Welcome to Relaxation Massage:
Often considered a luxury, relaxation is one true antidote to the stress of daily living. Stress changes body chemistry in such a way as to power the systems needed to meet the moment's demands while simultaneously conserving energy. To that end, energy stores and body proteins are degraded, muscle tone increases, circulatory and respiratory systems increase their activities, and the brain becomes hypervigilant. Energy is conserved by decreasing digestive, urinary, immune, and inflammatory activities. Relaxation reverses all of these effects, allowing for restoration and replenishment of energy reserves, time and resources for healing, and providing rest and recovery time for respiratory, circulatory, muscular and nervous systems.
KMI: kinesis myofascial integration: Daily living requires the acquisition of postural patterns to support the work, play, stress, and protective requirements of the individual. Often, built into these postures are strain patterns that over time can result in pain, reduced flexibility, and/or dysfunction.
The intent of KMI is to unwind these strain patterns restoring balance, length, and ease. On average, the work occurs over a series of 12 sessions. During these sessions the focus is on the connective tissue or fascia of the body. This is the fabric that ties all body structures together and can become thickened, scarred, or "knitted" in inappropriate patterns to accomodate our bodily responses to occupation, emotion, injury, trauma, or any of the daily experiences of life. With KMI, the fascia is loosened, stretched, and "unstuck" by therapeutic manipulation along with client movement. The goal is to free and reposition the fascial fabric while re-integrating basic movement patterns to help the fascia easily remain in its new position.
Neural Fascial Mobilization: Nerves play an important role in maintaining muscle tone, posture, and movement patterns. Nerves can themselves become compressed and/or inflamed with the results including pain along the course of the nerve, unnecessary increases in muscle tone, and imbalances in posture and movement. Neural fascial mobilization addresses the nerves themselves, "untethering" them from surrounding tissues and decreasing inflammatory conditions. Used as part of a relaxation session, a KMI session, or on its own, neural fascial mobilization is a gentle, effective, way to decrease chronic pain, decrease muscle tension, and induce deep relaxation.