Embodied Health

DATE CLARIFICATION: Partner Yoga for Queer Women Workshop

2011-11-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

Well, dang it.

Just so you know, the Partner Yoga for Queer Women workshop is happening on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20! I've amended the post below, but if you click on the flier it will still show the incorrect date because I'm currently out of town and don't have all the tools I need at my disposal to fix it. The revised flier will be posted later in the day on Monday, November 14, but for now...

Sunday, November 20!

Thanks y'all.

Partner Yoga For Queer Women! Upcoming Workshop

2011-11-10T08:06:00.001-06:00

WORKSHOP: Sunday, November 20, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Explore a new relationship to your body and your yoga practice!

Bring your female-identified partner (intimate partner, friend or yoga buddy) to this one-of-a-kind workshop focusing on deepening your bonds with your body and learning a healthy, balanced approach to support one another’s experience on, and off, of, your yoga mat. In this safe space, explore self care, body issues, and the complex practice of learning to receive and give support

This class is for all levels of students- no yoga experience is necessary!

You’ll practice yoga poses, breathing, and meditation individually and together.

Participants in this workshop should identify as queer/lesbian/bisexual; and identify as cis- or trans-gendered females. All female gender expressions and gender presentations (femme to butch and every shade in between) are welcome!

This workshop will be taught by Lucinda Pepper, a femme-presenting, queer and genderqueer visionary entrepreneur and wellness enthusiast, who believes in the power of body-based therapies like yoga to address and counter the effects of oppression.

WHERE: Embodied Health, LLC
INVESTMENT: $40 for two people
Embodied Health offers a Fair Fee policy to make this workshop accessible to all who are committed to their self-care. If you want to attend and cannot pay the full price, please contact us to discuss possibilities.

TO REGISTER: call or register online!

*A note about our use of the word "Queer:" Queer has been reclaimed by portions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Intersex (LGBTI) communities and is used in a positive sense to claim and show pride in LGBTI individuals' sexuality and sexual expression. In this manner, queer is not used as a homophobic/transphobic slur or in a negative, oppressive context.

Yin Yoga: Upcoming Workshop

2011-10-25T13:06:00.000-05:00

Amelia is teaching an Introduction to Yin Yoga Workshop this Sunday at Embodied Health. Yin Yoga is an effective way to get into the tissues surrounding your joints, such as your hips and spine, and stretch it all out so that your body is more comfortable and pain free for longer periods of time. What's not to love?

Intro to Yin Yoga by Amelia Smith
Location: Embodied Health, 2506 University Avenue W, St. Paul (@ intersection of 280/I-94)
Time: 10:00 a.m. to noon
Investment: $20
Open to All Levels of Yoga Experience (including none!)

One of the aims of Yin Yoga is described here by the founder of Yin Yoga, Paul Grilley:

There are two principles that differentiate yin [yoga] practice from more yang approaches to yoga: holding poses for at least several minutes and stretching the connective tissue around a joint.

(Yoga Journal article, Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley, date not cited)

One of the reasons yoga poses were developed thousands of years ago is they make your body supple, healthy and balanced enough to sit in meditation postures for hours and hours. Sitting in meditation, practicing concentration and mindfulness, provides the fertile ground for the lotus flower of Samadhi (enlightenment, divine connection and union) to grow and blossom.

Dharana, concentration, and Dhyana, meditation, are two of the eight limbs of yoga and are one practice that leads to greater inner peace, clarity and compassion. (For more information on this, see my previous post on the 8 limbs of yoga.)

If you are constantly distracted by a sore lower back, weakness in your abdominal or pelvic core, neck pain or knee pain when you are sitting (whether it's for long hours of concentration at your computer for work or long hours of concentration in the practice of Dharana and Dhyana) you will be much more challenged to reach your objective. It really doesn't matter if that objective is a term paper, a speech, a database, a drive, or eternal bliss. Pain and discomfort will present a major obstacle along the path to reaching your goal.

That's where Yin Yoga can enter and show you how to receive stillness within a long-held pose while you observe all of the delicious stretches and changes taking place around your joints. You'll leave this workshop with a more flexible body and a different attitude toward being still and observing yourself in practice.

For questions, feel free to call 651-235-8254 (Lucinda) or email Embodied Health. See you on Sunday!

The Wilderness of Your Life

2011-08-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

I shared this during final relaxation tonight:

As you invite your body to come to stillness, notice the resonance of all of the tools yoga gave you today in your practice for exploring your life, becoming your own guide. The ability to take a deep breath. The ability to choose to redirect your attention away from negative thoughts. The desire for alignment, whether in your body or in your life, as in right thinking and right action. By dedicating this time to your yoga practice, you create a strong and varied toolbox, full of tools that you can take out and apply as needed as you become your own guide and navigate the wildnerness of your own life.

Enjoy!

Ask The Massage Therapist!

2011-04-17T17:30:00.002-05:00

Answers to your questions about massage therapy and your body!

This is a new monthly feature on the blog. Each month I'll collect your questions and respond to a few of them in my Ask The Massage Therapist! column.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS HERE! or leave your questions in the comments section.

For this first column I am responding to five of the most frequently asked questions that I receive about massage and bodies.

1. Can You Really Feel That?

Variations on this question: What do you feel? How can you tell there's tension in my muscles? Does it feel like a _____(rope, rock, marble, etc)? I love this question!

Can I feel that gigantic lump of tension you're holding in your neck muscles? Yep. That rope of knotted muscle tissue across the front of your thigh? Yes, I can. Oh, you mean the rock-hard jaw muscles from clenching your teeth to avoid yelling at your boss? Oh, yes, I can feel that tension!

In massage school we spent many hours practicing the skill of palpation. Through palpation we learned to discern the different layers of the body: skin, fat (adipose) tissue, connective tissue (fascia), muscle tissue, and bone. We learned how to figure out if something is a tendon (slippery) or something is a knotted rope of muscle tissue (usually by location). As a professional massage therapist for 16 years, I've taken some continuing education with cadaver classes, where I get to literally touch the different layers of the body one by one to understand what I'm feeling.

Additionally, we learn anatomy and physiology. The location of what I feel clues me into what structure I am feeling. A tendon has a specific place, so do ligaments and bones and muscles...by paying attention to where I'm touching you I can tell if it's muscle tension or a bone.

That's why sometimes I laugh when I'm touching a tight muscle and a client asks "is that a bone?" No, but holding your shoulders up by your ears for a couple of months will make them feel hard like bone!

2. What causes muscle tension?

Lots of things. A few include:

repetitive use over a long period of time (months, years, lifetimes)- using the muscles in the same way, same range of motion, with the same load-bearing stress.
dehydration and poor nutrition
a sedentary lifestyle- lack of movement aside from "survival movement" (sitting, standing, lying down)
illness and disease (colds, flus, chronic pain conditions, and serious diseases like cancer)
sometimes even treatment of disease will cause tension that wasn't there before the treatment
injury, even if you don't think it was a very big one
emotional tension and psychological distress
physical, emotional, psychological, and social trauma

3. What's Happening in a Tense Muscle?

Imagine a bunch of noodles that you stick into a pot of boiling water without separating. The starch in the noodles means they'll all stick together in one big lump, and the inner noodles will remain stiff and undercooked. That's somewhat of a metaphor for what's happening once muscles get tense. (I love food metaphors!)

An entire muscle, like your biceps, is made up of thousands (or tens of thousands) of muscle fibers all grouped together by connective tissue (like the way your sleeve goes around your arm). Inside those muscle fibers are smaller segments that actually contract to produce movement.

Muscles move your body by getting shorter- contracting. When a muscle develops tension, it shortens. Depending on the circumstances, it might not be able to relax that tension (meaning it would lengthen)- that's where the bullet-list of what causes muscle tension comes in.

If some fibers within a muscle stay short and contracted, circulation is limited (meaning your muscle can't get as much oxygen and waste products accumulate because your lymphatic vessels are also constricted by the muscle tension). Your brain recieves messages of this tension and a pain response might be created.

To link this to Question #1: the group of contracted fibers feels like a "knot," "rope," "marble," hard spot, or fibrous band of muscle tissue. That's what I look for and work to release by using strokes that lengthen, broaden and compress the muscle, bringing in fresh circulation and helping your lymphatic system clean out the accumulated waste.

