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    • Who We Are
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Hours & Reservations
    • New Client Info
    • Massage FAQs
    • Company Policies
  • Services
    • for Relaxation
    • for Pain Management
    • for Athletes
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6/25/2015 0 Comments

Reiki: A Skeptic's Journey (Part 1)

by Pallas Hutchison

Reiki is a Japanese energy therapy that, at first glance, may seem a bit out there.
As someone without a strong base in traditional religion, it's hard for me to believe in something I can't see or touch. This modality is far outside the comfort zone of my science and research-based massage practice. My instructor used electrons and electricity as a parallel concept, which I easily got on board with. With each attunement, I will share my experiences.

What is Reiki?
The literal translation of Reiki is universal life energy. Once attuned, a Reiki practitioner may channel the energy that surrounds them through themselves and into a client or patient to promote healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. This can occur through a laying on of hands, through pendulum work, or through chakra balancing. Similar concepts of universal energy or life force energy exist in most eastern philosophies. In Thailand, prana flows along the sen lines. In China, qi flows along the meridians.

As with many things, there are different levels. My mother has received two Reiki attunements, allowing her to channel more energy than I can with only one attunement. I think of attunement as wattage for a light-bulb; the higher the level, the brighter the light and the more energy involved.
She jokingly refers to the practice as "beaming" people.

Why get Reiki?
Reiki has been used to manage chronic pain, to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy and other medical treatments, to speed up recovery from surgery, and to enhance a sense of well-being and spirituality.

One of the many benefits is that there are no contraindications, meaning no risks; the energy goes where it's needed. People that have severe medical conditions that may not be able to safely receive other types of bodywork may safely receive a Reiki treatment.

What to expect during a treatment?

As a massage therapist, I practice Reiki by going through a series of hand positions with my client on a massage table. Clients remain fully clothed. Actual touch is not required; sometimes I simply hover my hands over an area.

What does it feel like?
A few people have seen colors, similar in description to an aura, during a treatment. Some have reported a buzzing or tingling sensation. The most common sensation is heat from the practitioner's hands. When I'm giving a Reiki treatment, my hands get warm and tingly. Sometimes I feel a pulling sensation similar to if I put my hand over a vacuum hose; that tells me that the body needs focused work there.

I still don't feel that I can truly explain Reiki. Science has not yet proven its efficacy with research. However, countless stories of miraculous events make it impossible to truly discredit. My personal experiences with the miraculous are limited to one client; I helped to restore pain-free movement to arthritic hands. With time, I hope to add more stories.

References:

  • Introduction to Reiki Healing
  • What is Reiki?
  • Reiki - What You Need to Know
  • Reiki: Questions & Answers
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6/18/2015 0 Comments

Unexpected Results from Adding Retail to My Business

by Pallas Hutchison

Last March, I introduced two product lines to my business. They both integrate easily into a massage practice. Becoming a distributor means that Oasis Massage earns commission on product sales, which provides an additional income stream. Low initial cost makes them even more attractive. I’ve hit a snag with this however. Retail products need to promote what I want my business to promote. To know if a product is a good fit, I have to spell out what I want my business to represent.

The first product line is Young Living essential oils. Objectively, they provide an easy up-sell opportunity as an add-on for services and a retail item for clients to use on their own to improve their health. Subjectively, I have been studying and experimenting with essential oils since 2005; selling them at my business gives me access to wholesale pricing for personal use. I look forward to introducing classes on essential oils to share their uses and benefits as well as teach people to make their own products. Clients have shown interest and overall, I consider this a successful endeavor.

The other product is the ItWorks body product line. Over the years, I’ve had many people ask about skinny wraps or cellulite treatments. I’ve always been hesitant to offer them. For one, they seem pretty hokey. For two, I’m not sure they fit with my business.

The simplified concept behind the body wrap product, the most popular item in the product line, is botanicals remove waste products stored in fat calls resulting in a slimmer target area. I like that they aren’t intended as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle; rather they enhance one. To my surprise, they actually work. I tried one on my “mommy-tummy” and saw enough results that people began commenting. My concern isn’t in the product itself. It’s in the message that the product seems to be sending.

It’s taken two months to fully identify why I haven’t been comfortable promoting this product. Other distributors kept offering suggestions on how to use other products in the line to create new services or promotional ideas to let people know that Oasis Massage was offering this great new product. The word ‘skinny’ kept coming up. Skinny is not synonymous with healthy. The other distributors appeal to vanity, not health. I’m not comfortable selling ‘skinny.’

I’ve mentioned previously that my sister had a hard time with body image as a child. Society, the media, the ballet community, and her siblings taught her that her body was not beautiful, that she was not beautiful, because she was not skinny. These two photos are of my little sister. The first one shows us together (she’s on the right) in Oregon in 1989. The other was taken in California in 2009. I won’t speculate as to her current feelings about body image but I will say that she has grown into a beautiful and outwardly confident woman. 
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Promoting this product line makes me feel like I am passing judgement, like I am saying to my friends and clients “You’re fat; you need to lose weight.” Additionally, I am teaching my children this lesson indirectly as well. I want to heal people, not bring them down, not add to whatever insecurities they have. The question becomes how can I, as a business owner, promote a product that could put someone in that same head space? I can’t. I won’t.

