This holiday season, you may find yourself busy with a calendar full of plans, a belly full of all kinds of different foods that your body may not be used to ingesting, and a mind scattered with thoughts of what needs to be done day to day. I cannot say enough how important it is now to find an hour (or more) for yourself to receive a therapeutic massage. So many people leave from a massage saying "I need to do this more often."  Now is the time. Find the time for yourself and understand the powerful effects it can have on you especially during a time of such hurried days. Allow yourself to slow down and feel open to your massage therapist's calm and grounded energy for that session.  And then, wouldn't it be nice to bring this type of body/mind awareness home with you?  Start with a massage from PCCHH and make life feel a little easier with some self therapy to wrap up your day.  I was looking through one of my books on massage and relaxation at home recently and found a simple exercise for balancing the body both physically and emotionally. I want to share this with you and hopefully hear back from you to see how it helps:)  This exercise is called, "Roots and Wings."  Ask your partner, your room mate, your friend, or even your child to do this with you.  You can both guide each other through the exercise. By doing this, gain balance and harmony within yourself and release any excess tension in your mind and body.  I did this with my husband, Matt.  He was at steps 6 and 7 when I saw a change in him. The visualization and words for this are really beautiful.  I enjoyed being the guide for this exercise.  I hope you try this and enjoy it as well.   
 
1.)  Close your eyes and focus on your own breathing. Place the feet parallel, facing ahead and at shoulder width or a comfortable distance apart. Feel the stability of your feet on the ground, spread out your toes and distribute your weight evenly over the feet.
 
2.)  Unlock your knees and notice how the pelvis immediately gives you more support.
 
3.)  Drop the weight of your buttocks down through the leg muscles.  Imagine that you have a heavy tail attached to the base of your spine.  Let this heavy tail sink down toward the floor.
 
4.)  Breathe down deep into the pelvis and buttocks.  Then down through the thighs, legs and feet into the ground.  Imagine that you are growing DEEP, WIDE roots.   
 
5.)  Now, imagine energy is flowing up through your torso, and your spine is lengthening.  Let it create space between each of your vertebrate.
 
6.)  Allow your neck to lengthen and to release upward from the shoulders, aligning with the spine. Let the head float up like a balloon, the spine as its string.  Your head should float as if on a cushion of air.
 
7.)  Feel stability in the lower body; grace, lightness and mobility in your upper body.
 
8.)  Focus on a central point in the chest. Feel your shoulders and chest widen out from this point, like wings.  Let the arms lengthen from your shoulders, and your hands relax.
 
9.)  Stand easy, breathing softly and deeply. Imagine your roots and wings as you move.   
 
"Roots and Wings"  is from the book "Massage for Total Stress Relief" written by Nitya Lacroix which I highly recommend.   
 
Image: meaduva