Caring Palms Massage and Reiki
Newsletter
September 2015

In This Issue

Labor Day

Open Sundays

Caring Palms Looking for New Therapist

Marathon's End

Room for Rent

Experience and Observations

Reiki Share

Reiki Class Schedule

Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques

Alignment

Letting Go

Caring Palms Hosts Mediumship Classes

Modality of the Month

Brian Offering Readings

Caring Palms Promise

You Have Questions?

Quick Links

The Caring Palms Website

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Welcome to this month's Caring Palms Massage and Reiki newsletter. This month, we have some news, class schedule changes, and a couple articles.

I hope you enjoy what we have here.

Closed for Labor Day
Caring Palms will be closed Monday, September 7^th in observation of the Labor Day holiday. Caring Palms will re-open Tuesday the 8^th at the normal hours. Caring Palms will also be open Saturday, September 6^th at the regular hours. We at Caring Palms hopes everybody has a safe and happy holiday.

Caring Palms to be Open Some Sundays

Christine Neubauer will be in the studio Sundays from 11:00am to 3:00pm to do massage and Reiki sessions. We are putting this out there to see if there is any interest, as some have asked if there are Sunday hours available. Christine can only tell us two weeks out if she is available, so at this point, we can tell you she will be in the studio Sunday, September 13^th and Sunday, September 20^th. For future days, please check on the website under the "Schedule Online" button to see her availability. She will continue to be here Saturdays at the normal hours. So, if you need work on a Sunday, please call to schedule an appointment, or book online.

Caring Palms Looking For New Therapist

Caring Palms Massage and Reiki is looking for a female therapist(s) to add to its staff of talented individuals. This person could be full or part time. Caring Palms pays 50% of the billed amount before discounts. All discounts come out of Caring Palms' end. All tips go to the therapist in full. If you are interested, or you know of anyone that might be interested, please have them call Brian at the studio at 904-246-2206, or email him at brian@caringpalms.com to schedule an interview.

Marathon's End

At this moment the marathon of last minute CEU classes is over. We were taking class orders and additions up until August 27^th, with the last class being on August 30^th. (Massage therapist licenses end on August 31^st unless renewed. They need continuing education hours which they can get from Caring Palms to get renewed.)

We were even getting calls as late as Wednesday the 27^th asking about getting into classes the last weekend. Unfortunately for them, they needed to be in the class on the 27^th to take the weekend classes.

What we found amazing is that so many people were waiting until the very last minute. And when they would call and ask what dates we had classes, and we told them, the comment we kept hearing was, "I have to work that day. I can't take that class." What we were wondering was what they expected to do. Would it not be better to get off a day rather than be off every day starting the first of September?

At any rate, we taught 39 students in 9 classes in this last month. That is a lot. We kept adding classes to be available for people to have them suddenly fill up, or to have the people the classes were scheduled for have to cancel. And this is not counting the 13 students we had in July.

But there was a lot of positive as we taught a lot of students in a lot of classes in a short period of time, and met a lot of nice people, and had a lot of fun doing it. There are still classes scheduled between now and the end of the year. If you are interested in any of them, please sign up.

Room for Rent
Caring Palms has a room for rent to a holistic arts practitioner. This person could be a practitioner of aromatherapy, herbalism, reflexology, hypnosis, massage or any similar holistic modality. Already in the studio, we have massage, Reiki, and acupuncture. If you know anyone interested, please have them call Brian at Caring Palms.

Experience and Observations

by Brian Dean

Yes, experience and observation. What are they? Well, experience is that knowledge built up after periods of trial and error. It is the likelihood of something behaving in a certain way based on previous observations.

Observations are the accumulated happenings which is the foundation of our base of knowledge, or our base of experience. These are the two things we use to predict the outcome of some occurrence.

