My Journey Changer

The moment that started it all! When I was 16 I had a wonderful group of friends, there were seven of us girls that were really close. When seven, sixteen year old girls are all friends, there is bound to be a bit of drama, and perhaps an argument or two. There was one girl and I that were working through something or other (I truly don't remember the what or why of our argument, it was almost 14 years ago!) and we happened to take the same bus home on the afternoon I had a massage booked. We silently gave each other glances and never spoke a word to each other the whole ride. I was mad that this was going to ruin my massage, I was really looking forward to getting one. I had been working at a fast food place at the time and I had gotten a massage every chance I got. I walked to the chiropractor clinic that my massage therapist was housed at, all the while thinking about how mad I was. 

And then I had a life changing treatment. The massage I had was amazing, it allowed me to meditate and reconnect with myself; while helping to release tension in my back, neck, and arms. An incredible thing happened afterwards, I walked home with a wonderful smile on my face. I felt no more animosity towards my friend, or anything else for that matter. I realised that if I could help someone else feel that way, no matter what was going on in their life, it would be a dream come true. That was when I knew that this was the path I was meant to take. 

Peter Pesek was the massage therapist that I saw, he has, unfortunately for me, moved back to Ontario. He helped to shape the therapist that I am, and the treatments I love to give. To him, I am very grateful!

Massage Unplugged

With the amount of multitasking that we do on a day to day, minute to minute basis, sometimes it is really nice to be unplugged from our devices and allow ourselves to be free of having to do anything other than enjoy receiving a healing treatment. This is why we always ask to have phones turned off or muted during a treatment. I know that if I hear my phone, what ever I am doing becomes less important and my curiosity takes over, (this is why my phone is also on silent when a client comes in for a treatment). The same generally happens with everyone, and that's typically when your massage stops being as relaxing as it should be, and thoughts and plans creep back into your awareness.

Massage at Omnia Wellness (especially Fusion Massage) is really geared towards time you get to take for self reflection, meditation, and giving you the chance to rest your body, mind, and spirit. This allows you to get the most healing out of a treatment by allowing a specialist to fully respect and care for your body, all while being able to let go of everything else in the world. There is nothing else that you can do when you are lying on a massage table other than relax and enjoy!!

Insurance Coverage is Changing for Massage Therapy!

The process of regulating Massage Therapy in Alberta has started, which will ensure that every massage therapist has the same standard of education. This will create credibility and recognition of how important Massage Therapy is to maintain and improve health and wellness. Currently the only standards in place are: a minimum of 250 hours in order to receive a practitioners licence from the city of Calgary (which is an unacceptable amount of education!), however, most reputable clinics, spas, holistic centres, etc. will only hire therapists with 1000-2200 hours of formal education. Once regulated, 2200 hours of formal education will be the standard.

 

SunLife, Manulife, and Alberta Blue Cross are being pro-active when it comes to covering massage, and they have decided to only cover therapists who have their 2200 hours. SunLife has already implemented this, Manulife will as of October, and Alberta Blue Cross will follow suit as of May 2013. Many therapists have 1000 hours of education, so please check before you book an appointment if insurance coverage is important to you!

* What this means for you at Omnia Wellness:

If you have massage coverage, you will be able to claim a massage with me!!

When you come to Omnia Wellness for a massage, have no fear, I am recognised by all three insurance companies as a fully accredited therapist. I have received my 2 year, 2200 hour, diploma for Massage. If you know of anyone who is with these insurance companies and needs to find a therapist that is covered, send them my way!      

Using Your Voice in a Treatment

I place a really high value on my clients getting what they want from a treatment, which is why it is important to use your voice before and during a treatment. I have heard some pretty interesting 'horror' stories that have happened in a massage treatment, and the most common factor is they went to a therapist that didn't listen to what it is that they wanted. Which creates the loss of your voice, which is not the way it should be, and is definitely not what I am about!
I want each person to get what they want out of their treatment, I fully commit to respecting you and what you want as best I can. So please just tell me what will make you the happiest for your treatment and together we can create the right plan to do so!

Pressure is often the most important thing that will ensure your happiness with a treatment, and it is something that is completely subjective. Each person has their own sense of what is light pressure and what is deep, myself included, so we will have to work together in the first treatments so I can fully understand the depth you prefer and be able to recreate that every treatment that follows. Let me know at anytime if I can adjust my pressure to create the most effective and comfortable way to treat what ails you.

