This Beach Bum is FREEEEZING!

Take me back to the warm, sunny weather and the cool, refreshing waters by the beach!

For the past few days its been SO COLD...not 20 degrees cold...I'm talking REALLY COLD! According the the weather channel, it is currently 4 degrees outside but feels like -13 degrees!!!! This is something I am not used to at all but it's funny how quickly I'm learning to (because I have no other option) acclimate.

In VA, people would stay in their homes, with hot cocoa by the fireplace. It would most likely be a snow day and all the kids (and government workers ;)) would celebrate!

In CO, people continue going to the gym, school, work, and running errands like it's nothing! Today, I babysat in the morning but treated myself to starbucks beforehand. No one else seemed bothered by frozen hands or red noses...it just reminds me that the world and life continues whether I am up for it or not.

This winter is probably going to be a very cold and snowy one...I just have to keep thinking warm thoughts and reminding myself that this season will pass and the sun will come out soon! Wishing everyone a great winter season with lots of warmth and cheer!

Infant Massage

"Being touched and caressed, being massaged, is food for the infant. Food as necessary as minerals, vitamins and proteins."

~ Dr.Frederick Leboyer

The past two weekends of my life have been great but have been occupied with the Infant Massage Elective at BCMT. The elective teaches students (soon-to-be therapists)how to teach infant massage to parents and other caregivers.

Massaging an infant, whether it's yours or a baby you are caring for, has so many benefits. Some of the many benefits include:

*enhances your baby's bond with you
*creates healthy tone in your baby's developing muscles and reduces muscle tension
*enhances your baby's immune system
*helps reduce the discomforts of digestion, elimination, and teething and may eliminate colic in some cases
*facilitates better sleep patterns
*for the premature baby, may increase weight gain and the chance of an earlier discharge from the hospital
*strengthens your communication with and your intuition about your child
*allows you to be an example of compassion and love for your baby
*gives partners a specific role to fulfill in parenting which helps them feel integrated and important in the parenting process

"Touch is a language that can communicate more love in five seconds, than five minutes of carefully chosen words."

~ Phyllis Davis,Power of Touch

I worked with the sweetest 9 week old girl these past two weeks and really enjoyed her company. She already slept 7 hours a night and was very calm. Her mother came to the sessions and ended up massaging her daughter almost everyday during the week. She saw positive changes in the both of them. Her daughter had more solid stool and her digestion was better! The mom said that she enjoyed the quiet time with her new infant and felt calmer. This experience makes me excited for my own children and had left me wanting to persue a certificate in infant massage so I can work at health centers and hospitals. Many people think they spoil their children when they touch them or hold them too much but healthy touch and love is what people, especially new people to this world, need in order to feel safe and to thrive.

Normalization of Soft Tissue (NST)

This quarter I am taking a class focusing on the evaluation and treatment of postural dysfunction and traumatic injuries. This course involves learning Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Muscle Energy Techniques, Lymphatic Drainage, and Cyriax Cross Fiber Friction. There is so much to learn and remember..but I feel like I am learning techniques that can really help me help others.

I have clinics every other week on Wednesdays. This time, everyone in my quarter is doing 3 in a row! So from 2-6 we are working with the public and giving massages. It's great to experience so many clients in such a short period of time and seeing how I handle each client and situation differently. Some clients just want to relax and receive a Swedish session, while others are very open to deeper work and having me evaluate their Range of Motion or Posture. Everyone is different and that's what I have to keep remembering so that I can help them help themselves.

I'm also beginning to have repeat clients come into the clinic and am starting to advertise myself more so that I can be in a good position (client wise) once I graduate. I think the hardest part about NST will be to remember all of the techniques and great information!

A Room Full of Pregnant Women is a Room Full of Beauty!

"Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life" ~ Fleetwood Mac, Landslide

This weekend I took the Prenatal Massage Elective at BCMT and learned how important massage therapy can be during pregnancy. Among the long list of benefits, massage during pregnancy can result in: decreased stress hormone levels, improved mood, better sleep, fewer complications in labor, and a more sensitive and caring touch of newborns by their new mothers. During pregnancy, women go through so many changes! Having not been pregnant, I only know from what I've researched and witnessed that this is such a great but often stressful time for mothers and their families.

To be able to learn how to properly bolster an expecting mother as well as the many anatomical, physiological, and emotional changes of pregnancy, I feel like I am one step ahead towards my goals of working with women in all stages of their lives.

