Shibui Gardens Spa & Wellness Center

Our joints and soft tissue are so important for quality of life. they start out very liquid and mobile, with ability to slide upon themselves and each other with ease.

Lack of movement, repetitive motion, falls, surgeries, illnesses, surgeries, and trauma can create a type of recoil and stickiness of the tissue, making it like velcro or scotch tape.

Drinking more won't necessarily peel these places apart and get the fluids to flow easily again, but there are methods, like skin rolling, cupping, acupuncture, myofascial release and more that can help open things up again and bring the ease and hydration back in.

Remember the earlier posts about how things are interconnected, meaning that stickiness in one area can become mutually restrictive for adjacent areas, some of which can be blood vessels, nerves, or connective tissue that impairs joint function.

Some of the outcomes show up over time, so consider being proactive in keeping things opened up however you can! Wishing all the best possible health outcomes. 🥰

IN RECOGNITION OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS...

If you don't have time to keep things open, awakened, and stretched out, with the time you have, consider spending it all things at and near your spine.

Everything else will benefit. I'm not talking about chiropractic, although that can help, but keep all the systems in mind that are in that area to serve your system best in its wholeness.

Keep in mind that if you have any type of fall or accident, if the forces of that fall aren't cleared from the midline, not only can your spine potentially become scoliotic, but all the adjacent areas including those in the front of your body can be impacted.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
If anyone is available to help food delivery for seniors there will be two online meetings with someone from the Marin County Commission on Aging to give all the details for the what, where, and when. Please use these links if you're available to chip in or if you'd like to find out more about it:

Here are the registration links:

For 10/1 event @ 11am-12:30pm, register here and receive zoom log-in: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/d-VVfDY8TMy8udUuc4PVfw

For 10/6 event @ 1-2:30pm, register here and receive zoom log-in: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/xNrABNSdRIucvjMAaSCEGQ

And here's a download for a beautiful brochure that lists a lot of resources for seniors in our area:

The Guide’s target user are seniors, disabled individuals, and family caregivers. You can find it online here: 2026_Marin_Community_Resource_Guide.pdf

Thanks in advance for considering! ❣️

Remember those toe shoes that used to do this for your feet?

It feels amazing for the knees and hips to have that space and freedom for the bones to be able to move freely and have better contact with the surface you're on, especially if the shoes have minimalist soles.

As an alternative, you can do this to your own feet, and massage them in every way that feels good, but gently and slowly so your feet can give you feedback.

The feet and the neck have the largest amount of proprioceptors in the body, so the input you give will be readily received and sent up the chain to your brain for modifications where needed.


(image courtesy of Pixabay)

DON'T OVERLOOK YOUR FOUNDATION!

Feet are so easy to overlook as a source of balance for the rest of the system, but they make a huge difference in our posture, gait, and being able to transmit forces up the leg in the way they're supposed to - through the bones.

If the alignment is off in the feet or ankles, the forces will travel unevenly up through the soft tissue and other joints in the leg, possibly even creating imbalances in your hips and pelvis, diaphragm and shoulders.

This can be taken care of with gentle conscious movement classes, a skilled bodyworker, and mindful self-regulation before and after a workout.

It pains me a bit to see those of you who are having surgeries for your joints - there but for the Grace of God go I, but there is something you can do to help slow down if not turn around this process of wear and tear (unless you're playing football 😊)

Well, I tore my medial meniscus and posterior horn of the right knee four and a half years ago. I became suspicious when my hamstring wouldn't stop spasming and the anterior tibialis - the muscle between the tibia and fibula in the lower leg became painful.

An MRI revealed what happened. I felt like I caught it right at the beginning. Oddly, it tore during some rotations while I was doing chi kung, but surely the stage was set from the years of playing tennis, racquetball, and pickleball.

I found a sports medicine doctor who did PRP shots in every place that was tender all around the knee. I had an earlier one that included dextrose and ozone (prolozone shot), but that one didn't help much. The second one made a bigger difference, and I had conversations with my knee before, during and after.

I'd read somewhere that dense tissue like cartilage, tendons, and membranes can take up to two years to fully heal. I decided to give mine three because I was in the 'autumn' of my years. 😊

Also, I got a microcurrent machine and used the electrodes with a very small amount of current every day, along with the near and far infrared box I had. In addition, I made a cream with shea butter, mango butter, liquid hyaluronic acid, B12, vitamin C, fir needle and frankincense essential oils, and whole cane organic sugar and rubbed it into the joint daily. All of this daily for three years.

I also have been taking collagen (types 1.2.3.4. and 5) along with hyaluronic acid.

Along the way I did small movements, climbed stairs, did various strengthening exercises, and conscious movement sequences to help the body rebalance and integrate itself.

I showed this image because at the ends of the long bones, there is an area where chondrocytes - or the cells that create cartilage - live.
Whenever any sensitivity came into the joint because I did too much as I began to try dance classes and racquetball again, I would press slowly and gently into the ends of each bone (the tibia and the femur - thigh bone) and let the pressure slowly back out again a few times.

This wakes up the receptors in the joint and lets them assess what's going on and begin remodeling the joint as needed. Then the tenderness goes away. The last x-ray shows distance has come back between the femur and tibia - meaning I think, that the cartilage is growing back and the meniscus is a bit thicker.

I'm still careful, but also increasing the type, amount, duration, and intensity of exercise I do. I know it's a lot, and those titanium knees will last longer than the body will! 😄 I'm not suggesting that you you do what I did, or that the same things will work for everyone, but in case you want to avoid surgery, there are options. Sending love 💖🙏
(Image courtesy of pixabay)

THOUGHTS IN THE MIND CAN LOOP.

They do that. It's kinda like an ear worm of a song you can't get out of your head.

As long as you know that it's the thoughts continuing by themselves, (or perhaps because you prioritized what they're about,) and don't identify with them, you can be free of them being a bother to you.

Like you'd steer your child away from an electrical outlet, you can guide your thoughts to a better topic, or to a more positive way of being with it.

BLOOD CARRIES MORE THAN O2!
So much more!

That's why keeping those major intersections in the joints where restrictions can easily happen is so important.

Strengthening is good, but staying open and flexible is just as good and is even a key to maintaining strength.

Learning how to discern the difference in which activities promote better blood flow and which ones restrict it can help you sequence your workouts.

Or, just be sure to stretch out in many different directions, but especially in those key areas at the shoulders, neck and hips.
-care

Staying active is beneficial at any age, but at a certain point in middle age, the activities you choose can make a difference in how your brain and body function going forward.

Tuning into sensations helps us develop the type of sensory awareness and self-knowledge that facilitates being able to catch tensions and imbalances in the bud.

Your system will let you know when you're on the mark and when you're off.

If you're not sure, check out Somatic Intelligence Vols. 5 or 9. They can guide you into ways to differentiate and discern.