Category — Self Care

Springtime is just around the corner, and with it comes the natural inclination for a fresh, clean start! While this year’s lack-of-a-winter in most of California is an exception, generally spring means an end to the cold, dark part of the year and a rebirth of new life and activity.

This means it’s also a natural time for cleansing… on all different levels. Cleaning the house is a no-brainer, and probably needs little explanation or description. But we also live in our bodies (well, some of us, anyway!), and the body collects the physiological, energetic, and emotional equivalent of cobwebs, dust-balls, and cluttered closets as well!

So how can we give our bodies a good spring cleaning? Here’s a few of my favorite ways:

Up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the ‘Old Timers’ have an interesting spring ritual. After eating little but pork and potatoes all winter, they would understandably feel a little sluggish come springtime. Some of the first wild plants that push up thru the spring snow are burdock and nettles, which are known in herbal lore for their power to cleanse the blood.

The old-timey mountain folk would make a nutritious and purifying tea from these plants to flush out the toxins their bodies had accumulated over the winter. Burdock, nettles, and other “spring cleaners” grow in California – but it’s probably a good idea to seek some qualified instruction before harvesting or preparing wild plants. Or just pick up an herbal tea from your local health food store’s herb department!

In addition to wild plants, another passion of mine is yoga, and a great cure for the winter blahs is movement. I’m particularly fond of the classic sequence of Hatha Yoga postures known as the Sun Salutation. This flowing sequence of forward folds, back bends, and hip openers is renowned for its stimulatory effects, especially its ability to improve the flow of lymph. Now, if you don’t already know, the lymphatic system is closely connected to our immune system and anything that helps the lymph flow generally helps our immune system function better.  Just in time for when that spring pollen fires up the allergies!

NHI Students practicing Thai Massage

Finally, let me suggest that you GET A MASSAGE! Most styles of massage help lymph and blood flow more efficiently, and some styles (like lymphatic massage!) are intended specifically to help support the body’s natural cleansing, detoxing, and immune functions. Of course, almost all massage feels great, lifts the mood, increases the energy, and can help relieve the stiffness that follows the inactivity of winter.

So, whatever method works for you, let me wish you a happy spring cleaning!

To schedule a massage at one of our California locations: http://nhi.edu/massage_clinic/index.html

We are aware of the tremendous benefits that regular massage can provide for our clients, such as improved circulation, increased joint mobility, and reduction in pain, body tension and anxiety.

These benefits we provide with our caring touch to our clients transform us as well. When we talk about doing work we love and how it can transform ourselves as practitioners, what do we mean?

I recall a friend I met in massage school who was suffering from M.E., (Myalgic Encephalitis) an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, following a viral infection. An Ayurvedic physician had prescribed massage as part of his therapy – here’s the surprise; the prescription was not for receiving, but rather giving massage. In “Ancient Indian Massage” Harish Johari writes about massage as a beneficial practice for wrestlers. He recommends giving at least two massages and receiving one massage daily for strength and flexibility.

Tiffany Field, PhD of the Touch Research Institute in Florida has thoroughly researched the effect of massage therapy in a wide and varied range of situations. She has documented the benefits massage can bring to aggressive adolescents, children and teens with ADHD, those suffering with Anorexia Nervosa, Alzheimer’s, hypertension…. the list goes on. One study however has intriguing results. Field compares a group of elderly retired volunteers who received massage, with another group who provided massage to infants. The group who massaged the infants showed less anxiety and depression, as well as lower levels of stress hormones.

The touch receptors in our skin do not differentiate between touching and being touched. I felt this just today when I was performing abdominal work on my client and found myself in the same meditative and relaxed state of mind that she was in during the massage. I call this “dropping in” with my client, or as Milton Trager called it “hook-up”. The movement of our bodies can be a meditation, whether we are practicing Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Thai or Deep Tissue. The rhythm and flow creates a harmony within our own body as well as our client’s.

