Thai Yoga Massage and Jetlag

Thai Yoga Massage is pretty useful for most sorts of physical and emotional recovery (so my clients tell me).  A sub-set of my clients, however, specifically use my Thai Yoga Massage to help them recover from jet-lag.

Pictured left is one of those clients: she not only has a romper-stomper of a work schedule, but she's also 7 months pregnant!  Familiar with her crazy, demanding, international-travelling schedule for many years now, she had the foresight to plan out deliciously comfortable days of solace spent at home to enjoy her pregnancy: time with her hubby and cat, Zeus (yes, that's him perched above her head on the pillow), lounging by her gorgeous, Mediterranean-inspired garden, baking, and sleeping in her own bed!  My client loves being at home, because she doesn't get to be there much, and in addition to home comforts, she's added my Pregnancy Thai Yoga Massage into the mix.

With her expanding belly comes the typical pregnancy-related symptoms of lower back aches, neck and shoulder pain, tiredness, less-than-optimal circulation, and weight gain.  Add in hours spent on her feet, dexterous work with her hands, countless hours stuck sitting on a plane, and global time changes affecting her sleep...well, you can see why she'd enjoy a Thai Yoga Massage after she arrives back in home.  Since she's working right up until her due date, my client likes to book me around her flight times, and I usually see her the morning after she gets in.  And Zeus gets a bit of cat massage too!

Never Too Busy For My Body

This blog is a shout-out to all my compliant clients.  What does that mean?  A compliant client is a client who listens to your advice, and applies themselves.  In being open to my professional advice, and taking the suggestions to heart, my clients make incremental lifestyle shifts toward life-positive habits that help them in the long run.

Not all clients are compliant, mind. you.  And that's OK -- it's not a judgement.  They just have other priorities.  The things is, if you're not going to heed a professional's advice and hurtle headlong, making zero adjustments in your life, just remember to ratchet back your expectations of healing yourself if you're not gonna do the homework.  In other words, don't expect any changes.

I asked a current client why she's so open to my suggestions.  And mind you, this woman is no slacker in general: she's 110% busy.  Busy with a capital B.  Bi-zay.  Manages a high-profile business, has an upside-down work schedule, is super intelligent and ballsy, is mother to a teenager, has a very full family life, works out regularly and frequently, AND party plans on the side.  When I asked her why she bothered with the simple suggestions I made, she quickly said, "I might be busy, but I'm never too busy for my body."

Touché!  It's all in her attitude that generates her ability to take care of herself, and consequently, be able to keep all the spinning plates of her full life in balance.


My client is humble enough to know she's not perfect.  And I'm not the perfect practitioner for everyone.  But together, by listening to one another, she hopes to better herself, and I hope to help her achieve her health goals.

Pregnancy Thai Yoga Massage for the Hearing Impaired

To the left is a photo of the collection of all the Post-It Notes my client and I scribbled to one another during her Pregnancy Thai Yoga Massage with me.  I worked with my first pregnant deaf client the other week (I don't mean to offend, but is it totally un-PC to call someone deaf?).  She didn't tell me beforehand she was hearing impaired, so I had no idea...not until she parked and got out; I yelled hello from a distance, but saw that she didn't react.  It wasn't until she walked through the gate, and looked up and saw my mouth moving that she pointed at her ear.  A-ha, I got it.

I didn't feel prepared, but very quickly, I found that body language was easier for me to communicate in, than verbal (go figure, being a massage therapist and all...).  Gesturing to her feet, I asked her to remove her shoes by the front door.  With a smile, I gestured for her to follow me to my studio.  She set her stuff down, and sat as I handed her a pen and my consultation form.  As she filled her info out, I had the brilliant idea to scribble my first notes: "Hi! FYI: Bathroom is down the hallway to your right, just in case.  I will ask you 1/2 way through the massage in case you need to go, OK?"  :)  Having to clam up forced me to be creative with my words, and also, more precise.  "Massage starts lying on your right-side.  I will prop and support with pillows, and keep you warm with a blanket.  Any questions, just let me know."

