Bodywork Bistro Receives 2011 Best of Boulder Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, December 7, 2011 — Bodywork Bistro has been selected for the 2011 Best of Boulder Award in the Massage Therapy category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Commerce Association
Email: PublicRelations@uscaaward.com
URL: http://www.uscaaward.com

Fully clothed, you lie down on the comfortable mat on the floor and allow yourself to begin to relax.  Your shiatsu massage therapist begins to apply pressure with her fingers, thumbs and the palms of her hands, focusing on specific acupressure points and meridians in your body.

Just like we have a blood circulation system, our bodies also have a bio-energy-circulation system. This bio-energy, also known as qi, flows along 12 primary meridians, or channels, in the body. These channels run symmetrically on each side of the body.  And each pair of meridians are related to a specific organ system.  Shiatsu is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and these organ systems are defined according to TCM, and do not necessarily have the same functions as in Western Medicine.

You may find that some places on your body feel very tender and painful when your shiatsu massage therapist applies pressure there.  This can indicate that there are blockages in the energy flow in the point or meridian that she is working on.  The best thing to do is to breath deeply into the sensations with long, steady breaths, and stay as present as possible.  By staying present with the sensations you will receive the shiatsu massage deeper into your body and more energy can be freed up.

Shiatsu massage stimulates and increases the body’s innate healing response by allowing all of the energy channels in the body to flow unobstructed.  When our bio-energy is flowing with ease and vitality, then the body will naturally heal itself of any imbalances.

You will find yourself completely relaxed at the end of your shiatsu massage session.  Notice the difference in the state of your physical body, as well as the shift in your mental state.  Relish in the freed energy flows in your being, and watch the effects ripple out into all areas of your life.

Book yourself a shiatsu massage at the Bodywork Bistro and experience the healing power of shiatsu!

A great way to get the most out of your 30 minute massage is to choose to have one of our massage therapists focus on a tension zone or two – such as your back and shoulders.  This allows you to receive the therapeutic benefits of deep massage in those areas that it will serve you most.

You can also choose to have a full body massage in 30 minutes and receive the healing benefits of nourishing touch on your whole body.  Your muscles and cells will thank you for the attention.  Just be forewarned, it will feel so good you may not be able to stop at 30 minutes.  Luckily our therapists are used to this, and can add more time for your relaxation desires as needed.

Come find us downtown on Spruce and 11th St on your lunch break or stop by after work to experience for yourself a “Taste of Tranquility.” Or, join us at Whole Foods on Pearl St. when its convenient for you.

All of our walk-in menu chair massages are available at Whole Foods:

Drop by whenever it is convenient for you.  Be spontaneous and take a break from your day when you need it most. No appointments necessary.

We’re here when you need us!

White Swan Records celebrated 20 years of great music with live performances on the festival stage that we were able to enjoy while supporting our customers to relax, release, and enjoy being in their bodies more with the finest massage and bodywork.  The community came together to practice yoga and meditation, eat great food, and support the local businesses vending at the festival.

We were delighted to be a part of the 1st annual Hanuman Festival, and are already looking forward to Hanuman Fesival 2012. If you missed it this year, be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s festival in June, 2012.  We will be back massaging the Boulder community on the Boulder High School lawn. Until then, visit us in downtown Boulder on the corner of 11th and Spruce St.

What inspired you to become a bodyworker?

I was a Theater major in college. I realized that although I loved the story telling, what I really wanted was to work intimately with people and connect on a deeper level.  I was considering Medical School, but the more I learned about Med School and the entire profession, the more I felt that it would be taking me off track.  I witnessed the boxed in way of thinking, the meds…the whole paradigm that didn’t allow for the innate wisdom of the body and the possibility for the body to heal itself.  That interest in the wisdom of the body to heal itself led me to become a bodyworker.

I know that your healing practice includes more than just traditional massage.  What influenced you along the way?

My teachers have greatly inspired me.  One teacher was a martial arts master and practitioner of the Japanese massage Anma.  Anma means “to press and rub” and Shiatsu is actually just one of the nine aspects of Anma.  From this teacher I learned a deeply embodied experience of moving muscles and meridian systems – the physicality of the body.

