Finding the True Harmony within you

TENNIS BALL SELF-HELP, for your shoulders, neck and back

TENNIS BALL SELF-HELP 

How to Make

First get two tennis balls and put them in a sock (all the way into the toe end). Next tie a knot behind the balls so they stay close together.

 Upper back and shoulders

Use any flat empty wall and put the balls between you and the wall.  Roll against the ball finding the sore spots and hold lightly (you should start to feel some relief shortly.  If you don=t feel relief, go lighter or move to another spot).  This can also be done lying on the floor. It requires more mobility in the body and goes deeper because of the weight on the balls.

 Still point/ cranial induction

Lay on the floor.  Place the balls under the middle of the base of your head/occiput.  Feel where the bump sticks out and place the balls to the side of it(they will not roll if they are on the right spot).  Rest on the balls for one minute.  It will be sore to start for most.  Work your way up to ten minutes (that=s the max time). This helps to balance the central nervous system, by allowing your body to get back into Arest and repose@ and out of the fight or fight@ response.  If your neck gets sore in this position, get a hand towel, roll it up and fit it under your neck to just barely support your neck while your head is on the balls.

 Low back and hips

Lay on the floor. Bring your knees up/bent and place your feet on the floor.  Using your hands or a strap. Place your hands/strap behind your knee.  Place the tennis balls under the opposite hip in the soft tissue and pick that leg up and rotate it out to the side so that the pressure is applied to the ball.  Hold it for up to a ten count or 3-4 nice long breathes.  (If pain is high more to another spot)Move the ball to another area of the hip and repeat. (Do both hips) If doing this on the floor is to painful stand up and use a flat wall and roll lightly against the balls (as in the shoulders).  In the standing position you can also get into the side of the upper thigh and back of legs.

 This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvai, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. For any questions, contact us at 480-539-6646 or info@trueharmonywellness.com.

Home help for tight low back and hips.

Home help for tight low back and hips.

1. Place a block or thick book and place12-16 inches away from a wall.  Stand on the block or book with the left foot, supporting & balancing yourself with your right hand on the wall. Let your right leg & foot hang limp.  Gently swing this leg back & forth like a pendulum, while keeping your body upright. Try to soften and let go of tension in the standing leg & front of hip.  Can you sense the release deep in your body?  The psoas starts at base of rib cage in front of spine.  After you swing leg for a few minutes. Step down from the block/book & see if you two legs feel different.  If the release is good, this leg should feel longer, freer, more relaxed.  Now reverse your position and do the other side.   Take nice deep long breathes.

2. Sit sideways in a chair (kitchen chair with no arms or rollers).  Chair back to your right.  Bring knees together and your heels in line with your knees.  Inhale deeply, exhale & twist toward the chair back.  Hold to the chair back.  Keep knees together, spine straight & up tall.  Take 3-4 nice deep breathe & see if you can create a deeper rotation gently.  Release & repeat other side.

3.  While still in chair, face forward & come to the front edge of the seat.  Open legs/knees wide & let your upper body forward bend through your knees.  Hang like a rag doll.  Take 3-4 deep breathe in this position. See if you can go forward a little more by letting your low back ease.

4.  While sitting in the chair bring one leg up and cross at the knee (ankle resting on opposite knee), slowly bend forward for 3-4 breathes.  Sit up & repeat on other side.  (Loosen the outer hips.)

5. Stand close to the chair and place the right foot on the seat & forward bend your upper body.  Hang like a rag doll for 3-4 deep breathes in this position.  See if you can let go your low back & hip.  Stand up.  Repeat other side.

 6.  Lay face up on the floor. Have a 2 inch thick book or yoga block.  Bend your knees, raise up your hips, place book under your sacrum (triangle at base of spine), below the dimples, crosswise (binding towards top).  Extend the legs one at a time.  Stay on the book/block for 2-5 minutes.  If this creates pain, bend the knees.  Relax and breathe.  This releases the sacrum and passively stretches the small back muscles and the front of the body (psoas). To end this, lift the buttock off the book/block and remove, then let buttock rest back on floor for 2- 4 breathes before getting up. Notice the difference in how your low back and buttock makes contact with the floor.

