by SharonHartnett | Apr 7, 2015 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K
Myofascial Release therapy is focused on the attention given to improving the posture and flexibility in the body.
Who can benefit from this type of work?
Myofascial Massage is very beneficial for chronic pain issues, body imbalances, as well as people suffering from stiffness and lack of range of motion. Working with the fascia can help those with autism, people who have experienced trauma and others living with arthritis. No matter what sport you play or activity in which you engage, athletes who are wanting to improve their performance by finding better length in lines and movement often find enhanced performance. In my practice, I have seen myofascial work truly helps people to feel more energized and in tune with their functionality.
Myofascial Release
How is myofascial massage different than typical swedish massage?
This type of work is definitely different than typical massage. When working with fascia, the massage therapist does not use a lubricant. This is so we can differentiate between the layers of fascia to unravel and and help release restrictions in the tissues and along the spine. The goal is to stretch and loosen the body so that all the organs and other structures can let go in their most optimal and relaxed position. Many times clients say that this work last longer. They feel dramatically different, especially after a 10 series of Structural Integration.
How does Myofascial Work help specifically with Sports Performance?
In regards to Sports Performance, myofascial release can help give athletes that extra edge. Often when people train hard, they can get into repetitive habits. By touching into the various different fascial planes of the fascial web, the body opens to newer movements throughout. There is a functional and structural connection between all of the body’s soft and hard tissues. By addressing the whole body, motion gains better relationship to gravity again and again. Athletes young and old can benefit from myofascial work.
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, Si
Columbus, Ohio
740 966-5153
by SharonHartnett | Oct 9, 2014 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Structural Integration by Ida Rolf, is not the most mild type of bodywork.
It’s not meant to be…
Evolution
The ten sessions are intended to help clients to find better alignment in relationship to gravity. Not only in standing or quiet poses, but also in movement. The idea is to help people find more fluidity, flexibility and range of motion through effective touch and thorough manipulation.
One thing that is important to address, is that this type of work often gets labeled as being uncomfortable. With Ida Rolf’s work- in most cases, as pain is sometimes encountered and touched, clients will feel things that have been avoided. It’s natural for people to compensate when they have injuries or emotional patterns holding them out of alignment. As such, as things open, deeper sensations do occur. However, if a professional and respectful dialogue is kept, the session can weather the storm with proper care and efficient contact. With healthy touch, the work can go slowly at the client’s rate and comfort level. During and after the sessions, clients will often be surprised at how they can feel grounded into their bodies and the earth both energetically and physically in a whole new way.
One of the biggest considerations when deciding if Structural Integration is right for you, is to ask yourself if you are looking for a pleasurable massage session or a more long-term and holistic approach. Some clients enjoy light touch effleurage massage. It can feel warm, invigorating and healing. On the opposite side of the spectrum though, the Ida Rolf Structural Integration type of work focuses on the ability to work deeper without working harder. A good Structural Integration Therapist will apply pressure to touch into the different levels of the fascial web to help you unwind and lengthen dysfunctional patterns. The fascia softens and hydrates allowing time to awaken and integrate.
Without question, at Lighten Up Therapies, our goal is to help you to achieve your goals for your health and wellbeing.
If you would like a free 15 minute telephone consultation with Sharon Hartnett LMT, please give her a call at: (740) 966-5153
https://www.massageincolumbusohio.com/structural-integration/
by SharonHartnett | Jul 24, 2014 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Allow Structural Integration to help you to find your breath and breathe freely again.
Breathing is actually more than bringing air into the lungs and then expelling it out. While breath is the primary life force in sustaining life, it is also a natural massager of the most internal areas of your body. When you breath in, the strong diaphragm moves and the ribcage and everything within is in a state of constant expanding and contracting. Gases and circulation are being engaged. Fluids are rushing through the veins and arteries. The wave of movement can actually reach down to the tips of your toes which you can experience if you take the time to be mindful of breath and its’ far reaching capacity to nourish life. The body is a miracle and unlabored smooth breath can keep you healthy.
Positives of Healthy Breath- sleeping better, reducing the effects of high blood pressure, when there are good levels of oxygen in the system-cancer finds it more difficult to live, anxiety and depression can be relieved with fuller deeper breathing. The heart is supported when there is less tension with the ribcage. People who practice yoga and breathing techniques feel more connected between the mind body & spirit to name a few.