It is true that not all of our client’s may have soft and tender musculature, like the infants in the study… some indeed may resemble an old walnut tree more than a newborn, and require a little more physical effort on the part of the therapist… but nevertheless, massage facilitates a deep human connection.

Many are the days when I have begun my day tired, grumpy, distracted by some small irritation… my allergies, a disagreement with a friend, or a worry about something. Half way through my second client, I realize that I am relieved of preoccupation with myself, and instead focused on providing a positive experience for another human being.

At the end of my day, I may be tired, but also satisfied…and my work gives me a compelling reason to eat well, rest well and take care of my body, so I can continue to have the incredible privilege of being in the present moment, together with my client… where we both can be renewed.

~Julie McGuinness and Jen Fogarty
NHI Instructors

What do you do to maximize the health benefits of being a massage therapist?  How do you feel after giving a massage? Let us know in the comments below, or give us a shoutout @nhi_massage on Twitter, or post on our Facebook wall!

New Years Resolutions
We all make them….and we all break them.

In United States at least 80% of people make New Year’s resolutions related to health and fitness. Perhaps you belong to that group. Most of us start on January 1st with good intentions, high hopes and enthusiasm. What better way to start a new chapter in life than to sign up for a gym membership, yoga, dance, or Zoomba classes, just to mention few! We also commit to new healthy ways of eating – no more sugar, no more fats, no more alcohol, no more this and no more that.

We imagine feeling wonderful and looking great. We know what will get us there. We’re sure we can do it… But by February, the enthusiasm starts to fade and after a few more months most people forget their promises to themselves and return to their old ways.

So how do we stick to a plan that works?

The kind of resolutions that we tend to stick with are the less drastic ones. Make small changes from your regular routine and take baby steps. Make only one small change a month and by the end of 2012 you will have 12 new healthy habits!

January:   Get a massage!  If you’re going to make changes this year, why not start with an easy one?  Plus, you need to de-stress after the busy holiday season.  And regular massages are an excellent first step on the road to better health.  Studies have shown that massage can relieve stress, reduce tension, ease pain, increase circulation, improve movement, and even promote weight loss!  Keeping your resolution of a massage a month is easy at an affordable student massage clinic like the one at National Holistic Institute.

February:   Take a few extra steps whenever possible. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk around the block at lunch time. As you start to do more you will naturally want to do more. Exercise will no longer be a “have to” and will become a “get to”.

March:   Drink more water. Ideally aim for 8 glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated can lift your mood and give you more energy. All your organs and systems will function better. And as an added bonus, it also makes your skin look better!

April:    Make it a daily practice to think of at least one thing you are grateful for. Gratitude is a shortcut to happiness!

May:  It’s Spring! Take time to notice flowers as you take that walk around the block that you started in February.

June: You are half way there. Take a minute to reflect on the changes you have made so far this year and take inventory of how you are feeling. It really wasn’t hard and the next six changes won’t be either.

This month add five minutes of quiet time to your daily schedule. Take a few deep breaths and just do nothing for five minutes – you might be amazed at how refreshed you feel.

July:   Add a little stretching to your daily routine. Touch your toes, roll your neck, and reach for the sky. Keep it simple; every little bit counts.

August:   Fresh fruits and vegetables abound in the summer. Add a salad to your menu once a day. Fruit salad for breakfast? Yum! A large green salad for lunch? Yum! No cooking over a hot stove? Yes!

September:   Remove refined sugars from your diet. If you have sweet tooth opt for fresh fruit or treats made with stevia, honey or agave syrup in stead of refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup.  This is easy when you use your August resolution of natural fruit as a sweet when you crave it!

October:   Practice weekly random acts of kindness

November:   Time to clean out a closet and make way for the new. Find at least three items which you no longer use and recycle or donate them.

December:   Switch to whole grain products rather the highly processed ones.