 7. Kneeling on all fours.  Swing right knee (bent) forward on floor between hands. Sink your right butt towards the floor.  At the same time, extend the left leg straight back.  Keep hips level and squared to the front.  If necessary place folded blanket/s under the right sitting bone to keep hips level & supported.  Hold for 3-4 breathes. Repeat other side.

8.  Get 2 tennis balls tied in the toe end of a sock.  Lay on your back with both knees bent. Bring one leg into chest with opposite hand and take the tennis balls in your other hand and place under your gluts in the meat of the muscle. Slowly with your hand rotate your hip/leg out so it creates pressure onto the tennis balls.  Hold this position for few breathes if not too painful.  Rotate leg/hip up again and then with your hand move the tennis balls to a new area of your glut and repeat rotating your leg out over the tennis balls again.  Repeat this movement using your breathe till the whole surface of the glut has been on the tennis balls.  (Note: don=t use your leg to make the movement over the tennis balls use the opposite hand to make the movement and as the hip presses onto the tennis balls try to relax it.) Now repeat on other side.

This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvai, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. Please contact us if you have questions at 480-539-6646, info@trueharmonywellness.com.

Home Help for Tight Pecs or Rounded Shoulders

Home help for tight pecs or rounded shoulders.

 Stand close to the wall, facing it, at a slight angle(about 30degrees).  With  elbow at shoulder height, bend your elbow so your forearm is raised.  Press your forearm into the wall(your side chest wall should be in contact ,too).  Lengthen both sides of your body from the hip to shoulder.  Keep firm contact with the wall, breathe and deeply turn your body away from the wall.  Keep the abdominal muscles strong and tailbone tucked, lift the breastbone and hold the head high.  While holding this stretch take 3-4 breathes then release and repeat on other side.

This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvali, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. If you have any questions please contact us at 480-539-6646 or info@trueharmonywellness.com.

 

Home Help for Repetitive Stress in the Forearms and Wrists

Home help for repetitive stress in the forearm and wrists.    

1. Massage arms from fingers up to the elbows.

2. Build strength with a tennis ball by squeezing and releasing several times a day.

3. Press tips of fingers together and into each other.

4. Shake out finger and wrist several times a day.

 This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvali, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. If you have any questions please contact us at 480-539-6646 or info@trueharmonywellness.com.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic Breathing

by Liz Blasingame Suvali LMT

In normal breathing you take air in and out your nose.  In this way the nasal passages warm and filter the air before it enters the lungs.  When air enter the lungs the diaphragm descends, which allows the lungs to fully expand and fill. 

With this in mind what do you notice about your breathing?  Are you breathing through your nose?  Is your chest moving as you breathe or your belly?  Where is the tongue resting in your mouth?

The following is and exercise to help your use your diaphragm while breathing.

Sit comfortably in a chair.  Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.  Let your tongue rest just behind the upper teeth, lightly resting on the roof of your mouth.  Look at your hands as you breathe.  As you breathe in the top hand should move only after the bottom hand has risen.  As you exhale the bottom hand should move down first again and the top hand last.

At first this type of breathing is difficult but with practice it will become effortless.  Create moments of awareness throughout the day to breathe through your nose and to use your diaphragm.

The last thing to look at is how many times or how often are you breathing?. The norm is 12 breathes per minute.  See if you can take the same time to inhale as exhaling and now try to make it smooth and quiet and effortless.

This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvali, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. Please contact us at 480-539-6646 or info@trueharmonywellness.com with any questions.

How Bodywork affects Pain

How Bodywork affects Pain

by Liz Blasingame Suvali

We all can identify with pain on some level.  Pain is our body’s only way to let us know something’s wrong inside.  Where does it come from?   There’s a part of the brain, called the limbic system, it measures pleasure and pain.  It feels good  . . . it doesn’t feel good.   Now this part of the brain doesn’t know anything about reality, can’t tell the difference between physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.  Pain can come from any of these sources.  Sometimes when we have a trauma, it’s the event around it, that impact into the body.  So let’s say you’ve been in a car accident, it’s got a definite physical aspect to it, but what about the other components.   Emotionally what was the state just before the accident . . . were you happy, sad, angry, etc . . . could it be part of the trauma?  It’s possible.  All these things can play a role in the trauma and the levels of pain you experience.  When getting bodywork, sometimes these other parts can come into play.  It may be while you’re on the table or it may be later that day or the next that you feel the parts of the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual states.

