a quiet hello

Posted by | January 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment

The Pause–
it’s on the corner of Now and Notice,
where that old dive, Reaction,
used to be.

Happy hour every day!
Come in any attire,
all moods welcome.

Also? Hottest bartender ever
—ahem!—
Presence is his name.

Be sure to try their signature drink
Patience, I think it’s called—
not sure of the secret ingredient,
but from what I can tell
it’s got some muddled Time,
macerated in oak barrel-aged Joy.
Seriously? Best drink ever.
(And don’t worry about getting drunk
on it, even the hangover is great!)

The Pause, meet me there?

~ * ~

The hoopla and flash of December have passed… the days are short, the nights are long, and the trees are bare.

Ahh, January, hello there. And hello you, curious reader. How are you and 2012 getting on?

I remember a phone conversation with my youngest brother around this time several years ago… Summer girl that I am, I was probably complaining about
winter. Danny, on the other hand, loves winter and I just had to know why.

“The trees are bare,” he said, “and I can see so much more when the trees are bare.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

Danny is right. Bare-branch days give us wide angle lenses, perfect for seeing the bigger picture.

When I take a moment to pause and get a sense of 2012 and what it might want for me, I feel it a-buzz with energy. It’s not the hyper and static-y buzz of television, but a kind of glowing warm hum…

I listen more… Yes, 2012 wants me to fall in love with life. Oh wait, it’s got more… it says you can’t love things you don’t notice, and that you are much more likely to notice things when you pause.

Ahh, to pause. It’s the easiest and the hardest thing to do. And it’s my aspiration for 2012.

And you? Have you checked in with 2012 to find out what it might want for you? Give it a try. Often we think we need to make things happen… making things happen is tiring and usually involves a lot of things we think we should do but in our heart of hearts aren’t fully on board about.

What happens when you get quiet for a moment, look through the bare trees, and ask your life what it wants for you?

If it’d help you to write it out loud and tell us what it says, you can add a comment below, or drop me a line. I’m here, and I’d love to hear.

Also? My office is open and my massage table warmer is on. Mmmm… Here are my hours this week:

Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

(And yes, there are openings!)

Listening and curious about what’s in store, and looking forward to seeing you soon…

Heidi

Categories: Noticing, Self-care | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment

3 a.m. cribsheet

Posted by | October 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

Things may be hard. So hard they may be waking you up at 3 in the morning. You try to keep sleeping but no: now the soundtrack is going… you know, the  soundtrack  of all the things you suspect are related to how your shoulders feel so tight, not to mention that knot in your belly, or the dull ache between your temples…

It’s too much: too much pressure, too much to do, too much to keep track of, too much noise, too much work, too many messages, too many things… Too much, you think.

Even while it feels like not enough. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough business, not enough lovin’… Not enough, you think.

And you are tired. So tired. If only you could rest, you think. You try to remember when you last sat in the sun and read for an hour. You want to get away… But there’s so much to take care of, you think.

Maybe you have a business. Maybe you have a family. There are people you feel responsible for, or to… Or maybe it’s just you, and maybe that is the thought that wakes you: I am alone, you think.

Oh sweetest heart, come. What I want to tell you is simple, and yet we forget it all the time. I do. (Why do you think I’m writing it to you right now, before I go to bed?!)

Dearest heart,

You do not need to hold yourself up. You do not need to keep it together. The ground, it is strong. And it’s right there under you at 3 in the morning or afternoon. Supporting you. Let the ground hold you. All of you:

Head? Yes.
Butt? For sure.
Neck? Absolutely.
Arms? Ahhhhrms.
Legs? Mmmmm.
Back? The ground has got your back, for sure!

See if you can let yourself be held.

Also, the air? It’s free, my love, free! No need to skimp. Your neck and shoulders will appreciate the rest they get when your breathing is gentle and deep. Also, you might try this if ever you feel yourself anxious and struggling for breath: let yourself be breathed. Notice how air enters and leaves, enters and leaves. Again and again. What a relief.

Oh my love, I know you know all this, you just forget.