Let's say that we take a bucket of water and set it on a narrow ledge. After a moment, the bucket falls, spilling the water. We now have one observance of an occurrence. We repeat this several times, and each time, we get the same result. These observations now set the groundwork for our collective knowledge, and based on that, we can predict that if we do the same thing again, we will get the same result. This is scientific testing.

And while this method of testing is great, there are more factors that have to be brought in to accurately predict the next outcome. For instance, was the ledge too narrow to support the width of the bucket? Was the bucket not centered property? Was the water stilled when it was placed so that it would not slosh around and throw off the weight distribution? We take all these factors, add them up, but then we do something unique... we use our intuition.

Yup, we throw in an unquantifiable, unanalytical factor. We ask ourselves... Does this feel right? But while this new element may be unquantifiable, we use it heavily in our analysis. We bring it into every decision, every judgement we make.

We use this to determine if we want to associate with certain people. We use it to decide if this feels right or not. We use it to see if we want to take this job, or look elsewhere. We use it when buying a car. We use it when making big purchases. We even use it at the grocery.

And while it comes into play in small things, we use it to influence big things more. We put together all of our observations, which become part of our experience. We add other parts of our experience to it. We add in logic, and scientific knowledge. But then we ask ourselves... Does it feel right? And based on that, we make our decision.

Isn't it amazing that while we are good enough to put together all the pluses and minuses, and look at things in an analytical, scientific manner, that we still make our decisions based on out gut feeling? I think so. Maybe that says something about our energies and intuition, and what is really important in our lives.

Reiki Share

Caring Palms has a Reiki share every month. A Share is where Reiki practitioners get together to work on each other. Group Reiki work is done where each person gets time on the table and worked on by several therapists at once. Any practitioner is invited no matter what lineage they have.

The next Reiki share is on

Wednesday, September 2nd from 7pm to 9pm.

Please let us know if you will be coming.

Reiki Class Schedule

The fol

lowing is a list of currently scheduled Reiki Classes. Each class (unless otherwise marked) currently has a status of 'Scheduled'. This means that a date has been set, but no one has signed up for it yet. Once a deposit has been received for a class, the status will be 'Confirmed'. Any class marked as 'Closed' has filled up. (Note: In some cases, one may be able to enter a class marked 'Closed' with permission of the instructor.)

Reiki 1

September 12 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm
October 10 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm
November 14 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm

Reiki 2

October 24 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm

Reiki 3

November 21 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm

All classes are open to anyone wanting to learn this unique method of hands-on healing. The cost for each class is $125 no matter what level of Reiki the class is for. A $50 deposit is required a minimum of seven (7) days prior to the class date (or permission of the instructor) to reserve a space in the class. Classes with no deposits received by the cut off date will be canceled. All class statuses may be viewed under Reiki, Reiki Class Information, and Class Schedule. You can also sign up for classes there. (Check the website for the location.)

Each Reiki class is NCBTMB and Florida Board of Massage Approved for six (6) Continuing Education Hours (CEUs)

Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques

The following is a list of currently scheduled classes. This class is a two-day class worth 12 CE hours for massage therapists. Each class (unless otherwise marked) currently has a status of 'Scheduled'. This means that a date has been set, but no one has signed up for it yet. Once a deposit has been received for a class, the status will be 'Confirmed'. The 2015 schedule is as follows:

October 17 - October 18 (Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm)

All classes are scheduled to be held at the Caring Palms Studio. Should the location change, that change will be on the website and students notified.

Maximize your results with less effort. Utilize the science of martial arts and apply it to massage. Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques for Massage Therapists, is designed to reconnect the massage therapist with proper body mechanics and techniques while putting a new twist on things and showing how to get more pressure with little effort. While it does go over some basics, it takes body mechanics to a new level where every move involves the use of the therapist's entire body so they can work without hurting themselves. The class being part lecture, part hands-on practice takes positions, centering, and the proper use of body strength from Japanese martial arts and applies them to the art of massage therapy. It also shows how to focus one's energies to increase their strength with simple exercises meant to teach the student how to 'think' beyond where they are working so they can get deeper into the client and to channel their energies to the point of thought. The student will learn how to focus their energies and use their body to do deep work and not get hurt. This class will help anyone to work deeply with less effort no matter if one is 90 pounds or 250 pounds. This class is for both the seasoned therapist and the new therapist. It will show moves everyone does, but in a new light as well as moves many people may not have seen before. The idea is not to dictate how to practice, but to show better body mechanics which the therapist can adapt to what they do. This is true whether they adapt all of it or just part of it.

