Equilibrium Bodywork & Coaching
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Aligning with your essence

6/28/2019

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What is your essence?

If you sense in to this, releasing what you think it is, releasing judgements and projections, what do you notice? Do you see, feel, perceive, hear, smell anything?

I've recently started sensing in to this for myself and others, and what I'm perceiving is becoming clearer. I see colors, size, sensations in my body. It can be difficult to describe, so I invite you to close your eyes and ask the question yourself - what's your essence? Then check in to see if you notice anything different in the essence of your best friend, of the stranger across the street, or an animal you see. Again, release any preconceived notions, judgements and projections. What do you notice in your body, or your minds eye, or any other way that you uniquely perceive?

Now,
What is the energy you're portraying?

Do you notice something different?

I asked these questions in my mind the other day when I was afraid of an interaction I had. I was afraid I overshared. I felt lightly triggered and I wanted to check in to get an energetic / psychic / intuitive read of the person I had been talking with. I got a sense of their essence and the energy they were portraying, and I did the same for myself. Both were different.

So I asked myself, what will it take for the energy I'm portraying to align with my essence?

And thanks to my background in Access Consciousness, I didn't try to respond right away. I didn't allow my mind to take over and figure out an answer.

The next day I did my morning ritual of running and dancing in the park. The inquiry came to mind again, so I checked in with my essence and the energy I was portraying. They were more aligned! They felt closer to each other. I saw / felt / experienced an energetic signature in the energy I was portraying that was more similar to my essence. Victory! My housemate lovingly calls me "weird" for dancing in the park, and I'm ok with that. In my experience, more alignment with my essence = more joy, ease in my body, flow throughout my day, and authentic expression. Yes please, and more!

So I invite you to hold this as an inquiry:
What will it take to align with your essence?
Then settle in to your body, go on with your day, and notice what arises. I'd be curious to hear your findings. And let me know if you'd like support tapping in to your essence.

720-432-3032
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An Invitation

4/1/2019

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Tears

    are Sacred.   are Safe.    are Real.    are Medicine.
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Here, you are welcome to drop your walls.  to cry.   to release.   to surrender to the flow.
    you are welcome to be messy.
          incomplete
          whole
               both, at the same time
real.    Human.    Divine.

     Be you.
Do you dare?

Are you willing to find out who you truly are? Are you willing to expand your capacity to be with what is under the surface? It may be numb, angry, rageful, grieving, happy, ticklish, ecstatic, pleasurable (gasp!), or young and tender, or big and LOUD!

Who are you, under the everyday habits, the armored tissue, the make-up and put-togetherness that you wear to make it through the chaos.

Who is the one who is reading this now?

Who is the one in the center of your being who is eternally still, spacious, full of infinite potential and perfect in alignment?

Can you find a way to dance with that one inside you?
Can you feel that one who is in contact with the whole universe?

Is now the time to find your center?
Is now the time to acknowledge your wholeness?

     You are radically invited....

Call for a free consultation: (720)432-3032
Or click here to schedule if you're ready to step in to your power.
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How do you relate to emotions?

5/16/2018

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Fear. Anger. Sadness. Joy.

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What do you want from emotions? To learn from them? To love them? To see the value in them? To avoid all but joy?

I want to find allowance of them. I want to access joy as much as possible. I want to be aware of the value and lessons in fear, anger and sadness, and I want to be able to let them go with ease.

Do you ruminate in one of these? Do you repress one, only to have it come out with a strong intensity under pressure? Do you repress one and feel as if your life is missing something? When I think of repressed emotions, I think of a child who eventually acts out after not being heard. At first the child may gently ask for what they need. If they aren't heard, they may cry. Then scream. Later on, if they're still not getting what they need, they may act out violently toward others, or "misbehave," in order to get attention in an attempt to get what they need. If emotions are held in and not allowed to move, they'll act up later on. The body holds on to them and reveals them as pain and discomfort.

How do you personally want to relate to emotions? If you want help dealing the more challenging ones, talk to me. If you want help accessing more joy, let's work together. Call me for a free consultation, or go ahead and schedule a session.

(720)432-3032
Book Now on MassageBook.com!
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Have you noticed any correlations between your emotional state and your physical body? Do you have any tricks to help you release or move challenging emotions? I'm curious - please comment!
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Quality control - trustworthy touch

4/4/2018

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“Your quality of touch is different - I feel relaxed with it. I’m not reacting defensively like I sometimes do... 
My body is open to it.”
​

I wonder how the world would be if we all knew how to touch and be touched with ease and grace?
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This is what I strive for in every session - to contact the recipient in a way that has them relaxed and receptive. Why is this important? When the body reacts defensively by tensing or contracting against contact, or when anxiety builds up in response to it, the body is reacting more to the therapist instead of relaxing into it’s natural healing processes. I could create more tension for you, which could also get worked out during the session, but you’re probably coming to me to release tension you had before seeing me, not to create more tension to work through. Have you ever had a massage that left you feeling more tense? Let’s not do that, ok?

So what contributes to a quality of touch that instills trust and allows for the most easeful healing?