Here’s a crib sheet for 3 a.m. Tuck it under you pillow if you want:

Strong ground. Generous, free air.
Let the ground hold you.
Let the air breathe you.

What a relief.

Oh and too (lest you forget)?

You are loved.

What’s that? By whom?

Ahhh… here’s a thought: How ’bout you fall asleep counting loves! (Sheep are so last century). Count people who love you, past present future. People you love, ever… Things you love… Animals… Places…

Sweet dreams, my sweet…

*Kissing your forehead… slipping out quietly*

Categories: Massage Therapy, Self-care | | 2 Comments

Atlas, Hercules and your neck

Posted by | September 9, 2011 | 4 Comments

I’m going to tell you a little story. It may be a story you know, but I bet you’ve never thought of it in quite this way before. It’s a story that sometimes comes to mind when I am massaging my clients’ necks and heads, loosening up all the tension that tends to accumulate there.

Ready? Here, I saved a spot for you on the bench… Make yourself comfy.

Once upon a time there was a Titan named Atlas. The Titans were giants and Atlas, for sure, was gi-normous. Anyway, the Titans had lost a battle with the Greek gods and so, as punishment, the gods made Atlas hold up the sky, and some say, the whole world.

What’s that you say? … Oh yes. That would get tiring on the shoulders even for a giant, for sure!

Anyway… Atlas, poor guy, held up the sky for years and years until one day Hercules came along looking for some golden apples. (Let’s save the story of the golden apples and why Hercules was so desperate to find them for another rainy day, OK?).

Atlas said, “Herc, what’s up? You look distraught.”

“I’m looking for some golden apples.”

“Finding those apples seems very important to you–”

“You have no idea! I’d do anything to get them. Anything.”

“Um, as it turns out, I happen to know where they are.”

“You do?!”

“Yes. If you hold up the world for me, I’ll go get them for you.”

Hercules happened to also be very strong, not quite as strong as Atlas the giant, but very strong nonetheless and he reeeeally wanted those apples. In fact, you could say that getting those apples was more important to him than pretty much anything else in the world. And so it was that Hercules agreed.

Soon Atlas came back and, sure enough, he had the golden apples. As he got closer he noticed Hercules sweating and grunting from holding up all that weight and he thought to himself, “Know what? That there is actually not a job I want to take back.”

Now Hercules could see what Atlas was thinking and he did not like it one bit. So he thought up a trick.

“Wow, thanks, Atlas!” he said.

“No problem, man. I’ll leave them right here for you. Actually, I’ll even tuck them in your pockets… OK then, goodbye. It’s been nice doing business with you.”

“Oh uh, say, before you go… I wonder if you could help me with something.”

“Possibly…”

“As you know, this is some heavy heavy weight to hold and I’d like to get myself more comfortable in this position here… Could you hold the sky up for me for just a minute while I go get myself some padding for my shoulders?”

“Um… OK but just for a minute.”

So Atlas took back the sky from Hercules, and Hercules, of course, did not come back. [Insert expletive!] And that’s the story of how Atlas ended up with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

What’s that?… You’re wondering what happened to him?

Well, no one really knows, of course, but eventually, it is believed, he turned into a mountain. In fact, the Atlas mountains in Northwestern Africa, are named for him. As is a bone in your body! No kidding. Can you guess which one?

Yes, exactly! The very first vertebra (C1) in your spine, the one at the tippy top where your neck meets your head, is also named after Atlas.

Go ahead, check it out. Reach your hand behind you and find your spine at about shoulder level. You’ll know you’re on your spine by its bumpy ridgy stick-y-out-y bits. Each one of those bumps corresponds to a vertebra.

Now inch your fingers up the spine, over the bumps, until you reach the base of your skull/head… Right there, yes. Good.

Now go ahead and say hi to Atlas and his band of supporting tissues (made of muscles, ligaments and fascia).

Hiiiiiii!

Good. Since you’re there, why not give Atlas and Company a good squeeze. I promise, this should feel reeeeally good. While you’re there massaging with your hand, go ahead and roll your head around in slow, small little circles.

