20 Massage in 2 Months - Massage #2

A large Geode filled with naturally occurring amethyst and citrine sits inside the front door of the Center for Well-Being in Monroe, WA.

I received massage #2 in this series of 20 in two months from Karen Joy from the Center for Well-Being on Hill Street in Monroe, WA. I’d actually hoped to wait a few days for my next massage and then I discovered that Karen is leaving for Hawaii tomorrow. While there, she will act in her capacity as lay minister and marry a friend she has known since childhood. In order to catch Karen I scheduled my next massage for 4 pm today.

Karen is amazing in many ways. Least of all because more than one person, without really thinking about it, has found themselves calling her by her last name, Joy. I think this is because of the strong healing energy that often radiates from her. I am one of those people who calls Karen "Joy".  I also call her the James Bond of massage world, Agent 007, because she always seems to have at her disposal a fascinating new gadget or gizmo that she is using to extend new benefits to her clients. (In case you’re wondering, as of this writing, my relationship with the folks at the Center for Well Being is professional – I experience great massage while I’m there – so I want to write about it).

My favorite gizmo so far is the Amethyst Biomat by Richway. The mat is a kind of heating pad with some amazing extras that always enhance the quality of the massage. I looked the mat up on line.  It – along with a few accessories - retails for about $1500.00. (As far as I know there is only one mat in the Center so if you go there for a massage you may have to request it. If you can get it, it comes free of charge with the massage). To call the Biomat a heating pad does not begin to do it justice although keeping the massagee toasty, comfortable and relaxed is part of its function. With the mat I can feel the difference. I notice that I am both more relaxed and energized.  

The mat is filled with something like 25 pounds of crushed amethyst crystal. That’s a lot of amethyst! I’m guessing that the sheer quantity is part of why it’s effective.  I’ve used amethyst in my own healing work and it is a rock of some power. By analogy, as a microwave heats water, amethyst helps rid the body of toxins that can contribute to tension or disagreeable moods. Part of the way it does this is to help open the body to healing energies while neutralizing influences that are not so helpful. (Though you definitely wouldn’t want to put your body in a microwave, it’s safe to do so with amethyst!)  (Speaking of amethyst ... pictured above is the large geode filled with naturally occurring amethyst and citrine crystal positioned just inside the Center's front door... a rock which undoubtedly adds to the good vibrations of the place).

The Biomat has some other features which I will save for a later post. On to the massage!

Karen Joy is also Reiki practitioner. I have found that between now and last Tuesday the numbness has cropped up in my right arm again. To have numbness recur is not unusual but I am determined to find some new tools to tame this old challenge...

(for more see next post)

20 Massages in 2 Months – Massage #1 (continued)

Front of the building on Hill Street in Monroe

During massage #1, Richard spent some time working on my legs which were not as sore as usual probably because I have not been on my bike for 3 weeks. When he got to my back he began by pushing his hands down either side of my back from shoulder to lower back. At my lower back he pushed his palms into the tight muscles there and turned them to release some of the tension there. I felt great.

Before the massage, Richard had shown me a diagram of the human muscle system. I have never studied human anatomy so I will do my best to repeat the concepts. According to the chart it looked like the main muscle in the upper back is called the trapezius, so-called because of its triangular shape. This muscle extends from the base of the skull to the edge of the shoulder area to the middle back. Underneath the trapezius are two bands of muscle stretching across the upper-middle back. These are called the rhomboids which help us when our arms are extended in front of us – for instance when we are at the computer or riding a bike. Constant use of the rhomboids in this way can cause them to become over stretched, leading to rounded shoulders and tight pectorals, muscles in the upper chest. Also, he said that numbness in the arm can sometime be caused by tightness of muscles surrounding the scapula or shoulder blade.

