I believe the greatest adventures in life are most likely ones that are a little hard on your body, but why let that slow you down?
After working as a kid’s ski instructor in Colorado for several years out of college and spending a summer working in Denali National Park, Alaska, I learned the importance of taking care of the body. Activities that challenge the mind and body simultaneously while also connecting one to the natural wonders of the world may enliven the soul, but also can wreak havoc on the muscles without a proper self-care routine.
I have been practicing massage therapy in the Twin Cities since 2016, and am also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and certified meditation and mindfulness teacher through the School of Positive Transformation. I can be found teaching yoga at Greenway Yoga in Uptown Minneapolis and love exploring the connection between mind, body, movement, and energy.
Taking optimal care of yourself starts with living an embodied experience.
Many people in today’s world live in their heads, attempting to reason and logic their way into self-care and healing. When one experiences pain and discomfort, the all too common go-to is taking something to cover up the pain. While this can serve a purpose in some circumstances, pain is the body’s way of telling you something needs to change. If that message is reasoned away, covered up, or numbed out, the problem will still persist, only getting stronger until there is no choice left but to listen.
Connecting with your body is an essential first step in self-care.
When you learn to tune into the subtleties of your own unique physical experience, learn how your body moves, learn where your edges are and exactly how and when to push them, you gain a connection with yourself that can serve as a solid foundation to move you through life while staying active along the journey. Practices such as massage therapy can help you learn this connection, particularly when guided by a compassionate, experienced massage therapist. I love helping my clients learn to connect with their bodies and feel better in the process, whether they’re looking to optimize their physical health, train for a triathlon, recover from an injury, or keep doing the activities they love as they age.
If you want to play hard, you’ve got to recover harder… I love traveling whenever life allows, particularly to places that allow me to be outside in the most unscathed of natural spaces (or to a good music festival). Whether it be skiing down a mountain or kayaking Minnesota’s amazing waterways, I love a good adventure, and I know that the biggest adventures require the best self-care at home. Through massage therapy, yoga, playful exercise, meditation, and writing, I have been dedicating my life to developing the best mind-body care routines to keep you climbing mountains, or pursuing life as usual, without letting pain and tension slow you down.