4. Is it okay if I make sounds when I'm getting a massage?

YES! In fact, letting some sounds like groans, moans, and deep sighs out does two things:

1) encourages you to be a more active participant in the massage, literally engaging your nervous system in the process rather than being passive; and

2) helps me understand what's happening for you, especially if it's difficult for you to find words such as "that's too deep," or "that feels so good!" A sound can signal what kind of experience you're having, triggering me to check in with you or to continue the work that sounds like it feels so good.

5. Why am I thirsty / Why do I need to pee after I get a massage?

Massage, especially when it's full-body relaxation massage, stimulates the functioning of your circulatory system. Your circulatory system includes blood, lymph, and intra- and extra-cellular fluids. Massage literally moves your fluids around, and what's excess or toxic is filtered through your kidneys and sent to your bladder for excretion.

That's also why you're thirsty ;-)

5 Tips for Raising Your Kids with Conscious Bodies

2011-04-17T17:02:00.002-05:00

This winter I fell on the ice.

I was in a great mood, the sky was blue, the weather was mild, and I decided to conduct some errand-running. I was walking away from a mailbox when, just like a cartoon,my feet went out from under me and I took a big, beautiful faceplant! My nose didn't hit the ground but came close enough to get wet.  I don't have any idea if anyone saw me fall. It sure felt funny! It was such a classic fall there was no way I couldn't be amused.

As I took inventory and got up, I realized I had hit my right wrist and my left knee. My knee definitely was crying louder than my wrist. I sat in my car for a moment, rubbing my knee all around with my hand. Soon my knee started to feel better and I drove off to complete the rest of the day's errands.

Later that day and the days that followed I revisited my knee-rubbing each time I noticed how sore my knee was. Eventually it stopped hurting.

At some point it occurred to me that we all rub our boo-boos when we are little kids (or sometimes a parent or caregiver rubs them for us). We become adults and forget how powerful touch can be to heal our sore spots.

Then my mind's wandering turned to all of the other self-care tools I was given during my (admittedly unusual) upbringing. I remembered additional stories, such as the time I shared with a client last year that she could teach her daughter, who is 4 and gets sinus headaches, how to apply pressure to her sinus reflex points to relieve the pressure.

And WHA-LA, a blog post was born!

5 Tips For Raising Your Children with Conscious Bodies

1.     Teach Touch as the Frst Step in Healing all Bumps, Bruises, Bangs, and Ows!
Touch is a powerful tool that releases many kinds of helpful relaxation hormones into the bloodstream. Some of these hormones blunt the pain by blocking pain receptors, some stimulate pleasure receptors and distract us from the pain, and some simply give us an altered state of being (make us high) which helps us not hate the pain quite so much.

Additionally, massaging the area that got banged up increases circulation, which helps make the impending bruise lighter and not last as long. The massage can also relax any muscles around the injured area that are "splinting" (tightening up) to protect the injury. This can lead to less pain.

Your kids don't need to know why this works. Just teach them to rub the owie for a few minutes whenever it hurts, using their whole hand or just their fingertips.

2.     Demonstrate and Encourage Water Drinking
Many unfortunate health conditions are caused by dehydration. Headaches, depression, lethargy, lack of appetite, dizziness, dry mouth, eye pain, slurring of speech, confusion, constipation...this short list shows that a lack of water can cause problems kids complain of.

I remember the winter I broke my neck (which was an injury that ultimately happened due to dehydration)

Model frequent water drinking. Find out what temperature of water your kids like to drink. Some kids even like to drink warm or hot water instead of cold.

There are plenty of powders etc. to add to water to make it flavorful for kids. There's really no substitute for water, though juice and uncaffienated teas are a good addition. The guideline is: drink enough water each day so that at least once your pee is very pale or almost clear.

3.     Demonstrate and Encourage Rest
The body runs amazingly well when situations that put it out of balance are removed. One such influence on dis-ease is lack of rest. We all have tendencies to over-schedule ourselves, and sometimes we end up overscheduling our children (especially as they become school-aged). Many children these days suffer from lack of rest.

Rest does not mean sleep. There are many children who get a full amount of sleep each day and are still suffering from a lack of rest. It's important for kids to learn how to rest while awake by participating in quiet or non-activities, such as:

Legs up the wall, supported child's pose, and curling up in a ball
Watching the clouds, stars, and sky roll by with minimal conversation
Sitting, listening to somewhat chill music with headphones on
Reading books, and looking at pictures/picture books
Daydreaming and staring off into space with no particular activity.

Teaching your children how to do restful activities will encourage their creativity, resourcefulness, and self-exploration while subtly teaching activity/life balance (work/life balance) and self-reliance. These kinds of restful activities allow the body to do some healing even while awake.

4. Teach them to Enjoy Movement

Kids love to move (which is why they need to be taught restfulness - see above). They are very open to learning specific ways to move, and our culture has a few specific disciplines that (I think) are a bit overtaught- such as ball sports and the classic trio of tap/modern/ballet dancing.

Do you practice a movement discipline, such as yoga, tai chi, karate, tae kwon do, or other martial arts, zumba, gymnastics, salsa dancing? Teach a few moves to your kids! They don't have any frame of reference for if you're doing the moves well, so you can leave the self-consciousness aside and just enjoy sharing movement with them.

5. Teach your child Active Progressive Relaxation

It's a long name that means teaching a system of tensing and relaxing muscles to help your body relax. It's a great tool to teach at bed time, and you can tell your child that they can use it ANYTIME to help them feel calmer.

To practice active progressive relaxation, you and your child can sit comfortably or lie down. Take 5 deep breaths. Then cue your child to begin by squeezing their feet into little balls as they inhale, and releasing their feet to relaxed as they breathe out. Move up the body in sequence: calves, thighs, buttocks, belly, back, chest, arms/hands, shoulders, neck, face. Kids love to learn active progressive relaxation!

New Studio Pictures

2011-04-17T16:50:00.002-05:00

Above: a view of the yoga studio from the massage room doorway

Below: a view of the massage room ready to welcome you!

The Move Is Almost Complete!

2010-11-29T08:59:00.001-06:00

The move to the new studio is almost complete!

We've been working long, long hours to get these 13-foot walls painted, flooring details finished, coordinating the electrical and other contracting services, and brainstorming layout.

Now it's November 29, and we're very close to finishing. We are on target for having the doors to the new studio open on the afternoon of December 1. Wow!

I want to send a shout-out to all of the amazing, generous and talented volunteers who have been absolutely instrumental in creating the new community space for Embodied Health:
Thea Lee
Connie Vandeveer
Becky Graham
TiAnna Schacht
Shane Perry
Carmen Julin
Ricky Howard

We can't wait to share the new studio with you!!!! Thanks for all of your patience, ideas, encouragement and support as we have gone through this process!

Health Resources for Artists

2010-11-08T09:22:00.000-06:00

Embodied Health had a booth at the Springboard For The Arts Artists' Health Fair on Saturday (November 6) at the People's Center in Minneapolis. It was a lively gathering of organizations and small businesses that make health and wellness resources available to artists, musicians, performers, arts administrators, and their families in the Twin Cities. I passed out information on Embodied Health's services, chatted with artists, and taught two free sample yoga classes.

I thought it would be great to post some of the resources that could be helpful to Embodied Health's clients who are active in the arts...and there are many of you!

First off, the People's Center has been around for about 30 years. The People's Center is a health center providing affordable and high-quality care to everyone. They provide medical, dental, and preventive medicine, and also offer behavioral therapies, reproductive health services, and weight management therapies. They have a strong history of working with immigrants and offer some legal services and translation services.

The SAGE Screening program is a statewide program to screen women age 40 and older (some exceptions are made for younger women) for breast and cervical cancer. Their eligibility guidelines make these important tests available to women who have no insurance or are underinsured** and have income within their guidelines.

**A note on being underinsured: the definition of underinsured includes people who have insurance that doesn't cover screenings. Underinsured also includes plans with excessive or unmet deductibles or excessive co-payments.

SAGE Screening is a program of the Minnesota Department of Health.