Accordingly, Richard went to work on my shoulder blades. Muscles to the far right and left of my shoulder blades near my armpits were very sore. He worked to loosen these muscles and actually lifted the scapula off the back. As he did so I felt a release and the numbness in my arm began to lift. I appreciate this as I know that it will make it easier to write tomorrow. While I work to break this cycle of writing and numbness, I am aware that continuing to get massage will lessen the negative impact of daily activities on my body and this is something that I want because a pain-free body really improves my quality of life and sense of well-being. I am also thinking about ways to improve my posture to prevent some of these effects. Slowly, throughout the massage I began to relax from the days travels.

As for my neck, it is both tight from daily activity and also from whatever emotions are held in it – the emotions that trigger fear when someone touches it. Richard does some work on my neck. At first I am tense and then I begin to relax. It is challenging for me to let him work on my neck in this way but I am committed to changing the emotional patterns held there. (Later, after the massage, I will feel fear lifting out of my neck, almost as if rising in lines of black smoke). Richard and I decide to devote a future massage session solely to my neck. It is my hope that using massage to move some of these emotions will render my neck more flexible and resilient as well as make it easier for me to handle touch in that area.

For any readers out there, what kind of experiences have you had with massage –therapeutic or otherwise?

20 Massages in 2 months - Massage #1

Today was a good day for a massage. I’d been traveling since 7:00 am this morning, the straps of a suitcase, backpack and laptop case slung about my arms, shoulders and neck as I hustled from car to airplane to light rail to bus to another bus and finally to walk the last quarter mile home at about 3:00 pm. I had a great time visiting family and friends and making connections – a wonderful, magical time.  After 19 nights of sleeping odd hours - sometimes on other people’s couches - I am ready for the therapist to work his magic.

I arrived early for my massage scheduled for 4:15 pm. As I walked in the lobby of the Center for Well-Being in Monroe, Washington I was greeted by the soothing sounds of water falling in a tall stone fountain, the chords of Native American flute playing on a CD, and the calm friendly faces of staff. 

While I waited for my massage I thumbed through the scrapbook the founders had put together on the evolution of the business. In the scrapbook the Center’s mission was stated as: “working to make massage a viable medical option for our community.”

I received today’s massage from one of the Center’s founders, Richard Oliver. I asked him to say more about the Center’s mission. He emphasized the therapeutic aspects of massage and the ways it can improve quality of life including stress reduction, improved blood flow, decreased muscle tension, increased endorphins, all of which strengthen the immune system and also make you feel good. “We want to make a difference in your tissue. We want to help you make forward progress,” he said.

As we discussed what I wanted out of my massage I mentioned the tightness in my neck, shoulders, arms and shoulder blade area, including recurring numbness in my right arm. He pointed to a chart showing the muscle anatomy of the human body and explained the relationship between different sets of muscles that can hold tension and create discomfort. With respect to my nervousness about having people touch the front and sides of my neck he agreed that massage might help get to the bottom of this puzzle. I asked him if he could do a bit of cranial-sacral work during the massage. Cranial-sacral is a form of light manipulation which can be used alone or as a compliment to massage (or other therapies) and works with the cranial bones, sacrum and spinal fluid to balance energy in the body. “Cranial-sacral is non-invasive, even less invasive than massage. This means that there is less resistance in the body and this lack of resistance allows us to go deeper,” he said.  Richard is technically trained and also highly intuitive in his approach. This means that he can tailor his technique to needs of the client, even when those needs shift between massages.

This all sounds promising to me. I know from experience that balancing energy in the body is important given that emotional energy underlies physical ailments. Proper energetic flow moves emotions allowing for healing. Also, Richard’s intuitive approach means that I am likely to experience a massage that is not only custom made for me, if my needs change, he will follow suit and with each massage I will get more of what I need. This is the theory.

Our extensive discussion meant that my massage would be shorter than usual – something to keep in mind for all those massage goers out there! Richard stepped out of the room so that I could undress. I slipped between the sheets. The table was padded with what felt like miles of memory foam. The heating pad had been turned up to high – just like I like it - a wonderful feeling on this cold winter evening.  Even my toes felt comforted as they sunk into the warm foam.

(for more, see next post)