After  you’ve had your visit . . . things to watch for . . .

Muscle ache . . . chills . . . headaches . . . nausea                                                                   

emotions(running hi/low, seeming to come out of the blue)

Low grade temperature.

Usually people continue to get better after their visit, occasionally, they feel worse.  The nature of bodywork is that, the process  does not stop when you get off the table.   It continues for 24 to 48 hours.  If you feel any of the above symptoms, try drinking more fluids(water is best).  It could be another part coming up and out.  If you have any questions please call.

 

Be kind to yourself today . . . 

 No heavy lifting/working out today . . . 

• Try a nice hot bath . . . 
• Write down your thoughts and dreams . . .
• Drink plenty of  water/fluids.

 This resource was created by Liz Blasingame Suvali, LMT, Craniosacral therapist, Myofascial therapist for the use of the Center for True Harmony Wellness & Medicine™  and it’s patients. Please contact us with any questions, 480-539-6646, info@trueharmonywellness.com

Herbs to Aid Digestion

Herbs to Aid Digestion - by Rachel Nemetz, Herbalist 

Chamomile – Matricaria recutita

• Anti-inflammatory, relieves gas and stomach cramps, mild bitter flavor
• Relaxing, calming, soothing, and pain relieving
• Good for whiny babies (and adults!) who cannot be comforted
• Combines well with Peppermint for stomach upsets
• Safe for children, pregnant and nursing women
• Good to help kids go to sleep (and adults, too!)
• Take as a tea or tincture (herbal liquid extract)

 

Peppermint – Mentha piperita

• Relieves stomach cramps by relaxing digestive muscles
• Anti-nausea, prevents vomiting, gas, bloating, and relieves stomach pain
• Mildly disinfectant, so works well to combat food poisoning
• Prevents stomach fermentation or sour stomach
• Close herbal relative, Spearmint – Mentha spicata – Yerba Buena (Spanish)
• Milder and super safe for kids and pregnant ladies
• Traditionally served to women in labor who have an upset stomach
• Take as a tea otherwise known as an herbal infusion

 

Ginger – Zingiber officinalis

• Anti-nausea: Helpful for Chemotherapy, Motion Sickness, Gynecological surgery, Morning Sickness during Pregnancy in moderation
• Also prevents vomiting and may be useful with eating disorders and stomach bugs
• Anti-parasitic, and anti-inflammatory for pain
• Protects against ulcers (antimicrobial)
• Promotes the growth of friendly flora (probiotics) in the intestines
• Assists digestion, particularly of protein, and increases absorption of nutrients

•  “Alka-Seltzer of the Roman Empire”
• Take as a tea, using the dry or fresh herb, drink ginger ale with natural flavoring, or chew candied ginger as needed!

 

How to make an herbal infusion:

Herbal infusions are stronger than teas because more of the herb is used per cup of water, thus producing a medicinal grade drink.  Herbal teas are nice to enjoy, but may not have the desired medicinal effect, because they are not strong or concentrated enough.  To make a medicinal grade herbal infusion:

–Use a ceramic mug or glass canning jar to prevent contamination from plastics, etc…

–Combine ¼ cup of herb to 1 cup of boiling water (ratio of 1 part herb to 4 parts water)

–Cover the container with a plate or jar top to create a tight seal (insuring all the medicine stays in the liquid and does not evaporate off into the air)

–Let steep for a minimum of 30 – 45 minutes, preferably an hour or more (this allows the full spectrum of herbal ingredients to steep into the water and tastes stronger than a tea!)

–Strain the herbs through a strainer and press out the excess liquid with a spoon. Enjoy!

Created by Rachel Anne Nemetz, Herbalist 

Center for True Harmony Medicine & Wellness

www.trueharmonywellness.com     (480) 539-6646