If you’ve been sitting for awhile staring at a screen (ahem!) you may well hear little crackly sounds when you do this… that is the sound of your joints saying, “Thankyouthankyouthankyou! FI-nally someone is moving us!”

Movement is what keeps your joints nice and lubricated… Lubricated joints are happy joints. Dry and sticky joints that have not gotten movement, are not happy. (And the lubrication, called “synovial fluid,” is already right there in your joints. You do not even have to get your squirt gun.)

“Ahhhhhh”… I swear I just heard your Atlas moan. “Ahhhh…”

That there is the sound of one very appreciative wee bone that has the equivalent of a bowling ball sitting on top of it day in and day out. Yes, your head weighs somewhere between 8 – 12 lbs. Not counting hair!

That is all for today. Thank you for taking these moments with me and with Atlas.

If you live in the Boston area and would like me to work on your Atlas and Company, please give me a call or email me. I’d love to help.

There are even a few openings left this week: two today(!), Friday. And one tomorrow, Saturday, afternoon.

Until soon, I hope–
Heidi

Categories: Massage Therapy, Self-care | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments

Wherein you shimmy for my guests while I get out of this trance. [mwah!] I owe you.

Posted by | July 26, 2011 | 1 Comment

These two guys appeared on my doorstep this morning. They won’t tell me their names so for the moment I am calling them by what’s printed on their T-shirts:

“Is this all there is?” and “What’s the point?”

Ever since they arrived, I’ve had a queasy knot in my belly and my chest is all a-rumble. When I stop distracting myself with things to put in my mouth, links to click, sites to check, worries to fondle, I feel scared. I’m afraid they’re right.

Now you might be saying that I should just throw them out. And I appreciate your idea. Except that it doesn’t really work. Not really.

I know how trying to ignore or get rid of things I don’t like inside myself goes. I did it for many years and it just makes things change clothes and come back in another form. I can totally see these T-shirt guys coming back in drag. Or taking hold of my body and becoming a pain in my neck. Or butt. Things I try to ignore or banish can totally put my back out. Ow! And let’s not forget how they can make me anxious, and how anxious can grind everything to a halt. Including sleep.

Um, no thanks.

It’s just that I need help. I can’t do it alone. So, I was wondering… um, how to say…

Hi!

You: “You talking to me?” [turning around to see if someone's behind you.]

Yes, you! You’re my smart and courageous reader. Please?

You: “I want you to be OK. It’s just, I don’t know what to do, really… ”

OK. Here’s the thing. I don’t want to be alone. I’m scared. But with you? Different story. Then I’m not alone. You and me is two, and there might be others. Plus, I’ve seen your dance moves and your air guitar… You could totally entertain them, I just know. All you have to do is keep them occupied while I remember who I am. And I’ll totally return the favor. One day I’ll do my best moves for you when you need me.

You: “OK. I’ll try. I want you to be OK.”

Oh wow! Thanks man. Now excuse me while I find my curiosity superpowers… I know I left them here somewhere… Oh, it’s been too long… Ah, there! Good.

—–

Donning my curiosity cape, I re-enter the scene. I can move around freely and see everything. Including you! Oh my, you have totally been practicing your shimmies, haven’t you. My friend, you are amazing. If I didn’t have things to do, I’d totally join you. Maybe later. But now, I’m investigating.

Since they haven’t talked to me, I’ll start with what’s on their shirts. The words look like questions. Except they’re not. Because they contain no curiosity. A true question is curious, open minded and willing to listen, to hear. A true question is wonder-y.

My thought-guys’ questions are very thinly veiled conclusions about me and my life. And the implications of their non-questions really scare me when I believe them. Which I am. I’m TOTALLY believing them. Which can only mean:

I’ve. Gone into. TRANCE!

No wonder! OK. I’ve noticed. Whew! Noticing is crucial. It’s at least, oh, 99%.

Once I notice I’m in trance, then I can send the part of me that noticed, the part NOT in trance (even if it’s just the eensiest bit of me right now) to pull out my sheet of trance procedures trance magics. That’s the other 99%! (Yep.)

ONE. Call yourself only by the sweetest, kindest of names. Sweetheart is good. My love works wonders. Darling drumstick makes you smile. Sweet pea reminds you of people you love.