Have you ever felt like talking is a lot of hot air?  That much the time we spend speaking is just that...and not much listening?  I sure do.  But I am not hearing impaired, so I don't have the choice to block people's voices out, unless it's by avoidance.  But oftentimes, I wonder if talking is just filler.

Not so with my pregnant client.  I began my massage, and unlike my usual clients, there was no talking...just the soft sounds of kundalini mantras playing and keeping the vibration up.  Without verbal reassurance, all she had to go on was feeling comfortable with my touch...and I was keenly aware that my touch was one of the strongest trust builders she had.  As I kept massaging her, my initial anxiety over lack of preparation melted away into appreciation for the silence.  It allowed me concentrate deeper, and focus on body language to convey, totally and completely.

As we hit the halfway mark, I tapped her on the shoulder.  Most of my pregnant mommas appreciate the pit stop.  She was no exception, being nearly 7 months on.  During her break, I scribbled more notes: "Forgot to tell you, baby may move more due to you relaxing.  Your ribs and upper back are tight, so extra room gives baby room to move around."  She wrote back, "It's what the baby and I need!"

And so began a flurry of note scribbling, punctuated by nods and smiles of approval!!  It was really fun!  I found that my face, particularly the jaw, was really relaxed from not having to use it for facial expressions, other than genuine smiling.  I wrote my observations, and she wrote her back.  Felt like communication in a more purer form.  A connection was made...we got one another.

At the end of her 90 minute massage, I wrote, "U feeling OK?  Questions?  I'll show you a yoga stretch for opening up your ribs and lungs OK?  Will help stretch backs of legs too."  She wrote back, "The more I feel good (some pain) when you stretched me, the more I realize I really want to sign up for pre-natal yoga.  It's what I and my body needs."

Wrapping it up, I wrote, "If you have any questions, feel free to email me anytime.  I can always go over what we talked about over email...I'm sure you got a lot on your mind anyways." :)  She nodded and responded with the nicest compliment of all: a very generous 20% tip, and the words, "Whenever I am back in town, I will be in touch."

The Ideal Client

Oftentimes, I get asked, "What's your ideal client?"

People ask this as if an ideal client is like a unicorn, rare and mysterious, and very difficult to find.  Possibly extinct, or a figment of the imagination.  Perhaps that's true for how you feel?  But for me (and you might think it's weird), all my clients are my ideal clients.

I don't subscribe to the notion that finding your ideal client is hard.  But there is a carefully-added caveat to my belief: finding your ideal client isn't hard, IF you work on yourself first.  What do I mean by that?

Well, possibly you've read/heard about the E-Myth?  Michael Gerber talks about learning to work ON your business, and not just IN your business.  In a similar vein, kundalini yoga's philosophy of practicing a daily sadhana (the time you spend communing and connecting with the Infinite) works on releasing physical/emotional/spiritual blocks, so that you can manifest and be happy, holy, and healthy.  Business is just an extension of you, especially when you run your own business -- it just a branch of who you are, how you do things, communicate, and consequently, how things manifest for you.  Ask yourself, "Is there something that isn't working for me, that keeps repeating?"  Pay attention to these signs, and perhaps it's time to problem-solve your dilemma.

Working on clearing yourself isn't necessarily fun, but as Yogi Bhajan liked to teach, "Commitment is the first step towards Happiness."  I used to attribute the adjective "hard" to everything: Life is Hard, Work is Hard, Relationships are Hard.  Why did I set myself up for such a fall?  It is not hard, if I do my homework, just like in school.

Personally, I spend my early mornings practicing sadhana.  I do this right when I wake up, and it's usually in the wee hours of 3 or 4am.  With kundalini yoga and meditation, I clear myself, scrub the barnacles off the proverbial hull, and set my sail right, checking the weather report for wind and rain.  Each day, I set sail and life's experience can be a breeze. Without sadhana, all that I do, see, and touch can turn into a perfect storm.