Comfort is another thing that is important. I strive to create a safe and comfortable environment to allow the healing and relaxation process to flourish. I have a table warmer to help keep you warm and comfortable (it can always be turned up or down), the music that is playing helps to calm the mind (it can always go louder or quieter), and I encourage you to choose whether or not conversation or rest is what your feeling like in each treatment. Proper draping techniques are used here, which means that only the area I am working on will be uncovered and at no time will you ever feel like you are being exposed (or be exposed).

And if you tell me which of the tea's I have is your favorite I will make sure that I have that one ready for you when you come in, and/or have a cup ready to go for you at the end of your treatment!

I love my job!!!

I know that not everyone gets to say that they love their job and that I am especially blessed that I get to do what I love and that it involves helping people feel better!

I have had a really great time being able to really do what I love to do and I think it shows in my treatments. I love being able to combine knowledge of Eastern and Western modalities and create a unique treatment that I enjoy giving.

I have had some great feedback about how my treatments are incredibly relaxing and they put you in a meditative like place, all while treating the specific reason of why you came to see me in the first place (often it is because something hurts!) I am grateful for the encouragement and motivation to continue to strive to be the best Holistic practitioner I can be!

The Tricks of Meditation

Meditation is amazing, especially when there are such peaceful and beautiful places in the world, and in our own back yards. I think that there is a common misconception about meditation and how you have to sit still and silence your mind. I know that when I first started it was next to impossible to sit still and quiet my mind. As soon as I started to try to meditate I noticed what areas in my body felt uncomfortable, and often those feelings were exasperated by trying to sit cross-legged and perfectly still! Then my mind would inevitably wander off to random thoughts, then they would become less random and then before I knew it I was off on an internal rant about one thing or another. So feeling like I was a poor meditation student, I started researching it, I knew that I couldn't be the only one to start out like this (at least that was what I was hoping!!) and I was right!

So here are the tricks:
First off, throw out all of your misconceptions about meditation, it is a PRACTICE, practice allow you to figure out what works the best for you, and don't be hard on yourself if your practice doesn't look like someone else's.

When you start your practice utilize a space that you enjoy, it doesn't have to be a specific place that you go to every time, it can be out in your garden, in your bathtub, on the side of a beautiful river with the mountains in the background, at your desk at work, in your car, sitting cross legged in the middle of your living room, the possibilities are endless.

When you find your space, unplug yourself, turn your phone off ( or if you only want to meditate for a short period of time, set an alarm and turn your phone to airplane mode so no calls, emails, facebook or twitter alerts , or text messages can come in, but your alarm can still be heard)

If sitting doesn't appeal to you, walk. You can walk back and forth across a room, around the block, by the river, on a treadmill. I don't recommend lying down, often this leads to sleeping! Check out Qi Gong it is a moving meditation that is incredible, plus it forces you to focus your mind on the movements so less distracting thoughts come in.

If you are having trouble quieting the mind, get a guided meditation, or listen to music that you find really calming. Focus on your breathing, a good technique is to count to 4 on the inhale, count to 4 while holding, count to 4 on the exhale ( you can use a higher or lower count if it feels better for you). If you are a visual person picture white light entering your body as you inhale and allow it to grow brighter with each inhale, or picture your favourite place in nature, or use your imagination and create a space in your mind that you can come back to time and again when you meditate.

Most importantly - Allow yourself to take time for yourself, you deserve it, and everything that you need to do can wait, I promise the world will not collapse around you and everything will still be waiting there for you when you are done. You don't need to meditate for an hour (unless of course you want to) to start aim for 5 minutes or 15 and increase the length of time when it feels right to, and when you have time to.

Ok, now go and try some of it out, and if anyone has any technique that works for them that they would like to add, leave a comment!

Grateful

Starting up a new business is a tricky thing, there are a lot of ups and a few downs, but all in all its been an incredible journey so far! I have been blessed with amazing family, friends and clients that have helped make the start of Omnia Wellness so great. I am truly grateful for all of the kind words, support, and encouragement to help keep me positive and moving forward while I am fulfilling my dreams and doing what I love.
Thank you, I truly couldn't live my dreams without you all, and I am grateful and honored that I get to be one of the people who do what they love and love what they do.