Now's a time for something supportive

March 4, 2020

Hello All:
I am compelled to post this because I believe what each of us does matters!  The coronavirus called COVID-19 is dominating media, the economy, and healthcare generally; and I’m finding also my daily life!  Yes it is a virus…also there are a multitude of viruses in this world. As well as bacteria and micro-organisms…our lives are consumed with these things both helpful and not-so-helpful. Hopefully that goes without saying!!

So why I write today is mostly for my own need to connect with people.

I am literally avoiding the media - all the popups on my phone from newspapers I really like, reading nothing more than headlines really or skimming a printed newspaper article, even muting stories on the radio and tv about COVID-19.  I want to be informed rather than inundated.

I reach out now to connect with you because human connection is crucial to healthy living.  Plus I have ideas to remind us all the world is not actually coming to an end…at least not due to this current virus-craze.

I hope this can be an opportunity taken to get clear about our own self-care.  What each of us does matters not only to ourselves, but also to our families, friends and communities.

In fact, when the body is healthy it will protect us from unwanted germs, because among many amazing functions, that is how the body is.

Ways to support ourselves in this moment:

First wash your hands with soap - sing the alphabet song or old MacDonald will work too - for at least 20 seconds; carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer to use in case of no hand-washing access.

Second do everything you can to get good sleep at night - drink caffeine less and stop earlier in the day, do not eat food just before going to sleep at night.

Third decrease amounts of sugar you eat in everything - including from sodas and all the way to fruits.  My opinion - drop the sodas and eat less sugary fruits like grapefruit or blueberries; do what you can!

And fourth, plus:  Drink water/stay hydrated; oregano oil and vitamin C can help support immune function during times like these (even if you get some sort of cold or other issue); consider visiting your acupuncturist or massage therapist, or whoever you see to help your body reset - getting any type of bodywork will support strong immune function; find ways to connect with others for support too, just to talk about what’s going on.

Thank you and take care,
Emily

Positive Changes

February 22, 2020

Hi Folks!

We have arrived in the new year, 2020. Hope you all have made it one way or the other.

I figured now is a useful time to share some ideas about making changes in our lives.

Even and especially, really, if you have leaped head-on into one or more new year’s resolutions;  and maybe its going well (Yay!!) or possibly the resolution is starting to fade…whatever the approach, I want to share my experience.

I am realigning my gut health.  I started in earnest many years ago…and then I re-started in the late fall last year by asking for help from a small group of people who I thought would know how to help me figure out my gut health.

As a sidebar, our gut, also known as our digestive system, is the seat of our immune system - so a healthy digestive system = a healthy immune system.

The reason I share this is to say I am trying to change my habits and isn’t that what a new year’s resolution is?  Isn’t it us trying to change habits so we can move towards being the best version of us we can be? I say yes! And below is a perspective I find to be quite powerful.  

So first it helps to possess a willingness to make a change…having a willingness for anything is what we tap into when the going gets tough, and yes we all have willingness in us somewhere.  

Second and I think super important is to start small.  I saw an article in The Wall Street Journal in early January about the success for change that comes with starting small, tiny even.  It said New Year’s resolutions fail because people aim too high and get discouraged quickly. Instead, it suggests, celebrate the small accomplishments!  The article is written by BJ Fogg, the author of a book called “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything.”  I have not read this book, but his approach in the article specifically resonates with me.  He brings to light that often we blame ourselves for not being good enough or worthy enough of making good lasting changes in our lives.  He says the approach we take to making change itself needs to be different!  He demonstrates, clinically, how starting in tiny ways to address something you really want to change, finding a way to prompt yourself as well as rewarding yourself are all keys to the start-small-change process.  And it feels good to me to start with something I think is doable already, rather than avoiding movement towards positive change because getting “there” just seems totally overwhelming.  And in this way, every little step we take matters and apparently the smaller the step, the better in the long run!

FYI - Massage is one "small" step that helps support a change in habits as well as any changes in life.  Each session allows the body to reset from stress and tension built up during our daily lives.  I am available most weekdays and many Saturdays to work with you to support your recovery, overall health and wellness, and de-stressing generally.  Feel free to call me (865-604-2882) or email me (eksmassageandyoga@gmail.com) to talk about options for your best health and to set up an appointment for massage or yoga.

Best to you!

Emily

Many Thanks

November 28, 2019

Hi folks, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Please see below for my latest email update. Hope everyone is well!  

Take care and hope to see you soon,
Emily

I have a gratitude journal that I write in each day, just one line of one thing I’m grateful for.  I do it everyday even when I’m really not in a good mood.  I have learned it’s pretty important to find a way to practice gratitude.  And like any other thing it’s a practice!!!!!  

I feel immensely grateful generally and sometimes deeply connected to how blessed my life is. Sometimes too I feel disconnected from the blessings when I feel challenged with my own baggage...but I still find something to be grateful for – even a morning to myself or temperatures above freezing, anything.  Including finding gratitude for the most challenging situations.  Practicing this feels important even (and especially) when I am in question of what I could possibly be grateful for.  This disbelief seems to ebb as I continue things like the gratitude journal.

Today though I am expressing gratitude for each of you!  I started my private practice just over one year ago and each of you I know somehow through my work.  Thank you for being in my life and for being who you are!

I hope you are having the kind of Thanksgiving day that you really want to have...or finding gratitude for the things you find the most challenging at this time of year.

