Juniper Massage and Wellness

Did you know there is more than one type of rest? Welcome to thankful Thursdays a gratitude series where we talk about tips and tricks to move our bodies and minds into rest and digest. Most people think of rest as either napping, or laying down or sleep, but there us so much more to rest. So, if we are focusing on how to hold rest in our bodies, let's talk about rest. 1. Rest can be physical like sleep. 2. Rest can be mental- like taking a break from decision making. 3 Rest can be sensory- like taking softer lightening and volume. 4 rest can be creative- painting, hiking, enjoying live music. 5. Rest can be emotional- like setting healthy boundaries or talking with a therapist. 6. Rest can be social- like limiting your social calendar. 7. Rest can be spiritual- prayer and meditation, serving or volunteering, or being a part of a worship community. All these types of different rest address an area of life that can become overwhelmed and over busy. We have to remind ourselves that we work from rest. Not the other way around. We have to have a practice of resting to be filled up and ready to pour into the things or people that matter to us. As always, here at Juniper, we are honored if you decide that a session with us is a way you can rest best. See you next Thursday for the next thankful moment.

Welcome to Thankful Thursday, a gratitude series where we talk about tips and tricks to hold gratitude in our physical bodies. This week I want to talk about a concept of ripple effects. Have you ever had a day where the morning just went wrong? Maybe you had someone cut you off in traffic, or you spilt coffee on your last clean shirt before laundry day. These seemingly inconsequential moments compile to make our day and can dictate the reality we see our day with. A typical American question at the end of the day to those you love is, “how was your day?” And, generally speaking, there are only two answers, good or bad. However, what if when we had a bad moment in our day, we chose that moment to practice the pause and reset attitudes concept and we ripple affected in the opposite direction? What if when we had a bad moment we decided to say, good. That means I get to choose for it to be good in spite of all these things. I know what you’re thinking, Susanna sometimes your day is just bad. And believe me, I have been there. But what if instead of thinking mean things about the person who cut you off, you decide to respond with grace, and internally say, “man, they must be having an even harder morning, I hope they get there safely.” When your coworker is manipulative and doesn’t get called out on it, “man, they must be processing some old wounds.” What happens when we sidestep the bad, acknowledge it, and then choose to not let it hijack our day? When we choose to do this on a neurological level something very interesting happens, our biochemical response chooses to repair, heal, and rest. It chooses to stay in rest and gratitude instead of triggering into fight or flight. We, by choice, choose to reroute our actions and attitudes from being reactions into being responses. And who knows, maybe by giving each other grace, we can help other people choose to regulate their own nervous systems and not be manipulative or blow the horn in aggression in traffic, and so on. Sometimes choosing to stay in rest and gratitude setting is hard, sometimes it takes extreme effort to choose it. I understand that. I understand that we don’t get it right every ti

Welcome back to the gratitude series thankful Thursdays! Once we check in to our nervous systems, how can we reset? Simple use your breath. Use your diaphragm awareness to trigger your vagel nerve to switch into rest, digest, and gratitude. This is a great trick to help you reset!

Hi, I’m Valerie with Juniper Massage & Wellness! And today’s Thankful Thursday episode is called Pause, Reset, & Move Forward!
 
You may already know, life can throw us some curves, & they can come in all shapes & sizes. And when those times come, I am Thankfully aware that sometimes, the most productive thing I can do is press the pause button.
 
The pause gives us a moment to reset - our thoughts - our perspective - our response, which in turn gives opportunity for us to better choose the path on which we want to move forward. 
 
You may be wondering, what does a PAUSE look like? Or how much time is this going to take? The answers to those questions are dependent upon how much time you have or want to take. 
 
A Pause can be as simple as one or more deep slow breaths; you can even lift your arms up over your head in a gentle stretch added to those breaths - this action facilitates the breath to engage the diaphragm as opposed to shallow breathing…and I like to give myself a little hug of reassurance as I bring my arms back down. Because some days you just need a hug!  
 
Pausing can be listening to a meditation that is 1 to 10 or more minutes long. 
Some pauses are in the moment, as needed. 
 
Others can be something like listening to a short meditation to start &/or end your day. 
 
A Pause can also be longer times - set apart for deeper reflection & communion.
 
As I mentioned earlier, “The pause gives us a moment to reset.” Now a reset doesn’t mean ignoring the problem. It means approaching it with a clearer mind.
 