The Twin Cities Musicians Union partners with Springboard and with the Neighborhood Involvement Program to offer healthcare services to Local 30-73 members. They offer non-emergency medical care, pregnancy testing, family planning, birth control, STD testing, HIV testing, gynecological exams, physical exams, ear-nose-throat medicine and some pediatric medicine. They offer these services on a sliding-fee scale and accept the Artists' Access to Healthcare voucher.

How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life

2010-09-29T18:34:00.001-05:00

Time Magazine had an interesting article this month about fetal origins- a "new science" that is discovering the origins of adult health and disease begin in utero.

I must admit I found the article interesting but had the reaction that "duh- of course we are affected by our experiences in utero!" Now, I don't have any scientific "evidence" for this belief (or didn't, until I read this article) but it seems so common-sense to me. It's like making a soup with "clean food" vs. "dirty food." If you create a soup with tap water, produce grown with pesticides/insecticides in questionable soil, produce that has rotted a little before you use it, your soup will be "dirty;" i.e., your soup quality is affected by the purity of the ingredients.

Yes, I did just compare the making of a baby to the making of soup!

With all due respect to the field of science, how would our in utero experience be any different? Of course we are affected in utero by air pollution, toxic food, toxic medicines, emotional stress, and the health of our mothers (and fathers for that matter!). I realize modern science distills us into fact-backed containers and poo-poohs anything that can't be verified by random samples and double-blind studies created in laboratory-neat conditions, but it just seems like an obvious conclusion.

However, I digress. The article itself is really quite interesting and deserves your attention. There are references to the studies cited in the article. I encourage you to read and consider the article. Let me know what you think in the comments!

How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life

Beginner's Mind

2010-07-22T14:48:00.000-05:00

A recent horoscope reminded me that the best attitude I could possibly carry over the next several weeks is beginner's mind. Act as if it's all brand new. Try to acknowledge and yet release judgement before it sets in and hardens the awakening spirit within.

(I'm a Leo, by the way. My birthday is coming up!)

That mindset is so easy to have in a brand-new situation, yet feels incredibly difficult when faced with experiences I have had multiple, if not hundreds or even thousands of times. For instance, I rarely experience wonder any longer at the act of brushing my teeth or at my ability to get dressed. I am certain that when I first learned how to put clothing on my body I was awestruck!

I have been an avid practitioner of yoga for 17 years, and have now taught for over five. In many classes I teach, there is someone in the room who has never stepped foot onto a yoga mat.

Simply remembering what it was like for me the first time I practiced yoga is not enough...partly because that was such a long time ago! I am challenged over and over by the presence of a beginner student to provide effective navigation through all of the skills yoga teaches in each lesson. I have become immensely grateful for this challenge.

Focusing on these skills has been the clearest way for me to retain a sense of beginner's mind.

One primary difference between classes I teach and classes at a gym or a chain such as Core Power Yoga is the focus on the component skills of a pose. I teach students how to notice the fullness of a pose on their inhales, and how to release deeper into the pose or relieve themselves of struggle on the exhale. I teach skills such as keeping the pelvic position in the forefront of a student's awareness during major hip openers such as Pyramid, Triangle, Pigeon, Half Moon, and Forward Folds. I teach skills such as observing the effects of internal or external rotation of a shoulder or hip joint during poses.

Another focus that sets my classes apart is a focus on yoga ethics and philosophy. The word Ashtanga is often associated with a powerful, core-focused form of yoga created by the late Sri K. Patthabi Jois. However, Astanga (pronounced the same) is the Sanskrit word used to describe the eight limbs of yoga:

1. Yama- ethical conduct that guide how we treat the world around us.
2. Niyama- ethical conduct and moral restraints that guide how we treat ourselves.
3. Asana- yoga poses (this is most often the only element of yoga taught in many classes)
4. Pranayama- breath practices (this is taught occasionally in classes)
5. Pratyahara- withdrawl of the senses (this leads to concentration and meditation)
6. Dharana- concentration
7. Dhyana- meditation (this is different from concentration and is a state that arises spontaneously- without effort)
8. Samadhi- bliss and union experienced on all layers of being. This state can arise spontaneously and go away just as spontaneously. In "enlightened" beings it will exist in synchronous presence with awareness of the surrounding world.

I try, as a yoga teacher, to include a tidbit or more in each class that goes beyond teaching poses and breath practices and basic concentration. I attempt to pass on the skills of yoga that heal our relationship to ourselves and others. This arena of yoga has been one of the most profound areas of growth and transformation in my personal practice, and of course has affected everything "off the mat" as well.

One reason beginner's mind is difficult is the amazing growth and transformation that yoga has brought to my life. One reason beginner's mind remains attainable is the astounding number of times (each day, week, year) that I am humbled by these lessons when I do things that continue to create suffering and difficulty for myself! Then, as a humbled person facing the crumbled ruins of a "mistake" I am able to see from the ground level of beginner's mind.

As you continue in your yoga practice and grow more and more capable, I encourage you to expand your ability to experience yoga with a sense of wonder and awe, just as you did when you completed your first practice.

Would you like to share a story about your first yoga class? Post it in the comments!

Lessons from the Garden

2010-05-23T23:36:00.000-05:00

Today, as I dug in fragarant earth and planted the first vegetables of the season, I was immersed in present-moment mind. It is a state of mind that comes on effortlessly as I move plants, prepare soil and clear ground.

Many lessons emerge from the garden. Profound learnings and simple, obvious statements. Tonight I share just one:

I was digging up the last bit of grass along the fence line. Out from one clump scurried a bright, shiny black beetle the size of my little fingernail. It raced for safety under my sandal. I continued to work, and then moved on to the next grass clump. As I moved along the fence line, the beetle moved with me...finding shelter under the trash bag I was dragging (full of grass clumps) and under my sandaled foot.

It struck me how often, as we race to protect ourselves from a perceived danger, we find shelter under that which threatens our very existence.

You see, one misstep could have ended that beetle's life. The beetle found safety under my dangerous human foot. In trust, in present-moment mind, in innocence, the beetle took a risk it wasn't even aware of.

I believe the risk, when we shelter ourselves in that which endangers our very fragile existence, lies in the possibility of either obliteration or illumination.

What husk shelters you? What do you fear? What could happen if you allowed yourself to be exposed?

These thoughts are the natural progression of yoga off the mat.

What a Kick

2010-05-01T10:54:00.001-05:00

It's pretty awesome to open up a major alt-monthly and see my business listed as one of your favorite places to be...thanks!

Embodied Health is an honoree in the annual readers' survey issue What Women Want, which hit newsstands today. I am grateful for your support and enthusiasm for the work happening at Embodied Health and the Seva Studio! As the business begins to bloom I know the strong stem created by all of you wonderful people can carry the amazing flower that's coming.

Enough with flower metaphors- y'all are awesome! It is such a privelege to work every day with amazing bodies, to be witness to your ability to grow, change, and transform, and to do the work that I love and am passionate about. Thank you for inviting me to share this work of bodywork, yoga, and personal growth with you!

Check out other businesses savvy women (and guys!) like you support and respect at http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=3613

wink wink smile grin

2010-04-04T16:09:00.004-05:00

Symptoms of Inner Peace

by Saskia Davis

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

A loss of interest in judging other people

A loss of interest in judging self

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others

A loss of interest in conflict

A loss of ability to worry

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation

Contented feelings of connectedness with others & nature

Frequent attacks of smiling

An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

An increased susceptibility to love extended by others and the uncontrollable urge to extend it

WARNING
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many already have been exposed and it is possible that people, everywhere, could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what, up to now, has been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

If you have some or all of the above symptoms, be advised that your condition of inner peace may be too far advanced to be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.

NOTE: I originally gave credit to an incorrect author. I have since learned the original content, as seen above, was created by Saskia Davis. She offers this ditty on her website and in poster form at her website Symptoms of Inner Peace.

intersection: food, literature, and yoga

2010-04-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

when sassafrass cooked she usually did yoga breathin exercises or belly dance pelvic contractions as she puttered around/ she got into the movement accidentally/ tearin the spinach she contracted on each pull from a stem n released soon as it hit the colander/ she wd breathe ten quick breaths out n ten quick ones in/ as she crossed the kitchen from the sink to the stove/ not wantin to waste a moment/ she wd do releves on alternate sets of ten contractions/ so it wd be contract-releve-release-down/ this went on for as long as it took to cook dinner/ as the mackeral came outta the oven/ sassafrass waz a bouyant n contented women.

