Melt Therapy

Monday, June 27, 2011

Letting Go

Last Saturday's pre-natal yoga class, I emphasized to my mommas the conscious ability to relax and let go. Do you ever feel in your body (and mind) this build-up of energy? It can come in the form of tingling, buzzing, irritation, anger, or pain. A churning in the heart? You might need to practice listening to your body more in order to sense what I'm talking about, so just give it a chance.

There is a basic human need to want to possess. We collect stuff. Like things, people, places, ideas, thoughts, hurts, emotions, traumas, etc. What we're not taught in school is how to actively let go in a safe way. This can be for positive things AND negative things. For example, with my yoga practice, I build up a lot of energy that needs some place to go...even by doing something positive, if I don't let go of this energy consciously, it can convert into something harmful (or bad feeling) in my body because it's trapped, caught in my body.

Giving birth is the ultimate letting go, which is why I chose to speak directly to my students. A soul, a child -- its energy -- is building up inside of you, and it is up to you, woman, to learn how to embrace your body's tides, and train yourself to be strong but also to know when to let yourself go...melt your body into its primal flow. Breathing into contractions and labor is a must. I think if more women got in touch with this ability to let go, we'd see a reduction in c-section rates and shorter labors (my hope!).

How did I teach my class? After every posture in the kriya, students came to rest. Inhale: gather the energy about you, locate it. Consciously imagine, on exhale, that the energy diffuses and rises away from you. I had my students do this after every posture: feeling the build-up, then mentally, actively letting that energy go.

Sometimes I see it as a cloud lifting off of my body, rising up like steam. I mentally say, "Oh Universe, I release this energy (anger/irritation/pain/etc.) back to you. I don't need it right now. It doesn't serve me. Thank you...I let it go." Because energy surrounds us, is us, we must never fear of letting go...we can always get that energy back if we really want it (but who wants pain from the past??). So just breathe and mentally, consciously let go. This is the first lesson in relaxation you can do for yourself.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Upcoming Special Deal from Yelp!

Shhhh, not to spill the beans, but I've been working with Yelp on a special deal: starting tonight at midnight (that's Tuesday, June 14th, 0000 hours),  Yelp is offering this discount on Melt Therapy services: Half Off 90-minute Thai Yoga Massage at Melt Therapy!

If you've ever wondered what it's like to work with me, or know someone who might be interested, check on my Yelp listing, where it will be posted!  But don't wait too long!  The Deal runs out Wednesday June 15th at 11:59am.



Melt Therapy

Monday, June 6, 2011

June 2011 Numerology Forecast

As written by my friend, Master Numerologist of the Universe, Nam Hari:

The month of June brings a fresh new wave of energy to the planet. There is a sparkling spiritual effervescence now available to us, and we can use this energy to fuel our dreams and visions. June is the best month of the year for marriage, as well as starting a new business. Even if you are already married you may consider having an “Inspiration Ceremony” to rekindle the original spark of your commitment together. You and your spouse can write down 5 things they like about the other, and would like to experience more of. This can be as simple as, “Honey, I just love to hear you singing in the kitchen when you’re putting the dishes away!”
We are longing at this time for a greater experience of loyalty and physical presence in our lives from those we care about most. “Are you with me or not?” is a strong part of our internal dialogue at this time. Any lack of loyalty, or even worse–betrayal, will send sparks flying. The number 6 (June) is the Fire Element. This heat of passion can inspire a beautiful romance, or it can burn the house down.
Fire is very purifying, and you can be your own Shaman by using this ritual. Just go to the corner drug store and pick up a bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol, and a package of Epsom salts. Scout around the house or garage and find a steel bowl or cup, as well as a clay planter base or 6” x 6” flat piece of wood. Place the bowl or cup on the planter base or wood piece for support, and add a handful or two of the Epsom salts to the steel bowl. Then add about two ounces of 91% alcohol to the Epsom salts, and light it with a match. Stand back, ’cause the flames will shoot up! Then, holding the base, walk around your home chanting a mantra which resonates with your desired intention. It could be Rakhe Rakhanhaar for protection, or the “Triple Mantra” for clearing obstacles and negative psychic projections. Chant the mantra while steadily and carefully holding the flame as you move from room to room. When you have finished, sit and thank your angels for their support, and ask them to help you keep your new energetic space clear.
This is a very powerful ritual which will cleanse a lot of negative or stuck energy. However, it is important to note that maintaining this new clear space is the other important component to your well being.
Have you ever played a board game like “Monopoly”? Most of us as children have played this game. The interesting thing is that as adults, many people are still playing games, and will try to engage you in their particular version of a “rigged game.” This happens in relationships, where one person will flip open the new adult version called “Manipulation Monopoly,” crack a big Cheshire cat grin, and say, “Wanna play?” After a few rolls of the dice you land on their high priced “Park Place” square, and realize you can’t afford the rent, which translates into the currency of their emotional baggage. Never play someone else’s game. Number 6 represents issues of protection, and our ability to recognize hidden agendas.
In yogic science 6 is the Arc Line, a frequency of white light which emanates from the forehead. The Christian faith refers to it as the halo. A strong Arc Line allows us to focus and not be swayed by someone else’s pressure or opinion. You will have an instinctual sense of what is true or false when your Arc Line is strong. It is important to develop the strength of your Arc Line now so you will be able to filter through the intensity of information we are all being bombarded with on a daily basis. Six is the third eye point, or Agia Chakra. Agia means fire. Our third eye needs to be strong and clear so we may rest in the eye of the storm and feel unruffled. A strong 6th chakra also gives us the ability to instantly know how to move forward through challenging circumstances, while gauging and conserving our energy.
I have used the word “energy” six times in this article, because everyone on the planet is now being faced with the dilemma of realizing they need to be able to generate their own positive energy field in order to be attractive to themselves and others. Joyful positive energy is a very sexy-cool thing!
In the early days of Women’s Camp in New Mexico, Yogi Bhajan shared many yogic techniques. One of the best that I can recall is the gutka. He explained that in the farmlands of northern India there was an irrigation system which also had a water wheel so people could easily draw water for their use. Sometimes the water wheel would begin to spin so furiously from the intensity of the flow that it would almost break. Yogi Bhajan said that the villagers would use a gutka, which was a wooden pin or spike, to stop the wheel from spinning, thereby maintaining the wheel. He then explained that our own mind can behave like this at times, spinning wildly out of control. The technology he gave to stop the negative flow of thought is the mantra Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad, Sat Gur Prasad Ek Ong Kar, to be chanted out loud or silently while focusing at the third eye point for five repetitions. Now you have your gutka!
Purify yourself this month with the positive polarity of the Fire Element. Cleanse your home and consciousness with the aforesaid techniques, and see the dramatic changes in your life as you are now able to move forward with a clear vision of the future. If you would like to experience the ultimate cosmic boost, head on out to the Summer Solstice retreat in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Six represents family, and you can be with your kindred spirits for 8 days of meditation, yoga, music, fun and really great food! I’m going… see you there!
Call Nam Hari Kaur to set up your personal reading. Hidden away in the numbers of your birth date are the secrets to your life’s happiness and true potential. Nam Hari specializes in the area of relationships, and your questions on love, money, and destiny line fulfillment are answered. 310-202-8937 or 575-305-0017 email: akara@cybermesa.com.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Thai Yoga Massage: How Does It Work?