TWO. Under no circumstances believe any thought crossing your mind while in trance. Don’t try to stop the thoughts. Don’t fight them. But also, don’t believe them. Trust me. Don’t.

Things to do instead of believing thoughts while in trance: You can notice them, you can play Byron Katie with them, you can Veronica Mars them, you can put them in a jar, you can make daisy chains out of them, you can chew on them and blow thought bubbles with them, you can juggle them, you can make soup with them, you can build a tower out of them and lean against it while you eat lunch. But whatever you do: Do NOT Believe Them.

OK, good. Onward:

THREE. Write. Write. Write.

“But I suck. And I have nothing to write about,” says a tranced out voice.

To which I must refer you back to thing ONE and TWO. Also, I’d like to point out that “You Suck” is not a name you like.

FOUR. Get fresh air. Get movement. Find water. Take a shower. Take a bath. Take a lake. Dance. Watch the kids run through the sprinkler at the park. Take pictures of trees. Eat meals. Drink water. Mind your body. Remember animal-you. Remember Mary Oliver: “Let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Which reminds me, you love poetry, so… Read it.

FIVE. Visit The Pause. (Dude! The Pause just opened a page a bar on Facebook. Go! Hang out!)

SIX. Do not, under any circumstance, try to make decisions while in trance.

SEVEN. Call a meeting of your Inner Council.

EIGHT. Listen to a Tara Brach podcast.

NINE. With your Inner Council or with Presence at The Pause, consider this: If you weren’t believing those 2 thought-doozies, what would you be feeling? And then do THREE. Or FOUR. Or EIGHT. In any order.

Rinse and repeat. Until the trance lifts.

———–

Oh my. Thank you so much! You saved my butt. Yes, you! I’m going to be pondering the question in NINE… maybe I’ll write about it here, maybe not. But thank you!

Hey, will you teach me that move? The one that had my beefy thought-guys laughing so hard they were crying?

Until next time, maybe I’ll see you at The Pause. In case you forgot, it’s on the corner of Now and Notice, where that old dive Reaction used to be. Presence tends bar. Shots of compassion on me today.

Categories: Getting curious, Mood detective, Self-care | Tagged: | 1 Comment

Pause Tag. Want to play?

Posted by | July 3, 2011 | 3 Comments

There’s a game of Pause Tag going on!

Pause Tag requires no special equipment. No special clothes. You can pause in your jammies, in your favorite T-shirt, in your stripey socks, or barefoot. You can Pause in your birthday suit or decked out in your fancypants. You can pause in any size or color…

You can pause on a lake or while you bake, in your head or on your bed, in a chair or on a dare… You can pause most anywhere!

You can pause alone or you can pause in company.

You can pause in any mood. Sultry or mean, baffled or green… Happy or sad, lonely or mad. No matter how you’re feeling, you can pause.

You can pause for short, medium or long. You can pause for itty bitty, so-so, or mega.

Best of all, when you’ve been tagged to be It, it doesn’t matter if you’re fast or slow: unlike other games of tag, Pause Tag does not require speed. But if you happen to be speedy that’s great too!

When you’ve been Pause-tagged, you’ll know. You can pretend not to know and keep running and hiding, but it won’t feel good. Matter o’ fact, when you first start playing Pause Tag, not feeling good might be how you first know you’re It. You might feel dizzy and tired… maybe you’ll feel overwhelmed and icky in your tummy… your running might feel wobbly, like you have spaghetti legs… Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of being It and as you get more practice at playing Pause Tag, you won’t have to wait to not feel great before you know it’s time to pause. You’ll see. I promise.

Pause Tag can be played with any number of people: 1 – 6.93 billion. Also, there is no limit to how many people can be It at once. Pause Tag is magical: there will always be a balance between movement and rest.

Pause Tag is the best game ever. Want to play?