(Sassafrass, Ntozake Shange)

the season of sun and warm breezes

2010-04-04T15:43:00.002-05:00

Today I strung the clothesline; the season of sun-dried and wind-scented massage linens is upon us! The sheets sway, graceful in the April wind, soaking up the energy of the sun.

I am committed as much to ecological sustainability as to maintaining a reasonable price for the massage therapy and yoga services offered at Embodied Health, and one beautiful intersection of those two convictions becomes apparent in line-dried massage linens.

From the start, I have used low-power and as-green-as-possible methods to create, furnish, decorate, and clean the Seva Studio. I continue to seek ways for the studio to be as non-toxic and preservationist as possible while providing a safe, comfortable, beautiful environment in which to provide healing services. In addition, being green is smart and reduces my overhead, so I can provide these services at rates accessible to people at many different income levels.

Here are some of the fun ways I am doing this, in addition to line-drying the linens:

low-VOC paint from Natural Built Home (the colors are Landscape and Celery)
compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and use of natural light as much as possible
high recycled-content paper and double sided printing as often as possible
online content rather than printing (as often as possible)
utilizing the paper, cardboard, metal, glass and plastic recycling services
Energy Star rated appliances
Secondhand, gently used furniture in combination with new furniture
I purchased most of the yoga props gently used from a studio that was closing
gradually making the switch to recycled-content yoga mats (more are on the way!)
non-toxic, biodegradable, and phosphate-free cleaning products, such as vinegar and water, baking soda, Murphy's Oil Soap, and elbow grease
encouraging clients to bring their own mug or bottle, and offering compostable paper cups
plants in the studio to clear the air and provide connection with nature
renting a studio in a refurbished warehouse building

Some things I have in the works to become even greener:

Figuring out how to ensure the compostable paper cups are composted- I'm in contact with Eureka Recycling about this
Arranging for yoga mat recycling through the Recycle Your Mat program, and hopefully becoming a Recycle Your Mat collection point!

Do you have other suggestions? Please comment and let me know!

Breathing

2010-02-11T09:15:00.001-06:00

B.K.S. Iyengar tells us that retention after exhalation calms the mind and emotions. It takes us into a space where we are able to feel stillness on all levels. He says that "exhalation empties the brain and pacifies the ego, bringing it to quiescent humility. When you empty the brain, you also empty the toxins of memory."

Last evening, I attended a beautiful Mindful Yoga class at Common Ground Meditation Center. The teacher, Nancy, encouraged us to find dispassion in our practice...to allow our analytical, left-brain mind to help us get into the pose and then to allow the spaciousness of our right-brain to take over and allow us to really experience the pose.

When I combined my recent understandings of retention and exhalation from reading B.K.S. Iyengar (Light on Life), with this practice of dispassion in asana (pose) last night, I found a sanctity and spaciousness in my practice that I have not touched on much before.

At one point, in prasarita padottanasana (intense wide spread-leg forward fold) I could see four bodies behind me, and more in periphery, and as I allowed the pose to pose me, and as I exhaled, and as I practiced dispassion, the mantra So Hum came to the foreground in time with my breathing. So Hum is a mantra that means, essentially, I am That, That I am. For a moment I felt a kinship with those bodies and souls. I recognized I am them, and they are me. Then I exhaled. After the mantra came stillness, silence, and spaciousness, where for just a moment I dropped into my body, my breathing, and my spirit and I Just Was.

When we have these kinds of experiences in yoga practice our egos crave more, and our egos will fight long and hard to tell us those are the "right" kind of experiences to have in yoga, that those are "good" experiences. Try to still the voice of your ego next time you're on your mat, and to not label your yoga experience as good or bad or as one you want to have again or don't. This is the practice of dispassion, and this is where you will begin to tap into your inner light - the light you can spread into the world around you as you begin to slough away the grime that hides it.

Breathe. Breathe. Exhale. Retain, pause- naturally. Allow your mind and memory to be purged and to find their space. Breathe. Breathe.

Breathe.

The Intention Tree

2010-01-07T09:59:00.001-06:00

My tree felt so bare after removing all of the ornaments. The holiday season is technically over, yet still in my living room stands a lovely spruce, replete with delicious scent and laden with seed-cones opening in the warmth of my home. I left the lights on; it would be good to see the tree stand for a while, lighted and sweet scented.

Of the decorated tree, I couldn't stop thinking "a christmas tree, now decorated with memories." It was lovely to remember good family times and see ornaments that were gifts from friends and family. When those memories were safely packed away, it came to me...

Now is the time for the Intention Tree!

On January 5, I sat on the living room floor and wrote out my New Year's Intentions on slips of paper, forming them into rings and winding them together into a long chain. Creating my individual intention I was able to tap into the energy of all other similar intentions.
The intention tree is colorful, beautiful, and a fitting tribute to this next year of our life.

On New Year's Day, I held a New Year's Day Inspiring, Intention-Setting Yoga Class at the Seva Studio. It was a lovely class and to all of you who came, I thank you for your spirits, your smiles, and your ease as you moved body, breath, mind and spirit into a new year. It was so much fun!

This picture was taken before several more people squeezed in, totalling 17 of you who came to start your new year with health, breath, and intention. How cool!

Remember that it takes time to see your intentions begin to manifest, but almost immediately you'll receive whispers from those intentions showing that their seeds are germinating. Give your attention to these whispers! Let the whispers be balm to your spirit as you learn how to manifest that which you truly desire in your life.

How Much Do You Love Embodied Health?

2009-12-06T17:11:00.007-06:00

The Minnesota Women's Press is conducting their annual survey called What Women Want!

Do you love Embodied Health? Spread the word! Vote for Embodied Health in applicable categories on the survey! The survey will be online until February 15, 2010 and results will be released in May.

We think you might want to vote for us in the following categories:

Learning All The Time: Favorite Place for a Class Just for Fun
Favorite Clinic for Complementary Medicine
Taking Care of Business: Women-Owned Business You Can't Live Without (aww...shucks...)

Thanks, and we love you too!

Click here to fill out the survey

Monday Morning Meditation

2009-11-09T08:29:00.003-06:00

Take a moment to feel your feet on the ground. Notice your breath moving in and out without effort.

Now remember, or imagine, a scene from your weekend: enjoying the beautiful fall weather, the sun shining on the autumn leaves, the big blue sky, the breeze gentle on your skin. Weather warm enough to wear a t-shirt.

As your life changes shape and shifts, remember you can relax into those changes just as you've relaxed into the changing of the seasons from summer to fall, just as you've relaxed into the changing of day into night and back into day. Change is a rhythm.

Remember that change is just one colorful prism of what we call our life experience.

Enjoy your breathing today,

Lucinda

Lifting the Veils of Illusion- A Body Based Narrative for Growth

2009-09-15T13:52:00.009-05:00

As we experience personal growth and become more enlightened, what is changing in us?

Many traditions, including Buddhism, the Mayan culture, Native American spiritual traditions, and the spiritual side of yoga, talk about the removing of "the veils of illusion" through personal and spiritual growth. These veils can be seen quite metaphorically as curtains, drapes that obscure our understanding of the world around us and dim the light shining from within us outward. These veils create turbulence and suffering as we try to navigate our lives with some degree of clarity. As a person grows in spiritual understanding and personal power, these traditions reference the veils lightening or lifting.

In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar says "As a breeze ruffles the surface
of a lake and distorts the images reflected therein, so also the
chitta vrtti (causes for modification of the mind) disturb the peace of the
mind. The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When
the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it. The
yogi stills his mind by constant study and by freeing himself from
desires. The eight stages of Yoga teach him the way.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali name 9 distractions and obstacles that hinder a students practice of yoga:

1. Vyadhi- Sickness which disturbs the physical equilibrium
2. Styana- Langour or lack of mental disposition for work
3. Samsaya- Doubt or indecision
4. Pramada- Indifference or insensibility
5. Alasya-Laziness
6. Avirati- Sensuality, the rousing of desire when sensory objects posess the mind
7. Bhranti Darsana- False or invalid knowledge, or illusion
8. Alabdha Bhumikatva- Failure to attain continuity of thought or
concentration so that reality cannot be seen
9. Anavasthitattva- Instability in holding on to concentration which has been attained after long practice
Four more distractions are named:
1. dukha- pain or misery; 2. daurmansya- despair; 3- angamejayatva- unsteadiness of the body; and 4- svasa-prasvasa- unsteady respiration.

