Featured
Seasonal Questions (Part 1.)
Monday, January 16th, 2012 | Business, Craniosacral Therapy, Featured, greenwood, Health, Massage, Seattle | No Comments
Questions about my life seem to come up at odd moments and in mysterious ways when the season turns and there’s a chill in the air. Where am I in my life? How are my clients, these people who live in warm human bodies that I help with my massage practice? Where am I in my mental, physical, and emotional bodies? How much exercise am I getting? Could my diet be healthier? Why am I not posting more blog posts? Hey, wait, I’m doing it now…writing something that will connect with others…since I can’t be the only one having these thoughts…
I’m busy with new and long-term clients and I’m glad. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I relocated my business this year, up in Greenwood, in a sweet little nest of a house. I’m passionate about what I do, and when I perform deep tissue massage for people, I like seeing how they come out of my space…feeling lighter and more flexible…and in less pain. And my rates may be slightly higher than what’s now considered “market rate” for a massage in Seattle, but there are many reasons why an experienced massage therapist charges what they do. Such as…experience, knowledge, and being able to help people in ways that someone just starting out isn’t capable of doing. No matter one does for a living, there’s a dollar sign attached to it, and we should all be getting our true worth for our services.
When you go to a traditional Western doctor or hospital, they tell you how much it’ll cost and you pay with your credit card or write a check, but you don’t complain about it. There would be no point, you think. Same should be true with non-traditional healers. If through your own healing experiences, you’ve found out that regular massage and Eastern modalities (like acupuncture and herbs) help keep your body in tune and on track, you are grateful to be healthy and aware of it, and you’re willing to pay for what works with your body. So, life, healing, seasonal shifts…and money as a fact of life…everywhere in the world. I invite you to ask your own seasonal questions, and find out why you’re feeling in a dark place, or maybe in a lighter place than people around you. What’s weighing you down, or making you feel lighter? How are you taking care of yourself as we enter the busy Winter Season?
New Year, New Location…Time to Get A Massage. Get Ready for Spring!
Thursday, March 10th, 2011 | Business, Featured, greenlake, greenwood, Massage, Seattle | No Comments
Greetings!
A hearty hello to all my loyal and wonderful clients, fabulous friends and great business contacts that regularly read my blog posts. I hope 2011 is treating you very well so far! And also a big hello to new people who may be finding me online for the first time at SierraFaye.com, whether you’re in Seattle or someplace further away. Portland, Cleveland, Walla Walla or Vancouver, B.C.?
Some of you already know there have been many big changes in my life, one of which is moving my massage practice to a wonderful new space in Greenwood, near Aurora and 90th.
Yes, Sierra Faye’s Massage practice has relocated to: 747 N. 90th St, Seattle WA, 98103.
Some great improvements in my new massage space for clients:
v You’ll always find ample free parking close-by.
v Traffic sounds and intrusive noises are practically non-existent.
v The people I share the space with are all healers with more than 30 years experience in their fields.
As a place for giving healing and therapeutic bodywork, my new space feels so much better.
Clients who visit me breathe easier and relax into their massage treatments, without being distracted by traffic sounds or nearby construction projects. Now I can attend to clients in a welcoming space—in a residential neighborhood, in a house that’s been converted into a healing center.
The atmosphere is much quieter than on Capitol Hill, and provides a more cozy massage environment.
People wanting therapeutic massage treatments in the north end of Seattle can get to me easier, and my long-term Capitol Hill clients have a perfect reason to come up to Greenwood and check out a neighborhood with so much going for it…great restaurants, cool art galleries, inviting coffee shops…and excellent massage practitioners.
What Are the Benefits of Getting Regular Massage Treatments?
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 | Featured, Health, health tips, Massage, Seattle | 1 Comment
I asked a few of my clients that come in for frequent massage treatments if they noticed a difference in their lives by making massage a weekly or monthly part of their lives.
For most clients, the freedom of movement and increased energy levels are enough to make scheduling a massage worthwhile, and for others it was keeping chronic muscle and tendon pain out of their lives for days or weeks, and for others, therapeutic massage adds real clarity and lets them focus on the activities they’d like to do.
As the body ages, pain management isn’t just a sometimes thing, it is something one is always concerned with in a number of ways. Maybe you have an old sports injury that flares up when cold weather returns, or chronic pain related to an ongoing physical condition. Rather than just take pills or put up with problem areas in your lower back, your joints, or neck and shoulders, schedule a professional massage and experience the rejuvenating effects of professional body work.