There are many simple things we can do to greatly improve the quality of our lives. Follow the monthly plan above, creating a lasting habit out of each small change, or create your own resolution calendar:

Instead of butter try using avocado, this unique fruit is loaded with minerals and vitamins especially vitamin E. It has healthy fats and protein that will satisfy you for hours and keep your hunger at bay. Eat large salads with your lunch and dinner. Skip the bread basket at the restaurant. Next time you go to grocery store, make sure to check the label ingredients. Choose cereals that are low in sugar.

Practice yoga or Pilates, or join a walking group. Spend less time in front of the TV and more time at the gym. Remember that texting does not count as exercise; you really should be working your larger muscle groups.

Skip your morning coffee house stop and start a vacation fund instead.

Health and fitness are especially important for massage therapists. Our work is physical and can be demanding on the body. Taking good care of ourselves is part of the job. As we become more fit we become stronger and more aware of our body mechanics. We are then able to do more work with less of a possibility of an injury. Sense of well being and balance infuse not only our bodies but also our minds. Suddenly we are enjoying our work much more. With the improvement of mental agility we uphold boundaries with our clients with ease. At the end of the day we feel energized instead of drained. Clients will know the difference…they are presented with a therapist who is grounded, patient and full of poise. We are role models for our clients;  as they see the spark in our eyes and our healthy glow they are encouraged to make positive changes for themselves.

If you have very limited time in your schedule, incorporate physical activities throughout the day. Use the stairs instead of elevators or escalators. When you are watching TV or have a couple of free minutes at work stand with your knees slightly bent, bring your arms out to the side and do arm circles. Doing this few times a day for several minutes will increase blood circulation and build strength. When you start any fitness program start slowly and build to where you want to be. Most people get discouraged because they start with a plan that is too difficult for their fitness level. Gradual progress will give you a sense of accomplishment and ease the body into more strenuous activities. You should feel great after a workout not sore for days; “No pain no gain” is a fallacy!

Most importantly, don’t get discouraged. Stay present in the moment. It does not matter if you forgot about your New Year’s resolutions…today is another day. If you missed a workout or made a wrong food choice, do not dwell on it. Continue with your healthy plan the rest of the day and the damage will be minimal. After all, if you ran a red light you wouldn’t continue to do so for the rest of the day.

Focus on all the little things you can do today. It is best not to wait for big dates like New Year, Monday, first of the month…you have the power to make change right now.

Make everyday of the New Year your personal health and fitness day!

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers us powerful tools for understanding and harmonizing with these seasonal shifts. TCM associates the season of autumn with the Metal element. Now, “Metal” is not quite as intuitively meaningful to the average westerner as some of the other elements like Earth or Fire; so let me just say that the Metal element symbolizes separations and boundaries.

This principle is embodied by the Lungs and Large Intestine – organs that function as boundaries between the inside of the body and the outside world around us. TCM also associates the Metal Element with the nose as a sense organ and with mucus as a bodily fluid. And the “boundary” of a vigorous immune system is attributed to good digestion as well as healthy lungs.

Connecting a few of those dots – nose, mucus (ick!), lungs, digestion, immunity – one starts to get a sense of the wisdom of Chinese Medicine. One also gets a clear sense of why autumn welcomes us into cold and flu season! Everybody loves the colorful autumn leaves, but the headaches and sinus trouble… not so much. So, amidst the changing season’s tumultuous energies, it makes sense to consider how we might best harmonize with the cycles of nature.

Here are a few of my favorite personal strategies for staying in balance with the season:

• Eat Well! A shift away from cooling, garden-fresh summertime fare to heavier, warming foods – soups and slow-cooked stews rather than raw veggie salads.
• Stay Warm! Hot baths and steams, and in the rare case of a cold, some fresh lemon-ginger tea warms the bones and clears the head.
• Breathe! Get outdoors and feel your lungs rejoice as you breathe in the cool, crisp air of a clear blue autumn day.

Enjoy the season, folks!