Another amazing teacher taught me cranial sacral therapy.  I learned that the body has an innate healing plan, and when you can drop down to subtle levels of perception you can listen to the deep wisdom of the body.  And the body will tell you what it needs.  After my first cranial sacral session I felt five inches taller!  Everything felt different – my breathing, my body. I started volunteering to be worked on in class because it helped me to learn by experiencing the work.  I had a lot of sessions because I was willing to have the emotional breakdowns and breakthroughs in front of the class that so many were unwilling to experience.

Then I met Darren Weissman, founder of the Lifeline Technique™.  I learned for the first time about muscle testing and the subconscious mind, and the role it plays in our health and healing.  It was a major epiphany to learn that the subconscious mind is the direct link to the healing process.  By bridging the gap between the conscious and subconscious parts of ourselves, we create healing on a very deep level.  I learned that sensory experiences are the perceptual gateways of the mindbody vehicle that open broader realms of understanding. When we can be a witness to our experience it provides choice and opportunity to change.  Witnessing what is going on for us in the moment allows for opening and expansiveness that encourages self-healing.

How did this learning influence your development as a practitioner?

I have always had an affinity to see the wound, and these techniques gave me the tools to go there skillfully when working with my clients.  I maintain a curiosity in session with my clients, and allow this information to guide me.  Sometimes its a feeling I get in my body.  I create more space by maintaining neutral, and hold a container for the client to witness her own experiences as they arise. Sometimes I ask the person’s body what is happening and listen internally for the response.  Sometimes I ask the client what is happening for her.

Its all about being present – having the meta-view.  By remaining grounded and also seeing the periphery, I hold a strong container for the client to go into his journey and explore areas he wouldn’t be able to explore on his own.

What suggestions do you have for your clients in receiving healing work?

Stay present to the feeling in your body in the moment with an open heart.  With unconditional love anything is possible and alchemy happens.  Letting go of shame and judgement allows expansion to happen.  That’s where compassion and forgiveness come in, and the biochemical body shifts.

Tell me more about these biochemical shifts…

Candace Pert, Ph.D. and Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. have showed us that our genes can shift when we shift our own reality.  Emotions are actually biochemical molecules that Candace Pert calls “molecules of emotion.”  Reaction and fear cause an adrenal response, a stress response, that affects us on a biochemical level, and the body behaves as if it is in a state of trauma.

The antidote is to slow down…breath… This creates space for new possibility and we can begin to create new neural networks in our brains that support the new reality.  And our biochemical responses shift.  What creates the shift is being a witness, slowing down, and breathing.  In my personal experience I feel the shifts happen when I use the tools I’ve learned.  I don’t always know why, but it works.

How does that relate to bodywork?

The body is the vehicle for our life experience.  Touching the body from the energy field deep into the tissues accesses subconscious information.  I invite the body to tell me where to go because it empowers the client and enables them to experience their body in a new way that feels safe.  As above so below…its the micro and macro – the holographic nature of the universe.  When shifts happen in a treatment room it begins to open up those things in the rest of one’s life – that is the inherent value of bodywork.

_____________________

Kendra blends her training in a variety of modalities to create her unique healing practice.  Those modalities include The Lifeline Technique™, Anma Bodywork, Acutonics, Sound Healing, Voice Dialogue, Cranial Sacral Therapy, and Energy Work. To learn more about Kendra’s work please visit www.kendracurrent.com.

What is Thai Massage?

In thai massage, also known as thai yoga massage, the practitioner uses his/her hands, feet, knees and legs to move the client’s body into a series of stretches reminiscent of yoga asanas (poses). Thai massage dates back to 2,500 years in Thailand, where it was developed by Buddhist monks. By stretching the client’s body and applying gentle pressure along his/her key energy points, the thai massage practitioner aims to increase flexibility, relieve muscle and joint tension, and balance the energy systems of the body.

Shiatsu – Another form of Mat Bodywork

Shiatsu is traditionally performed on a mat on the floor with the client fully clothed. Also know as acupressure, shiatsu is one branch of traditional Chinese Medicine. Like acupuncture, shiatsu focuses on energy points along the Chinese meridians of the body. However, instead of using needles on the points, a shiatsu therapist applies pressure to the points using his/her fingers, thumbs and/or palms to improve the flow of qi through the meridians.

