Vanessa Lopez LMT

Massage Therapy Blog, Life.

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A smile is contagious and it can bring a moment of sincere happiness to a friend, family member, partner or even a stranger.

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When life begins to feel this way even making one simple change to our routines can breathe some life into a routine. It's easy to get caught up but it's also easy to slowly step back from it. 

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Health, Wealth & Reason

When Health is absent... Wisdom cannot reveal itself

Art cannot become manifest

Strength cannot be exerted

Wealth is useless and reason is powerless.

Heraphilies

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State Of Mind

The root of all health is in the brain.

The trunk of it is in emotion.

The branches and leaves are the body.

The flower of health blooms

when all parts work together.

- Kurdish folk wisdom

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We are often times our biggest critics, we build and destroy our success with the blink of an eye. One praise can quickly be dismantled into a gazillion pieces by our inner thoughts. It has taken a long time to finally realize all of this inner conflict is truly just FEAR it's torment and built up frustration from perhaps our own worst fears, other peoples comments to us, a look, a smirk a sigh, pretty much anything. That moment of dissapointment can create so much havoc that by the time its done, we are left wondering what's left of us? This negative chatter takes another turn for the worst when it directs all this negativity and hate towards our physical bodies. How can a part of ourself turn against a part of itself? it's a big contradiction. We have one body which is our temple it is YOURS and no one else's and what we eat, drink and decide to nourish our bodies should be re evaluated if we are not feeling our best. All of these "healthy" choices will seem like 1st hand nature to us when we start to break free from all of these things that we seek for comfort. Silence the negative thoughts and replace them with more empowering statements. Stop it before it finishes even if it take a million times and slowly those thoughts will give way! 

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Invest in your Health, Invest in Yourself: Infrared Saunas

I have been looking into purchasing a Portable infrared Portable Sauna. Compared to the costs of a beautiful wood Sauna and lack of space at my home, I want to make a smart decision and then eventually upgrade when I do have the space and money for it. I tried to insert the amazon link to share with you guys but for some reason Tumblr does not allow me to post it, anyway the The Portable Infrared sauna that has received numerous positive reviews can be searched by typing Far Infrared Portable Sauna + Negative Ion Detox ship & should by DURHEM, It's cost is $184.95 & Free Shipping. Feel free to look around and let me know if you find something better! It's health benefits include boosting immune system, water weight loss, keeping muscles warm and aiding in the release of toxic chemicals stored in our bodies through our LARGEST eliminating organ: Our Skin, The Epidermis. I found this website for a holistic healing center in California named: Sacred Roots Holistic Healing and they explain the Health Benefits of infra red saunas more thoroughly: http://sacredrootsholistichealing.com/infraredsauna/infrared-sauna-benefits/ Remember: Invest in your Health Invest in Yourself! 

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Today I returned to work after a Very much needed vacation. And I was quickly reminded of the importance of needing to set boundaries. From my own personal experience, massage therapy is one of the most rewarding jobs i could have ever imagined myself having. There is a mutual understanding of the impact of high stress levels and the need to want to relax or have some relief from the constant muscle aches that catch up with us....and being able to provide some relaxation from any or all of that is amazing. We all have millions of things going on in our lives and as much as the idea of having a massage should be relaxing it is hard for some people to automatically just flip their relaxation switch on- it's not an easy thing. So over the years i have learned to dote on my clients checking in about pressure, heat on the table, the music etc. most importantly I try to be as clear as possible so that I can atleast provide something they may not be used to which is individual uninterrupted attention. At my job phones are not allowed into the second floor which is the spa area and i applaud this rule because we don't think of our best interested until they are forced upon us, anyways I'm sorry i'll land my plane. Basically we all carry with us whatever is going on expectations dissapointments happiness hurt pain etc etc and this just leaks into unintentionally nitpicking things around you that could possibly go wrong. Sooooo I have to create boundaries from the good and the bad because i can only do what i can to make the experience wonderful for the client but i cannot expect that to be the case 100% of the time. When its very good i cannot allow for the compliments to go to my head and inflate my ego and when its very bad i cannot allow for that to bring me down and stay with me for the entire day. Anyways Boundaries are healthy and necessary not just with work but with any part of our lives.

