Sanctuary massage spring 2014 newsletter

Spring | 2014

Sanctuary Massage Newsletter www.SanctuaryMassages.com

Nourish

Body

This year everybody is excited about the

blooming of spring. With it comes the

beautiful Mother Nature in all her glory and

a sense of hope and wonderment for what is

to come. I couldn’t think of a better time to

be opening a brand new studio. Ushered in

by the warm winds and budding flowers of

spring, Sanctuary Massage has opened our

doors at a brand new location. 864 Burdeck

Street, in the Rotterdam Schenectady area,

couldn't be a better fit; and like this brand

new colorful season, I am glowing with

excitement of all the potential in our new

space.

Wellness workshops, Meditation, Goddess

Circles, and possibly even yoga are just a

few of the great things you can expect

from our new Healing Arts room.

H ow are your flowers

blooming? If you have been

hiding inside all winter now

is the perfect time to step out into the

sunshine and do some spring soul

cleaning! A massage is a perfect way to

jump start that process and the Body,

Mind, Spirit session or the Head, Hands,

& Feet massage is just what you need.

Happy Spring & I can’t wait to see you

at the studio!

**We are still taking appointments for the Albany location

The New Schenectady Location is now Open! Celebrate our Grand

Opening & Mother’s Day Event May 10th

1pm-5pm

~

New Services like Herbal Foot soaks were a hit! Keep your eye out this

summer for new services like it along with

wellness workshops

As the flowers bloom and grow, Sanctuary Massage blooms and grows.

Inside:

Knowledge is power -addressing common fears about massage

Page 2

Upcoming Events & Herbs Around the Studio

Page 3

Muscle Spotlight –Subscapularis & Tips on Self Care

Page 4

Your

518-952-1161 864 Burdeck Street, Schenectady NY 747 Madison Ave, Albany NY

As a massage therapist I am clearly quite comfortable with the concept of touch. Human connection, human touch, and massage have not only become what I have built my career upon, but have also impacted my life in some of the most transformative and positive ways. You can imagine my surprise when, a recent facebook survey showed me that the most common reason people are not getting massage is not due to budget or time, but fear. The list of things that made people nervous or flat out fearful added up and while all are valid, knowledge is power. The following touches upon some of those common fears and will hopefully allow some of you to take the leap and enjoy all the benefits massage can offer you. Do I have to get naked? Of course not! First of all a massage therapist will never ask or expect you to do anything that is out of your comfort zone. If that means performing your session while you are fully dressed that is okay. Should you wish to take everything off, that is okay too. Per NYS laws you will always be covered/draped appropriately and should let your therapist know right away if anything is uncomfortable.

Will it be painful? While deep tissue massage can sometimes utilize firmer pressure, your massage should never hurt you. The idea of no pain no gain is thrown right out the window, and you should let your therapist know if anything is sensitive or painful so that they can adjust their pressure. At Sanctuary Massage we specialize in techniques that address the deeper muscles in a much gentler way.

Where will my massage therapist touch me? This will be different each time depending upon your goals and needs for your session. At the end of your intake your massage therapist should go over the basic plan with you to make sure you are comfortable with it and allow you to ask any questions. The most common full body session includes: Face, Scalp, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Hands, Thighs, Feet, and Back. The upper chest (Not female breast tissue unless addressing breast cancer or mastectomy massage) and your glutes (butt) are also massaged as treatment for many common complaints such as upper or low back pain. As always you are the one in control of the entire session so if there is anything you are uncomfortable with having massaged simply let your massage therapist know. It is okay to change your mind mid-session and never ever be afraid to ask your massage therapist questions.

Sunday-Monday 1:30-7:00pm

Every other Wednesday 1:30-7:00pm

Tuesday– Non Massage Office Hours

2:00pm 7pm

864 Burdeck Street, Schenectady NY

(In the same building as Ed’s Electric)

Friday-Saturday 1:30-7:00pm

Every other Wednesday 1:30-7:00pm

747 Madison Ave, Albany NY

60 or 90 Minute Body, Mind, Spirit Massage

45 Minute Head, Hands, & Feet Massage

Couples Massage Lessons

Couples Massage

4 Hand Massage

Knowledge is Power! Addressing common fears that may be keeping you from booking your first massage.

“Our purpose is to remind each other who

we are. We are able to know ourselves

better through being touched.”