So to drill it down to business clients: all my clients -- past, present, and future -- are ideal.  They pay me for my knowledge, and respect my time, and I in turn do all that I can to help them reach their health goals and feel good.  We joke, laugh, and relax during their Thai Yoga massage sessions.  It's good times.  But that is because by definition, I have set my own personal and professional bar.  The rest is just a matter of time unfurling....

Inflammation and Heartburn During Pregnancy

Heartburn during pregnancy.

This past weekend, I saw a 29 week pregnant momma, who, rather than experiencing morning sickness, experienced heartburn 10 weeks into her pregnancy, and a painful inflammation in the ribs at 5 months.  I could see that the chest pain was very uncomfortable for her and it really bothered her.  Not only that, but it was affecting a previous mid-back spinal injury that happened years back, but was now flaring up again, as a result.

As I touched her body, I could feel two things:

1. An overall lack of muscle tone, and 
2. Muscle tightness and rigidity.

Neither of these muscular symptoms are feel-good factors for a regular woman, much less, a woman that's pregnant.  If you're lacking muscle tone, the muscles aren't strong enough to hold joints in place, and consequently, your posture suffers.  If you're tense and tight, then it's easy to feel pain from inflexibility, and lose range of movement.  Moreover, for the pregnant, expanding body, this tightness is like a strait-jacket on the body, constricting blood flow, limiting essential nutrients to the fetus, and causing things like heartburn.  Yes, your body has the ability to confine you if you don't listen and see to its needs!

Stretch to avoid strait-jacketing yourself!

During her Pregnancy Thai Yoga Massage, I paid close attention to her upper back, shoulders, and chest.  And gave her deep, rib-opening stretches to allow greater breathing room, and space in between her intercostals.  The treatment wasn't easy for her to stomach (haha, couldnt' resist the pun), but afterwards, she sat upright, and felt much better.  She was en route to her baby shower, so I gave her a very effective side-opening stretch that she can do every day to keep her ribs and lungs open.  I also prescribed a daily routine of swimming and/or pre-natal yoga, until the inflammation and heartburn went away, so that she is not reliant on heartburn medicine that directly affects her growing baby.

August 2011 Numerology

Forecast: Rapid Change, Impulse Control, Tribal Connection

The month of August shifts us into a highly charged emotional field of energy. We want what we want, and we want it now! There is an inherent impulsivenessroaming through our five senses, so watch out as you pass by the ice cream shop—you may feel the Jamoca Almond Fudge-Triple Ripple calling your name. It is okay to indulge a little, after all it’s summertime. Just try to have a contained “freak out,” as opposed to feeling that it’s a mission from God to finish the entire party size bag of potato chips. You may have noticed that I have used examples of food twice to illustrate how people will be expressing their emotional imbalances. This is because the number 3 appears in the sublayers of the month, and 3 represents food. Three is also the emotion of anger when it is expressed in the negative polarity. Don’t steal anybody’s Twinkies, or you could be in for a fight.

Humor is important now, and also the ability to have fun in social settings—parties, a backyard barbeque, volleyball at the beach, a game of badminton, or rollerblade free-for-all are all ways to let off steam and release stress. The number 8 for August represents issues of power and authority. We won’t like having anyone telling us what to do, and this sentiment will be felt especially by children. Keep the kids busy, or they will be driving you up the wall. Your frustration as a parent or caregiver will likely be expressed by over-reacting in the area of discipline (power number 8 at play!), when it is your creativity that is required to make the best of it. Children and teenagers just want our attention and acknowledgement, so would it really mess up your Day Planner schedule if you sat down on the floor and picked up a crayon to draw with your child? If your teenager imagines that there is no way you could ever understand what they are going through, find an old rock anthem on YouTube.com and let them listen to it. Talk about how you used to feel frustrated as a teenager, and maybe you won’t appear so totally uncool to them anymore.