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Drinking more water

Keeping your body hydrated allows for your organs to function properly. During my teenage years I decided to stop drinking soda because of all the research I began to do, I’ll spare you the long story but let’s just say curiosity got the better of me. In doing so, I lost 15 pounds and started to drink A LOT of water. As the days passed, began realizing I wasn’t thirsty as much, then directed my focus to how energetic I now felt, not sluggish and dragging myself throughout the day like I used to. I couldn’t stand the “taste” of water at first, I was used to having all these different flavors- to now tasting… nothing. So, I gave myself a challenge to drink water for about 3 weeks and take it from there. After a bunch of trial and errors finally just started carrying a bottle of water everywhere with me to keep me drinking water instead of caving in and buying whatever sugar filled drink was readily accessible to me. 9 Years later the size of my water bottle has increased and so has my love relationship with water I now water down any sugary drinks and not a fan of soda anymore. This is just my own personal story but whatever the turnout one thing can be said. Drinking more water will benefit you in many ways than one. So let’s cheers with a glassful of water! :P

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Dreams

Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.


- Lao Tzu.

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Keep calm and book a massage! When all else is fails in trying to relax and or find some physical alleviation from muscle tightness or aches book a massage! The hour or hour and a half allows for your mind and your body to wind down. Massage targets the central nervous system to relax, and during treatment levels of stress reduce while serotonin and dopamine are said to be released. These are our feel good neurotransmitters- which in plain english means they are meant to target our brain center and release a good dose of happy. A massage can also help good sleep and boost our immunity levels and with all this instability in our weather and allergies kicking into high gear, you don't have to ask me twice! I found this Article written by Sarah Klein in the Huffington Post that I thought would be nice to share with you guys! Check it out and let me know what you think. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/massage-benefits-health_n_1261178.html#s672045&title=Manage_Anxiety_And

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Relax

In a society where our schedules demand so much of our time, the idea of even being able to Relax seems to exist only in our daily daydreaming. It takes so much energy and resistance to allow for our minds and body to truly relax. But I ask you to take a moment, reconsider and push everything aside. Relaxing can take many shapes and forms whether it's a short drive blasting the radio singing at the top of your lungs or simply rolling down the window and letting the outside noises settle your thoughts. There are many ways to get to this Zen like moment but the only way to get there is to keep on trying and allowing yourself that time to recollect yourself.

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Self care is a divine responsibility, being Self-less is easier to do nowadays than to be Self-"ish". If we spent just a tiny bit of time on ourselves more often without feeling selfish it could aid so much in our inner growth and allow for us to do more for the people that we love. 

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Massage Therapy is powerful because it's a give and take. As a Massage therapist the treatment allows us to use our knowledge and skills to help alleviate your aches and pains or even help promote a general avenue for enhancing relaxation. On a clients end, you can be rest assured that a licensed and trained massage therapist will keep your concerns and wellness in mind. Clients surrender to the massage therapist to address their physical discomforts or previous experiences without having to worry about anything from the outside... it is the perfect time to relax and have someone else pamper you. 

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"Your Body Will be around a lot longer than that Expensive Handbag. Invest in yourself."

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LIVE LOVE GROWTH & EXPAND: this is what I apply to my life as much as I can. One thing i have really learned is that this life is a blessing and a gift and we choose how we live our lives. Yes, there are millions of other factors that play within our lives, but it is OUR actions that give life to the momentum into which direction our lives go. I lose my balance when I give more and pay less attention to my own needs, whether it's rest or excitement or shopping or whatever it may be. Those momentary fleeting moments need to be addressed  every so often so that I, do not feel as if I have neglected myself. Those feelings will arise at some point or another so it is better to nurture so that you may give your 100% to whatever rings true for you. 

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Don't forget about YOU, who can love you and know you & cater to you better than you? This is not to say they're aren't people or another person who can love and shower you endlessly with affection and gifts and etc. but ultimately how we LOVE OURSELVES comes first before we can appreciate or accept all of the affection from others. Extend yourself but remember that before anything else, You are the person living your life, your body, your mind, your thoughts, your actions! Do not allow for yourself to fade into the darkness and become a shadow! life is an amazing and beautiful gift and the days pass by us literally in the blink of an eye. So do something for yourself that puts a smile on your face. 

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So True, being burnt out leads to more mistakes and higher stress levels and our minds are not able to stay as sharp as we would like. Self-Care we all have a limit to retreat, recharge, relax.