Distractions 7, 8, and 9 in this list really speak to the philosophy surrounding the veils of illusion.

Having learned about the veils of illusion when I was young, I am comfortable with the fact that not everything I think, believe, or understand is "reality." I have experienced several transitions in my life where the veils have lifted briefly or completely and I can see clearer, understand better, and attain not just knowledge but a bit of wisdom, however humble.

That phrase, "see clearer," was the genesis for a big A-HA! moment I experienced today. In a somatic session with Thea Lee, I was curious about how my vision changed as my nervous system became activated by different experiences I have had. My explanation below might not make a lot of sense to those of you not familiar with Somatic Experiencing or somatic therapies, but hopefully you'll understand how the resulting conclusion came about.

At several points in the session, I noticed that my vision was becoming floaty and slightly wavy, resulting in a feeling of discombobulation. However, during one specific point as my vision was affected again, I simulataneously saw a thought arising in my mind that wasn't completely accurate. As I made a mental effort to refine the thought, my vision cleared and I could suddenly see quite well.

This resulted in me asking Thea why that change had occurred. Thea's explanation tied together my experience quite nicely, without her trying to do so or even knowing about my understanding of the veils of illusion.

I understood through Thea's explanation that there are literally physical/physiological changes that take place at the same time as the mental and psychological changes that result in the dissolving of illusion. If a person gives attention to this experience, tracking the sensations in the body, they create a greater mind-body connection and a firmer foundation in the body for the mental/emotional/psychological changes to TAKE ROOT.

To put it simply, the lifting of illusion or distorted "vision" begins
with a change in the physiology of the body.
This is true whether that vision is a physiological function (seeing with your eyes), a mental function (visualizing or understanding with your brain) or a spiritual/energetic function (getting it spiritually, energetically transitioning through different levels of understanding).

So this leads to some interesting questions that I believe people in the fields of complementary and integrative medicine (i.e., massage therapy, yoga, yoga therapy, somatics, energy work, etc). could really benefit from exploring (see, this is where there is an intersection between my passion for social justice and my belief that it is deeply and integrally interrelated with the body!):

1. Does my perception of you, and the assumptions that come along with that perception, arise from a disregulated physiology?

2. If my physiology is disregulated, and I am trying to assist you in releasing pain, becoming stronger, deepening your own mind-body connection, is there a distorted outcome or simply very little actual outcome?

3. Using the framework put forth in question #2, does a disregulated physiology cause me to see an outcome and/or assign meaning to an outcome where there is actually none or less than perceived?

4. Yoga teachers and bodyworkers: how does your disregulated physiology affect how you are treating your students, treating your clients, and reaching out to create change in our industry-community?

There are TONS more questions that could be raised within this context. I'd love to know your thoughts- feel free to comment away!

And While You're In New York...

2009-04-02T10:27:00.007-05:00

Check it out! A yoga documentary has been made...it's called Enlighten Up! The focus is on following a skeptic as he immerses himself in 6 months of intense yoga. What does it do for him?

If you're in New York, check out the film. It debuts in Manhattan today, and looks like it will be coming to Minnesota in June. I'll keep you posted on the release dates for here! Looks like a fun film.

Going Hungry

2009-02-26T09:30:00.003-06:00

I am running the 3rd Annual Food Drive to benefit the Midway Community Food Shelf in St. Paul. This foodshelf is run through Keystone Community Services. Some people might wonder why I have chosen to conduct food drives, rather than some other activity to benefit the local community. My answer is deeply personal...I have known hunger and faced empty cupboards.

To read the details of the food drive and how you can contribute, visit my website: www.embodied-health.com/Food_Drive.aspx. Read on for my personal story of hunger...

When I was a young girl growing up in St. Paul, my dad (a machinist) and my mom (a gardener) were very poor. They held it together well, and despite our poverty we enjoyed life and were generally healthy. Food was expensive even back then (the late 70s and early 80s), so my mom gardened and we got beef from my grandfather (a farmer) and we made do.

I remember participating in a program that back then was called Fare Share (now Fare for All), where we would as a family volunteer a certain number of hours of labor in a warehouse, packaging up onions, apples, and other produce in bags that would then be distributed at very low cost or for free to families like ours.

We didn't volunteer out of social conscience; we did it because we needed the groceries.

When I was 9, my parents split up. The court system back then (I believe it often still does) favored my mom to raise us three children on her very meager wages. That is when the downward spiral of living in poverty got really bad.

My mom worked very hard but on her gardener wages couldn't make ends meet. She switched jobs and became a trades-woman, with a business partner she did tile, laminate flooring, wallpaper and paint contracting. That work was terribly hard on her body (that's another story), wasn't steady, and didn't pay well. Because my mom did not have a financially stable history and no reserves, our family suffered greatly.

I remember receiving government food packages that included powdered milk, powdered eggs, and 5 pound blocks of american cheese! Certainly not nutritious but when the cupboards were basically bare, it was good to have reconstituted eggs. We received food stamps after that, so at least we could purchase our own food. The government's beauracracy back then was pretty harsh; though my mom wasn't making much money she made just enough so that our food stamp dollars were limited and we ate a lot of packaged junk that was cheap, like Rice-A-Roni. We also went to food shelves sometimes where we depended on the generosity of others and ate what was available (even if that meant red licorice for lunch, or cereal 3 meals a day).

I have learned to pull myself up by my bootstraps, so to speak, and to always do for myself. I am still grateful for powdered eggs and gently used apples, because they meant the difference between health and illness.

There are a lot of reasons why a person or family needs to depend on food shelves. Most of those reasons are not the "fault" of the person, not due to laziness or addiction. Most of those reasons have to do with the economic disparity in our culture and the very unequal way resources (money, food, education, healthcare) are distributed.

As an adult I have always made my own way, and I enjoy full cupboards. Having known hunger I am grateful for food each time I eat.

When a person makes a decision to give back to their community, they generally choose a "cause" that means a lot to them personally. I felt that it was time to share my reasoning behind offering these yearly food drives to benefit the people in our very communities that are going hungry. I hope that you can help me raise more food for the Midway Community Food Shelf this year! Last year we raised 257 pounds of food and $80, and I hope we can raise more in 2009.

A few facts about the Midway Community Food Shelf:
-They are distributing food to people who have jobs (as well as those who don't) but who can't afford to buy food after paying their bills
-They are distributing over 90,000 pounds of food per month at their three local food shelves (Midway, Roseville, and Rice Street).
-They serve many different cultures and have a need for culturally appropriate foods to serve the Latino, Hmong, Somali, and other immigrant communities.

Beyond donating food you can volunteer to staff one of the three food shelves. Learn more about Keystone Community Services food shelves at www.KeystoneCommunityServices.org/foodshelves.html

Open Heartedness

2009-01-15T14:19:00.002-06:00

I'm taking a class on Love from Joen Snyder O'Neal of the Compassionate Ocean Dharma Center in Minneapolis. Last night was the first class. The following statements stand out to me today:

-Buddha's lap is a hammock of vastness, and it is where to go when you are afraid.

-Turn towards contraction with fearlessness; face it with agreement that you are letting go of holding back.

-Right Action is abandoning unwholesome seeds of action and nurturing wholesome seeds of action.

-Loving Kindness transforms the energy of attraction into opening.

-Equanimity means you sit upright in the middle of your life, your mandala, and you have a clear view from that position of uprightness.

And to end, here's a lovely quote I read recently, I think on one of the teabag tags from my most recent cup of Calming Tea (by Yogi Tea):

"A closed mind is a barrier to a grace-filled life."