NCBTMB and Florida Board of Massage Approved for twelve (12) Continuing Education Hours (CEUs)
Class Cost: $300

This class is for licensed massage therapists or anyone that regularly uses massage in their practice. For those looking to learn basic massage for relaxation for their partner or friends, see the website on the Massage For Couples classes.

To sign up for classes, go to the website and select Continuing Education, Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques, and Class Schedule to see additions and changes or to sign up.

Alignment

By Brian Dean

Are you aligned? Do you walk straight, or do you veer to one side? Just kidding. But, is your body in proper alignment? Probably not.

Most people suffer from alignment issues. When you look in the mirror, or have someone look at you, what do they find? Is one shoulder higher than the other? Which way do the feet point? Are you twisted (physically)?

One of the theories is that if a body is in alignment, it tends to stay well. If not, it has periods of diss-ease. A person can come out of alignment through daily activities, such as driving, how they sit at work, or what shoes they wear. These things causes the connective tissue (known as fascia) in the body to change, and become hard instead of soft and rubbery. Trauma to the body can do the same thing, things like falls, even surgeries. Putting the body back into alignment is a helpful thing, and in most cases can be done fairly easily.

There are several methods to realign the body, Myofascial Release and Rolfing are two of the most widely known. Rolfing literally takes this muscle and moves it "over there". This can sometimes be a very painful process. I remember a client telling me that he had received six of the 12 treatments he was scheduled for, and stopping because he could not take it.

Myofascial Release (commonly referred to as MFR) works slightly differently. It is performed through a series of holds. Through these holds, the fascia loosens up to go back to its normal stretchy state. It brings the body back into alignment. Some of the moves can hurt, but not always, and it is the more gentler way to realignment.

MFR works by aligning the pelvis and then working the rest of the body of the body into alignment. It is not the "Gee I just had a massage" feeling, but most people that get it feel it does a lot in a short period of time, and they feel good when they are done.

Several years ago, I had a client that was suffering from an auto accident two years previously. She had been seeing a chiropractor and then his massage therapist three times a week at $200 a visit. And she felt that nothing was changing. The amount of money in the insurance fund was getting lower and lower. She asked if I could work with her insurance company, and they actually bent their own rules to pay me. But within six months of getting MFR, she was 80% back to where she needed to be. She felt she still needed a chiropractor, and I sent her to one that works without popping the bones. In a short period of time, she was back to 100%.

So, MFR can do a lot, in a small period of time. If this is something you think might help you, then ask us about it, or watch the video which goes through a lot of explanation as well as demonstration.

Myofascial Release

Letting Go

by Brian Dean

The more and more I do energy work, the more I learn. One of the things that I have learned is that I don't need to put all my strength, all my effort into something. In fact, I just need to relax and allow things to happen. And in doing that, I find that I am stronger.

Now having said that, I realize it could be taken a number of ways. One could think that I am just giving up and learning to be content with what is happening. That couldn't be further from the truth. What else someone might think is that I am letting the energies go and not being concerned with what they do. And while that is true for Reiki (as it goes where it needs to go most once it leaves my hands), that is not true for other energies I work with.

What I am finding is that if I try to control the energies too much, I will lessen what I am doing. I am finding that if I direct the energies with intent and care and the wish to heal, the energies are many times stronger and are more capable of doing what I want them to do. And even as I type this, I know it is sounding confusing. Let me see if I can make it clearer.