The benefits are clear, and the more often you receive a massage, the more your body responds. Here are just a few of the ways that regularly scheduled massage treatments can help you:
• Higher energy levels
• Greater freedom of movement
• Decreased levels of stress and anxiety
• Improved circulation
• Reduction of fatigue
We all have priorities in our lives, and taking care of our health means so many things to each person. Healing massage therapy is what I bring to peoples lives, and when clients experience the type of deep tissue work I can do, they literally breathe a sigh of relief. This is gratifying to me, since I know the increased vitality and pain relief that can come from bodywork is an important part of a health regimen.
Ask yourself if it’s been too long since your last massage therapy treatment. Think about how much better you’ll feel afterward.
Yes, we are lucky to be living in a city like Seattle, full of vibrancy, culture, and so many great people. Remember: being healthy and taking care of one’s body with a therapeutic massage is an essential part of enjoying life.
Needing a massage, and wanting a massage. Loving what you do, and liking what you do.
Friday, October 1st, 2010 | Featured, Health, health tips, Massage, Seattle | 1 Comment
You’ve reached that point. Getting a massage has become necessary. Your body already knows, but your brain tells you to put it off for a few days or weeks longer.
We’ve all been through challenging times during the past few years, but something is in the air—so many people agree—something vital has opened up again.
A lot of lives have been affected, and many people in Seattle and in our whole culture want to find a better way—they want to find a way to do more of what feeds their spirits, and what makes them whole. The ideal is to do what you love for a living.
All of our lives are busy, we’ve all got dreams and plans, and taking care of your physical being is a part of doing what you love to do.
If you need to receive therapeutic bodywork, listen to the side of yourself that wants to make time for healthful choices.
What gets you excited about getting up every morning? What makes you the completely alive self that you want to be?
Turn your likes into loves, and love your physical body by scheduling a massage that will get you on track to feeling better.
There are some definite changes in the air, and people want to feel more alive, more connected. Part of the learning and healing process is getting that therapeutic massage you’ve been putting off for a while.
Ask yourself if you want to get closer to loving what you do. If getting the deep tissue massage that you’ve been putting off is part of your healing process, I’m here.
Receiving a Healing Massage in the autumn
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 | Featured, Health, health tips, Massage, Seattle, stretching | 1 Comment
Hello Seattle.
The calendar says we’re still in summer (for a few days), but the chill in the air makes it feel like we’re already in autumn.
One thing your body may be telling you is how the colder weather reminds you of your body’s stiff areas, uncomfortable tightness, and old or new injuries that need some massage therapy care.
In the hot weather our muscles and ligaments expand, and this jello-like effect is what we experience throughout the summertime. We move easier and walk faster, with the sun in our hair and the warm weather on our skin.
When the first few cold snaps occur, our joints and muscles feel a stiffness that we haven’t felt all summer.
A massage therapy session can help to restore the body’s natural flow, and help to restore your structural alignment that has gotten out of place from bad habits, overuse, and just pulling a muscle the wrong way.
Yes, your body can be restored to a more active-friendly mode of being. And of course, you want your body to act like its spring or summer, even though the calendar says we’re in autumn.
Let’s try something.
Stand up and stretch to the side, first one way then the other.
See if you can locate the tight spots that feel as if you haven’t used them in months. These are the areas where deep tissue massage work can help loosen up problem areas or old injuries, and create the freedom of movement you want.
Joints and cartilage need to have work done on them so they don’t become rigid and stuck in the same rut, kind of like the way minds need to be exposed to new ideas and concepts to they can stretch out.
Improved circulation, being able to move in ways you couldn’t (even the day before), and getting the blood moving to joints and stiff and sore muscular problem areas—all of this helps your ongoing healthy body movements.
Stretching more freely, and sleeping more soundly, are two of the immediate benefits that you’ll receive from getting an early seasonal massage.
So, hopefully this will remind you to come into my Capitol Hill massage clinic and receive that well-deserved massage you’ve been putting off for a while.
After all, a new season is just around the corner…
Why Clients Are Requesting More Groin Work
Thursday, August 5th, 2010 | Featured, Groin Injury, Health, Massage, Seattle | No Comments
There are a great many reasons why new clients come to me to have pelvic and
groin massage therapy done.
But the two main reasons are to gain greater freedom of movement and to live healthier longer.
Wow. Good stuff. Right?
Think about those two health benefits and consider the less healthy options—an early hip
replacement, chronic lower back pain, and stress that can eventually lead to things like
prostrate cancer and incontinence issues.
Not so good.
Maybe you have a groin or pelvic injury, or a constant tightness in your pelvic region,
and you keep putting off having professional massage work done.
Often the clients who find me through referral or word of mouth are ready for the type
of healing pelvic and groin work I do, and are eager to feel a significant improvement
in their bodies. They may have hit a wall in treatment with other therapists and know
something was missing, and are ready to try again.