Contradictions: Forward Folding for a Strong Lower Back

2009-01-09T08:59:00.007-06:00

This post is about a beautiful muscle in your back called the multifidus. Recent research is showing that this muscle is the strongest muscle in your spine and it is a major stabilizer of your lower back. It was formerly thought to be unimportant due to it's relatively small size. It is one of what I call the "shoelace muscles" that attach to the spinal vertebrae (bones) and assist in the bending of the spine in different directions. The multifidus is a major stabilizing muscle in your low back, helping to prevent injury.

A stabilizer muscle is different from other muscles. Rather than initiating and carrying out the movement, it actually keeps your bones in the right place and keeps everything (discs, ligaments, etc) from moving around too much while your more powerful muscles (such as the quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, and latissimus dorsii) move you through a range of motion.

Behold the Multifidus:

image from Doc Back Blog

Now, what's unusual about this muscle is that as it LENGTHENS, it GETS STRONGER. It is not like other muscles in your body. In general the rule of muscle movement is that your muscle is at its strongest, working its hardest, when it contracts, or GETS SHORTER. So this muscle would fit well on Sesame Street when Big Bird starts singing "which of these things is not like the other..."

What this means for your yoga practice is that when you do a forward fold, your multifidus muscles are strengthened and become stronger stabilizers of your low back. This action may also change the structure of your multifidus muscle tissue so that your multifidus becomes a secondary MOVER muscle as well as a STABILIZER muscle.

That means that you have more power behind any movement, and when that movement is done with healthy body mechanics as taught in yoga, you will have less chance of injury.

With well-done (i.e., good body mechanics) repetition of forward folds it is likely you can create highly responsive multifidus muscles that are healthy, respond to stress well and help to prevent low back strain.

If you already have a herniation in your low back (L1 through L5, L5-S1) you should first and foremost follow the advice of your doctor while practicing forward folds. Second, you should not fold very deeply, rather keeping yourself at a half-forward fold or above. Thirdly, you should not lift or hold any weights or weighted objects while you fold forward as this can significantly strain your herniated discs. This advice is not intended to replace your doctor's medical advice, so be smart and check with your doctor before proceeding with forward folds.

Forward folding also calms the mind, decreases stress hormones, stretches the hamstrings, and helps to regulate blood pressure. Fold away!

Tree

2008-11-21T10:04:00.008-06:00

Imagine your arms are branches, swaying in the breeze of your breath. Your foot anchors its roots into the earth and your body rises as a tall, strong trunk and reaches for the sky.

I love to teach Tree Pose (Vrksasana) and see the various trees formed by students' bodies as they find balance and breath within the pose. It's not easy to balance on one leg, keep your hips level, and find steadiness and ease within the pose (Yoga Sutra 4.26, Sthiram Sukham Asanam).

I often encourage students to smile in Tree Pose because it is a fun, light-hearted pose and it reflects a playfulness that we often don't allow ourselves to feel as adults. If you smile, your pelvis and hips will loosen and your balance will come easier. When your face is tight and you grip your jaw, grit your teeth, you end up gripping in your hips and trying to hang on to balance that will definitely elude you.

Sharon Gannon and David Life, in their book The Art of Yoga, say that true balance can only be found by reaching for it, not grasping it. Simply profound.

Ever since Bartleby (Bart), our chocolate lab/Chesapeake Bay retriever puppy, joined our family back in August I've been exploring the local dog parks. The Battle Creek off-leash area is by far my favorite in terms of nature.

I walk with Bart through gorgeous stands of twirly sumac, their leaves were brilliant red in the middle of October and now that their leaves have fallen they are quirky silhouettes against the sky. From there we cross into thick pine forest, where the roots of the pines provide steps on the dirt trail and the needles lie golden and dense on the cold ground. A little further and we walk past several duck ponds surrounded by reeds and lower deciduous trees such as dogwood and maple and gingko.

One of my favorite parts of the Battle Creek park is the oak savanna, where the old and solid oak trees rise so sturdily from the earth it just silences any excess noise in my mind and brings me immediately into my breath. The oaks just surround me, and since they are growing on the top of one of the tallest rises in the park they have no competition from other trees...through their branches with their dried copper and bronze leaves I can see a vista of the sky and just the tops of the pines, the dogwoods, the maples.

Walking into an oak grove has always felt sacred to me, and when I practice Tree Pose sometimes I feel sacred like an oak. I remember all that I've learned about oaks through the years; how they don't drop their leaves until it's really winter, long after the other trees have stood bare to the sky. How they can grow so slowly that a four-year old oak is barely three feet tall and will have maybe 15 leaves. I remember when we scattered my Granny's ashes in the pasture at her farm that I leaned against a hundred-plus year old oak and felt my Granny hugging me.

Sometimes when I practice Tree Pose I am a wily locust or a stately elm; sometimes a curly sumac or a holy fig tree. No Tree Pose is ever the same, even if it looks similar to the one before.

During this time of year, the trees seem intensely alive; their bark is still radiating the summer's heat and their branches seem to still grow and reach up to the clouds. They clearly are not dormant. The November winds sway their limbs and their branches creak; as I walk through the forest they "talk" to me of the summer, the winter, and wisdom of trees.

What kind of a role have trees played in your life? When you practice Tree Pose, can you feel yourself taking on the characteristics of a special tree or a certain kind of tree?

For instructions to practice Tree Pose, click the weblink to the Articles page of my website.

Namaste and happy November Tree Pose to you!

WCCO Rubbed Me the Wrong Way

2008-10-30T22:19:00.010-05:00

The local news sometimes slants an issue the way they want the public to view it. As an upstanding member of the massage therapy profession, I take issue with several statements and innuendos made during tonight's WCCO news segment on massage therapy licensing in Minnesota. If you didn't catch this segment you can view it online here: http://wcco.com/local/iteam.massage.therapists.2.852858.html

First off, the news reported (correctly) that licensing is not statewide in Minnesota and that several schools, including Aveda and CenterPoint, are pushing for statewide license legislation. The news reported that of the municipalities that license, Bloomington is the strictest, requiring 400 hours of education and $1 million in liability coverage, plus a background and reference check.

The City of Saint Paul also has strict licensing requirements, including the following:

background and employment check, including cross-check with massage center or home massage business to verify the therapist will be working at a legitimate, St. Paul licensed business
successful completion of both written and practical exams covering hygiene and sanitation methods, applied stroke knowledge and technique, the therapist's character/appearance/attitude, and overall uniqueness and therapeutic approach. In combination, these tests cost the prospective therapist $185.
general liability insurance of at least $1 million PLUS professional liability of at least $1 million for at least $2 million worth of insurance coverage
a license application fee
see the City's website for this process at http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/index.asp?NID=1995

That's just for the practitioner of massage. To open a commercial massage center in Saint Paul, a practitioner/business owner (such as myself) must also apply for a license which includes the following separate requirements:

another application fee for this license
a site inspection covering everything from lighting to linen storage to cleaning supplies
a lease/rental agreement for the proposed center location
a site plan (drawing) for the location, including inner layout and exterior conditions, such as parking and building entrances
a detailed description of services that will be provided
and a list of employees who will perform those services (all must have been licensed as Massage Therapy Practitioners according to the bulleted list above)
See the City's website on this process: http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/index.asp?NID=1991

bright hands : light body, LLC and Lucinda A. Pepper (yours truly!) successfully obtained both of these required licenses and practices massage therapy and bodywork under the guidance and regulation of this esteemed City. A city that I was born and bred in, and am proud to be a citizen of.

I am fully in support of statewide licensing, even though I know it is going to increase the paperwork and overhead load I have to deal with to be a massage therapist. I know that in the end it is absolutely worth it, for me and for my clients, to know that they are being served by a licensed, certified, professional massage therapist.

I have been providing the Client Bill of Rights all along, and wish that Amelia Santinello would have pointed out that the same CBOR provides the contact information for the Minnesota Office of Unlicensed Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice, which is the office that handles complaints about massage therapy gone wrong (and other unlicensed professions). My CBOR states:

Complaints
You have the right to file a complaint with the Minnesota Office of Unlicensed Complimentary and Alternative Health Care Practice (OCAP). To file a complaint:
Mail: Office of Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice, Health Occupations Program, Minnesota Department of Health, P.O. Box 64882, 85 East 7th Place, Suite 300, St. Paul, MN, 55164-0882,
Telephone: 651-201-3728

It is true that it is very difficult for a client to make such a complaint if they have not received a Bill of Rights, or if they are unaware that such a document or an office might exist. It is my professional opinion that it is absolutely unacceptable for a massage therapist/bodyworker to operate without providing a CBOR to their clients.

