Summer went by so fast I’m more than a bit amazed to find myself sitting at the halfway point of August. I’m afraid to ask if it was a good summer for you because I know this summer has not been easy. It’s not just you. Many, many people are stressed out. All across the world. You’ve seen it. You know it. I hope you have the resources on hand to make your way through these tumultuous times a bit more gentle.

It’s times like these that I am grateful for my path into bodywork. So much has been revealed to me about the special gift of this work. It’s been an incredible journey of learning about my needs and how to take care of them.  I have also learned the value that I provide for others and possibly the world.

When I graduated from massage therapy school, the owner of the school told us that she felt that massage therapy was a valuable way to spread peace in the world. Being in practice now for four years, I know that what she said is true. Someone who has spent an hour on the table has received the benefit of that flow of relaxation and rest that comes from bodywork. They are less likely to anger, more likely to smile. There is no doubt that peace moves easily from that place.

Creative expression, meditation and mindful movement are other ways to inspire peace in your life. Here are some local resources:

  • My colleague Melissa Muguruza Weaver, LMT, is a wonderful massage therapist who also provides opportunities to explore creativity and wellness. She’s forming an Artist’s Way Circle “to explore, discover and recover our creativity.” For more information, visit her Wellness Events & Classes page.
  • Yoga on High will be host to internationally known yoga teachers Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee who will lead an Urban Zen class. Urban Zen “includes restorative poses, aromatherapy, reiki, breath awareness, and meditation. This class is appropriate for everyone, no previous yoga experience is required.”
  • Meditation teacher, Daron Larson, provides some guided meditations on his website. I really love the idea behind the meditation called Find and Create Rest in the Body and Mind: “It can be very useful to learn to identify and enjoy naturally-occurring restful states such as relaxation in the body and the pauses between thoughts — states that occur spontaneously, but which we haven’t practiced detecting and savoring.”