Did you know that by simply changing your posture and facial expressions it is possible that you can change your emotions and confidence levels for the better? Our nervous systems are wired such that our facial expressions and postures are linked to the way we feel inside and our ability to have positive social interaction. When we already feel happy and confident, our face and body will automatically reflect that. Anyone will be able to look at you and sense your positive demeanor. But it also can work the other way around. When you don’t feel so good inside, choosing to change your expression and posture can stimulate hormones and physiological processes that can change negative emotions into positive ones. (See linked TedTalk below)
If you’d like, take a few minutes to notice YOUR posture in this very moment. Without trying to change anything, just scan your body from head to toe and notice how you are sitting (or standing). Are you sitting forward with your shoulders slumped and head forward? Is your back rounded? Or, are you sitting up tall, relaxed, and at ease in your space? How do your hips and legs feel? What is your current emotional state? Does anywhere in your body hurt? Notice your facial expression. What happens in your body when you frown, grimace, or smile?
If you are not feeling your best right now, maybe just sitting up straighter and choosing a better attitude and smiling more will help you feel better, both physically and emotionally. It is certainly possible that the old adage “fake it ’til you make it” may help change your current state.
Or perhaps you don’t feel like you can muster the energy to produce a genuine smile, or your body hurts too much to sit any straighter. Everyone is different in the ways they may feel out of balance. Your symptoms may be mild or they may be severe.
When you feel unable to make yourself feel better with a top-down mental approach of simply pulling yourself together and choosing a better body posture or facial expression, you may want to seek support in the form of intelligent somatic therapy that works bottom-up starting with what the body is holding and communicating.
Whether you are feeling like you just need an hour on the table to “reset,” destress, and unwind, or if you want to commit to healing chronic pain and patterns of imbalance, I can meet you where you are right now. I practice two very effective forms of bodywork to address these issues — Zero Balancing and Craniosacral Therapy.
Zero Balancing (ZB)
One of the most valuable benefits of a Zero Balancing treatment is improved postural alignment. I use a very precise touch to work with the structure of your body to relieve tension at the joints along your spine, ribs, hips, legs, feet, neck, shoulders, arms, and wrists. These are the places where clients often report pain and/or “knots,” and are easily resolved during the session.
This work is gentle, relaxing, and helps align your entire body. The number one comment I hear from my clients when they get off the table after a Zero Balancing session is that they feel as if they are taller and lighter. They feel like they can stand up straight without trying. The joints in their bodies are more aligned and are better able to do their job of conducting the forces of gravity and kinetic energy through the body, and thus there is more freedom of movement and less pain.
Another extremely helpful benefit of Zero Balancing is that the precision of the touch I use profoundly calms and settles the nervous system, relieving stress and balancing emotional states. This can help you feel calmer, more positive, and hopeful inside. This balanced state of mind can help you make better decisions for your life, even in difficult circumstances.
After a session, your posture and facial expressions will likely reflect your new sense of alignment, grounded-ness, and emotional balance!
Craniosacral Therapy (CST)
My ongoing study and practice of Craniosacral Therapy has given me additional tools to therapeutically touch into the nervous system, deep fascia structure, and fluid biorhythms of the body. Clients who receive this work almost always report renewed vitality in their bodies, and some even have profound inner awakenings during their sessions.
Craniosacral touch therapy can help structurally with deeper connective tissue restrictions and can also facilitate a slower, self-repairing biorhythm where natural somatic processes can arise for healing from the inside out — the ultimate “rest, digest, and repair” state of being!
Craniosacral Therapy and Zero Balancing integrated together provide a very complete and satisfying bodywork experience that almost always gets results. Of all the tools I use, I consider these two modalities together a “dynamic duo” in holistic bodywork!
The Power of Intention Brings It All Together
Intentions can be a powerful part of your treatment. At the beginning of every integrated ZB/CST session we harness the power of YOUR intentions, which you verbalize before we begin your treatment. This helps you clarify your goals and name out loud what you intend for yourself and your life as you receive this bodywork. Once your intention is in our field, we take it directly to your body, where the beginning of real change can happen.
I see it over and over again with the many clients I have been privileged to work with in this way. Postures change. Pain diminishes. Stress is managed. Emotions are balanced. People feel better inside and out and are able to take a new stand in life to create the life they desire. It is truly my honor and my joy to witness these transformations.
One hour with Tammy and you will get a taste of how wonderful you CAN feel. She is able to peel down the layers of pain like an onion. Not only releasing body pain, this process allowed me to picture a better future for myself. Subtle shifts became apparent…when my brain was released from the anguish of pain I saw much more clearly…of where I was and where I wanted to go with my life…my nervous system was calmer, I slept better and had more energy. Together we have formed a strong alliance to support my body to hold this pain free existence and in turn keep my mind strong and positive to work for attaining MY highest goals for me at this time in my life.” -M.B., Client