There is an especially important aspect to this time, and that is the appearance of the number 12 in the Base calculation (Base is: 8-August + 4 total Year = 12). The number 12 represent tribes, and the need to feel included in a group of peoplewhose energy is of a similar spirit. There is a link between this month of August and the calendar year of 2012, as the number 12 appears there too. Notice who is around you, and the opportunities to connect with others of similar interests and inspirations. This is important now, as things will be changing so swiftly next year that at times you may feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” during the tornado. The overall number for 2012 is a 5, and 5 represents rapidly changing circumstances. This will be much easier to navigate with a certain level of emotional support and connectivity.

It is nothing short of tragic that a brilliant young talent like Amy Winehouse had to die at such a young age. Where was her tribe? Maybe it was the wrong group of people, or maybe no one cared enough to step up to the plate. In the movie “Avatar” when someone was ill the entire tribe would gather to help heal that person. Through linking their energy and chanting together they were able to dispel the darkness in another’s spirit.

Make this a time of renewed hope and vision for yourself and others, as we all move through this powerfully transformational time in human evolution. As Yogi Bhajan said:

“You have two enemies; fear and duality. Say “No”. That’s it. When you are afraid, just say, “No” and God will take care of it for you from that minute onward. I’ll vouch for it. Trust Him. Dwell in Him and be gracious. Tomorrow’s world is hoping for you to come through as saviors.”

Would you like to know more? Nam Hari can do a personal reading for you, either in person or ovr the phone. Hidden away in the numbers of
your birth date are the secrets to your life’s happiness and greatest potential. Nam Hari specializes in the area of relationships, and will guide
you in understanding the parallel and diagonal lines of energy connecting you to another person. Information is power, and a clear vision of the
future is your best friend. Nam Hari Khalsa 310-202-8937 or 575-305-0017; email:namhari17@gmail.com

Captain America Did It

I get asked all the time why my programs are on a weekly basis treatment schedule.  Typically my programs come in two lengths: 10 week starter intensive, and a 6 month flexibility training program.  Studies show that the human body begins to shift old patterning and change on a cellular level in roughly 8-10 weeks.  And since the Thai Yoga massage works to stretch your entire body, every joint is rotated and muscle flexed, it takes time.

I wish I had a magic wand to wave and say otherwise, but I'm no miracle worker. I had a nice engineer client ask me, just the other day if he could shrink the intensive program down to 5 weekly session.  After his evaluation, it was revealed he had a ways to go in his range of motion, being very inflexible indeed.  I replied, "Well, Captain America needed at least 6 months to train up!  Not sure what we can achieve in 5 sessions...!"  :P

Too Much Sitting

Is this you?

Yesterday, I spent the day with my SEO/Webmaster, as we worked on overhauling and updating my website.  We had quite a few changes to make, so I arrived at her office by 10am.  What inadvertently happened was that the meeting reminded me of the type of continuous, immobile sitting my clients generally do -- day in, day out.  And the toll it can take on your body.

It isn't that I've not experienced office jobs like that before: I certainly have, working previously at dotcoms, and various other corporate jobs. And it's not like I don't sit in front of my laptop, doing admin work for Melt Therapy -- I totally do.  But since opening my business, and working in Thai Yoga Massage, I don't tend to sit for such long, continuous periods of time: my body gets me up, I walk around, practice yoga, and when I massage, I'm constantly moving in an energetic flow.  Yes, my body gets tired, but in no way does it get tired the same way constant sitting does to my bones, muscles, and energy level.

Posterior tilt of pelvis while sitting.

After 2 hours of focused computer work, I turned to my webmaster, and said, "I'm hungry.  Wanna get lunch?"  She replied, "I'm OK...not hungry, just gonna keep working.  You go ahead."  Um, OK.  This response is something I used to do working at dotcoms too -- forgetting to eat, only focused straight ahead at my monitor at the task ahead.  I go out, experience the LA sun on my face, and find a tasty Thai vegetarian restaurant, and am back at hers in 45 minutes.  Guess what?  I find her locked in the same, exact position as when I left!! OMG.