A new client recently asked me, after we finished her second session, "I have tried stretching before myself, and read about different ways of stretching.  Why is your method so effective?"

To explain, yes, there are different styles of stretching...here's a list:

Static Stretches

  • Static Stretching
  • Passive Stretching
  • Active Stretching
  • PNF Stretching
  • Isometric Stretching
Dynamic Stretches
  • Ballistic Stretching
  • Dynamic Stretching
  • Active Isolated Stretching
For the sake of this post, I'll not go into detail on each style (you can look it up on the Internet yourself).  Thai Yoga Massage, as assessed by CHEK practitioner, involves dynamic stretching.  According to Brad Walker, author of The Anatomy of Stretching, "Dynamic stretching is slow, gentle, and very purposeful.  At no time during dynamic stretching should a body part be forced past the joints normal range of movement. Ballistic stretching, on the other hand, is much more aggressive and its very purpose is to force the body part beyond the limit of its normal range of movement." (pg. 24)

I don't suppose you've ever over-stretched yourself with ballistic-type stretching, and maybe even hurt yourself?  I know I have.  It didn't feel pleasant, and if I wasn't in this professional stretching business, it might have turned me off completely to stretching by myself!  The body remembers very quickly what feels good and what doesn't, and sends your brain a signal recording that moment.  It's no wonder many of my clients tell me, "I hate stretching.  It's boring, I don't know what to do, and even if I could, I'd need someone's help to get into it properly without hurting myself!"  

When I'm working with my client, using Thai Yoga massage, I am listening with my hands just how far to take their body.  My teacher, Asokananda, was German, so his philosophy was, "Pain! Das ist GOOD!"  I, however, take a different approach, and only wish to bring my clients' bodies to their threshold...this is the threshold between Good Pain and Bad Pain (yes there is a difference!).  Bad Pain is beyond your threshold limit, and generally causes trauma, not to mention pain.  It just doesn't make sense to me to cause someone's body to tighten up in defense: that's the opposite result I want to produce for them!!  Good Pain is therapeutic, takes you just up to your threshold, prompting your brain to understand a new limit that's OK, and helps release blockages. This is the zone of my Thai Yoga massage: I mindfully stretch you in such a way that your brain simultaneously feels safe, but is monitoring what I'm doing to your body, and acknowledging a new range of movement.  Essentially what this does is re-program your brain and body to accept a new limit...a limit that offers a far greater range of movement!  

That is why, in a nutshell, Thai Yoga massage is one of the most effective ways of stretching: it's safe, gentle, and progressive in helping the body open up.  By opening up, my clients report feeling new surges of energy, which translates to more productive, healthy living -- this is stagnant energy that finally had somewhere to go/release from the body.  Also, due to joints opening and muscles loosening gradually, my clients feel pain-free.  One woman told me recently, "I did a 7 mile walk last weekend, and I was amazed: no pain in my hips, knees, or legs...nothing like I used to have!"  It's gratifying to hear her response because to me we're generally so used to living with, being resigned to pain in our lives and bodies.  We forget to listen to our bodies as they cry out in pain, and then grow numb out of our neglect and ignorance.  

A DJ friend of mine once said, "Never settle!"  I don't suppose Thai Yoga massage is for everyone, but I am pleased to be able to show my clients a new perspective on living: one that is flexible, energetic, and pain-free.