There is so much guilt that goes along with being kind to oneself.  My clients express it and I feel it, too.  Recently, I took on two, new, expenses, both for my own benefit; to feel better and grow more.  I found myself not telling certain people because I knew they’d ask how much I was paying, or else I’d admit it to people guiltily.  As time has gone on, I see I am better at what I do, both in my work and in my relationships outside of work, because of the energy I’m putting into myself.  The better I feel, the more I want to give other people permission to feel as good as they can.

There are several beliefs that I notice, both in myself and others, that perpetuate cycles of guilt and depriving ourselves of what heals us.

1. You don’t need to do something to earn your massage.  You don’t have to go to every yoga class you said you w ould, quit smoking, join a gym, or complete your dissertation to deserve a massage.  You deserve one because you are ALWAYS worth taking care of.  Also, taking one step often sets in motion others on which you’ve had trouble acting.

1. You don’t have to be injured or in pain to get a massage.  You can get one as preventative medicine.  You can get one because you’re able to be more loving in your choices for yourself.  You can get one because are making a big decision and want to be in touch with your deeper wisdom.  You can get one because when you have massages, you are more compassionate with your family.  Expand your reasons for getting bodywork, and watch how other areas of your life expand.

1. You’re feeling great does NOT mean that someone else has to feel worse.  If someone feels worse when you feel better, that is not your fault.  Sometimes when my partner comes home feeling super happy, I start to feel worse.  I’m jealous of how happy he is.  Maybe, I’ve started thinking, this is a sign that I’ve been depriving myself of something.  What do I need right now?

Here is my challenge to you: can you take care of yourself and someone else at the same time?  In honor of the profoundly healing truth that was taught to me by one of my teachers, I would like to offer you theI Can Have It and You Can Have It Special.  If you book a 90 minute session for yourself and a loved one, between now and January 5^th, 2012, I will take $20 off ($180 total).  If you book the sessions back-to-back, I’ll make it $25 off ($175 total), and you can spend time together after.

Bruce Lipton is a cell biologist who is doing groundbreaking research within a new field called epigenetics.  He tells us that the way we perceive our environment changes the way our genes are being read.   Arguing that we must all become ‘self biologists,’ managers of our own biology, he points to the chemicals our brains release into our blood.  Hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine (pleasure producing), oxytocin (bonding), and seratonin (growth and repair of cells) make for a healthy environment for our cells.  When we engage in activities that increase the availability of these chemicals (like massage!), we change our genes, our health, our reality.  The link below has a podcast of Lipton speaking about one of his books lectures on the Biology of Belief.  I believe this hour and 25 minutes is so worth your time.  Enjoy!

http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2011-05-18/bruce-h-lipton-biology-belief

After you’ve finished listening, feel free to compare what he’s said with some of the information in this website on the physiology of massage.

http://ldpmt.com/mystery-of-massage