The CBOR states the therapist's credentials (to a limited extent). Aside from the CBOR, my credentials are listed in part on the About Us page of my website (http://www.BHLBwellness.com/aboutus.aspx).

Aside from my 630+ hours in massage therapy school (at the Minneapolis School of Massage & Bodywork, which sadly closed in 2007) and my 200+ hours in yoga teacher training, I have obtained 132 more hours of continuing education in massage/bodywork, yoga, movement therapies, and business, not to mention the many hours spent reading, watching DVDs, and discussing the art of these therapies with colleagues. Additionally, I taught massage therapy for a little over a year at Rasmussen College (Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie campuses), and have those many hours of refreshment (during preparation and teaching) of the therapies that I practice.

Last but not least, I take issue with the way that WCCO used pretty blatant racism, sexism, classism, and elitism when showing images of massage therapy and therapists, and the professionals who license and regulate them. They used all Caucasian professionals, such as the Ivy Spa representative and the Bloomington Licensing representatives. They used images of a woman of color providing the massage at the Ivy Spa, images that further oppression in many ways; those images were sexist, racist, classist, elitist, and projected an image of the massage profession as simply a spa/pampering experience where rich Caucasians can receive these SERVICES by people below their social station. The image was of a woman of color "servicing" a white man, and was overlaid (via voiceover) with the words dangerous, unlicensed, taken advantage of, and the "testimony" of the "victim" they used for their sensationalistic coverage of the issue. This was damaging in many ways to the credibility of the massage therapy profession and I don't feel it accurately represents me or the clients I serve.

For too long, the public's image about massage therapy has been that its a privilege, a luxury, a pampering service, and that it's provided by mainly women in spas, day spas, salons, and "private getaways" catering to a wealthy, primarily Caucasian, clientele. I thank my brothers and sisters in massage who have worked hard in the past decades (including the nearly 13 years that I've been a professional massage therapist) to promote massage as a complementary and preventive approach that partners well with allopathic medicine, chiropractic, physical therapy, sports medicine, and general injury rehabilitation. Those dedicated professionals (and I count myself in the bunch) have worked hard to combat the stereotypes and to create conversation in the public arena about massage therapy's real approach and benefits.

A more positive way to showcase the issue of massage therapy licensing in Minnesota would have been to share, in-depth, the therapists and schools involved in the Alliance for Licensing Massage Therapists (www.almt.synthasite.com) who are working toward creating statewide licensing legislation; to interview some local massage therapists on their opinion of statewide legislation, and to discuss the pros and cons of such.

Speaking of the victim, I feel badly for her experience in the hands of that clearly unprofessional and dangerous "therapist." I cringe whenever I hear these stories- and unfortunately I have heard many. In my ideal world, women (and men, for that matter) would try mightily to dispense with fear and speak up during the session whenever something doesn't feel right- regardless of the possible reactions by the person of perceived (or actual) power. However, I know it doesn't always work that way. I encourage each and every client to co-create their massage session with me, from the depth of pressure and the specific spots I work on (I encourage people to tell me 'a little to the left,' etc.) to the music (or lack of), the temperature, and more. I feel it is vital for the person on the table to be empowered to change and control any part of the massage (within reason) so they receive the best session possible.

I am well aware of the power dynamics that occur in the context of a massage session and cannot imagine crossing those kind of boundaries, or acting out any other ethical violations, with a client. It is true that a person on the table feels powerless sometimes, and afraid of speaking up because the therapist is the person in the perceived position of power. The most recent issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine (which I receive as a Certified level member of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals- http://www.abmp.com/ ) included an article on the best and worst professional boundaries. Here's an excerpt from the section titled "Worst boundary mistake:"

"Without a doubt, sexualizing your work is potentially the most destructive boundary mistake you can make. These types of behavior range from flirting...to the most destructive act of being sexual with a client during a session. Nothing hurts your reputation more than being linked with sexually inappropriate behavior. And no rumor travels faster or sticks with you longer than a sex-related one. Compare, 'she's late for her sessions,' with 'she dates her clients.' Which one are you more likely to remember and repeat? In addition, nothing hurts the reputation of the profession more. It reinforces the persistent and erroneous public image that massage therapists offer sexual services."

I do NOT offer any sexual services. In fact, I have turned in two massage centers that were acting as commercial businesses but were really covers for prostitution and sexual massage. I won't hesitate to report any inappropriate or unethical behavior to the Minnesota OCAP, nor will I hesitate to show a client who behaves inappropriately the door.

I got really fired up about this issue a couple of months ago when Yoga Journal's online forums linked to an article about Female Happy Ending Massage in New York City. I posted a fiery comment on the Yoga Journal forum, and my colleague and I who are helming up a Massage Therapist's Professional Information Exchange group will be seeking comment from our group on the professionals perspective to this issue. You can see the Yoga Journal post with my comments at http://blogs.yogajournal.com/cityblog/2008/07/new_york_a_massage_scandale.html, which includes a link to the article. No matter who is sexualizing this service, it's inappropriate, unethical, and further contributes to our professional oppression (in addition to the many other forms of oppression that are promoted by such an act.)

By the way, if you would like to find a qualified massage therapist who is a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, you can visit ABMP's website: www.massagefinder.com, to find a professional who has solid education credentials even if they are located in a Minnesota city that doesn't currently license massage therapists.

If you have read to this point, you're a brave and hearty soul and I salute you. I welcome your comments and feedback. You can reach me at 651-235-8254, Lucinda@BHLBwellness.com, and by leaving a comment on this blog.

Yoga Mommas

2008-10-13T19:56:00.004-05:00

Many of the yoga students in my Sama Prenatal Yoga class are first time moms, and are discovering what it means to them for their bodies to completely change shape and function as well as their emotions to become somewhat unexpected if not downright unrecognizable.

Yoga provides a steady, unchanging platform from which a student can examine her changing body, mind, and soul. Through regular practice a certain equilibrium can be attained that will carry a woman through the somewhat perilous journey of labor and delivery into fresh mom-hood without falling head-first into depression, anxiety, or blatant uncontrollable fear.

I just love this quote from Rosalind Widdowson (Yoga for Pregnancy, Creative Publishing International, 2001) about the emotional changes that a pregnant woman undergoes:

"This new growth and development is not merely confined to the physical process of nurturing a baby. It also means taking the opportunity to appreciate a spiritual truth and expand one's horizon beyond the self-absorbed and self-orientated. A mother-to-be will, sometimes for the first time, have to put the needs of another before herself. One of my key definitions of a loving relationship is when another's wellbeing is more important than one's own. The process of pregnancy brings this truth home like no other."

Additionally, Rosalind Widdowson describes the benefits of yoga practices to balance the emotions:

"On an emotional level, the breathing practices, relaxation and meditational routines that yoga offers provide a chance to self-observe the roller-coaster of emotions and to readjust to a changing mental equilibrium. This is not so much a case of exerting 'control' to banish fear, but rather of developing an unafraid acceptance of these natural processes. Whatever your state of health, yoga helps you to connect and flow with the natural rhythms and workings of the body. This in itself is an empowered position and does much to banish fear, stress, and anxiety."

Just as a woman can learn to relax into the process of watching her breath and her emotions, so can she learn to relax into the natural intensity of the labor process and watch her contractions come and go with the same detached approach. Logically, when pregnant, a woman knows that contractions have a beginning, a cresting middle and a declining end to their pain. During the contractions, however, a woman without yoga practice might have difficulty staying centered and not identifying herself in the moment with the pain of the contraction. A woman who has build a supportive foundation in herself through yoga practice knows that the pain is temporary and may even have some aspects that are not so fearful, so she can observe the contraction as if from a distance as she moves inward into the experience of bringing her baby into the world.

I encourage my yoga students to seek out and listen to other women's birth stories if possible before birthing their child. In our culture it is a rare phenomenon, statistically speaking, to be present at the birth of another woman's baby, and so birth remains a mystical and feared experience for many expectant moms. By listening to birth stories, women can become at least emotionally and mentally prepared (if not comfortable) with the various processes by which a baby can be brought into the world. Even if the birth story had an unexpected twist it is a valuable tale to a woman expecting her first child.