We work until 5:30pm, but towards the end, I am fidgety as all hell.  She's  eaten some brie and cracks and drank nothing the whole time I've been with her.  Or peed.  On the other hand, I got up, drank Kombucha, peed several times, took a 20 minute nap, and did some downward dogs!!  I couldn't help it!  I wasn't trying to be a slacker!  My body just wasn't enjoying or used to that much sitting.

I was really grateful for my webmaster's dedication, focus, and attention, and we managed to get a nice chunk of the website done.  I really empathized with her style and type of job, having done it for a decade myself.  And it was a good reminder of my clients' daily lives, and why they come to see me and get stretched out.  All in all, the day made me a better practitioner, empathic to the plight my client's body's go through.

Enduring Healing

A lot of my clients have said, "I've gone to massage therapists before, and it all feels good during the session, but the minute I walk out the door, my tension is back!"  Have you ever had that happen?  You want relief and go seek out the best thing possible, only to be disappointed at the temporary result?

I don't mean to get all Buddhist on you, but ask, in the greater spectrum, what really is everlasting?  OK, OK, so that wasn't helpful to you, who's probably sitting poorly in front your computer reading this.  I can only speak about my own experience, and I let each of my clients know that my treatments last up to four days.  "Four  days," I hear you saying, "that's it??"  Well, yes -- I'm not going to lie, and that's the report straight from my clients' mouths.  Four days of relief that came naturally, with no preservatives, or additives, or nasty side effects.  Four days of feeling more fluid in your body, more at ease, sleeping better, and moving with more energy.  What's the alternative?  Advil?  Wine?  Some hits from the bong?  

Which brings me to why I don't work like a typical massage therapist: I typically see clients on a weekly basis.  You might think this is extreme, time-consuming, and expensive.  It is (but so are the alternatives).  But here's the honest truth: given the shelf-life of my treatments, it's also about the time that you'll probably do something silly with your body, and hurt yourself somehow.  You might go and run harder than normal and pull a muscle.  Or you might go travelling and return a wreck from being crammed into an airplane's seat.  

I'm not saying those things to be a jerk (those examples are actual feedback from my clients!), but most of my clients are super active, highly productive people: they DO a lot.  My clients generally work long hours, love playing with their families, and they really love their sports activities.  And when you do a lot with your life, you're liable to mess up your body!  It's really about probability.  Which is why I work on-going with my clients, so as to offer a consistent system of rejuvenation.  Aside from getting progressively more limber, and feeling peace of mind, my clients tell me that having work done on their body on a consistent basis helps them recover faster.  

For example, I've experience working with golfers.  A really odd sport to be combined with Thai Yoga massage, you might say, right?  Truthfully, they sought me out, not the other way around (when this phenomenon started, I had never hit a golf ball, much less knew what a Birdie was. Now I do).  Golf is a game that relies upon flexibility first and foremost.  Before strength, and even before power...you must be flexible enough to torque yourself up in that weird twisted position, like a coiled spring, and unleash that energy to whack a tiny little ball, hoping to drive it into a really far away tiny hole.  Say what you will about golf as a non-sport, but I've tried it, and damn, it's hard!  Contorting your body over and over again into that weird position is not normal, and results in some serious wear 'n tear.

But I digress...back to my golfing clients: they are all pretty much fanatical about the game.  They love it with a passion that sends them out into the wee hours of the morning to tee off.  Golf gets them out of the house on the weekends, exasperates their spouses, and makes them spend ridiculous amounts on new equipment.  But I've yet to meet a golfer who liked to take time out to warm up and warm down with generous amounts of stretching.  It's just not built into the game (though a few drinks at the 19th hole is...go figure).  So the smart ones come and see me: they are so passionate about their game, they want to minimize their recovery time -- when the back's killing you, the feet hurt, and you're exhausted -- so they can go back the next day and do it all over again.  

