**This post does contain some affiliate links. 

   I have been meaning to write a blog on the services I provide for a while now. Take it as it may, life has a loaded plate as many of us know so very well. I mean, it’s not as if I just go home and watch t.v. for the rest of the evening. Of course there are some days when I have no energy to move and a television binge might be prescribed, but it is only because I have not learned to balance my yin and yang as well as I would like too. I feel as if I have to do, do, do, and sometimes I simply want to be. The moments that I do try to just be, I am feeling guilty for not doing, so it is this endless cycle that can definitely be left for a whole other blog on balance.
    So what is today about? Well, I had a client the other day who described the last massage that he had. Now how many people actually come back from a massage and say it is horrible? Not many. I mean, I have had some awesome massages, and there have been the massages that I tend to be quite critical about. But this client explained that the therapist advertised massage and myofascial release and then proceeded to kind of just poke around at his body for a whole ninety minutes.
    Of course, I had to investigate further and asked about some of the poking, and if there was some stretches or limbs that this therapist would just hold. As a practitioner for the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach, I knew this is what my client was describing and to be honest I was a little bit upset after I asked if there was any mention or description of this  myofascial release technique when this client called to consult with the therapist.
    Now let’s get one thing straight before I go on and rant, rave and educate. I love John Barnes. I have taken his Myofascial Release I, II and Myofascial Unwinding seminars all in a matter of a week (Phew!!!), and continue to go to study groups every few months. These study groups are held a few hours away, so yes, I am dedicated.
         John Barnes is a very powerful man, humble in many respects, his presence holds power and authority, and his technique is honestly…well, let’s just say I was scared shitless after the first day of his seminar and it was all my own stuff. I walked away from those seminars with a whole new perspective on how our bodies, emotions, memories, and fascia work and myofascial release no longer had the same definition that I had been using.  

     John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach is not MASSAGE!!! Yes, because of state regulations, you more than likely need a license to touch of some sort, such as a massage therapist, physical therapist, chiropractor, or doctor, and there is soft tissue manipulation involved, but if you want a massage and are used to getting deep tissue massages where it hurts so good, be aware and be sure to ask your therapist about the style of myofascial release that is intended. Because I promise you, you may be sorely disappointed if you expected to have your body kneaded and worked out and all you ended up with is some light traction.
    But if you are looking to dedicate some time on continuous therapy and work out your issues down to the very root of the problem. Myofascial Release is the way to go. There is a certain amount of bravery and courage needed. And the miraculous stories of recovery with John’s approach are numerous. I encourage you to investigate further.
    Fascia, what in the world? I am so used to hearing muscles, and knots, and adhesions, but what the heck is fascia. Jean-Claude Guimberteau and Colin Armstrong have written a wonderful book, Architecture of Human Living Fascia, that depicts some amazing insight of what human fascia looks like. (And I would love to demonstrate some pictures, but technology and I are not quite getting along at this moment!)
    Now for the technical definition, “fascia is a connective tissue network that exists throughout the whole body, from the macroscopic to the microscopic level, providing both fibrillar and histological continuity.”  Huh! Can I say I that in English please? Basically, fascia covers us from head to toe in its entirety of organized chaos right down to the cytoskeleton within your cells. Yep, you heard that right! Our body is one continuous interconnection of a 3-D fascial web. There is no break in any of its continuity. 
       Our fascia holds emotions, energy, memories and well, has a mind of its own. And with fascia holding on to all of this, imagine how trauma, surgery, stress and it’s automatic reaction of inflammation can cause all these myofascial restrictions, or as most of you feel and know, those damn knots! 
      Do you know how much pressure these knots cause? I mean, you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders, right? Or your glutes, or that pesky lower back ache? 2,000 pounds! That is a freakin’ ton! And so no, you are not crazy for feeling like you have a ton of bricks sitting on you! Now imagine, you have got not only your muscles, but those fired up nerves, blood vessels, and osseous structures (aka, ligaments, tendons, and bones) all included under this weight. Holy Schisizzle. No wonder you have that pounded headache and limp your ass out of bed.
    What do you do with this pain? The majority of people will head on over to a Western doc who will ask you your symptoms and then more than likely offer some form of pill. Nope, I am sorry, but did that doc palpate you? Say you went in for a headache, did that doc feel your neck, your shoulders and arms, your jaw, or your back? I can guarantee the majority of docs will not! I know this, from experience, and from many of my client’s experiences. And if you have a doc that did that, you should definitely keep him or her! That doc is one in a million. 
    