It might mean taking a few deep breaths, getting up and walking for a moment, drinking some water, praying, reflecting, or simply giving yourself permission to start again.  And there is something powerful about starting again.
 
So, take the breath. Let go of what you can’t change. Adjust your perspective & let your attitude follow. Encourage yourself and then take the next step to move forward.
 
This is giving yourself an opportunity to respond well—and the shift you need can start within that pause.
 
Happy Thankful Thursday, y’all!

Come & experience for yourself how perfect the trifecta of essential oils, massage, & the hum-m-m of tuning forks can energetically support body, soul, & spirit. Raindrop Harmonics at Juniper Massage and Wellness.

Welcome back to this year's gratitude series of thankful Thursdays. Each week we are going to talk about ways to help our bodies out of flight or fight and in to rest and digest. We can physically help our nervous system flip in to a heart and posture of gratitude. Today we are going to build on last week's concept of body scanning. What do we do when we realize after a scan that our body is feeling off? This trick is one that i personally love to help end my day with. When you're laying in bed and your brain doesn't get the memo that we are done for the day, we can put away the mental to do list, quit rehearsing the transitions for the next day, stop following the rabbit trails of problems going on in life. All of that still exists, and yet a deep restorative sleep can help us be able to tackle all of that in the morning with a more positive, grateful attitude. The problems don't shift, our bodies reaction to them does. So, at night, laying in bed much like a body scan, I start with my toes, become aware of what I am feeling there, and then we internally say," thank you feet, it's time to rest now feet, that is the best thing you can do for me now." Then I continue up the regions of the body until I get to my head, my brain. Sometimes, I find that simply starting the process helps me get into rest and relaxation mode by shifting what I am focused on and I drift off to sleep. It helps shift our focus from all the distractions and actively on to gratitude. As always, we hope to see you soon at Juniper and we will see you next Thursday for the next gratitude moment.

Each year we take time in the fall to talk about how to hold gratitude within our nervous system and bodies. However, we often jump right into talking about Vogel nerve theory, fascia, and how our bodies need to move from fight or flight into rest and digest. However, upon reflection over the years, I have realized we often forget the foundational step if taking about how to check in with our bodies. Our nervous system will give us signals in our body. So, let's take a minute and listen to it. If you are not familiar with how this feels, start with what I call a body scan. Stand with 587r feet hop width apart. Hands down by your sides, eyes gently closed, and head facing forward with your chin level to the ground. Take three deep breaths silently. Now pay attention to each region of the your body. Start down with your feet and scan up to your head. Does that region have pain, is there tension in the muscle, do you feel more weight being centered to one side over another? Do you feel peaceful? What does the pain or peace feel like? Once you practice, you can get a lot of good information from your body. If it is tight, painful or you are shallow breathing- those are signs your nervous system needs help regulating. Good news is, in the coming weeks we are going to dive into how to help our bodies move from that state into rest, digest, and gratitude state. But for now, just try becoming more aware of what your body is telling you on a daily basis. That in itself is a BIG step. Nervous system awareness and gradual relief to our bodies is a big deal. As life goes on, personally, I find a root to my joy us my grounding gratitude, and therefore how I care for all you lovelies who come see us at Juniper. As always, we hope to see you soon, stop on in for a session here at Juniper Massage and Wellness.

Thankful Thursdays/gratitude series is back! September through November check in with us on Thursdays and learn some tricks to help our bodies switch from fight/flight/freeze/fawn to rest and digest.

Here at Juniper Massage & Wellness we are introducing our newest Raindrop Harmonics Technique - called Peace & Awareness. 
The specially chosen essential oils along with the tuning forks that are used in this Raindrop Harmonics Technique supports calming of the mind & soul, while also supporting focus & a sense of direction. 
As our schedules speed up with the year, sometimes we wish we could press pause & take a time-out. 
If you’re looking for a restorative energetic time out, book a session for our newest Peace & Awareness Raindrop Harmonics Technique.

Raindrop Harmonics create a repeating rhythm that invites tension to soften, thoughts to quiet, and the body to simply receive.
The subtle changes introduced through each essential oil, feather-light massage patterns, and harmonic intervals of tuning forks creates space for rest, presence, and renewal to unfold naturally.
At Juniper Massage & Wellness, we’re honored to offer a nurturing space to pause, reconnect with yourself, and experience thoughtful care tailored to you.