HeartMind Qi Yoga Bodywork

HeartMind Qi Yoga Bodywork is a Boulder favorite at the Bodywork Bistro. It blends elements of both shiatsu and Thai Yoga massage, utilizing rhythmic compression along traditional acupuncture meridian lines and deep stretches. The purpose is to free up blocked energy to bring about deep relaxation and harmony within the client.

All of these styles of Mat Bodywork are available at our downtown Boulder location, both as pre-scheduled private sessions, or as drop-in sessions starting at 30 minutes in length.

• Regular Massage (Of course!  Read our posts “Benefits of Massage” and “Massage for Stress Relief” if you need convincing
• Put on some of your favorite music and DANCE everyday (this is a great thing to do while you are cooking).
• Sing in the shower.
• Take a break from your busy day and go for a walk outside EVERYDAY. Breath in the fresh air.
• Make time for your friendships.  Call a friend everyday to share your love for him/her.
• Eat dark chocolate.
• Let yourself be silly and have fun!
• Take a moment each day to give thanks for everything that you can think of. Its amazing what we have to be thankful for when we give ourselves a moment to think about it.
• Tell the people you care about that you love them, every chance you get.

What are ways that you nourish yourself?  Use the comment form below and let us know!

Happy New Years Boulder, and all the best from your friends at the Bodywork Bistro!  May 2011 bring you all that you desire!

First off, its important to know how chronic stress affects us.  Cortisol, a.k.a the “stress hormone,” is secreted in higher levels when the body enters fight or flight mode.  And it is a darn good thing,  because if you were out in the wilderness and happened upon a lion or some other life-threatening situation, cortisol helps you to get the heck out of there!

Then, as nature intended, once you are far away from the threat and feeling safe again, the body relaxes and your hormones levels return to their normal state.  All is well.

However, most of us live far from what nature intended.  In our current high-stress culture, we often don’t give ourselves a chance to relax and recalibrate to a normal level of functioning.  Many of us live in a state of chronic stress.  We may not be constantly facing physically life-threatening events, but the modern-day stress that we deal with still produces higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream — which leads to a slew of negative effects on the body. A whole host of health problems can result.

So what does this have to do with massage?

Relaxation is key.

The body needs time to relax – to return to a normal state of functioning, where heart rate, blood pressure, digestive functioning and hormonal levels even out. The body needs to relax regularly.  For most of us, relaxation needs to be planned and arranged for, or else it won’t happen.

Oxytocin, the “love hormone”

Oxytocin counters the effects of cortisol in the body, therefore reducing stress. According to Dr. Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg, author of The Oxytocin Factor, massage is one of the best ways to increase oxytocin levels in the body. The skin is full of many millions of nerve receptors that are directly linked to the nervous system. When the skin is massaged it causes stimulation and release of beneficial chemicals in the brain, including oxytocin.

So there you have it. Massage increases oxytocin, which decreases stress. And nearly every disease is aggravated by stress. So treating yourself to a massage promotes health and healing in all aspects of your body and life.

But don’t believe me.  Take the time out of your busy and stressful life and try it for yourself.

Many office-related physical ailments are caused from a lack of circulation.  Blood and lymph flow become restricted when one sits in the same position for an extended period of time, and this lack of circulation can lead to a variety of issues including brain-fog and lack of mental acuity, physical aches and pains and even carpal tunnel syndrome.

Benefits of Chair Massage

•    increases circulation
•    improves thinking and awareness
•    relieves stress
•    relieves physical aches and tension
•    lowers anxiety
•    boosts the immune system
•    improves sleep
•    increases energy and stamina
•    lowers blood pressure
•    encourages better posture

Truly, the health benefits of chair massage go on and on.

The Bodywork Bistro drop-in massage studio in downtown Boulder is ready for you when you are ready for it.  With no appointment necessary, you can come in for a brief 10 minute chair massage on your lunch break, or stop in before heading home to de-stress and feel refreshed.  If you have more time, stay for as long as you want.

The Bodywork Bistro is also in Whole Foods on 28th and Pearl.  Before you grab a bite for lunch, visit us for a quick pick-me-up in the cafe and see how it changes your day.