~William Mathis

NHI Instructor

At NHI, we try, whenever possible, to practice what we preach and live lives with awareness around activities that promote a healthy lifestyle and overall well-being.  With the speed of the lives many of us lead these days, the opportunities to really slow down to “smell the roses” and take notice of “one’s self” seem to be fewer and fewer.

This past summer, the Students and Staff at the NHI SF Campus were encouraged to make time to do this through participating in some fun organized activities on and off campus as part of the NHI Summer of Wellness.  It was a great success and was brought to a close with a 5-mile hike, yoga and meditation in Muir Woods.

Here’s a glimpse into the experiences of those who participated:

Izabela:  ”As a child I always loved the great outdoors! Poland is a country of unusual natural beauty. It has majestic mountains, fantastic sea coast, and countless hidden lakes not to mention Bialowieza Forest- the largest remaining part of the immense primeval forest that once covered the European Plain.  There is a connection between Bialowieza and Muir Woods.

Even though those forests look different they bring up similar feelings of peace and awe. Awe of something so beautiful and ancient that once was abundant and then was almost lost. When you are there, you forget about your daily life, you reconnect with your roots and become transformed. It was a true pleasure to share this experience with my NHI community. Thank you to all who came and made it a day to remember forever!”

Kamaljit: “A 7 mile hike through the lovely redwoods, yoga at the half way mark, meditating in a clearing with the sun warming us, feeling blissfully tired at the end and knowing I’d sleep great that night – my idea of heaven. That was the hike through Muir woods, with the good company and the near perfect weather, I couldn’t have hoped for a nicer way to spend my Saturday morning.”

Joan: “We were very lucky because at the start of the day everything was fogged in, but as we ascended into the trees and up the mountain the sky cleared and blue appeared. We enjoyed sharing stories along the way and after the first third of the hike Izabela, the instructor who organized the event, lead us in some group meditation and stretches among the trees. Before we starting our decent back down to the park entrance everyone stopped and pulled out food to satisfy our hungry appetites.

NHI has a great community spirit and organizes wonderful events for the students to participate in outside of the classroom. This was an amazing day and a wonderful experience to meet and talk to fellow students.”

Laura: “The Muir Woods hike was so much fun! It was beautiful and peaceful and it made my body feel great! Thank you for being such a great leader, Izabela! I am so very local, and yet I don’t usually get to do hikes like that; 4 hours and all those stairs. Thanks for all the motivation and inspiration!”

Haven’t you heard??  Wellness is in!!!  You read about it, see it practiced by others, talk about it, and you may even dream about it (“Someday I’ll….”). So, how does one get past the “I’m-too-busy” or “I-don’t-have-time” syndrome and actually put “wellness” into action?                                                                                               

At the National Holistic Institute SF Campus, this past summer was designated “The Summer of Wellness,” a fun, interactive campus experience designed to bring about greater personal awareness and ownership of realistic, healthier habits. 

Everyday at NHI, some level of inspiration is brewing, simply through the daily exchanges of a typical day on campus.  Izabela Rapacz (NHI teacher/mentor) has been known to have inspired more than a few at NHI with her passion for making physical activity enjoyable and attainable, so her idea to integrate one thing that we feel we all do so naturally, “inspiring others,” with some healthy fun couldn’t have been more openly received.

July’s focus was Physical Fitness, August’s-Nutrition, and September’s will be Mindfulness.  With three weekly announced “tips of the week” and one specific exercise/physical movement encouraged be performed at the drop of a weekly “code word” (frog, circles, etc.) it’s safe to say that there’s been greater awareness around this topic.  The inspiration kicked in as students were asked to share their personal new practices at the end of the month.