Categories: Self-care | Tagged: | 3 Comments

Baby, ain’t nothin’ too small

Posted by | June 26, 2011 | 4 Comments

Baby, ain’t nothin’ too small I wouldn’t do for you… I got up for you. I stirred the oatmeal for you. I changed the toilet paper roll for you. I took out your guitar for you. I learned a new chord and sang a song for you. I watched Veronica Mars with you. I sautéed garlic scapes and scrambled that egg for you. I made popcorn for you. I watched more Veronica Mars with you. I living room-danced with you. I sat down for you. I sighed with you, I cried with you and then I wrote this note for you. I stood back up for you. I made more popcorn for you. I watched another Veronica Mars with you and then I copied this note and posted it for you. Baby, ain’t nothin’ too small… #selfcare

And you? How did you love you today?

Categories: Self-care | | 4 Comments

Wherein a pirate chicken of the high seas helps me with my writing

Posted by | June 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment

[You may recall back in February when a secret agent chicken saved me from crossing over from a regular into a full throttled meltdown. Yes? Well, yesterday another chicken, this time a pirate chicken, came to my aid... Here, I'll let you eavesdrop on our conversation... ]

HeidiHi!

Um, hi… you’re a chicken. With a pirate cap and an eyepatch. Um–

What! You asked for help, didn’t you?

Yes. But–

What’s wrong, sweetpea? You look terribly distraught.

Aside from thinking I’ve now gone a bit crazy what with you standing in front of me? Yes I’m distraught. I can’t write!

You can’t write?

I mean, I can, but just not about this thing I reeeally need to write about. I keep trying and thinking about it and there all these notes in my notebook about it, but when I go to write, I do one of a million other things instead. I’ve had 5 cups of tea this morning, chicken. Five! And it’s only 10.

Wow.

I just don’t know how to start.

How about you tell me about what you want to write. Maybe I’ll ask you questions, maybe not, but I want to hear… How about it!

OK.

And then maybe you can start writing it on me.

On you?

Yep. On me.

Like, on your chicken body?

Eggzactly.

Sounds like how my mom used to trick me into giving her a backrub by suggesting I spell things on her back and she’d guess what I’d written?

Maybe, ‘cept that I’m helping you, remember?

[I raise a suspicious brow]

OK OK it’s true that my left wing could use a little massagin’ ’cause steerin’ a chicken ship full o’ loot, well, it can take a toll on a chicken’s wings, you know? But how I see it we could both benefit from each other here, so how about you start moving that little finger of yours, and we’ll see what happens.

[I shrug, look around to see if anyone is looking, and then start to write on the pirate chicken]

So Heidi, tell me about this thing that you keep not writing about—

It’s about the quality that makes our newest potion so magical…

Ooooh! Potion! How exciting.

I know. It is. I mean, it would be, if I could just get this page written already so that our people will know what it’s all about!

So tell me about this magical quality… whatever is it!

Oh it’s just about the most magical thing ever. It is a way of being with yourself and in the world that allows you and the world to change in an organic, unforced way.

What’s wrong with forcing change?

Nothing wrong in and of itself with force as an energy when that is the natural way of something. But when there is a kind of pushing or pulling on something ahead of its time, before it’s ready? Well, then things can become muddied and tangled up, and then, even if on the surface the thing goes and changes (or appears to), it usually comes with a price because there were all these other factors that weren’t ready, parts of us or people that were not on board… maybe they were dragged along… Oftentimes, then, the change doesn’t really stick because those other forces were not accounted for…

Sounds like what plays out in our world politically.

Yep. Same. Usually the party or country or race or gender or part of us with the most power wins… Thing is, even if by all accounts the change that is forced is a “good” one, it will often backfire… Many times, then, there is some sort of violence that comes about because what was pushed away comes to the surface. Just because we shut something up doesn’t mean it went away, after all. Like all the wars that start seemingly out of the blue, until you look back and notice all the people that were exiled and the voices that were stifled…

Oh, Heidi, I know about something like this from my very own chicken life! I remember all those years when my momma told me just to keep laying eggs, saying that THAT is what chickens were meant to do blah blah blah… I tried, I really tried… And I kept pushing on myself to be an egg-laying chicken, telling myself I should… but I didn’t like it one bit. And then I thought surely something was wrong with me that I couldn’t be happy just layin’ eggs and so I made myself try to be happy laying eggs. Well, eventually I got sick and my feathers started falling out and the few that I had left were very lackluster… oh my but I sure was a sad chicken. “Depressed” is what I think you human birds call it.