On the last day of the elective, we all were priviledged to work with pregnant women! My client was 25 weeks pregnant to the day and was so beautiful and calm. I was happy to hear that she had been receiving massage therapy on a regular basis, even through her pregancy, and enjoyed the relaxation she felt. If I could tell all pregnant women to get massages as part of their "body cocktail" I would! Everyone deserves to feel good at all stages of their lives and the fact that it provides clients with a bonding experience with their unborn baby even before s/he is in this world is so wonderful!

Reiki I and II Certified!

A while ago I heard about Reiki and didn't really know much about it. It actually scared me a little because I was ignorant to how it was used but now my views have changed. My mom began receiving Reiki from an old neighbor and then found a practitioner to help her regularly with different mental and physical issues she was facing. Since then, she has been happier and more open to holistic healing.

BCMT was offering a course to be Reiki I certified so I thought I'd try it as I was interested in learning about this form of healing. I thought it could help me with my massage practice, with the girls I'm nannying, and with myself. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by laying hands on someone or even feeling their energy fields without touching them. It is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. When practicing Reiki, we work with Chakras, or force centers, that are considered focal points for the reception and transmission of energies.



After Reiki I, I really enjoyed the practice and concept so I decided to go on and take Reiki II. In Reiki II we learned how to do distance healing. This means that if someone who is not present still needs healing, I can send them good life force energy to help with whatever they are working towards. I tried it on my mom with the help of about 5 others and she said at that time she saw rainbow colors and felt a tingling sensation!

With these certifications I definitely feel a difference in the power of my senses and my intuitions. I am more aware of what and who is around me and am learning to take what I've learned and incorporate into my every day life.

Swedish Therapeutic Massage

It's the beginning of my third quarter and I'm so excited to be back at school after the summer break! We have an even 12 people in my class and I'm with positive, awesome individuals! Swedish Massage was originally developed by Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics instructor. It's the most commonly used form of massage therapy in North America and... I'm finally learning it!!!

In short, it's the systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of establishing and maintaining good health, using various strokes to stimulate the circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, muscular, digestive and nervous systems of the individual. I've only had 4 classes and have already learned all of the 5 strokes used in Swedish Massage. They are: effleurage (gliding strokes), petrissage (kneading and lifting), friction (compression), vibration (rocking and shaking), and tapotement (striking). Going from Shiatsu to Swedish is quite a change but I'm keeping an open mind to welcome it. I know this modality will let me use my creative side and I am going to learn so much more about tissues and muscles.

I can't wait to practice on as many people as possible and this time when I come home and your neck or shoulders hurt, I WILL be able to pick up on it and give you a little help with your tightness.

...more to come! :) Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Eat Pray Love

I'm sure many of you have heard of the book, "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, and have maybe even read it! A lot of people I know have been recommending the book so I finally got MY hands on it!

The funny thing is it's about a woman who is newly divorced and travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia to try and explore her pleasures and get out of her depression. As someone who is coming out of a relationship and is on her own in Colorado, I can relate to this novel on many levels.

Today one of my roommates and I were talking about S-E-X and about how sometimes we feel lonely. We decided to go read by the pool and as I opened up the book this is what I read:

"One obvious topic still needs to be addressed concerning my whole pursuit of pleasure in Italy: What about sex?To answer that question simply: I don't want to have any while I'm here. To answer it more thoroughly and honestly--of course, sometimes I do desperately want to have some, but I've decided to sit this particular game out for a while. I don't want to get involved with anybody. Of course I do miss being kissed because I love kissing. But I'm not going to do anything about it for now. When I get lonely these days, I think: So be lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings."

I can relate to this chapter (Ch. 22) of the book and it's true, most people, including myself, don't KNOW how to BE lonely! We freak out and want to jump on the first friend or stranger we see that may be available to hear us out or just sit with us. This is a habit I want to break and I need to learn to accept and experience loneliness.

Check her out!!!

So one really fun elective I took this quarter was Herbology! The instructor happened to be Brigette Mars, raw foodist, herbalist, and author of this book I got a while ago called, "RawSome!". I was so excited to have her teaching the class and was just really motivated by her past and present! I learned all about herbs, remedies, and just how to be a healthier person without taking drugs (medical drugs ;)) to do it!

Visit her website and check her out: http://brigittemars.com/.

Been a while...

So sorry to keep all of my followers wondering where this beach bum has been for the past couple of months! This quarter has been hard for me because of the lack of physical contact and the intense brain work. I have still been learning so much and have been becoming more and more aware of my body, the way I move, my posture, and what I still need to work on to keep growing into a better person.