National Holistic Institute Students in SF have shared the following:

• “I carry around a bag of nutritious snacks prepared for easy snacking (sugar snap peas, carrots, nuts, seaweed, trail mix, etc).  The ‘crunch’ is so gratifying!”
• “I go to bed 30 minutes to one hour earlier.  Since I’ve been doing this, I feel more deeply rested and can focus better.”
• “I contract abdominals while in traffic, sitting at a desk, or while waiting in line.  It’s amazing how my body feels stronger when I engage my core.”
• “When I crave a soda, I just read the Nutrition Facts on the side panel; I quickly choose an alternate.  Easy.
• “I dance, and dance and dance— especially when no one’s looking!”

The buzz of wellness is certainly alive at the NHI San Francisco Campus.  While simply talking about wellness is “cake” (and we do like cake), using a fun, simple, gradual approach to practicing wellness has proven to be as “easy as pie!”  (Pie is good)!

She’s done it again!  Cynthia Ribeiro is giving away all of the secrets of massage therapy!  To read the full article, “DIY Face Massage” in the Chicago Tribune, click the logo:

At first, it may seem counter-intuitive to teach your clients self-massage techniques that they can do without the therapist there to assist them.  You might be scared that they will become satisfied with the techniques that they can practice themselves.   Any great massage therapist understands that their mission is to create the greatest change and sense of wellbeing in their patients and this in turn will keep them coming back. 

Self-Massage techniques can not possibly provide the same benefits as a full massage session, but they are a great way for clients to relieve temporary headaches, stress and pain, and for them to maintain a holistic sense of well-being.  After all, graduates of National Holistic Institute are not only massage therapists, but also health educators! 

If you or someone you know is struggling with headaches, sinus allergies, or stress and tension throughout the body, here are some simple self-massage techniques from AMTA presiden-elect and NHI Advanced Program Instructor, Cynthia Ribiero that will provide fast acting relief until that next massage is booked…

During all of the following techniques, apply light to moderate pressure to avoid aggravating any issue. You should feel a “good” pain; if it hurts too much, back off.
 

For temporal headaches: Press four fingers against the temporal muscle and move them back and forth, up and down or in a circular motion.
 

For frontal and sinus headaches: Put three fingers of each hand above the eyebrow line and press left to right, to the hairline, without gliding.

For tension headaches, tired eyes and sinuses: Press your thumbs up against the underside of the brow bone in the eye socket.

For stress and tension throughout the body (if you have time for only one exercise, this is the one to do): Using your three middle fingers arranged in a triangle, apply pressure just above the bridge of your nose, known as the “third eye.”

For sinus headaches and allergies: With your index and middle fingers, press along, above and below your cheekbones.

For more on Cynthia’s endless log of massage therapy knowlege, check out our post about her work formulating the Massage Therapy Book of Knowlege (MTBOK) here.

Aromatherapy is defined as a form of alternative medicine using various essential oils to alter a person’s mind, health, and cognitive mood. But, how exactly does it work? 

Sit back in your chair and picture a few fond childhood memories. Maybe it’s baking some treats with a sibling or playing in the grass with old friends or running through a cornstalk maze during a crisp fall day. Imagine the details of each sense – particularly – your sense of smell.

Fast forward to today. What do you feel when you smell something like those baked treats, or the grass, or that familiar fall day smell that you know so well each year? Comfort. Happiness. Nostalgia. Peace. Your mood is altered. The presence of stress is cancelled out by this smell-induced reaction.

Our sense of smell is called the Olfactory sense. Our Olfactory sense is intertwined by something called the Limbic System which supports smell, long-term memories, behavior, and emotions. There are special neurons that are meant to pick up different scents and translate them to the brain which in turn reacts with different parts of our body to create the proper response.

In Aromatherapy we work with essential oils. They are derived from various organic and natural materials and on a cellular level they are incredibly complex. Lavender is the most common essential oil in our modern day. When inhaled, it can create a response of relaxation, calmness, and reduced stress. These are just some of the benefits of Lavender.