I can hardly imagine you as lackluster. Just look at your feathers now… just you look at these golden & coral highlights here! Say, who’s your stylist?

Darlin’, them’s my natural hues!

No way! Surely thou jesteth.

I jesteth not! Cross my wings.

Wow. Just lovely. Mind if I snap a picture?

Yes actually. I’m rather shy ’round cameras.

You? Shy?

<shrugs>

OK… So what happened then? How did you get from the coop to the high seas? I mean, that’s quite a ways to go!

One night I tried to fly away. But flying turned out to be wishful thinking for a chicken with hardly a feather on his wings. You ever try flying without feathers?

Uh, can’t say I have. Actually, can’t say I’ve really ever seen a chicken flying, either.

Oh Baby, hang out with me some more. Just you wait ‘n’ see. But, back to my story… I knew if I stayed, I’d die. I had to get out. No matter how I did it, I had to. It wasn’t about forcing anything, it was just what had to happen. It wasn’t even a decision I made, come to think, I just knew.

So how’d you do it?

Well, I’d been noticing the farm dog digging at a spot by the fence and the farmer hadn’t had a chance to fix it. It would be a tight squeeze, for sure, but like I said, this was life or death. It was all I could do to crawl under the fence and hobble myself to the forest, but somehow I did, and there I holed up in an abandoned nest near a stream for a few days before heading on a journey the destination of which I wasn’t even sure. All I knew for sure was that the chicken coop was no place for me… Verylongstoryshort, now here I am a Pirate Chicken, JohnnyDepping it up on the high seas.

Oh Chicken, that’s quite a story. If Oprah still had a show, surely she’d invite you on as guest chicken. Maybe even with Johnny Badass Depp’s Captain Sparrow!

<blushes>

Your story is reminding me about a very important aspect in this thing I’m having a hard time writing about…

What’s that, Heidi?

A sure indication that one is trying to force oneself or someone else into change, is that it is accompanied by a boatload of shoulds… “You should be like this, or else!” What I’ve noticed is that the part of us that is shoulding is usually scared or concerned about something. I can tell because when I’m embodying this quality that I’m trying to write about, then I can listen openly and curiously to even the most difficult things inside me without pushing or pulling… The shoulding part often says things like: “If you don’t ___, then ___ [insert terrible or unwanted thing] will happen. You better or else!”

Heidi, could you move over and write just a little bit to the left there… keep going… ahhhhhh yes, right there. Oh I’ve had a knot there for a week!… Oh yeah…. So what you’re saying is that being with yourself in this way you are trying to write about is what allows change to come in its time, in an unforced and natural way?

Yes! This way of being allows change to happen when is best, when everything is ready. Allows! I love that word. This quality is about allowing. Change that comes about in this manner usually starts happening way before it becomes obvious on the surface…

Like in Egypt earlier this year?

Yes, like in Egypt!

Like when I left the coop?

Yes, like that.

But you know, Heidi, I kind of already knew I should leave way before I actually left.

Ah, yes. But, for whatever reason, you weren’t ready, because you didn’t… not yet. Notice how there was still a “should” in how you were talking to yourself: “I should leave,” which implies that not all of you was on board. And when you were ready, you did. Not a minute before.

Interesting…

This quality I want to write about is so helpful during those stages when things are shifting below the surface… It can be a very hard time filled with confusion and fear and pressure… What I want to write about helps us be with all these conflicting parts of ourselves… I’m sure the part of you that wasn’t ready to leave could probably have used some understanding!

Oh Heidi, I’m going to cry just remembering.

That was hard a hard time, wasn’t it?

Oh you have no idea. All those years in the coop trying to lay eggs, surrounded by all these chickens who loved nothing more than laying eggs? And they were my friends too. I loved them. Still do. I didn’t fly the coop much sooner because I was scared. I thought they wouldn’t love me if I wasn’t an egg-laying chicken like them. I thought I’d lose my family and be alone in all the world if I did what I needed to do. But you know what? If I hadn’t been able to leave and live the way I love, I can’t say I wouldn’t have taken to desperate measures within the coop. As it was I was mean and grumpypants for a long time.