The quarter's end is this Friday and although at this moment I am feeling a little stressed about the week to come and the tests to come, I am very excited! This will be the last quarter of Anatomiken and although it was a great class which consisted of building TONS of muscles with clay, I am happy I wont have to keep memorizing origin, insertion, and actions of every muscle! Last Friday was the last class of Ethics and EK1. Ethics was great! I learned about some things that may come up while I'm massaging someone...literally and figuratively! ;) This week I have 3 more days of classes left and two finals and then a nice break!

At this moment, the sky is grey and it's been a dreary, rainy day...it's been like this for the last week, excluding yesterday. This weather depresses me...don't know if I'm just someone who loves the sun and loves to feel like everything around me is bright and happy but I hope the skies open up soon! I've been working hard this quarter and am also looking hard for jobs right now. I want something part time but am at the point where the savings are running out and I need to start gaining some money so I don't become broke like the rest of the people around me! I was hoping to move into my own place but unfortunately it's not the time so I am keeping that goal in the back of my mind and will reach it sooner or later (hopefully sooner).

Boulder and Denver are great! After coming home this last time I realized that I no longer feel at "home" in Northern Virginia. Everything is the way I left it but after long talks, I realized, I am the one who is changing. I enjoy a life of less stress. I enjoy learning about alternative medicines, healthier lifestyles, and surrounding myself with people who like to be calm. I love everyone in Northern Virginia and will still come visit but I do not feel at peace there anymore. I'm hoping that during my (almost) month off this summer I will be working but also get a chance to explore more of Colorado, the place I currently call "home". I want to visit a Hot Springs, the Dunes, and some wineries. I hear it's beautiful here in the summer but HOTTTT! I'm looking forward to it and to really getting to know myself and my world more!

Wishing everyone a great week to come! Namaste and Shalom.

HITO!

If you look back, you can see the meaning for this Japanese symbol. It hurt SO much and the care that goes into a foot tattoo is intense!

Second Quarter...In Session!

While I had a great spring break and really needed the time off to take in all that I've learned and all that I've seen in Boulder, it is nice to be back at BCMT for second quarter. Since I'm in the 18 month program, we don't have a modality this quarter so I am in desperate need of body work! Going from receiving body work 3 days a week (at least) to none is really noticeable! I am taking Anatomikin II, Anatomy and Physiology, Ethics, Kinesiology, and Movement. So far, I'm really enjoying them all and it's easier to get back into studying than it was first quarter.

The classes are mixed up now so although I have some of the same people in my classes as I had in last quarter classes, I am missing quite a few people who I became close with! On the positive side, I am getting to know more people, and there are some interesting a funny people in my classes! It's really true how all types of people can be massage therapists.

Things are going better with the roommates and I'm getting back into the swing of things here. Re-joined the gym and am hoping to lose at least 20lbs. by the end of the quarter. I've been eating raw food and working out so I HOPE to see the weight come off!!! Adam told me about this other diet called Eat To Live...I may transfer over to it if I don't see results with the raw food.

It's Passover and I was a good jew and went to seder last night and am going again Monday. I OD'd on kosher wine ;) and hope to recover this weekend! Well, I'm wishing everyone a great weekend! The sun is not out today but it doesn't mean it's not a good day!

Namaste

p.s. I finally got my tattoo of HITO! :) Pictures to come!

Clinics!

Now that the quarter is almost at an end and I've survived (yaya!)I have been really excited about putting it all to good use in the school clinic. Applying what I've learned to the public is awesome and has really made me realize why I came to BCMT in the first place.

My first clinic was on a friend...I got one of my roommates to come in. It went really well but I was so nervous and just couldn't understand why. I knew who I was working on, I've worked on her before...I guess having supervisors around and being on your own for an hour just freaked me out. I got through it and did fairly well though.

My second clinic was "on the public". I worked on this guy who was really big and really tall! Being just 5 feet this was a challenge but I was up for it! I learned to use my forearms to do most of the work and to really get deep into the points. It was hard work but awesome to be able to experience someone new. I have my third clinic (2 in a row) coming up! This will be the last of the clinics for this quarter so I'm hoping to get almost everything that I've learned into the sessions.

I'm always looking for volunteers and people to be my "bodywork dummies" so I look forward to working on the people from home and showing them what I've learned.