What started out as a practical business decision, income diversification, has turned into a moral and ethical dilemma. What do I – and, by extension, my business – stand for? Writing this blog has reinforced my certainty. I won’t sell ‘skinny’ to my clients. Health isn’t a number on a scale or the size of a waistband. Health is the body working, as it is supposed to, to achieve homeostasis. Health incorporates all aspects of life and includes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the being. By teaching my clients about self-care and promoting self-awareness, they can make informed choices about their lifestyle.

The links below are provided to show how body image gets distorted for men and women. Most links are videos that show some inspiring projects about self-image.

Recommended Links:
  • 4th Trimester Bodies
  • Real Beauty Sketches (Women)
  • Real Beauty Sketches (Men)
  • Pro Infirmis
  • Healthy is the New Skinny
  • 11 Facts about Body Image
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6/11/2015 1 Comment

Life Without a Microwave

by Pallas Hutchison

When I moved in June 2013, I made the decision to toss out my old microwave and not replace it. A few people commented that I may miss it but in truth, I didn’t. I quickly adapted to using an actual kettle to heat water for tea and cocoa. The following March, a friend signed up as a Pampered Chef consultant and I agreed to host a party for her, not realizing she would need a microwave. Her dismay to find that appliance missing added a bit of comedy to the event.

Some things I’ve noticed about life without a microwave:

  1. More counter space in a smaller kitchen: A microwave eats up space or sits on top of the refrigerator, a questionably safe location for klutzy people like myself. I like having counter space to display produce, stack dishes and/or use as a workspace to prepare food.

  2. More meals for my money: My grocery budget has shifted to include more whole food items and less prepared foods. For example, I buy a bag of rice instead of a single-serving microwaveable package for roughly the same price. I also feel better about the foods I buy.

  3. We cook and snack a little bit healthier: Real food takes planning, preparation and effort. We can’t just pop something in the microwave and eat it. No more hot pockets or frozen pizzas. Now, I get the ingredients to clam chowder and make a whole pot (serves 6) instead of buying a few cans of ready-made soup. My daughters are starting to get involved in the meal preparations too.

  4. Leftovers still exist: I love leftovers. On days when I’m exhausted and don’t have the energy to cook a full meal, I reheat leftovers. They combine to make tasty sandwiches, soups or casseroles, giving us two meals out of each dinner. A set of glass containers with lids takes care of any and all leftover needs, from freezer to oven to table. (Don’t put the lids in the oven.)

While writing this blog, I did some research and found that there are a lot of people who have done the same thing. Their reasons vary and most blogs include tips on how to cope without this (non-)essential appliance. Yes, it will reduce electricity consumption and therefore your carbon footprint will shrink but I’m not sure it will be a noticeable amount off the bill each month. Yes, it will alter the nutritional value of your food but so does the oven; any application of heat affects molecular composition. I’m not a nutritionist or a dietician so I’m just going to post links to articles that I found. You decide for yourself what is best for you and your family.

Here’s some other blogs about life without a microwave:
  • How to Survive Without a Microwave
  • How to Live Without a (Gasp!) Microwave
  • Living Without: A Microwave
  • 7 Tips For Life Without A Microwave
  • Can You Live Without the Microwave?
And some resources for microwaves and health:
  • Microwave cooking and nutrition (Harvard Medical School)
  • Does microwaving food remove its nutritional value? (CNN)
  • 11 Surprising Facts and Myths about Microwave Ovens (Good Housekeeping)
  • The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking (Health Science)
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6/4/2015 1 Comment

Emotions & the Pain Cycle

by Pallas Hutchison

Still on the topic of stress, let’s look at emotions. Did you know that they can have a psychosomatic effect on the body? That means emotions can create a physical change. Sometimes, this is a good thing. Forcing a smile can improve your mood because it causes both dopamine and serotonin to release in the brain. Serotonin and dopamine are pleasure hormones. On the other hand, “those suffering from depression will often experience chest pains, even when there’s nothing physically wrong with their heart” (Mercola).

Imagine this scenario: Someone you care about dies. You grieve. While you’re grieving, you develop a medical condition. You get scared/upset/angry and you still grieve. Your condition gets worse. You get depressed as well as scared/angry/upset and you still grieve. It’s a vicious downward spiral, leaving you feeling out of control emotionally and physically. The cycle has to stop somewhere. There has to a point where you take control of your life again. There is a link below to several research articles done to validate the concept of emotions having a psychosomatic effect. I’m not trying to sell the idea to you. I’m more interested in how to combat the cycle.
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Affirmations are positive statements, similar to a mantra, that you make to yourself. They are designed to re-program the brain, replacing harmful beliefs with positive and healing thought patterns. Use present tense by saying "I am," not “I will.” Make it positive. Make it personal. Make it specific. There is a link below for more information on affirmations with some examples.

What’s my daily affirmation?

“I am abundant and successful in all aspects of my life.”

Resources:
  • Imaging Technology Finally Reveals How Emotions Manifest in Your Body
  • When You’re Smiling, Dopamine and Serotonin Smiles With You
  • Psychosomatic Medicine: Pain
  • 35 Affirmations that Will Change Your Life
  • Image: The Pain Cycle
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