     OMG! So all of this and you still have yet to know what John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach is! Ok, ok… Here I go. With John F. Barnes Myofascial Release approach, there is gentle and sustained pressure into the fascial restrictions. This sustained pressure can be anywhere from three to five minutes, and if there is no release within that time, it is up to the therapist to be aware, the whole time, of what is going on with the rest of the client’s body. Is it getting red, or as I call it, lighting up, anywhere? Is the client’s breathing beginning to quicken, or deepen? It is essential that a therapist is tapping into his or her intuition and your’s and really listening to your body. Then to move around and on the body as your body indicates. 
      Your body will react in one way or another. The first several visits may very well be about tapping into what you are feeling. Are you feeling the smaller fascial restrictions release? Sometimes, there is an emotional, happy or sad, or energetic release. It is all very individualized. 
Who can John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach help? My first answer is anyone and everyone, but to add a little more depth, people diagnosed with fibromyalgia have seen some tremendous results.  People who have had traumatic injuries or events. Women with fertility issues or gynecological issues such as endometriosis can benefit from Fascial-Pelvis techniques. And to boot, there have been studies have shown that myofascial release can  boosts immune function and pain, anxiety, quality of sleep, depression, and quality of life can all be improved. (Just remember it all begins with the mind and soul aspect first). 
       I can tell you, from my experience as the client, that there has been some huge changes in my life because of MFR, more so emotionally. There are patterns that I have released and I have been amazed that my body has reset some of those patterns. Sometimes there has been some soreness after some of my sessions, but the feeling of relief, of freedom, and the information that I received intuitively, reiterates my belief in this technique every single time. 
For those of you interested in some further reading or checking out some of Barnes’ information about his seminars, here is his website, https://www.myofascialrelease.com/. You will not be disappointed. And here is a video featuring Magdalena Regdos interviewing John that you can find on his website as well, but I have decided to post. There is nothing like a visual to help you understand the therapy you may decide on. May you make the best decisions for your soul, mind, and body!



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     When I began this blog, it had only been a few days past two weeks that I had opened Embracing One Soul at a Time, and now, here I am a few days past three weeks before I am actually getting this from paper to the pc. My schedule has been beautifully insane and I am in a persistent lesson of effective time management, but so the story goes.  
     So much has changed. I thought I had been living in a state of gratitude before, but the feelings now are multiplied times twenty and I am feeling so high off all these emotions. There is a mixture of the gratitude, more accountability, excitement, a little bit, okay more than a little bit of being overwhelmed, happiness, there might be some fear trying to sneak in, but my Faith and confidence are holding it all at bay.
    I want to share ME with YOU. The purpose of these blogs is to share ME, my thoughts, my philosophies, my education, and inspire. One of the main things I wish to inspire is that DREAMS DO COME TRUE. If I can inspire this while facilitating some healing on your end and providing some release and possibly relaxation, because let’s face it, most of you who will come to me will not have the most relaxing massage. I will find your adhesions. I will ask questions. I will educate. And a large majority of my clients come to me for that “hurt so good” feeling. You may feel bruised, but you will be able to move much easier afterwards, and most of you will sleep extremely good the night after the massage. My intention is to balance whatever needs to be balanced for you at that given moment
     I have been advocating “Thoughts are things,” over the last several years and have made it a point every day to make sure I am driving myself in the right direction-and so…here we go with confession time, “I have been telling intricate stores to myself over the last few years while driving in between my mobile massages. (Thank you Mike Dooley for the wonderful idea!) These stories have told my audience (J) how I literally became busy overnight and how my life is chaotically beautiful, how I have all these wonderful opportunities, and how all my dreams are coming true one right after the other.
    Well that is exactly what happened and is happening in this scenario. I have been following my intuition and those lovely butterflies and BOOM! The Universe has and is responding. There is a frequency where I am merging with the Universe. Yes. This is becoming more and more fun when you get used to how it works. The rules as well as the energy is always changing and it is so fun to learn how to work with the energy.
     I have met so many amazing people in the last few weeks. I love my space. I love having my space. I love sharing my space and transferring whatever needs to be transferred with each individual. There are new lessons I am learning every minute and I am seriously loving every minute of it. This does not mean that there are no points of frustration, because there are. But the lessons coming from these moments teach me more about my breath and whatever else I need to fix, or sometimes, more importantly, accept on my end.
    Last Full Moon I was in Philadelphia attending the I CAN DO IT! Conference. This Full Moon, I am here completing all that needs to be completed. Writing this second blog is one of these completion tasks. I look forward to this next month, and then the next month after. I look forward to all the new people I will be meeting. Thank you so much if you are reading this!
                              Make a choice to make it the most wonderful day!
                             
                              

     IT IS FINALLY HERE! Embracing One Soul at a Time, LLC., a dream in the making, and yet just part of a dream. Opening my own studio is just one more piece of evidence that when you go for it, letting all doubts and fears go find somebody else to bother, your dreams work with perfect synchronicity. They truly do.
      Opening my own studio has only been a thought, a daydream in my mind. I never actually looked for a place, or did any of the groundwork that I needed. I was content to only do mobile massage, for a little bit. And then......well, then life happened. I decided to home-school my girls. I was going to school full-time and then some. And life just became crazier by the minute and it started to not work the way it needed too. It was just that feeling. You know that feeling of upcoming change, stuck somewhere in between "I just don't know what I want to do," and "Damn, I need to do something!" Isn't that how lovely life works when we're being nudged to follow our own calling?
     But in all seriousness, the moment I listened to those raging, over-excited butterflies that were lifting me up like a balloon, life has done nothing but show me exactly where I needed to be and where I was going; All uncertainty set aside, I knew, I know, that all is Divine Perfection. It always is!
     So I would love to welcome you to my dream. To Embracing One Soul at a Time, LLC. I have ideas flying around like all those planes waiting to land after some crazy weather. There will be times when I blog about the beauty of synchronicity and times when I blog about the importance of how we need to take care of ourselves, or spread the love, (mostly-for we all have those moments when we are not so keen on sharing with certain people)! Either way, this is for me to get to know me even more, and push some of those comfort buttons, and for you to get to know me as well. I hope you enjoy reading my blogs.....and even more so...I look forward to you enjoying my massages!