CENTERED BODYWORK- STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION, CRANIOSACRAL AND ORTHOPEDIC MASSAGE
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Qi Gong: An Ancient and Perfect Form of Exercise

9/30/2017

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I first studied various forms of Asian bodywork at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley. A core part of our training was Tai Chi/Qi Gong exercises, which were developed in China over thousands of years as medical treatment. After studying and practicing different forms of exercise, I believe Qi Gong offers the most well rounded exercise and is particularly helpful for those who are injured or ill. The purpose according to Traditional Chinese Medicine is to build your Qi or energy and unblock blockages of meridian flows that include acupuncture and acupressure points. I frequently recommend my clients take up Qi Gong as an adjunct therapy.

From a Western perspective, Qi Gong can have the following effects:
  • It gently loosens and warms up joints and muscles and you are very unlikely to get injured.
  • It dynamically stretches like flow yoga, except in spirals, which is actually more beneficial to the muscles than stretching at angles  because many muscles fibers are oriented in spirals not in straight lines.
  • It increases your energy rather than feeling tired at the end.
  • It is a very calming forming of moving meditation, which activates positive hormones and neurotransmitters, and is practiced in many buddhist communities. The slower you do the exercises, the greater this effect.
  • It increases whole body circulation.
  • It stimulates lymphatic activity, especially the jumping moves.
  • It increases balance, core strength and mobility and has proven in medical studies to reduce falls in seniors.
  • Many Qi Gong masters have lived to be over 100 years of age and in very mobile condition.
  • If you sit too much, a short set of Qi Gong exercises a few times a day will mitigate the effects of sitting. I frequently do it at stops on long drives for this reason.

In honor of my beloved master teacher, Brian O'Dea, I posted his instruction of some forms of Qi Gong/Tai Chi exercises if you would like to practice at home. I am happy to say Brian is alive and well, practicing and teaching in Berkeley, CA.

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Self Care Class for Office Workers

9/4/2017

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Learn how to keep yourself pain free at work. On Wed, Oct 11th from 7:30 to 9:30pm, I will be teaching an action packed and participatory class on how to do: self massage, posture adjustment, qi gong exercises, stretching, using tools for self massage, better kinds of chairs. This workshop is targeted towards anyone who sits at a desk or uses a computer, or anyone who uses their hands a lot or drives for work. You can make special requests at the beginning of class to address your individual needs if they are relevant to the topic. The class will be free to anyone who schedules a bodywork session for September. You can bring a friend for $80. This class will help with goals such as:
  • pain reduction at work
  • preventing repetitive stress
  • low back injuries and frozen shoulder
  • improving emotional and physical wellness at work
  • improving posture
  • reducing headaches
The location will depend on the number of registrations but will be in East Portland. When you book online, please add in the notes that you would like to attend the class or send me a text. Or if you just want to attend the workshop, you can register online here. Looking forward to seeing you then!
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What is the Rolf Method and How is it Different from Structural Integration?

9/4/2017

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The Rolf Method is a soft tissue manipulation technique invented by Dr. Ida Rolf, a Phd in Biochemistry with training in Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Yoga and much more.  Her goals in developing it, were ease and efficiency of movement in relation to gravity.

Ida's work focused on the fascia of the body, which is a web of connective tissue that is nearly everywhere in the body, surrounding muscles and connecting muscles to bone. Fascia helps give the body a balanced structure.

Back in its early days quite aggressive treatment, that seemed to work. The results were amazing, however many patients felt like it was necessary to keep getting Rolfed, in almost a dependency fashion.

Later teachers have softened the method to do the minimum effective treatment and to create less inflammation and potential for tissue damage. Also, over time, teachers branched off to develop their own additions to and interpretations of the work. With this decentralization came the trademark of the Rolf Method to protect intellectual property and income. All other schools may use the term structural integration which is not trademarked.

I have studied with two schools of structural integration, as well as independently with Rolfers - primarily with the Northwest Center for Structural Integration and also a little with KMI. All of these have their up sides and down sides. What I like about the main program I did is that we heavily involved the client in moving the tissues through moving their own bodies, while we held areas of adhesion. This style is quite different from the work I have experienced elsewhere which may involved very little if any movement.

Client movement has several benefits unique to this branch of structural integration:
  • The client has some control over the level of pain and also avoiding the rare possibility of tissue damage.
  • Continuous movement is an excellent assessment tool. In a sense, I am constantly gauging where progress is made what still needs to be released. It is very hard to see this on a person that is not moving. Often bodywork therapists in general wait until the end to see if change has happened. But you can waste a whole session doing the wrong thing that way!
  • Movement helps the client gain proprioceptive awareness and new understanding of where they are limited. It can also be a teaching moment for posture and efficient movement.
  • Finally, I believe the releases are much more effective and deeper when combined with client movement. Layers may be nearly impossible to access otherwise.

It is, in my opinion, a wonderful phenomena that there are so many kinds of bodywork. Structural Integration is one of favorites after studying many, many different kinds. I offer much gratitude to this pioneering woman who paved the way for so much profound healing.

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    Mira

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