Yes, when things are forced to be a way that is not really of their nature, then other parts have to go into hiding… Maybe we pretend those dissenting voice aren’t there, but they are. They come out sideways. They come out to bite us in the ass when we least expect it. Or they wake us up at 3 in the morning. Eventually, if shunned or vilified too long, they amp up the volume. Sometimes they get violent.

Sounds like terrorism.

Yep…. Oh Chicken, you have quite a story! Who knew!

Now that you say it, and now that I’m remembering all this, yes. So tell me, this quality you want to write about, well, it is, I mean, it could potentially, um, change everything!

Oh the irony, yes! This quality, which is all about being with something exactly the way it is, without trying to make it change, can change everything! It has helped me more than I can say. Which is what I’m trying to say here. It’s amazing.

I want to know more. Please can you tell me everything? Pleeeease?

I will, I promise. But my writing block just lifted and I must go write that potion page about this quality.

Right now?

Yesssss! When you have to go you have to go!

But what’s the quality called?

Well you’ll just come have to read it when I’m done, won’t you? Thanks Chicken!

Categories: Getting curious, Self-care | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment

The Pause: Not what I asked for

Posted by | April 3, 2011 | 1 Comment

I went to The Pause again today. I needed something, though I wasn’t sure what. Before retreating to a table, I stopped to order a shot of patience. Presence was tending bar, as usual.

“I’ll be at that table,” I told him, pointing to a secluded spot in the corner. He nodded.

A few minutes later a curvy, twinkle-eyed server set before me a bowl of soup.

“Oh, uh… I think there’s been a mistake. I ordered patience.”

“No mistake,” she smiled, “compliments of the chef.” I opened my mouth in protest, but she’d already turned. I watched her figure disappear into the kitchen.

I stared at my soup, and then, with a sigh, unfolded my napkin. A scrolled, ribbon-tied paper fell onto my lap.

“Try a little tenderness. On the house.”

Signed,

Kindness
Head Chef, The Pause

Categories: Self-care | Tagged: | 1 Comment

Hop on over to Cranky Fibro Girl’s blog. We got to be her “inaugural soothers”!

Posted by | February 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Hi. Heidi’s biz partner here, hoof-typing this note while she’s off getting her prebirthday day massage. (Yay! I am the happy when she gets a massage!)

I’ll be quick.

The snarky, sassy and always lovely Cranky Fibro Girl is starting a tradition on her blog. Wednesdays will be all about soothing. And on this first day of her series she has interviewed Heidi.

If you don’t like to know secrets, don’t read it. Because Heidi went and told the main magic in our potions. This morning I was all, “What! You go and tell our secrets without consulting your biz partner?”

To which she said, “Bite me!”

Really. I think she’s been sniffing a bit too much of our Sassypants potion. Cheekypants, more like–

Anyway. That is all.

Oh. The linky bit… almost forgot! Here you go: A-Little-Bit-of-Soothing-Wednesdays: Heidi and The Aardvark pay us a visit.

Tell Cranky Fibro Girl I said hi. I ♥ her!

Signed,

The Aardvark

P.S. If you’re reading this in a reader and have trouble with that link, just copy and paste this URL into a browser: http://www.jennyryan.com/?p=4869

Categories: Aardvark Essentials, Minding my biz, Self-care | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment

It’s freaking courageous to relax! (Plus, 3 ways to save $ on massages)

Posted by | February 4, 2011 | 1 Comment

And there was much rejoicing…

A few days ago I had a massage.

It helped EV-ree-thing! My mood, my body, my sleep, and even –EVEN!– my tolerance for the stormiest winter ever. Enh… what’s a bit o’ snow!

It might be what I do for work, but really it’s no different for me: I too get busy. Sometimes I also look at my checking account to see if I can afford a session of my favorite-ever form of self-care.