A Zen teacher named Cheri Huber says the components of a happy life are: gratitude, kindness, willingness, love and compassionate awareness.

When you have a chance consider each of these words individually, and then together as a process moving from the first word to the last.

Contentedness

June 17, 2019

Hi All:

Here’s a little story from my life.  I am sharing because I want to share my experience, and also because I understand that the mind and body are inextricably connected….even if we don’t fully recognize this, our thoughts are affecting our bodies and therefore our overall well-being.  

 Here goes the story:  I am from East Tennessee. Maybe you already know that there, and other places I have lived in the eastern US, get pretty hot by the month of June. Even by April warm-ness is prevailing. This clearly is not so in Chicago and places around the Great Lakes.

I am entering my fifth summer here and still find myself moaning and groaning about the mornings and often full days of mid- to low-50s weather in late May and yes even June!!

This situation is relevant for me here because it is a very simple example of how I like to make judgments about what is happening right in front of me and then wish something different was happening. Maybe a modern way to say it is “the grass is most certainly greener on the other side.”

The frustration, annoyance or whatever - the suffering - I cause myself by making these judgments and then wishing for something other than what is, is exhausting mentally, and physically as well.

I have found when I can drop the judging part, my life experience becomes immensely much smoother and I physically move more freely through the days.

The way I have been thinking about how to drop the judger part of my internal monologue is to first be aware that I spend a lot of effort judging, and to then start to notice when I am judging and how I don’t want to feel what comes after all the judging which is frustrated and unfulfilled. 

So I find I judge, well, a whole awful lot. Which means I use a lot of effort on that instead of living. And by living I mean being grateful and appreciative and kind, for and to myself and others...this can lead to contentedness. 

Finding processes, or ways, to become more content in life is a life-long endeavor, and an important one to me.  And yes bodywork has been key for me, in the form of meditation, massage and yoga.  These are the avenues I take. 

I recognize one can live one’s whole life and judge everything and cause oneself suffering and continue to exist for many, many years. I have just discovered finding ways to be present for what actually is going on inside of me and outside of me with less judging makes me feel way more content. And contentedness (in body and mind!) is what I’m going for!!!! 

Thanks for reading this and see you out there J

Take care,

Emily

Sleep

March 18, 2019

Howdy folks!  Thank you for tuning in…or even just skimming what I post here.

For reasons (relevant at some point in the past), we still adhere to the twice-yearly time change.  The spring-forward one just happened - this one always brings me annoyance since I feel strongly about getting good sleep and I am not super “in” to doing things that cause discomfort for no clear reason. This time change touches both these aspects for me.

Sleep is an element of our lives and it often comes up as a challenge throughout the lives we live.

Currently I am struggling with getting a full night of sleep and though it ebbs and flows, I find a couple actions I take help me sleep better and to go back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night (worrying about whether I have the right props to work with a new client later in the coming day, for example).

The first thing is to, even briefly, stretch my legs before bed.  I even do it in the bed sometimes.  Sit in staff pose upright with legs out in front of me and just sit up straight; I come forward slightly.  Or while standing up (on the floor is the best for this one) bring feet hips-width apart and point toes straight ahead; make an upside down L by bending the upper body from the hips and holding onto the bed or pushing into the wall and staying there for a minute, or 2 or 5!

And, when I wake up in the middle of the night (freaking out because I have been in Chicago for almost 4 years and still am figuring out my new life!), I have found lying on my back especially helps as I listen to my body breathe…literally listening as the breath goes in and out of my body.  This actually almost always works!  I wake up later-on like oh my gosh, that totally worked…I went back to sleep!!

If the stretching and breathing stuff sounds like a little more than you can undertake now, consider whether you've had too much caffeine during the day and/or whether you ate food just before bed...changing these practices by having less caffeine and no food for 2-3 hours before bed might help too.

As we all know a good sleep feels pretty great!  And now at least you know you’re not alone (which might feel relieving to know) if you’re having sleep issues.

And this time-change-hooha, I could live without it, but until then gaining an hour each fall and losing an hour each spring can continue to help me learn more about myself in this world ;)

Best to you and take care,

Emily

Beginning of something new

Sat, Feb 9, 2019

Hello to each of you!

I hope this update finds you able to be warm wherever you may be.

This is the official group email list for EKS Massage & Yoga, my private practice massage and yoga studio, located in River North at 500 N Dearborn St.
My intention for this group is to share - about twice a month - information with you that is on my mind - like what I am learning about or working through. And I think if you read it, it might resonate with you too!

One thing I am dealing with in this moment is skin dryness! It's not only Chicago where we live (unless you vacate for the winter in which case this still does apply), but obviously it's winter so the heat in places we live and work is running most often, especially during the extra special polar vortex of the past week or so. As I think we all understand, the key to dealing with skin dryness is moisture. The most important way we can get moisture to our skin is to drink water and get or stay hydrated. This is much easier to say than to do...so I say start small. Whatever amount of water you already drink, try drinking one extra glass, or adding 8 ounces to that for a week and then up the amount 8 more ounces and so on...you could even set a reminder in your calendar or phone to help you start a new routine with this. One thing I do is to drink a large glass (16ounces is what I mean by large) of water soon after I get out of bed in the morning. I also keep a jar of shea butter handy for my hands, which tend to get dried out from washing them often.Getting hydrated will not only help combat dry skin, it will help all your organs (including the skin!) function better and therefore help you be less prone to catching undesirable things like colds.

Best to you and take care out there :)Emily