Starting today, I would recommend carrying around a small bottle of Lavender oil. Whenever you are stuck in line, stuck in traffic, feeling down at work, or feeling stressed with the kids, just pull it out and smell your way through the day.  With your lavender in hand, relax and breathe deeply (see our “Breathe” blog post to learn how this alone can help with stress reduction). Take a note on how you feel after a day…a week…a month. 

Ultimately, we all know we need to take care of ourselves. This is a simple and quick way that we can do this. It is one step closer to a calmer, more peaceful “You”. If aromatherapy is your first step towards a healthier, happier “You” then I consider this article a complete success.

Introducing…

John “The NHI Guy” Caguin will be starring in a new video series, showcasing massage therapy techniques, massage school facts and tips, and other NHI related videos.  To make sure you receieve updates when new videos are released, subscribe to the NHI Youtube Channel and subscribe to the NHI Blog.

For the first video, we thought it would be appropriate to show you something that will help no matter what type of massage you are giving.  Proper body mechanics can keep you from becoming fatigued or injured as a massage therapist and also increase the effectiveness of the massage so that your client is 100% satisfied.

Even if you aren’t an expert in massage therapy, these tips will give you more confidence and strength while providing massage.

Without further ado, let me introduce The NHI Guy!

Many massage therapists know the benefits of giving our furry friends a good massage (If you don’t believe it, read here).   In fact there are even Certified Canine Massage Therapists out there.  We also know that giving a massage can provide the therapist with many of the same benefits that the client enjoys. 

What am I getting at you ask?  Well… dogs could benefit from giving massage too!  

Check out the video below as Samson begins his journey as NHI’s first four legged massage therapist!  Samson has made so many friends at National Holistic Institute, and is hoping to pursue our Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program as he has a special affinity for remembering boney landmarks and helping clients who have had a “ruff” day.

To follow in Samson’s pawprints and learn more about becoming a massage therapist, visit www.nhi.edu
To order some NHI gear for your own pup, visit our CafePress shop!

Thanks to Sharlene, John, Gabriel, Lupita, and everyone else who helped!

Disclaimer: No humans were harmed in the making of this video.

Take a deep breath.  Relaxed, open body.  Peaceful, calm mind.  Less tension, more ease.  Energized yet focused.  This is what clients of massage therapy leave with after they get off your table.  This is why we love the work that we do.  Then why should we, the massage therapists, feel less like these descriptions after a long day of giving massage?

How do we provide this for ourselves?  How can we get some of this everyday?  It is important for us to practice proper body mechanics and make sure we receive massage as well, but one answer has been around for over two thousand years.  Yoga!

There are at least as many different types of yoga as there are massage modalities.  And, like with massage modalities, different styles of yoga have similar benefits which directly improve your ability to provide high quality massage therapy for the length of your career.  Self care is of utmost importance if you want to help your clients- both by maintaining your ability to give massage and also in your aptitude to be an example of health in your client’s lives.  Yoga and Body Mechanics

Yoga: Inversion Pose from wellandgoodnyc.com

Yoga focuses on developing strength and flexibility by moving mindfully through a series of poses, called asanas, which serve to not only keep our body resilient but also to develop a deeper awareness of our movements.  This translates into your massage therapy practice as an increased stamina of maintaining good posture and practicing optimal body mechanics.

 
Yoga and Joint Health

An occpuational concern for some massage therapists is repetitive stress injuries from overuse of thumbs, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.  How can we provide relief of pain for others when we ourselves are afflicted?  Yoga works to counteract the stresses by building balanced strength in the muscles which support these joints and maintaining flexibility of tendons and joint structures.  Yoga may also work to break up adhesion within our tissues and improve joint lubrication.  Yoga moves our blood, giving renewed oxygen and nutrients to these areas, and also warms our fascia which can free the body to develop more functional movement patterns.  In a way, yoga may be like giving yourself a massage. 