A big part of feeling better is getting massage therapy for the problem areas you know
about, and having bodywork done so you’ll prevent future problems.
Groin and pelvic massage helps to open up and create space in hip joints, and relieve the stress that’s been building up.
In Seattle and our surrounding communities, people have the same stresses and problems that everyone else does in other parts of our country.
We just happen to live in a city surrounded by nature and are constantly reminded that we’re a part of nature.
I believe it’s in our nature to be smart creatures that solve problems.
Now is the best time to discover how much better your body will feel when you’re good to it and get the massage therapy you need.
Partner with Your Massage Therapist, Don’t Use Them!
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 | Featured, Massage, Seattle | No Comments
When I hear someone say they use a massage therapist, I cringe.
Ours is the healing profession that you join with, partner with, and come out more whole with because of this unique partnership. We don’t have a massage practice so we can be used by clients.
We’re in it so we can help, heal, and take care of people’s bodies in way they never could do for themselves.
My clients come to me and they receive bodywork from a skilled massage practitioner, and in my case, they receive bodywork and massage care from someone who specializes in helping people with pelvic and groin pain, lower back pain, muscle strain, and injury massage treatment.
There’s already enough using and being used going on in our world. Don’t add to it.
Create a new thought process, and create a healthier mindset toward your body and health.
You might use a toothbrush or a vacuum cleaner, but you open up and receive a massage from the best massage therapist you can find and work on your deep physical places and processes.
Massage practitioners are partners in care, and they become partners in healing.
While it may seem to some like I’m splitting hairs by focusing on this word “use” I’m not.
Ideas matter in our world, words matter, and who you have perform your bodywork matters a great deal.
Every one of you reading this in Seattle and around Puget Sound can decide today to begin working toward a healthier body, making better choices in healthy movement, and schedule a massage treatment. The rest is up to you.
Take care of your body and treat it well. It’s going to have to last a lifetime.
Women clients who want /need a massage practitioner that will:
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 | Featured, Groin Injury, Health, Massage, Seattle | No Comments
Help You to Reconnect With Your Sensuality
If you are a mature women, you’ve already gone through many life changes and challenges. And there are times when you may wonder where your body’s resiliency and your energy went. As an expert massage practitioner based in Seattle, I can help you to discover what you’re missing—by taking you emotionally and physically where others won’t go. After finding out which areas you’d like to improve on, we’ll move ahead and address long-buried issues and traumas.
Sexuality, body/mind connection, center of gravity, flowing sensuality.
With ongoing massage treatments you can add more flow and grounding in your pelvic area. In our massage session we’ll work to bring back core strength, to expand your ability to be stronger and more flexible. Our goal will be to free up the areas to help you to feel younger and more rejuvenated.
Areas than can be focused on include:
· Relieving pain
· Helping with overall movement
· Improving productivity
· Focusing scattered energy
· Healing old trauma
· Helping to feel more vibrant
· Freeing up movement for a more active lifestyle
You don’t have to live with lower back and hip pain. Vitality and focus can be increased. It is possible to bring back more creativity and passion to your life. When your body begins to feel more flexible, you can better express yourself in daily life, in relationships, and in all areas of your life.
Motivation to Stay Healthy and Active
Friday, February 12th, 2010 | Featured, Health, health tips, nutrition | 3 Comments
Don’t Wait till it Hurts
Monday, December 21st, 2009 | Featured, Health, Massage | 2 Comments
I know better than most people how easy it is to put off receiving bodywork until my body hurts so bad I can’t move.
There’s a resistance most of us have in this society against taking care of ourselves.
We feel that we can solve our problems with our logic and intellect. Staying stuck in modes where thought is master and all our actions are based on what our minds want.
When in these “mind-modes” our body’s needs tend to be forgotten or at least
“tuned-out” in order to meet the needs of our minds.
Is there something wrong with this?
No and yes.
Your life is yours to live as you choose. My message is: usually when people start actually taking care of their body’s needs – they are dealing with damage that’s already been done, and pain becomes their motivation to heal.
There’s nothing “wrong” with this – unless you have a desire to live a better and more comfortable life.
Having a body that is pain-free only comes when you maintain your health in a way that addresses body tightness and structural misalignment before they turn into pain, injury or more debilitating maladies like fusions of joints or bone spurs.