With Reiki, I teach my students to set the intention for the Reiki energy to go through them, and then to not pay attention to it. They know the process is in place, and it is happening, but by not controlling it, they allow it to be stronger. Then, because of the properties of Reiki, once it leaves their hands, it uses its own intelligence to direct itself.

With other energies, we have to tell them where to go and what to do. This could be true for Polarity, or Therapeutic Touch, or white light. It could simply be used when manipulating energies as I do when I unblock chakras (the main energy centers in the body), or removing headaches, or healing someone far away.

Now, I do some unique methods of energy healing, some of which do not have names. This can be local or distant. In these cases, I control and direct the energies to do what I want them to do as they have no other intelligence guiding them. (One could question if I am guiding them if there is any intelligence there either. Just kidding.)

Basically, I let these healing energies through me and guide them to the places they need to go, and do what I need them to do. Up until several months ago, I was utilizing my strength in doing so, just as I would utilize my muscles to push or lift something heavy. But the more and more I work with energies, I realize that I had been taking the wrong approach. Don't get me wrong in thinking that what I was doing was not effective, because it certainly was.

What I have found is that being calm, and not using my strength actually makes me stronger. I realized that if I let the energies through me instead of pushing the energies through me, the energies were much stronger. They still worked under my direction, my intent, but they were many times stronger. And I controlled them by intent rather that directing every simple little thing. This has become true for much of the energy work I do from clearing chakras to mediumship to distant healing.

So, yes, allowing and letting go, yet directing through intent is stronger than muscle. Very cool. Maybe one day, I will take that approach to life. After all, isn't life a series of energies? Instead of muscling my way through it, maybe I should just let my intent direct it.

And this just proves something I keep saying... the more I learn, the less I know, which is why I keep learning.

Caring Palms Hosts Mediumship Classes

Every month, Caring Palms is host a mediumship class taught by Marilyn Jenquin of the International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge. In this class, Marilyn teaches the British style of mediumship (this is similar to the style used by John Edward). Each class contains a lecture, a meditation, and class exercises. This is for all ranges of students from the beginner, to the long time student.

Mediumship is a method of communicating with people who are no longer in their physical body, but in the spirit world. The class teaches students to do evidential readings as exercises so they get comfortable developing a relationship with those in spirit. This class is for anyone wanting to work with spirit whether they intend to become professional mediums or simply to use it in their everyday lives.

Classes are usually scheduled the last Thursday of each month from 1pm to 3:30pm at the Caring Palms studio. For more information, go to the IFSK website where you can learn more about this, check class schedules and locations, and get contact information.

Modality of the Month

Swedish Massage

Although exotic sounding, Swedish massage is the most common type of massage performed. Developed by Pehr Henrick Ling, who based it on the movements of Swedish gymnasts, it can be a very relaxing session, but can also be therapeutic.

Swedish massage is usually the first style of taught in most schools. It is a great beginning point for students to learn to touch a client, and develop pressures and movements. This is actually the basis for most of what they learn later.

Brian Offering Readings
Brian is now doing readings to anyone that wants to sit for one for tips. Keep in mind, these are mediumship readings, not psychic readings. If you think that it was a good session feel free to leave a gratuity. If you have an interest, please contact Brian and something can be scheduled.

Caring Palms Promise

At Caring Palms, we pledge to do the best work we can at every session. We not only do this to continue to earn your business, but because we believe that you deserve the best care possible every time you are here. This is true whether it is massage, or energy work, or classes. This is our promise. This is what we will continue to do.

Can We Answer Your Questions?
You have Questions? Maybe we have answers. Each month, we write articles on a variety of subjects. Is there something that you would like to see us write about? Do you have questions that you'd like answered? Do you have questions on massage? On Reiki? On energy work in general? Submit your questions or requests to Brian@CaringPalms.com and we will try to see if we can answer them for you.

May light continue to illuminate your path. Take care.

Sincerely,

Brian
Caring Palms Massage and Reiki

(904) 246-2206