~Jacquelyn Small

Schenectady Office Hours

Albany Office Hours

Massage Services

Upcoming Events May 10th 1pm-5pm

Grand Opening & Mothers Day Celebration! May 13th 6:00pm

Deep Roots– a workshop on grounding May 21st-6:30pm $ -TBD

Made with Love Craft Club Tiered Clay Pot Center Piece with flowers

June 3rd 6:00pm $10.00

Three Traditions of Healing-A workshop on how your perspective effects your health Please check out our new calendar of events on our website for information and to register for all classes

Herbs Around The Studio Sacred Plant Medicine at Sanctuary Massage

With her first year apprenticeship completed in December and a

certificate in her hand, Stephanie has brought the teachings of Sacred

Plant Medicine into the massage studio in a myriad of ways.

At the new Schenectady Studio, a retail space will offer herbal products

such as make your own herbal oils, massage oils, herbal bath brews,

heat & cold packs, sugar scrubs and much more.

As always Sanctuary Massage only uses 100% natural products and

never any chemicals or synthetic fragrance oils. In the massage room

with your permission there are a number of herbal oils along with

aromatherapy that can be used at no additional cost to help enhance the

benefits of your massage session.

For centuries herbs have been used to cleanse, purify and even bless

scared healing space. Sage is a well known herb used to smudge a

person or a place to help clear the space of negative energy. After

particularly intense sessions or when needed we use sage, pine,

frankincense and more to do just that.

The new Healing Arts room will be home to wellness workshops and

will be offering a variety of herbal classes. Check out the Summer and

Fall schedule to learn about different medicine making techniques,

harvesting local herbs, and the wise woman tradition of herbalism.

Clients adored the recent “Free Massage” day at the Albany Studio. In

fact they loved the herbal foot soak and massage so much that Stephanie

has decided to permanently add the service for both studios. Keep your

eye out for the summer newsletter to learn more about this new herbal

service.

Have a question about how massage

or sacred plant medicine might

make life better for you or a loved one? Schedule a compli-mentary Discovery Session to find out!

While massage is a great way to practice self love and taking care of your body; this practice shouldn’t begin and end at the massage studio. Finding time for yourself in our busy world can be a stressful task in and out of itself but it doesn’t have to be. Finding quick ways to integrate self care into your daily life can make a big & positive impact on how you feel overall. Here are some tips:

Breathing: We often take for granted the power of our breath to relieve pain & calm us down while supplying our body with needed oxygen. Make a point once a day to spend 1 minute consciously breathing. Close your eyes, breath in slowly. Let the air fill your lungs and expand your chest, control the inhale and exhale. Allow yourself to focus solely on this process.

Self Care & Loving Your Body

Stretching: Not only is this good for healthy muscles taking a bit of time to stretch can be a great stress reliever. Find a target time everyday. (your 10am coffee break, or at 2pm when your reports are due) Stretch! 30 seconds of uncomplicated stretching like arm circles or touching your toes after sitting for a long time gets the blood flowing and might even help you wake up and refocus.

Soothe your Solar Plexus: Your solar plexus is located just above your belly button and below your diaphragm. This chakra energy center is your place of power and both nervousness and feeling vulnerable can be eased simply by placing your palm over the area and visualizing golden light , your personal power, staying within your control and not allowing it to leak out.

“When we give ourselves

compassion, we are opening our hearts in

a way that can transform our

lives”~Kristin Neff

Muscle Spotlight Subscapularis

For those of you who have come into the studio

with some shoulder pain, you may be familiar with

the Subscapularis muscle. It is a triangular shaped

muscle that attaches to both your shoulder blade

and the bone of your upper arm. Considered to be

one of the rotator cuff muscles it can be

responsible for a lot of pain in the shoulders and

upper back area as well restricting some range of motion. We most

commonly work this muscle as well as the pec muscles starting with the

chest and moving into the armpit area.

To Stretch this muscle: Stand up with your shoulders straight. Bend

your arms palm up and in front of you as if you are holding an imaginary serving

tray. Then slowly pull your palms away from each other, your thumbs pointing

behind you as far as you can go. You will feel this pull behind your shoulder blades

and should continue at least 5 times holding the stretch for about 8 seconds each

Door Prizes, Raffles, Booking Incentives & a Special Gift For every mother who stops by.

Join us 1pm-5pm