  • Presence
  • Awareness
  • Neutrality
  • Deep listening
  • Self-trust
  • Embodiment

The first two skills that are taught in the Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training - ones that are repeatedly emphasized throughout the program because of their importance, are the skill of being and the skill of relationship. The skill of being pertains to the state of the therapist. As I begin a session, do I feel grounded, centered and neutral? Am I relaxed, present and aware of my state, or am I nervous or biased in some way? This will affect how the recipient responds, whether they’re conscious of it or not - on some level, their body will be aware of my state, even if their mind is not.

The second skill is the one of relationship (the basic definition of “relationship” is “a connection” - I’m not referring to a romantic relationship in this instance). In this connection, what kind of contact would feel most easeful or welcome by the recipient? How much space would they like and what kind of pressure feels most easeful? Sometimes there’s a wide range of contact styles - light strokes, heavy compressions, etc. - that feel comfortable for the body. Sometimes the recipient will be very specific - they may want very light, still touch and a wide focus from the therapist.

To get a sense of different focus styles, imagine gazing out at the vast expanse of the ocean horizon. Notice how that feels in your body. Then imagine you’re examining something very specific through a microscope, and notice what you feel in your body with that image - two different modes of focus. Considering the body, I could have a wide focus by opening my awareness to the whole body, including the space around the body. Or I could have a narrow focus by zooming in to one little point, like a vertebra in the neck. Again, the recipient’s body feels the difference, whether or not the mind is aware of it. The book Open Focus Brain, by Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins, is a good resource for developing relaxed, open focus.

These “skills” can be applied to any experience in life where you’re interacting with another being. If you want to create the greatest ease in connections (relationships), and minimize reactive defenses, try working on the skills of being and the skills of relationship.

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Skills of being:
Feeling grounded, centered, and neutral 

​This is a state of being present with self-awareness, mindfulness and allowance of what wants to happen - having a sense of equanimity. Perhaps we notice biases, judgements or habitual patterns come up. These are normal, so rather than judging the judgements, see if they’ll disappear if you ask them to, rather than hooking on to them. The level of neutrality you can hold may vary, depending on who you’re interacting with. Feeling some appreciation or loving kindness for yourself may help. Another way some people access neutrality is simply to look around the room and label (in their mind) what they see - i.e. I see a green wall, white lamp, brown wood door, etc.


In a grounded, centered, neutral state, the person you’re interacting with is least likely to react because there isn’t something to hook onto, positive or negative, and because you’re present with them. If you’re distracted, it’s more likely to create some interruption of the connection.

Skills of relationship, or connection:
Comfortable proximity and contact

This includes awareness of the energetic space (wide vs. narrow focus, for example), and awareness of the type of contact desired. In the context of a therapeutic bodywork session, I’m offering massage, craniosacral therapy or other touch therapy to someone laying on a table, so I’m trained and comfortable offering different types of touch. If you’re offering someone massage, considering the skill of relationship, notice what feels good to you and the person you’re touching. If you’re unsure or if you want to encourage verbal feedback, ask how the contact is. If you trust your intuition, they appear clearly at ease, you feel relaxed and connected to them, and you trust them to speak up if something is uncomfortable, then it may not be necessary to talk about the contact. And that may change tomorrow… each day is different.

What have you found to be helpful in establishing comfort and trust with touch? I’m curious to hear your stories - what has you feel relaxed and what hasn’t worked for you in bodywork sessions?
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Nature does not hurry

2/11/2018

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"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" 
​
-Lao Tzu

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I seem to need this reminder frequently. There's so much that I want to change - in my life, community, home, and the world at large. I want it all to change right now! But what wants to happen right now? And how can it change with ease?



Sometimes my mind and nervous system get speedy and anxious with all of the things I want to, ought to, need to do. It's incredible how much the mind can hold! It can also get jumbled and confused with all of those thoughts running around. Sometimes I get overwhelmed,  so I end up procrastinating or starting a bazillion projects that never get finished. Can you relate to this? To gain clarity on what wants to happen right now, it can help to slow the mind  and listen to the body.  

Can you take a pause as you're reading this and notice your breath? Can you feel your seat? Notice how your body makes contact with the chair you're sitting on, simply to feel the points of contact, with no point of view. This simple awareness exercise will help you start to tune in to your body.

Of course the mind is part of the body, but we often ignore our body's signals - pain, discomfort, lethargy, irritation. We often suffer through these to accomplish something on our to-do list. A tickle in the throat turns into the flu, where it could be avoided if we just take the time to ask our bodies what they need. "Body, what are you aware of? 
"Body, what do you want?" How fast or slow does your body want to move right now?

Recently I had been noticing tension in my left hand - my fingers were slightly clenched and no matter how much I stretched them out, they continued to hold tension. Then I received some bodywork. I don't even remember if the therapist touched my left hand, but I clearly remember it relaxing as she held my ankles, using biodynamic craniosacral therapy. It  was a beautiful illustration of this quote - "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." The therapist could have worked directly with my hand, applying deep pressure to all the right muscles to get them to relax, which may be the "quick fix" for some people. For me what did the trick was slowing down, listening deeply to the body, and allowing the nervous system to unwind. The body, as nature, is capable of healing itself when we listen deeply and trust the process. Everything can be accomplished with ease.