Spring break is just a couple of weeks away! I'm looking forward to a break and relaxing for a while before 2nd quarter begins.

VA has hills but CO has mountains

I had a long weekend for Presidents day and decided to get out and explore Boulder a little more. On Saturday I was at the grocery store dropping off a movie and thought to myself, "it's a sunny, warm, beautiful day...why not get out and get some exercise?!"...I checked for parks and recreation areas in my GPS (I call her "Destiny") and was headed to Chautauqua .

It was a 45 min. long solo hike and I really enjoyed stopping, taking pictures, catching my breath, and just taking it all in. :)

The next day I went on a longer hike in boulder with two of my classmates, Chad and Adam. I am not as in shape as they are so I had to make them wait for me a couple of times but it was really nice to get out there again. We took a detour and saw some of the really nice boulder homes on the foothills. I will have to upload some photos but it was a great day! I felt sick that night and am still not sure why...maybe dehydration, exhaustion, stress...who knows but it was a good weekend for hiking and I hope to discover more places! :)

Midterms

Well it's been a while since I've written, and I do apologize but sometimes I just don't feel like writing or I am just busy with school and life.

I've made it more than halfway through a quarter at BCMT and have learned so much! Some days I feel like I just started massage school and other days I feel like I should be out working on the public! ;)

So far, I have all A's!!! YES, I have been studying a lot...it's harder than undergraduate school in a lot of ways because you learn so much information in a short period of time but it's so much more fun! Imagine going to school 3 days a week in sweats or workout clothes...receiving and giving bodywork everyday...and basically having the same people in all of your classes...it's very comforting and fun!

While I love school and love to constantly learn, I am running out of money...yes, I have savings and yes, I planned for school but if anyone wants to send me some money feel free! ;) jk. No, really, I decided one day to make fliers and advertise myself as a babysitter and lately I have been working hard for the money! :) I babysat/worked Fri. night, Sat. night, Tues. night, and tonight (wed. night). I don't mind and it is great to see little kids around again. I miss my nephew and all the kids at Gold's gym!!! :( I also get a chance to do homework, blog, and catch up on movies!

This coming week is going to be tough...I have a presentation Friday with my study group, and two midterms/exams on Monday. One of the exams is a hands on Shiatsu exam and I am so excited to do a full 50min. of bodywork! :) I'm looking forward to getting those big things out of the way because it just means that I am THAT MUCH CLOSER to finishing my first quarter here!

Oh, and one more thing...Friday I have my first Clinic! I am working on someone I know for the first clinic and then the next two will be "open to the public"!!!! :) I guess it's time to study!

Life As a Massage Student Isn't Just About Studying!

Well I know my last few posts have been serious ones or insightful so I decided to lighten it up a bit...

...Top 3 places to eat so far:
3)Islands Burgers-great, unique food! :) Reminds me of Jimmy Buffets Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurant
2)VG Burgers-go for lunch and expect all vegetarian choices...really yum! :) They also have great baked french fries
1)Sunflower Restaurant-go for lunch because the menu changes and becomes WAY more expensive for dinner!


Top 3 places I frequent:
3)Pearl Street! This IS downtown...restaurants, bars, and shops!
2)Gunbarrel Athletic Club -- this is where I stay strong and get sexy!
1)BCMT! :)

The picture is of Kayla (another massage student) and I on pearl street waiting on some friends! :)

Healing

"A real healer can heal because he has done, and continues to do, his own work. He works with his own health or lack of it. He is honest with himself and he is honest with others. His healing is not a bag of tricks or pills, but a collection of awareness techniques and supportive stances. He attains these through study -- both of his healing modality and of his own life. He attains healing status by maintaining his inner life and his healing practice."

Last week I had a full week of classes and have already learned so much! I feel like I am getting to know myself and am learning how to become more in-tune with what I want v. what I think I want. In Zen Shiatsu I am learning how to center myself through meditation, breathing, and taking care of my priorities. I have never fully learned to or taken the time to unify myself physically, spiritually, and mentally (looking inward). It is hard to train your mind to be quiet and to be an observer rather than a chattering "monkey mind" but I am slowly forcing myself to listen to myself.

So far, I have met some great people in my classes and outside of my classes. By focusing more on choosing positive, motivating people to surround me, I am finding it easier to listen to my wants and needs. Boulder is a great place but I am also finding that whether I am in Boulder, CO or Northern, VA, people are people. Some people are great friends and conversationalists. Some people care about me and others care more for themselves. Some people are goal oriented and others are still finding out the path to take. By listening to my needs and wants and by continuing to meet and surround myself with people who I know are positive, I am learning more.