 
Yoga and Presence

All forms of yoga emphasize breath and a meditative quality.  It focuses and calms the mind through slowing our breath, and slowing our thoughts.  This allows us the mental and energetic space to be present during the massage.  Being present helps you deliver quality massage sessions, whereas scattered and poor quality massage sessions can result when our minds are elsewhere; when our energy is scattered.  Not only does the mindfulness from yoga help you to be a more effective massage therapist, it also gives you practice in allowing the stresses of your practice to naturally fall away as you leave your office for the day.  This kind of presence in turn gives you the space that you need to fully recharge.

Yoga: Om illustration, by Chris Macivor, from the book The Key Muscles of Yoga

Breathe.
It seems simple enough. Inhale, then exhale. We do it all the time.
But do we do it well?

Breathing improperly creates a constant state of stress in the body. We can live without food for months, we can live without water for days, but we can live only a few minutes without air.

Yet most of us breathe inadequately. We rush through our lives breathing shallowly, and the cost is great. The stress this creates in our bodies diminishes our well being on many levels. Improper breathing can reduce immune function, cause depression, poor muscle function and recovery, and the inability to think clearly. And this is just a sampling of a very long list of the possible negative consequences of not breathing well. Decreased breath equals increased stress. Stress is the underpinning of many diseases and often exacerbates poor health conditions.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to evaluate your current stress level:

• Do you sleep poorly and wake up still tired?
• Do you have aches and pains that seem to come from nowhere?
• Do you get frequent headaches?
• Are you irritable and/or short tempered?
• Do you find yourself easily frustrated?
• Are you tired all the time?
• Do you often feel like there just are not enough hours in the day to get everything done?
• Do you frequently suffer from colds, flues and other illness?
• Have you lost your enthusiasm for life?

These are just a few of the common complaints of people suffering from stress. Stress diminishes our quality of life, and breathing properly can restore it!

The bonus is breathing well can be done anywhere at any time. To breathe properly simply let your belly relax and expand as you draw air in through your nose. As you continue to inhale let your ribs expand, and then finally fill your lungs to the top. Then reverse that process as you exhale through your mouth. Make sure that you empty the lungs completely before you take your next breath. It’s that simple!

…And the benefits are immediate. You will find that after just a few short minutes of breathing well, you can think more clearly and that ideas and solutions to problems come more readily. You will feel calmer and more peaceful, ready to handle the challenges of life. You will be more energized. Your muscles will relax and need much less effort to move. In short, life will be easier and you will be happier.

Create new breathing habits for yourself. Use daily activities as a cue to remember to take a deep breath: waiting at red lights, taking a shower, laying down to sleep, preparing a meal, entering and leaving your home. Anything can become a cue to remember to breathe deeply and fully, and soon you will find that it becomes automatic.

So why not start right now?! Inhale slowly and deeply, exhale fully and have a great day!

NHI Teachers practice what they teach during their annual Staff Day in Tilden Park. Every year, NHI staff gather together to reflect on the past year and discuss how we can improve the student experience. This year we were inspired by our guest speaker and had presentations given by each campus on Connectivity.

The San Francisco Campus ended the day by giving a Dance Lesson. Dance, at a Massage School? Hmm…?

One of the many lessons we try to impart on students is the importance of helping clients live healthier lives through massage but also through self care! Dance provides us with the opportunity of incorporating a fun physical activity in our busy days. It also lifts the spirits and balances the energy in our bodies – not to mention letting us tap into our inner child!

Traditionally, before class we might do some Tai chi, Chi Gong or Yoga to prepare us physically for bodywork and mentally for learning.  So we thought, why not dance?  Dancing provides not only an entertaining way of getting physical activity in our lives, it also helps us with flexibility, stamina and gracefulness.

We chose Bhangra, a dance originitating from the Panjabi region of India – it was first danced by men as a celebration of the harvest.  Its movements mirrored the activities performed in the fields for a particular crop.  We were inspired by the music and the grace needed to dance to it.  We found ways of connecting traditional steps to moves done during massage like the all so famous Effleurage and Body Mechanic Principles like working from Neutral and using your Whole Body.