Then there is the *energetic* reality: The magnetic field around every living being, creating, if you will, an individual atmosphere.
Then there is the *physical* reality: blood, bone, nerve, muscle, organ, connective tissue, and breath, among many other things.
Then, the *historical* reality: did this person have an easy birth into this world? Have they broken any limbs? Have they torn any ligaments? Have they been cut or bruised and have they had any stitches?
And finally there is the *spiritual* dimension: what gives meaning to a person's life? What fulfills them? What makes them super sad? Have they been loved? Cared for? Have they created what they came here to create?
All these stories live within our bodies.
In my work, I always start and end my sessions the same way: I ask my client to take a nice, deep, cleansing breath, and I do so as well. Then we take another. During this time I am bringing my mind into alignment with unconditional regard -- the foundation of my work. For me, unconditional regard is bringing myself into a neutral state of mind, a place of acceptance, compassion, and respectful witness.
I bring my hands a few inches above my client's back, and I bring my awareness to my breath, I align my posture, I feel the ground beneath my feet and I enter into my client's personal atmosphere, making contact with the surface, yes….but with an awareness of that gravitational field, the physical pressure which actually holds all of us on planet earth.
And then, all the connections start getting made, how the hips hold up the ribs with a spine running right through to the brain, a bowling ball on a flexible stick. We're bi-pedal so everything criss-crosses, left knee, right nip, left shoulder, right neck, left jaw……
The mind kinda starts to dissolve, the right now makes a much longer pause, muscles letting go of all their holding, moments hold together by an organic human being, in a body, from a body, of a body, and breathing…..
Awaken to the now with massage therapy!
After nearly 20 years in this profession I can say that I am still endlessly fascinated, excited by, and inspired by the possibilities of healing in the human body.
Clinical deep tissue has taught me practical functional knowledge that I can apply to athletes and weekend warriors.
Reiki and energy work has taught me how the subtler planes often hold deep release within the tissue.
Injury and surgery have taught me how it feels when pain shoots through the body, bringing compassion and empathy, as well as a felt sense of how soft tissue manipulation can speed healing.
A great referral for me is someone looking to commit to their self-care and personal growth through massage therapy.
I now offer 50% all my treatments for anyone dealing with chemotherapy or cancer.
I am selling a lot of series packages these days, and through the month of March am offering one 25-min add-on to a 60- or 90-minute 4-pack.
My office is located at 729 El Cerrito Plaza, and my office hours are Thursdays and Saturdays, 2:30-9pm. I am available for corporate gigs and out-call/in-home sessions on other days.
Do your body/mind a favor: book a session today!
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