One of the best things you can do to open up the breath is receive work that lengthens and softens the surrounding fascia around the ribcage and and by releasing any restrictions nearby. Gentle and more detailed work with the connective tissue under and on the ribs allows more movement and freedom and relief is often experienced. Often ribs get stuck or moved our of alignment and when freed up, global pain in all parts of the body can diminish dramatically too. With just one session of Structural Integration or diaphragm releases, you should feel more centered, healthier and flexible.
Freedom Within
To find out more benefits of finding your breath, check out Dr. Weil’s recommendation for mindful breath:
https://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Columbus Ohio
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | Jun 18, 2014 | Craniosacral Therapy, Structural Integration, thought for the day
I have seen Dr. Oz on the news quite a bit lately.
Not sure that I would buy many of the products that Dr. Oz talks about, but I do like that he is open minded and educates the American public about natural remedies as well as conventional medicine.
From my understanding, he does not endorse these products, but rather discusses them. He has clearly said that if products put his name on them, that is done without his approval.
Personally, while I appreciate pharmaceuticals when needed, we do need more doctors who are not invested in profits/companies who care about people understanding options rather than being only out for themselves. Thank you Dr. Oz for putting the information out and allowing us to decide for ourselves.
For a New article by the Huffington Post, Read: Dr. Oz
Dr. Oz
Hopefully, you did see his stories on Craniosacral Therapy and Structural Integration (Rolfing). Two excellent forms of massage and bodywork that work towards healing and wellbeing.
If we want to heal and find the best proactive health plan for us as individuals, forget the far out marketers- and research to find the best integrative plan for you!
Written by Sharon Hartnett
(614) 372-6598
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
by SharonHartnett | May 29, 2014 | Massage License in Ohio: 33.007505-H-K, Structural Integration
Are You looking to find some Back Pain Relief?
Lumbar strain and injury can result from accidents, overuse and certain traumas.
The severity of your pain can range from mild to severe, from discomfort to muscles spasms. Wherever you are in your process of healing, Structural Integration can help you to find longer lasting pain relief.
Structural IntegrationRelieving Back Pain
Want to find more freedom and grace in your step? It’s smart to investigate finding a way to correct your posture in order to live in more ease in movement. A healthy spine and relaxed surrounding soft tissues will help you to feel happier and healthier all the way round.
Structural Integration in particular is a method of bodywork that aims to restore balance, increase energy, and improve flexibility. If you are experiencing extreme pain, usually the fascia, musculature and ligaments are overly short or overly-extended. Structural Integration is comprised of a ten series of treatments that work on the fascial web that spans the whole body from superficial layers to the deeper containers holding the viscera, skeletal systems and other internal structures. Through the touch and treatment by the practitioner, neurologic receptors fire and the fascia shifts into a gel-sol transformation. What this means to clients is better and softer functional movement. The connection and release of fascial adhesions also relieves the musculature to relax back into its natural form. Fibroblast repair allows for better circulation and fluid exchange.
Gameplan:
If your back is in severe pain now, speaking to your physicians office would be helpful to see if you need to go in for a visit. If they advise you to stay home, it is helpful to ice your back immediately after an incident, apply some compression and get some rest. Massage therapy can be very helpful if it is a soft tissue injury.
If your back issues feel more chronically uncomfortable, finding a healing plan would be the best bet. Usually chronic softer pain is an indicator that muscles and approximate tissues are overly short, tense and overstretched. From a holistic perspective, rotations and twists in one part of the body could be causing misalignments throughout the rest of the body. Finding a massage therapist who knows how to work with fascia would be a great bet to helping you to find your line and more comfort in day to day movement. For each session of Structural Integration, a certain recipe of techniques is applied with a uniquely tailored experience to bring you back to center. When the whole body is addressed holistically each week, the body begins to relate to itself in a more healthy way. Each session is built on the foundational ones behind it to help you to find the freedom and movement you long to feel. Look up Structural Integration Therapists in you area. Write down your questions and make sure they are addressed in a phone interview. If there are no SI therapist near you, research myofascial and Craniosacral Therapists (upledger). They can also focus on unwinding painful patterns and restoring health and wellness in your tissues. If your skeletal structure feels out, you may want to find a reputable chiropractor to make adjustments after the soft tissue restoration.
For more information, call Sharon Hartnett LMT
www.massageincolumbusohio.com
740 966-5153
Columbus, Ohio