Even when listening to birth stories and planning for her own birth, though, I caution women to not attach themselves to certain processes and outcomes but rather to begin cultivating a deep listening to the needs and responses of her body. In that way when labor and delivery arrive, no matter what the vehicle for bringing in the baby be, a woman can stay centered in her body and breath and respond to the inquiries of her birth partners as the whole team prepares to bring baby into mom's arms.

The tools yoga offers to women preparing to birth their babies are invaluable and create not just a focus for labor and delivery but a tool that can serve the mom for her lifetime in developing healthy habits, keeping fit and supple, and teaching her child the joy of inner self-discovery as they steadily grow outward into the world.

Fall and Finally Posting Again!

2008-10-12T23:08:00.002-05:00

Well, I knew that blogging is an ambitious project when I started, and I am certainly an ambitious person. However, I clearly haven't been that ambitious or I would be a prolific poster by now! I plan to post more frequently now that the studio move is completed. Hang in there as I get the hang of this.

Well, fall is my favorite season and I really enjoy eating seasonal foods that, to me, bespeak a midwest autumn like nothing else. Here's a vegan dish you might heartily enjoy this season. It's amazingly delicious!

Pumpkin & Wild Rice Pilaf
serves 2-4

1 sugar/pie pumpkin (size to the number of people you want to serve)
2 cups wild rice
2 1/4 cups water and 1/2 cup water, divided use
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the top 1/3 from the pumpkin, reserving the "lid."
Scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp.
Place the diced onion, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste in the pumpkin.
Replace "lid" and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the wild rice in the 2 1/4 cups water until it's mostly done.
Pull the pumpkin from the oven. Fill the pumpkin with wild rice, stir well to blend with onion and seasonings.
Pour excess rice in pan around pumpkin.
Drizzle all with remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the excess rice with foil, replace the pumpkin "lid," and bake for another 30 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy!

recipe adapted from a recipe published in the September St. Paul Pioneer Press

Poetry of the Body

2008-08-08T08:25:00.002-05:00

I love words. Perhaps it is because I was read to in utero, and in the immediate days after birth, and throughout my entire childhood. I began to read at an early age. I began writing "poems" and stories in kindnergarten and have never really stopped, except now my "poems" have become poems. This love of the written word extends to listening to the lyrics of music and being enthralled by fascinating dialogue.

In yoga my love of words is sparked by:

The seemingly endless treasure trove of great yoga works such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita (The Living Gita). (The books I really enjoy on these two works are both narrated and translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda, who has a wonderful way with words and a great sense of humor).
Delicious reading about the experience of being in yoga asanas with full awareness, such as The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann, and Light On Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar (I've also heard glowing things about Light On Life by Iyengar but have yet to read it).
Inspiring words of very-human wisdom by Judith Lasater in Living Your Yoga and Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times.

Books like these open my inner doors wider and help me begin to understand the poetry of the body. Poetry itself, even non-yoga related poetry, also contributes to my understanding of breath, of asana, of awareness, of goals, of being in the moment-ness (momentous-ness?). I enjoy Mary Oliver, Kalil Gibran, e.e. cummings, William Wordsworth, Adrienne Rich, Ranier Maria Rilke, Sharon Olds, Diane Glancy, and others who speak about the experiences of being human in beautiful, simple and poignant words.

Sometimes I'll read a poem during asana practice or as my students enter into Savasana. My hope is that maybe even one word or one phrase in the poem will find its way through their being to the doors that their yoga practice is beginning to open, and will entice a door to swing wide, inviting their awareness to enter a new place inside their Self, and discover the treasure of who they really are.

Striding Deeper Into The World

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save.

--Mary Oliver

Yoga In The Headlines

2008-08-08T08:06:00.003-05:00

Here are some links to yoga-related news that you might find interesting:

Yoga Fosters Emotional Health
I have frequently mentioned the link between fear in the hip region of the body and addressing it when practicing hip-opening asana...read more about it in this article from the Chicago Tribune.
http://www.buffalonews.com/lifearts/health/story/387441.html

Doga- Yoga for Dogs
The yoga trend keeps being reinvented...
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/15/20080715sr-dogyoga0716ON.html

Weight-Loss Surgeon Closes Practice, Becomes Yoga Instructor
He decided to help people in a more natural way on their quest to lose weight and become healthier.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004448128_nwyogadoc01.html?syndication=rss

Over-Compensation

2008-07-03T21:57:00.002-05:00

I used to over-compensate for many imagined (and real) personal deficiencies. This behavior allowed me to believe I could meet everyone's needs, fulfill my own, and still be a superheroine. I could not only get you what you wanted, I could do it quicker than anyone else. I could be the life of a party, your efficient personal assistant, and your best friend, the one to whom you told your most secret secrets.

Problem is, I couldn't see my behavior for what it was...egoic attempts to be better than those around me. I was unsure of my own worth as a person, as a friend, as a sister, daughter, and employee. Much of my over-compsensating behavior was positive, such as getting work done not just quickly, but accurately and with a genuine smile. Nevertheless, it came from a place in me that believed I could do things others couldn't.

Therein lies illusion, which causes suffering.

Yoga reveals imbalances that simple consideration or self-analysis don't. Back in 2006 I was in a class where my teacher guided us through seated poses and seated forward folds, such as Staff Pose (Dandasana) and Intense Stretch of the West (Paschimottanasana). She very casually mentioned if our heels lifted from the floor during activation of the thighs, it meant we were hyper-extending in our knee joints.

Sure enough, my heels came way off the floor- nearly an inch! I never realized I was a hyper-extending person! What a revelation. Finally paying attention, I realized that my physical practice of yoga poses was revealing where I was hyper-extending my joints. First my knees, then my wrists, and most recently, my elbows.***

Hyperextending in yoga sometimes indicates that your joints do all of the work for muscles that aren't quite prepared to do the job- maybe the muscles are weak or tight and cannot support the pose fully. In some ways, it's a yoga survival tool for the student who is not self-aware and not getting the teacher's feedback when they need it.

Over-compensating in life sometimes indicates that your ego is trying to protect itself by assigning itself significance, attention-getting attributes, and worthiness. Ego becomes fearful that if you let your quiet heart and true self shine through, all of the spotlights and paparazzi and razzmatazz will disappear. Then who will you be?

***DID YOU KNOW? There are tens of thousands of yoga injuries in the United States each year. Many go unreported to doctors and may not receive proper treatment. Some yoga injuries happen very slowly as years of overuse and poor body mechanics tax muscles and create wear and tear on joints, making them unstable. If you think you may have injured yourself through yoga, you should do two things: Consult your healthcare professional about treatment, and meet with a qualified yoga teacher personally who can help you find better alignment in yoga. STOP HURTING YOURSELF!

One Small Step

2008-07-02T13:43:00.003-05:00

This picture is one representation of what inner spaciousness feels like to me...full of lightness. I'll share more information about the inspiration for the title in another post.

I've been meaing to set up a blog for years. Inspiration arrives in the form of students and clients and their wonderfully insightful, inquisitive questions. So today I take the proverbial small step that begins my blogging journey!

I hope this blog provides you with thought-provoking, interesting information about yoga, meditation, bodywork and massage therapy. My intent is to use this blog as a vessel to share tools, information, and inspiration with all who read it.

Aging and Muscles:
Many people believe when they reach midlife (40s, 50s) that it is natural to experience a diminished range of motion, weakness, muscle pain, and loss of power. These symptoms are to some extent natural...when you're injured or when you reach your 70s, and beyond.

However, if you get good nutrition, pay attention to your exercise levels, stretch a bit more than you used to (but with better body mechanics than you used to) and make sure you are taking in adequate water and getting adequate rest, you should not experience too much loss of muscle function.

A little bodywork never hurts, either!

Massage therapy brings more blood to your muscles, delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products from muscle cells. This is important for all people, and especially for those who tend to work in one position or use repetitive motions for long periods of time. Your muscles are trainable throughout your entire life, and massage therapy is one way of training your muscles to be more flexible, responsive, and healthier.