We often ignore, suppress or try to numb and distance ourselves from our pain. But something LMT Chris is always urging his clients to recognize is that pain is never seeking neglect, it is instead seeking attention. Pain is simply a messenger asking for our recognition. We don’t tend to associate pain with a positive purpose and so we find ways to often quiet it through pharmaceutical painkillers or mental distraction rather than allowing the pain to draw our energy towards

Many of us are going through a lot of self-examination, realization and confrontation right now. This is all really important, necessary and difficult work. So while we do it, let’s also remember to exercise self-compassion and self-love. Remember to: 1) forgive yourself, 2) recognize that you are part of a common human experience, 3) and stay mindful of the present. #weeklyhealthtip #wellnesswednesday #healthtip #gethealthy #selfcare #mindfulness #selflove #massage #therapeu

During a time when we are more glued to our computers than ever, we thought we would tell you a little about the many mental health and wellness benefits of putting pen to paper! The act of writing lights up different parts of our brains and improves understanding and retention. Handwriting and even doodling establish more pathways in the brain, increasing neural activity and resulting in better cognitive processing and learning and even encouraging creativity. MRIs have show

Now that we have our basic Deep Breathing practice down, let’s step it up a little. This first exercise is very effective in reducing acute anxiety and is appropriately called the Relaxing Breath (or 4-7-8) Exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth, and hold it there throughout the exercise. Start by closing your mouth and inhaling quietly through your nose for a count of 4. Then hold your breath for 7 and finally exhale

Deep breathing is a tried and true way to lessen stress and anxiety. It can also improve attention span and lower pain levels. Our breath isn’t just a part of our body’s stress response - it’s actually key to it. Our nervous system is split into 2 parts. The sympathetic nervous system controls our fight-or-flight response and the parasympathetic nervous system controls our rest and relax response. The two can’t actually be turned on at the same time so when we work to activat

One of the most difficult parts about our current collective reality is the unknown of it all. We are used to planning for the future and right now, we really can’t do that and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by the uncertainty and to catastrophize, spiraling into future thoughts and anxieties. When we find ourselves starting to spin out, we need to take a mindful pause and stay in the now, asking ourselves: what do you need to do in this day/hour/minute? A good way to grou

Whether you are working from home, isolating at home and not working, online schooling, quarantining alone, with a partner or with your family or roommates, it’s natural to be finding it challenging to adjust to our new collective reality. No matter what your situation, remember that one of the most important brain systems contributing to our daily wellbeing is our body’s internal biologic clock. Regular routines help keep that clock running smoothly. Many of our clocks might

As we all adjust to our new reality of quarantining, a lot of us might be feeling pressure to “make the most” of this time - to take every online course possible, learn a new language, bake amazing creations daily, even write the next great American novel! We want to remind you that it’s ok to be feeling anxious and out of control and to be grieving. This is new for all of us and there is no road map for how to personally manage a pandemic. Each of us will need to cope in dif

Prioritizing self-care during this time of social distancing is essential to keeping our bodies and minds healthy. Reduced daily mobility coupled with added stress can cause contraction of and tension in our muscles. When muscles stay contracted, fascia (essentially our connective tissue) can lose its elasticity, leaving us feeling tight, stiff, and tired. LMT Chris is going to be here for you as long as possible, practicing with great caution and vigilance to ensure his clie

We are continually told to drink plenty of water. But do we really know all the benefits of staying well-hydrated? Around 60% of our bodies are made up of water and they need regular hydration in order to: deliver oxygen throughout the body, regulate body temperature, maintain blood pressure, flush body waste, cushion the brain, spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and lubricate our joints, among other functions. Keeping our water intake regular is also very beneficial fo

The amount of time we sleep is like putting money in a bank account. Whenever we don’t get enough, it’s withdrawn and has to be repaid. Luckily, sleep debt can be reversed. However when dealing with a chronic long-term debt, slow and steady is the best way to do it. If we try to all of a sudden catch up on all our debt at once, we can throw off our circadian rhythm even more. Start simply with adjusting your bedtime. Rather than sleeping in later, which can make it harder to

Chronic sleep loss contributes to a variety of health problems, such as weight gain, reduced memory consolidation and strength, high blood pressure, and an increase in stress hormone levels. Sleep deprivation also alters immune function, including the activity of the body's killer cells. Our bodies require long and uninterrupted periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones. We are actually healing while we sleep -

Most of us know that getting a good night’s sleep is important, but too few of us actually make those 7-9 hours of shut-eye that adults need a priority. Many of us have forgotten what being really, truly rested actually feels like. Between health care expenses and lost productivity, insufficient sleep in the U.S. rings in at an annual cost of about $66 billion! As you can see, this is a big topic, so we will spend the next few Health Tip posts on the subject of sleep and how

One of LMT Chris’ personal favorite self-care routines after a long day of massages is to take a nice hot Epsom Salt bath. Epsom salt provides magnesium which is a mineral with many healing properties. Chris likes to use a handful of Epsom salts along with 10 drops of lavender essential oil and half a cup of baking soda. If you do this once a week, for just 20 minutes, you can ease muscle aches and pains, soften your skin, draw out toxins, lower stress-related hormone levels

The benefits of good posture go way beyond appearances. Proper posture can prevent and relieve back pain as well as strengthen muscles to ensure that no one structure in your body is over-stressed. It can also affect your breathing and lung capacity as well as aid in healthy digestion. What’s more? Good posture is also good for your brain health! By improving your posture, you open up your body to better oxygen and blood circulation, meaning that you’ll also improve your abil

Nature’s golden medicine, raw honey, works wonders! The benefits of adding a spoonful of honey to your daily diet range from battling allergies, to boosting your immune system, to increasing sleep quality, to strengthening your gut health, and even improving your memory (and that’s only naming a few of the many benefits). #reclaimedbeing #massagetherapy #healthtip #honey #gethealthy #immuneboost #manukahoney #rawhoney #selfcare #massage #therapeuticmassage #bodywork #healing

Adding Turmeric to your daily health regimen is one of our favorite tips to share! This brilliant yellow spice has actual magical nutrients. As a potent natural anti-inflammatory, it is mostly used to treat muscle aches and pains, infection, rheumatoid arthritis and even cancer! #reclaimedbeing #massagetherapy #healthtip #turmeric #supplement #gethealthy #immuneboost #selfmassage #selfcare #massage #therapeuticmassage #bodywork #healing #healer #restore #rejuvenate #balance #

While it’s important to keep good hygiene in our day to day lives, studies show that exposing ourselves to the friendly bacteria present in dirt (soil) can actually boost immune systems, detoxify the body, prevent allergies, smooth digestion and even help reduce signs of depression. You can incorporate a little into your daily lives by walking barefoot, playing with dogs, gardening if you have access, or simply only rinsing organic fruits and veggies with water rather than go

Introducing our new health tips series! Each week, we will post a quick tip on how to achieve and maintain optimum health. To start off - here’s a fun and easy one: to help keep germs at bay during flu season, opt for a friendly fist bump over a handshake. #reclaimedbeing #massagetherapy #healthtip #fistbump #fightgerms #selfmassage #selfcare #massage #therapeuticmassage #bodywork #healing #healer #restore #rejuvenate #balance #brooklyn #greenpoint #williamsburg #nyc #greenpo