This past week was hard in many ways. I realized that some people who I thought were friends, really weren't. I learned that I have to stand up for myself and make sure that I am not viewed as someone who is willing to be taken advantage of or mistreated. I also learned to be on-time for those people and places that mean something to me.

As the new week begins I am going to try to continue to focus more on my physical, spiritual, and mental self so that I can continue to improve in massage school and improve in my life.

Zen Shiatsu

As my first modality I am in Zen Shiatsu. Zen Shiatsu is a Japanese form of bodywork based on traditional Chinese medicine that focuses on the internal flow of energy in the body. The first class was a basic overview but on Monday we actually practiced palming on each other. One of my best friends or closest classmates so far is Adam. He's this great, energetic person from NY. There are 15 others that are basically in all of my classes this quarter. I am sure I will become close with almost everyone since we are such a small group and we are always with each other. One of my roommates, Sarah, is also in two of my classes and one of my study groups so that's great because she has been through two of the classes in the program already so we can work together and do well! It's so exciting to actually be beginning school again. It's more hands-on and intense than undergraduate school.


Hito is the Japanese character for human being (maybe a next tattoo for me?!) -- It represents how, as human beings, we need each other for support. We are all interdependent. We utilize Hito in shiatsu through our technique of using our relaxed body weight to lean on our client. Our client holds us up.

"Wei Wu Wei" = "Effortless Effort"

Namaste

I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honor the place in you where lies your love, your life, your truth, your uniqueness and your peace.

I honor the place within you where if you are in that place within you, and I am in that place in me, there is only One of us.

Living the Boulder Life

I apologize for not updating this any sooner but I have a very old laptop that isn't able to be hooked up with my home internet yet and my roommate (who I was "borrowing" a computer from came back home). So far, I've been keeping myself busy, meeting new people, and exploring my surroundings. I love it!

Since there's so much that has happened since arriving to Boulder, CO, I will try to break it down into categories/events.

New Years Eve:
Adrienne and Brennan (friends from Northern, VA) happened to be in CO over the holidays and we decided to meet in Denver, CO for New Years. I was so thankful because otherwise I'd probably be drinking champagne by myself and passing out before midnight! We took the RTD in from where they were staying and went to the 16th Street mall area. It was crowded and people were so excited for a new year it was contagious! We walked around, drank in the street and then found a fun college bar at the end of 16th. I met some people there that were very nice but this one guy I met wouldn't leave me alone so eventually Adrienne had to get in the way and although he still didn't seem to get the point, he was forced to! ;) I also met some other people, that hopefully I will keep in touch with and meet again. At midnight, there were fireworks and it was so beautiful!

The Friday After:
There was an event that is held in Denver the first Friday of every month at a club called Tracks. I convinced Adrienne to go with this new friend and her friends, and I. There were over 1,500 females and it was such a huge event! Beforehand I went to a bar called HamburgerMary's with them and we saw a really funny drag show! I danced, and drank, and was very merry!

The Next Day:
I woke up, was putting my id/cc back into my wallet and noticed that my debit card was missing!!!!!! Immediately, I called the CC company and then they figured out that someone actually stole the card and get this, bought $13 worth of Burger King (of all things) on it! On a side note, my parents will prob. just be figuring this out but everything is fine now. I learned to REALLY be aware of where all my belongings are for the future! GRR!

Gym and Tanning:
I found an awesome, local, small gym in Gunbarrel (my neighborhood) that had this great offer for 20 workouts for $20. I've been going everyday and feel great! I think since I don't know anyone at the gym and I feel great I've been pushing myself even harder and really feel like I worked hard after each session! I also joined their tanning deal too and love me some color! ;)

Roommates:
Cara and Sarah have been great so far. We are all so different but I think and hope it will work out. Last night we watched some Sex and the City and then were all craving mexican so we hopped in my car and got some margarita's and guac! I'm sure I will have some juicy roommate stories to come!

So life has been good. I miss some people from home and still think of everyone! The weather here is great...50-60 degrees in the day and sunny! By 4 p.m. though, the wind picks up and it's really hard to even walk without feeling like you will be blown away!

I start my first day of classes this Friday! I'm very excited and already have my books and schedule so I'm ready! My goal is to be an honor student (3.9 or above) so it will be hard work and will require dedication but I can do it!