But after last week’s session I added a monthly (at least) massage to my list of self-care aspirations for the year. Right alongside sitting quietly and doing nothing for 20 minutes every day (some people call this mindfulness meditation– and yes, there’s a bit more to it than doing nothing. Maybe).

Right along with drinking a big mug of warm water first thing in the morning and eating foods that are yummy AND agree with me. (As recommended by my wonderful Ayurvedic practitioner, Amba Greene).

Right alongside going to bed when my body is tired, and yes, siestaing it up when I feel the urge, inspired by my friend Lisa Baldwin’s brilliant wee-book Take That Nap, which may be wee in length but is zoom zoom zoom on inspiration and guidance.

Some of my aspirations seem like no-brainers, no? But sadly, self-care no-brainers are sometimes the first to get left behind when I get busy and start believing the thought that I cannot afford to rest. Which is simply untrue.

Because rest? It’s vital.

And also? It helps everything, including and maybe, especially, creativity.

And also too:

It’s freaking courageous to relax!

Have you noticed that when you’re relaxed less guarded? More open-hearted?

It’s easy to be defensive. It takes courage to be relaxed!

(The rest of this post applies to folks in the United States, and/or in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area, which is where my massage practice, Heidi’s Table, lives. If you live here too, you’re welcome to come see me!)

Speaking of checking accounts…

I have some massage $-saving ideas. I hope you can use all three of them, but even one of them should make you the happy!

Way 1 to save bocoup massage bucks:

Does your employer offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? Sometimes these are called flex plans, or reimbursement accounts…

They do? Awesome!

Did you know that you can use your pre-tax monies to pay for your massages? Seriously! Best thing ever, right? If your employer offers this and you are not using it to pay for our sessions, um… how to say this… why the hell not?!

Using your FSA monies for massage can mean a savings of, give or take, 30% on your sessions. Several of my clients do this.

(If you’ve had sessions with me in the last few months that you’d like to claim for your FSA, let me know– I’d be happy to email you a receipt. And, going forward, just ask me for a receipt at the end of your session.)

They don’t? Oh boo. Some of us don’t have FSA’s.

But wait! There are other ways to save!

Way 2:

You can purchase a 6-hour Series of Massages with me for $486. That’s a 10% savings.

I’m quite flexible about how you use your series: You can split your 6 hours up into sessions of 60, 75 or 90 minutes. (Because sometimes 60 is fine, and sometimes you reeeeally want a long one, right?)

You can also share your hours with someone else. If you and your hubby or BF or GF or BFF like getting massages, you can share your series with them. Or maybe your friend is pregnant or just had a baby and you’d love for her to get a much-needed massage with a therapist with advanced training in peri-natal massage. Ahem.

If you want to share one of your sessions as a special gift, I’m happy to give you a gift certificate or send your gift recipient a special email.

All I ask is that you use the sessions within 6 months. Think of the 6-hour series as an investment, a commitment, to taking care of gorgeous you.

Also. ALSO!

Way 3 to save extra bocoup massage bucks:

As in, 50% off the full price of your next session!

If you refer a new client to me and they get a massage this winter (through March 21), I will offer you your next session (through April) at 50% of the full price.

Awesome for you, awesome for your friend, and awesome for me! <mwah!!!>

Speaking of massage…

Now you want one, right?

I have a few openings left this week.

TODAY Friday, 2/4: 5:15 p.m.
Saturday, 2/5: 9:30 a.m. or 2:15 p.m.

Next week:

Thursday, 2/10 (1 opening left): noon, 1:30 or 3:30 p.m.
Friday, 2/11 (3 openings left): noon, 1:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 2/12: 3:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.

Call 617.297.2266 or email me to claim your spot. (If you don’t see a time that works for you, just ask. Sometimes things shift).

——–

I so look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, I wish you warmth, laughter, grace for the hard stuff, and a mug filled with the magical spirits of whatever you most need today!

xo

Heidi

—–
Heidi E. Fischbach

Massage therapist, mood detective and potion-mixer

You have a body. You have a mind. But they don’t always get along.
I can help.

www.heidistable.com
617.297.2266

Categories: Massage Therapy, Self-care | Tagged: , | 1 Comment
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