Say you have a tight back. It feels tight and uncomfortable, but you keep working anyway. The tightness turns into pain once in a while. Then it gets more frequent. You keep working because you can “live with the pain” while working. You’ll find you can still work even though you’re in pain; it becomes habit. You keep working and pushing your pain aside, and think maybe you should get a massage but instead you think the money it takes to go to a good massage therapist isn’t worth it because you can still live and work relatively well through your daily pain. Years go by, and you’re doing little to nothing for your tight back and the pain that you have just gets a little worse everyday.
Then something happens.
You lift a heavy box and turn around to set it down and feel something “go out” in your back, or you slip and fall out of your chair while reaching for something at work. “All of a sudden” you have so much pain in your shoulder or low back that you can’t sit for more than 3 minutes without having distracting pain.
You finally decide to see someone about the pain because it’s so bad it’s got to be something serious. You get an x-ray that shows you have a slipped disk or fusion in your neck vertebrae.
Those types of serious spinal injuries happen due to “little accidents” or “slip-and-falls” (*note – this does not include injury from serious fall, crashes and extreme emergency life threatening situations) because your soft tissue was so tight. Your muscle tightness made your structure unstable. When an unstable, weak, misaligned and imbalanced body gets tipped, jostled or pushed into even a “small” accident – the likelihood of injury and chronic pain issues become huge.
Choosing to “live with” and ignore your pain will make it easier for you to get hurt in more painful and lasting ways.
As a health care practitioner, I meet many people who “live with their pain.” They argue for their ability to ignore their pain, saying things like “I don’t hurt that bad” “It’s just a little tight, I can still get by just fine” “I don’t have the time or money” “Massage is too expensive… and by the way you charge more than other massage practitioners so I can just go to Massage Envy and Pay forty bucks to get a massage, if I really needed it”
Not to bash my fellow heart-giving colleagues but employers like Massage Envy don’t pay their employee therapists nearly enough to care about your pain and injuries and be motivated to apply the effort and diligence it takes to truly address and correct their clients’ injuries and pain.
You can PREVENT injury with regular cheap massage.
But once you’re “feeling it” it’s too late. The damage has already been done.
For those pain and tightness patterns to be truly addressed – you need a therapist who has put their focus into really dedicating themselves to YOUR healing process.
Doing injury treatment work isn’t easy to give or receive and it’s not the kind of massage where the massage practitioner can just blissfully rub you and make you feel all warm and fuzzy the entire time.
Injury Treatment takes focus, study, practice and a shit-load of compassion to do it with skill or effectiveness.
You know why? Because people destroy themselves everyday. They hurt themselves. They do not see how they created their pain and injuries with their own choices and neglect.
A healer could really stand in judgment for the tragic results that neglect produces in their client’s bodies.
That’s one of the top reasons why the average career span for an LMP is about 2 years. (A few other top reasons: low cash-flow and injury while working.)
Most of the retired LMP’s I have met told me they couldn’t stand to see people destroy themselves anymore. They got to know what peoples’ lack of care for themselves looks, feels, smells and sounds like on an intimate level.
That’s pretty heavy shit, man!
Seriously. The ways people hurt really tugs at any healer’s heart. But even if someone is a so-called “accident prone person” we healers can clearly see what, in our clients, draws their injury.
I think a great healer recognizes the duality of all people wanting to both destroy and heal themselves and just loves people anyway. Let me say that again: we continue to love our clients anyway.
We see the organic naturalness of this consistent opposing dynamic between healing and destroying because all humans seem to have it in one form or another.
We can have compassion for our client’s situations without judgment. We can gently show them how to understand the ways they are hurting themselves, and kindly (sometimes sternly) how to reduce the “destroy-self” compulsions and increase the “heal-self” habits and motivations.
Really good healing work is often not particularly fun.
It makes sense why someone would avoid getting healing work because, on some level, they know it’s going to make them face their choices, selves and destructive habits and why they are in the place of being in pain.
Not to mention – purely on the mechanical level – injury treatment massage can hurt. Knots and tightness tend to hurt when they are massaged and released.
Seasoned receivers of massage will talk about “good-pain” that comes when tight muscles or “knots” get massaged into less painful or tense states.
So it’s your choice to live your life as you desire. I honor all paths whether they lead you to my door or not.
I trust that you know what’s best for you to have a life that fulfills you. And I’ll support your healing in whatever way I am allowed.
I am allowed to voice my opinions and give advice based on the interests of healing my clients and operating my business:
Please don’t wait.
Please get bodywork soon and choose to heal before it hurts and especially before the pain you have right now turns into something worse that may never heal to ideal standards again.
Do yourself a favor: Don’t ignore your body.
Spend the time, money, effort and attention it takes to live a better and more comfortable life. Think about doing it soon.
Your body is your vehicle.
Maintain your healthy body – and you’ll be able to live longer with less pain and more vibrancy and freedom.
