I am ready to move! After being sick for a week and not having energy to do much, my body feels stuck. My back is starting to hurt. My limbs are stiff. A slow walk in the rain may be just the thing this body and soul need.

Even when I feel better, we are recommended to not give massages for a few weeks to help flatten the curve. So, it is time to learn family and self massage, and keep moving!

​To slow the virus spread, we need to social distance, but as a massage therapist, I know of the need for healthy human touch. People come to me for relief from pain, but a few admittedly come because they live alone and otherwise have no touch. There is a balance. We cannot become so afraid of each other that we avoid contact - when we are healthy. We will continue to self-isolate and I will not see any clients until we are the recommended 72 hours symptom-free.

Hopefully I will soon be able to resume my massage work and provide needed relief from pain and from the increasing stress that we are all feeling. Although we are social distancing, at least we have the technology to remain in touch. May we let this time teach us that we really DO need human contact and not let us become more distanced.

"Heidi came to my  rescue last Friday. . . . I was awakened by severe back pain. . . I received no help from my physician and was left to experience continued severe pain over the weekend. I decided to call Heidi . . . . [She] had family visiting . . . . [yet] was very empathetic and responsive to my needs. . . . She massaged my back for only about 15 minutes.I experienced almost instant pain relief.  I went home from the massage and fell asleep. The pain was gone and hasn’t returned. . . . She is a hero health care provider.
-Russ H. (June 2018) Read the complete testimonial

Below are more testimonials from clients, listed by the type of massage they received - Myofascial Release, Manual Lymph Drainage, Spinal Touch, Shiatsu, Swedish, Thai, or Cranio-Sacral.

Call me busy and multi-tasker. Or call me lazy. Either way, I admit that I have rarely included an exercise regimen in my life. I will go through spurts of time when I walk, bike, do yoga or pilates, but I rarely last beyond a week or two. It's easy to find excuses not to fit in the half hour to exercise every day.

To counter-balance my excuses I justify my lack of exercise by telling myself that I include exercise in my everyday life. I use my bike as transportation. I run up and down the stairs to get supplies from the storage room. I don't look for the closest parking stall. I garden. I clean my  house. And I add extra movement into my every day life.

Silly but simple - when I brush my teeth, I do a yoga pose. Usually tree pose. I read somewhere that balancing on one foot is good for your brain. Who knows if it's true, but I figure that while I brush my teeth I may as well ward off Alzheimer's at the same time.

To help our bodies absorb and use water more effectively, it is good to add something to your water - a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, or our favorite, some herbs. I can't remember, let alone repeat, all the chemical and physical reasons why this is a better way to drink water. You can research it.

​​We grow and dry a lot of herbs in our garden, but our favorite in drinks is peppermint and lemongrass. Sometimes we boil the water and add the herbs, then drink it hot (hot herbal teas in the cold winter months are our favorite), or pour it into pitcher  and put in the fridge for a cold refreshing drink. Often, however, I skip the boiling step and just infuse the herbs in the water, leaving them in there for days - hence why my husband calls it "weed water." 

I've been doing this for years, but recently my husband has become a "convert" to drinking "dirty water." Try it - you might like it also!

​Must I be completely undressed? 
No, not necessarily. Many massages can be performed with clothing on, but some techniques are more effective if the massage therapist can work directly on the skin, which is easier if the client is undressed. You should undress to your comfort level. If that means keeping some of your clothing on, the therapist will work around it. But if you undress, know that you will always be properly covered during the entire massage session.

​Will the massage therapist be present if I undress? 
No. The therapist will leave the room while you undress. You will then lay on the table under a sheet and blanket.

Will I be covered during the massage? 
You will be properly draped at all times to keep you covered, warm, and comfortable. Only the part of your body being worked on will be exposed. 

Head massages are my favorite! Many evenings my husband will give me a two-minute head rub and my whole body reeeelaaaaxeees! My friend shared this photo with me last year and I have been meaning to post it. I thought she was getting a head massage any way she could!