October stretch of the month

This stretch is a good one! 

If you have pain or tension in your back between your shoulder blades the following suggestions are for you!

You can also place your full forearm from elbow to wrist against the door frame - elbows at 90 degrees and then bring your arms up to a 120 degree angle - hands near the top corners of the door.

Hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds and remember to breathe the whole time, only move forward to the point that you feel the stretch, not to where you feel the most pain. Repeat 3-5 times. I suggest doing this stretch through out the day if you can, it is really great to do when you get home from work, or really any time you are feeling tension in your back between your shoulder blades.

Another fantastic feeling thing to do is to roll a bath towel up lengthwise and lay it on the floor (you can also use a bolster or a foam roller), lay on top of it so it runs the length of your spine, and breathe, to increase the stretch you can place your arms at a 90 degree angle or straight up above your head. Lay there for as long as you like! or aim for at least 90 seconds at a time and repeat 2-3 times.

If you have any questions about these stretches or would like some alternatives, please don't hesitate to let me know, you can email me anytime at info@omniawellness.ca
You can also book a massage online at www.omniawellness.ca!

How Often Should You Get A Massage???

This is a really common question, and each therapist has a method to determine this, and not everyone is the same! It does depend on the situation in which you are getting a massage, if you are in the process of rehabilitating an injury, or if you are trying to maintain your health and wellness the answer will be different.

Personally I would love to have a massage once a week, but that isn't really plausible (except for when you are in massage school...how I miss it sometimes!) If you are in the process of rehabilitation, there will be a structured time line to improve your muscle function that should be adhered to that is completely dependent upon the injury. For maintenance of your health and wellness or reduction of tension and stress once a month is certainly ideal, if that fits your budget, or your insurance coverage, or your desire.

What it really comes down to is listening to yourself, it's incredibly important and it's the key to truthfully answering that question. When you start to notice the discomfort that brought you in for a treatment is coming back, that is the right time to come back in for another treatment whether that is 6 weeks or 6 months. Or when you feel like you want a massage, its the right time to come in. It is that simple.

The Subtle Intuition

I consider myself a very intuitive person, and how intuition works has always been an interest of mine, so I have devoured a lot of literature on intuition, and how to improve it, understand it, trust it, and hear it.

I had a really great moment of clarity and understanding the other day about intuition and I really have to share! We are all intuitive, I think that it is often that we don't really chalk things up to intuition, its usually just a moment of being glad you did something.
I was talking my brothers amazingly adorable dog out for a walk at an off leash park, we go there at least once a week. I parked beside a giant puddle and when he got out I made sure to grab his leash so he didn't go through the puddle - here is the intuition part, I don't care if he goes in a puddle, I have a towel on my back seat because I have been taking him to the river often and he is always still wet by the time we get back to my car - as we came around my car there were two other dogs there, they sniffed each other and then there was a minor altercation between my dog and one of the others. Thankfully they were both still on leash and it was really easy to get them apart without any real harm done, the other man apologised for his dog (Oliver is a really kind and gentle dog, and hes a bit of a chicken so I knew it wasn't him) so we just left and went to another dog park instead - the one with the river!

So here is my realisation, my intuition was working amazingly well, with out my conscious knowledge! So I have been trying to bring my consciousness more into awareness when things like this happen, mostly because I think it is so awesome. I do however, feel like I now know that it isn't always about me being able to know that my intuition is working, I can actually just sit back and let it do its thing, because it has always been doing it; and that is the important bit of information that I feel has been missing, and I wanted to share!

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!