Where can you invite more ease into your life? What is your body wanting right now? If you need help slowing down, come in for a session. And take a look at these videos from Katherine McIntosh to learn more tools about listening to your body.
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Body Image and Massage

10/4/2017

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Body image. Almost everybody has something about their body that they don’t like. For many people it’s a minor issue, no big deal. But some people have a major issue with their body image. It affects how they live and their happiness.
 
When I tell people that I’m a massage therapist, once in a while someone has a strong reaction. They tell me, whether verbally or through their reaction and body language, that massage is not for them. Their body image is such an issue that they don’t think anybody else can accept them.

The paradox here is that massage can really help with body image issues. In massage school we were all nervous about taking off our clothes and letting somebody else touch us. It didn’t take long for us to discover that bodies are just bodies, and we became much more comfortable with our own. We also experienced how good receiving a massage made us feel. Something unexpected happened – when our bodies felt better, we felt better about our bodies!

Is your body image holding you back? There are 3 options to consider. Let’s look at the risk versus reward for them.

1. Don’t get a massage.

This is the easiest because it involves doing nothing. The risk is low since you are not letting another person see or touch you at all.
 
The reward is zero. You didn’t get a massage so your body doesn’t feel any better, and you still have the stress you had before.

2. You get a massage, but the massage therapist makes note of how you look (as if it matters).
 
If this has happened to you, I’m sorry. You got a lame massage therapist. That’s a bummer, and they missed the training in how to be a professional, compassionate, caring therapist. If this happened to you, you took a risk and reaped little reward. 

This is not going to happen if you come to me. Never. No way. I can’t say this strongly enough. It goes against the very nature of who I am, how I treat people, and what I believe.

3. You get a massage. A great massage. And the therapist does nothing to make you feel uncomfortable about your body. In fact, you feel pretty good about your body after the massage!
 
In this option, your risk is low. I’m not judging you or your body. I just want to help you feel better. Your reward is high. Your body will feel better from the massage and you can start feeling better about it.

I have no idea how your body got to be in the condition that it’s in. You may be dealing with something that you can’t control, such as a medical condition, injury or accident. You may be in a lot of pain or are limited in what you can do physically. You may not have had time to shave your legs. All of this is welcome, with understanding and compassion.

I’ve worked on hundreds – maybe thousands – of people. Each body is fascinating and unique and I’ve yet to come across one that I could not help.

If you have been avoiding massage because you feel uncomfortable about your body, let’s find an option that works for you. You don’t even have to explain anything to me. Leave your clothes on if that's more comfortable. Stay sitting up or face down or lying on your side or however you want. It’s up to you.

It’s my job to help you feel better. That’s it. Together let’s find a way to help you relieve your pain and stress. Don’t let your body image keep you from feeling good.
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Graduation speech

12/16/2012

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The first thing we read when we walked into Michelle Howard's Kinesthetic Anatomy class was a Socrates quote - "Know thyself." We learned at BCMT about the limitations and possibilities of our bodies, hands and minds. We realized that we are stronger than we thought, capable of more than we thought. We learned to trust our intuition, to trust ourselves and our hands. We learned the importance of self-care, and discovered pain and patterns of tension in our bodies that we can now accept or work with to become stronger and more relaxed. We've become more playful... thinking back to that day of sound and toning in Integrative where we waltzed around the halls playing instruments, and we took our parade into the elevator. I think the sound of bells, whistles & drums helped clear the stale air. We've also become more open and confident in the past 9 months, as many of my friends have noticed.

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dalai Lama answered, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money, then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Thank you Melanie, for teaching us to live in the present. Thanks to everyone who taught us patience and slowing down.

For the parents out there concerned about our finances and theirs, I have to put in a plug about preventative care. We've learned to improve our posture, better our health and reduce our stress. 75-90% of visits to family physicians are for stress-related problems. Not only do massage therapists help ease tension in their clients, they tend to relieve their own anxiety when giving a massage. I've spent the last 4 years unsure of what career I wanted to pursue and hating my jobs in various fields. Back in March, I came home from career night giddy as a girl full of sugar going to Disney World. I realized I found my calling. In that first quarter at BCMT, I looked forward to learning something new every day, and I am confident that this was the best decision I have ever made. So thank you parents, family and friends for your support. Thank you, Wendy, for setting a good foundation with us in Shiatsu. Thanks to all of our excellent teachers for teaching us first how to heal ourselves so that we can help others more effectively. Thank you for helping us find ourselves.

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    Intuitive energy healer, massage therapist and somatic coach in Asheville, NC, bringing you insight and inspiration on healing and conscious living. Formerly in Boulder, CO.

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  • Home
  • About
    • Erin Casey
    • Credentials and Training
    • Healing Sessions
    • Specialties >
      • Nervous System Balancing
      • Abdominal Healing
  • Logistics
    • Rates & Schedule
    • Policies & FAQ
  • Insights
    • Blog
    • Links & Resources