POP~UP by Selah
Over the years, I have been primarily offering on-site massage in corporate settings, retreat centers and concert venues in addition to my in home office practice. I have loved this business model and feel so privileged to have worked with so many top companies and music tours, then the world…
It was about a year and a half ago when I embarked on a new massage endeavor; an office who’s employees are responsible for, through careful and rigorous effort, fabricating life saving devices. They are seated for most of their shift, and their tasks require meticulous detailed work along with…
Mary and I just returned from a long weekend at Lakes Jam Music Festival at Brainerd International Raceway where we were worked on musicians, crew and tour personnel. I couldn’t have had a better partner for this event; Mary is easy going, energetic, imaginative, funny, and always an interesting conversationalist…
Photo Credit:Alex Mohinani
Tiger Balm
The time-proven blend of herbal ingredients in Tiger Balm provides safe and effective topical pain relief for sore muscles, arthritis, neck and shoulder stiffness. A blend of camphor and menthol works on a couple levels, the cooling relief penetrates deeply into the tissue, provides glide during massage, and also tells the brain that the area is cold instead of tight and painful, helping interrupt the pain-spasm-pain cycle.
Three sizes available.
Both sizes available.
The SacroWedgy
Fortunately for you, I have suffered a lot of pain in my life! Car accidents, repetitive stress injuries and normal wear and tear have allowed me to workshop my own pain to find relief. Low back pain, that sensation of your back ‘going out’ was something that I have experienced; if you’ve never suffered from this type of pain, it is a very vulnerable feeling.
Over 16 years ago, I found the SacroWedgy to be an important answer to my low back pain and have since recommended it countless times over the years. It’s simple design helps support. raise and mobilize the sacrum, allowing the surrounding musculature to release, helping to restore proper positioning.
Simply fit over sacrum and comfortably lay on your back. A booklet that includes stretches and positioning tips is included, you may also use the SacroWedgy during your massage appointment for additional benefit.
$33
Dr. Riters Real Ease Neck Cradle
After 16+ years of recommending Dr. Riters Real Ease Neck Cradle, I am thrilled to announce that I now carry this awesome product! Of the many items/pillows I’ve tried offering positional/tension release, Dr. Riters Real Ease Neck Cradle is my #1 Go-To. Myself and my clients have gotten great relief from headaches as well as neck and shoulder tension. It’s unique cervical shaped positions your neck while allowing gravity to provide a gentle traction to the base of your skull helping to release tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw. The Real Ease encourages your natural “C” curve of the upper cervical spine; this helps ‘ unhinge’ locked up anterior neck muscles, allowing over stretched, fatigued posterior neck and shoulder muscles much needed slack, bringing relief. $30
Dr. Riters Real Ease Neck Cradle helps reverse what is commonly known as forward head posture which according to Mayo Clinic, leads to long term muscle strain, herniations, arthritis, and pinched nerves.
Cupping: A New Twist on an Ancient Tradition
The ancient Chinese tradition of dry cupping is a therapy in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin creating suction to meridians to help encourage the flow of energy (chi ) inside the body.
I first experienced cupping in the early 90’s as an adjunct to acupuncture and massage for pain relief after a car accident. What I personally liked about the treatment was that, while many therapies push into the muscle and fascia, cupping seemed to pull tissue away from the skeletal structure producing what I can best describe as a ‘vacuum of relief’ swirling and creating space where there was compression. If there was really good suction, you could glide the cup over the skin, drawing up muscle and fascia, increasing blood flow and dispelling lymph and metabolic waste.
I was trained and began to use cupping in my massage practice in early 2003, but only in a very general sense, as I was not competently proficient in the meridians that traditional Chinese medicine recognizes. I loved using it in the beginning, but after a few years it became a bit of a novelty.
Cut to the 2016 Olympics, where physical therapist and University of California, San Francisco Assistant Clinical Professor Chris DaPrato has repurposed (we love that buzz word, yeah?) this old favorite, creating an entirely new modality called Myofascial Decompression or MFD for short. The purpose of MFD is not to unblock Qi or to improve blood flow for healing diseases, but is designed to increase connective tissue mobility via movement pattern reeducation and breaking down scar tissue that can inhibit motion; the visible evidence of both treatments are circular hickeys of varying tones.
Olympians are sporting their pain map tattoos in approval of this new approach, most notably Michael Phelps; as we could have guessed; his powerful shoulders require treatment, in both girdle and joint, especially around the rotator cuff and deltoids. I am sure he enlists other treatments in combination with cupping and that other sport participant’s use cupping but we can’t tell because they are clothed. I am excited to try this new technique for myself and if I see benefit, possibly implement it into my practice.
Stay tuned.
Thank you for reading!
Let Your Heart Sing
Recently, I was invited to host a table at the Let Your Heart Sing Networking Event sponsored by Larkin Hoffman to
raise money for those with cancer who need legal representation with child custody, wills, and other legal issues. It was a beautiful evening at Orchestra Hall with incredible delectables, a string trio, with a fun spa/pamper yourself theme.
I had a ball putting together a door prize for the event and was fortunate to enlist the design stylings of Ms. Closing Fairy herself, Wendy Noble; she’s a real fairy with wings and everything. She amped up the goodies and gave
the presentation flair and distinction.
I met many women throughout the evening; entrepreneurs, public relations managers, photographers, attorneys etc. everyone was warm, welcoming, and engaging. It was incredible to meet so many strong, fabulous women! I hope to work with them all in the future!
Thanks Larking Hoffman, for a great event.
