You might be thinking to yourself, so, how do these topics relate to one another? Breathing, massage & body work therapy and somatics? These topics are living and breathing practices that, when done with 100% awareness and attention can transform clients & therapists experiences tremendously within a session.  I will first focus on how massage & bodywork therapy in conjunction with somatic awareness helps to develop a more consciously coherent person then I will delve into how the breath work helps us to tap into this space of coherence.

As busy people, we all find it hard to find the time to create a life of balance.  Making time for ourselves to create space for healing in the body, mind & spirit takes setting aside time and it takes us wanting to choose to create space to make time for these healing practices.  In the process of making time for yourself you create space for healing to occur in the body, in the mind and in your spirit.  This deep rest creates calm and clarity of mind.  This settling of the mind’s energy helps for clear thinking as does a restful sleep through the night.  Furthermore, Rest is a powerful way to develop coherence which is harmonizing the frequency of the heart with the frequency of the mind.  This optimal, coherent state of being is a state in which we can create the reality we desire!

You may be asking yourself now. . . But Erin HOW do I reach this state of optimal balance?

It is only in quieting yourself, becoming still, and in this silent listening, a listening deeply to yourself through the breath can you hear your inner promptings, your deep and authentic truth.

The breathwork is a VITAL part of the practice of massage & bodywork therapy as is the sacred silence to which I honour for my clients.  The practice of somatic and touch therapies, along with a deep present moment awareness is based primarily on assessing, listening and witnessing.  

It was Bruce Lipton that once said: “Language is designed to hide feelings.”  This hit me like an arrow straight into my heart when I read these words.  I asked myself a question after I read this.  How does one reach a state of optimal coherence by using words?  The answer to me immediately was, you cannot. It is only in listening that the heart is accessed and what needs to be healed in the body, mind & spirit is revealed. 

As a practicing massage & bodywork therapist of over twenty one years I was traditionally trained in a very clinical way with clients which meant that I would do a great deal of speaking to clients and educating them to which I still do but now that I practice in a more integrative way I also have become very sensitive and aware that integrating assessment skills which allow for the client to be still, breathe and calm the nervous system are also vital ways in which we can help facilitate healing of injury and even help them to access parts of themselves that where un noticed. Over the years I’ve also cultivated skills which focus on developing a trauma – informed care approach, this means that my session with clients explore how we can work with a team of practitioners to address not only the bodies physical muscular disfunctions but also tap in to the energetic aspects of the human being. 

We can no longer rely solely on our analytical mind in this new energy. We are in a post COVID age which means, neither can we just have our feelings guide the way. So, what is the solution?

Perhaps, it is to unite every part of us, a coming together of ourselves in a harmonious state of being and our honouring of community. To start with Massage & bodywork, along with many other allopathic, allied health and holistic health practices can help us to reach this coherent state, however, it is up to us to decide how we get there. Your personal way may be vastly different than my personal way, however we all must accept that cultivating healthier lifestyles might be a key to vitality?

My personal way has always been to flow and surrender to what is being presented to me each day and to honour when I need assistance.

To cultivate a self-sustainable practice each day which nurtures my inner and outer being and to live with more coherent awareness no matter what life throws my way.

I wish you all a harmonious and well state of consciousness and beingness, especially in this time where so many of us are grieving, dealing with loss, transition or just merely trying to cope each day with a very full plate–

Dealing with anxiety and stress makes it hard to feel harmony, to feel balance and to feel in a state of conscious coherence with yourself and others which is a state of love

 May you all choose the time to see where the disconnected parts of yourselves are and if your body is tired that you can get the nurturing it needs and the restorative sleep to aid you in a harmonious, regenerative cycle of rest to awaken each day refreshed and feeling love at the core of our beingness. For it is our divine birthright!  My hope for you all is that when you feel disconnected from this coherent state of love that you all can embody the power within to close your eyes, tune in, drop into your bodies, move your awareness to your needs. May that which needs to be revealed come to the surface of your consciousness to be acted upon.  Trusting your heart and letting it guide your way to feel the sacred wisdom that comes of all these practices and allowing them to aide you to become more in tuned to what it is you need in this moment, the only moment that matters. 

I am here for you all when you need some assistance to help facilitate your process with you.  Be kind to yourselves in your journey of healing and life.  Be well!

In Health & Wellness,

Erin

A Practice to try throughout your day:

STOP: hold any query or thought that arises

DROP: drop into it until you run it through your heart

FEEL: now feel the sacred wisdom that comes of it

I often practice this during breathwork with clients as I’m working on their bodies and tuning into the muscles as muscles certainly do hold energy & memories 😊