So, long story short: I don't think there's anything that's permanent -- healing is a process.  The body is regenerating all the time, and you're trying to live in it the best you can.  But you get to choose, also, activities for your health: activities that are life-positive, and ones that are life-negative.  And like a lot of things in life, these activities, when repeated over time, compound.  You have the choice of compounding something that's inherently negative to your being, or positive.  Most of my clients find me because they've already tried the alternatives (and maybe had even a few operations too) to help boost their health.  Receiving Thai Yoga massage isn't for everyone, but unlike weed, alcohol, or Valium, I don't have anything else to offer except life-positive healing, in the form of compassionate touch.

    

Help for PMS

Bloated belly

Every time I work on a female client (who's not pregnant), I ask, politely, how's her period and elimination.  It's not a traditionally exciting subject, or because I'm trying to get personal, but from a Thai yoga massage practitioner's point of view, your organs are one of the most important regions for me to cover.  Why? Your organs are your engine.  In my experience, however, it's also one of the least talked about, and neglected regions.  Yet, it's also one of the most loaded.

Been there, done that!

PMS, peri-menopause, and constipation: these are all issues I've addressed with my stomach massage.  The massage, at first, isn't the most fun thing in the world, but as a woman speaking to another woman, I can only empathize with experiencing my fair share of heavy flow, soaking over my panties, having to wear two pads at once, cramps, headaches, constipation, and overall irritable moods.  It completely sucks, and through swimming, diet, yoga, and meditation, I refuse to just give into my PMS...there are definite healthy routines we, as women, can do, in order to stabilize our hormones.  We just have to search for what fits us, apply ourselves, and not resign ourselves to the hype (how many of you hate hearing, "Oh, you must be on the rag!" GROAN!).  

The belly and pelvic area is also a center of creativity.  Heck, babies come from there.  If I were to get all yogic on you, the 2nd chakra is one of creativity.  Sexual intercourse and sexuality also are associated.  And yet, the hip region is one of the most consistently neglected spots on the body (I can't tell you how many times a client says to me, as I'm working around there, "Wow, that's super sensitive!"  Probably 90%).  I don't know why, but I'm not really interested in that: I'm all about pain relief.  

I'll just give some case studies:

1. Client A, aged 37, told me she absolutely dreaded her periods.  For as long as she remembered, they were fraught with pain, misery, and sometimes a visit to the hospital.  The pain was so intense, she sometimes passed out.  In the course of our working relationship, she revealed she'd been molested at an early age, but showed signs of denial too.  Not being a psycho-therapist, all I could do was work on her belly.  After 3 months of consistent work, her periods came and went with no drama, which flabbergasted my client, because it seemed too good to be true.  The massage work also reduced her lower back pain, which had been constant.  By not dealing with the emotions surrounding the molestation, however, as soon as she quit seeing me, the period pains came back with a vengeance.  And her back flared up to the point where she had a couple of operations (not good in my book...I abhor operations and think they should be total last resort).
2. Client B, aged 45, was experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms, and hadn't had her period in several months.  She was super bloated, and constantly had her not-happening-period on her brain.  It was revealed also that she'd been a victim of child molestation.  I worked on her 5 weeks in a row, and she finally did get her period.  Much to her amazement, it was without pain or cramps.  The period, she said, just came.  And it wasn't it's usual clottiness.  Nope, it was light and clear, and no fuss.  She thanked me profusely.
3. Client C, aged 50, sees me just so she can have regular bowel movements.  When we first started working together, she felt lucky to poo once every four days.  Wow, I said.  Client C was not willing to try a different nutritional diet, but willingly let me work on her.  Her BM's come every other day now.

I've noticed my women clients are more open to my working on them in this manner (men are a bit closed off, which is a bummer, since I'm guessing they probably have their fair share of BM issues).  Something about the pressure of being a woman -- the double standards, the desire to have a flat stomach -- we suck and hold so much in that it's just not good for us in the long run.