I am reminded by my Anusara yoga instructors that now--autumn/winter---is the time for old, dead things to fall away to make room for the new--including old habits and ways of being. That means old habits, relationships, stc.

Are there old things in your life you could be letting go of?

We Will Be Closed 11/15 & 11/16 to Move

We are going to be closed on Saturday, 11/15 and Sunday, 11/16 to move into our new, larger space with our own waiting room! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you soon!

A Great Website for Nutritional Analyses

As many of my regular clients know, I am kind of a nut about nutrition and how it affects how you feel. While I do enjoy a french fry now & then, or some ice cream, or some corn chips...well I'm all about the unprocessed food. Especially after reading Micheal Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food, I am all about eating mostly plants--and yes, some animal protein too--but mostly really nutritionally dense food so I am getting most of my nutrients from the food I eat, rather than from supplements.

Here is a great site to research the nutritional values of foods you eat on a regular basis. You can even search by those lowest in fat and highest in Iron, for example. You can build your "pantry" and then create recipes and even do a nutritional analysis of those, and check out the nutritionally complete rating. One of my favorite features? It lists the "inflammatory factor" of foods. Why is this important? I read recently that prolonged inflammation is a factor in both heart disease and cancer. By working certain foods into your diet: like turmeric and fish, you can keep the inflammation in your system under control.

I have been paying more attention to this for the last few weeks, and you know what? I feel great, and look great! A little less creaky, a little less puffy.

Check out the website: www.nutritiondata.com

We're growing again!

I am thrilled to announce that we will be moving into an office space that will have two studios and its own waiting room (don't worry--we'll be in the same building). So we'll be able to accommodate 2 clients at the same time!

In addition, we'll be adding more therapists and at least one acupuncturist. I 've returned from my laid back schedule...I feel rejuvenated and energetic, and I am currently back in the office at LEAST 5 days per week now. So, if you were disappointed in the last few months that you were not able to get an appointment: never fear, I am here!

On a similar note: we are currently wrapping up the hiring of a therapist who comes to us from Kamalaspa. She is bringing along her knowledge of Ayurvedic massage and I look forward to integrating that into the practice.

More later...

new people!

Some of my regular clients may have noticed that I've reduced my availability. I feel so fortunate to be able to do the work I do, but as many of you know, it is demanding...so I have found that in order to continue to give you the quality care I have historically offered, I have had to cut my availability back to only 10 sessions per week. On Tuesdays, I see clients in their homes on the peninsula, and I currently have an opening in the afternoon between 2 and 4:30. If you are located between Hillsborough and San Carlos and would like to have a good massage therapist see you in your home, please send me an email.

Since we have this studio space, and the openings, I have also brought on some other new therapists, and I would like to mention them here:

First of all Jenny Parma--who was formerly a writer at Google, and is currently studying her premeds--she does a really great massage that is a good balance between the technical and intuitive. She is always learning about the body, and that is reflected in her work. Read the rave reviews about her work here. Book your first appointment with her online and get $20 off!

Simone Garrigues is currently in the MSW program at Berkeley, and is a very experienced massage therapist. In a session with her, it is obvious that she is experienced and talented--and that she's listening to what is going on in the body as she is working. Book your first appointment with her online and get $20 off!

Lastly, we are seeking either 2 more massage therapists or an acupuncturist and a massage therapist to work with us in our expanding practice. Please see our website for details.

Triger Point Therapy

As I have grown in my practice as a massage therapist here in San Francisco, I have been drawn to Trigger Point Therapy as a way to alleviate chronic and "mystery" pain.

A quick story: I had a young man come to my office complaining of facial pain, pain behind his eyes, headaches, a sore throat and a stiff neck.

He told me he was disappointed that he went to a neurologist and all the neurologist could tell him was that he didn't have a brain tumor. He then went to an Ear, Nose and throat specialist that told him nothing was wrong with his ENT passages, but that it could be muscular.

So he found me.

Along with a full massage, we did some focused work on his Scalenes and his Sternocleidomastoid (two important muscles in the neck that help support and turn the head that often have trigger points due to whiplash or unhealthy holding patterns. Although the work for these muscles is done on the side and front of the neck, the work is *never* done on the esophogas, or throat and is well-documented. )

Amazingly, his symptoms were gone. He was thrilled.

So, what is trigger point therapy?

Here is the Wikipedia entry on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_point

And this book is fantastic for explaining not only what it is, in layperson's terms, but how you can work on yourself. I recommend it to everyone: http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

For more information about my San Francisco Massage Therapy Practice, please visit www.true-massage.com

It's Official!

We're moving! Yes, as of October 1, 2007, we will be located at 760 Market Street, in Suite 1023. Just a few doors down from the Virgin Megastore and at the Powell Street BART/MUNI station.

We expect it to be quieter, cleaner, and more professional. Ah...I am grateful to be a massage therapist in San Francisco!

If it's the first time you've had a professional massage

If you have never had a professional massage before, it can feel a little odd. Having worked as a massage therapist in a busy San Francisco spa, I've had the opportunity to work with many people who have never had a massage before, and I realize you may have a lot of questions, and there are some things you can expect. I'll attempt to address concerns here, but please feel free to email me or visit my website to ask any questions you may have.

It's difficult to pick a massage therapist if you're never had a massage before, but here are some things that may be helpful to know:

1) The first session you have may feel oddly intimate, and you may feel somewhat vulnerable. It's natural to feel that way, and a professional therapist should be sensitive to that. They should be doing everything to make it a comfortable experience for you--especially when it comes to draping, boundaries and requests you have made. They should ask questions, check in with you about pressure, and listen to what you tell them you want or don't want.

2) A massage is probably one of the only times in your life you don't have to do anything! You don't have to help lift an arm or leg or your head. In fact, all you have to do is be a wet noodle, and breathe! Your therapist will tell you if the work they are doing requires you to do anything, such as push your head into their hand, or trun over.

3) You shouldn't feel exposed. If the therapist is sensitive to the fact that you are new to massage, they typically will be a little more conservative with the draping. If you feel to exposed and it feels uncomfortable, I recommend saying something. After all, your session is ultimately about you.

4) That brings me to my next point. If something doesn't feel right, then you should never hesitate to ask a question or speak up. Even people that are experienced with massage often doubt themselves when it comes to questioning what a practitioner was doing in their session. You're doing a disservice to yourself and to the therapist if you don't speak up when something doesn't feel right.

5) If you have knots or tension in an area, it may be sensitive, even if the therapist is not using a lot of pressure. Without getting into that technical aspects of why, I'll just say that it is usually a feeling where you're not sure if it feels good or bad, but it actually feels kind of good. And the bad dissipates. The therapist may be spending some time in this area, and it may feel to you like it's a little "crunchy". It is usually helpful to take a couple of deep breaths at this point, and let them go like a sigh. That helps release the tension. Your therapist won't mind, I promise.

6) And that brings me to making noise. You don't have to remain completely quiet & still if you don't want to. If you feel like audibly breathing, groaning, or even stretching, go ahead. It's actually very helpful to do so, and can enhance the benefits of your massage.

7) If your first massage was not what you were expecting, don't hesitate to try other therapists, as sometimes it take a while to find one that is right for you.