Have you experienced the benefits of massage therapy? Has it been a while since your last massage? No matter what may be going on in your life, when you break it down Massage Therapy is good for you!

There are actually a lot of reasons/benefits one can derive from a massage therapy.

Here are 5 of the most common ones.

Massage Therapy helps:

1. Promote relaxation.There are different types of activities the body encounters daily. Each person is unique making activities of daily living vary from one person to another. But all results in one thing.At the end of the day your body feels overworked and exhausted. Your muscles are sore from all the work done.Massage helps relax and stretch your muscles. There are different types of massage techniques applied not only to your skin but to underlying tissues as well.When your body is relaxed you are ready to start the next day fresh. You feel rested and you feel anew.

2. Relieve Pain.Common pains felt are shoulder and back pain. These may be a result of prolonged sitting, standing, carrying heavy objects and/or pregnancy.A massage session helps alleviate the pain you are feeling.When you are in pain your muscles contract. Your mind concentrates on the pain making you feel more pain than it usually is. Sometimes pain can be exaggerated if you think of it at all times.Today, massage is not only used for relaxation purposes. It also plays a role on the therapeutic process of relieving pain. Different pressures are applied on certain areas. Massage works 2 ways. It works as a diversion and as a therapy. When you undergo massage, as stated in number one you feel relaxed. Sometimes a massage therapist plays a soft music in the background thus making you think of something else. Aside from diversion, the type of massage applied for pain is different from relaxation massage. Different pressures and strokes are applied on areas of the body experiencing pain.

3. Promote circulation and oxygenation. When a massage therapist manipulates body tissues they not only manipulate the muscles but blood vessels as well.How? Blood vessels carry the blood throughout the body. For every stroke applied the muscles and blood vessels are affected. Ever notice how massage strokes follow an upward direction? This action actually helps promote blood supply towards the heart. The heart then pumps/distributes the blood supplied to the different parts of the body.Speaking of oxygenation, blood plays a role in oxygenation. The blood (red blood cells) carries oxygen. Since massage helps in blood circulation it also means that it helps distribute oxygen in the body.

4. Relieve sleeplessness/Insomnia.This is related to number 1 and 3. There are times when you experience difficulty trying to sleep. There are plenty of reasons why. You may be anxious about tomorrow's presentation or you just have a lot of things in mind. A massage session helps relieve the stress you feel from today and tomorrow's work.

5. Promote Flexibility.Massage helps relieve tensed and knotted muscles. When muscles are not tensed they are more free. They can move more.Massage is one good way of a warm-up. It promotes flexibility thus improving ones range of motion.Massage therapy has really come a long way. What used to be a form of relaxation and recreation is now used to help during treatments of certain health conditions (alternative healing).Continuous education about massage therapy should always be practiced. This not only helps make awareness but it will also serve as reminders to those who are already familiar with it.

source: Wellness.com

What Matters? The Earth. Our home.

Earth Day is coming up and maybe we can all find a way to take our yoga off the mat and into nature.

Let us be mindful each time we make a purchase, to see how much packaging is being used.

Let us balance our trash and recyclables to double check what can be recycled, reused, composted or salvaged.

Let us use patience when travelling. Is this a destination we could walk, bike or take a bus too?

Let us surrender to a day off in the sun, on the beach, by the lake, river or other natural delight.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran

We have many mindful workshops to learn from , environmentally friendly products at our store and a friendly staff to always help set you in the right direction.

Join us this Earth Day, Friday - April 22 for 15% off everything in the store and many more discounts at the front desk!

With all the available access to music these days, it's easy to put off purchasing an entire music album. But it IS the album itself that keeps the flow, the smooth transition, the similar melodies and beautiful harmonies together, to help you enter a state of bliss. Why worry about putting playlists together when you can have it all on one disc. Here at the Store, we are fully stocked with acclaimed albums that aid with your yoga practice, meditation or relaxing background music. Ever wonder which album is right for you? Click the link below to get an overview of some of the more popular albums we carry and how each one could contribute to an aspect of your life:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79TLVGjVrm0

Did you know that nutrition, diet and lifestyle are all connected to the health of your eyes? Did you know that anti-oxidants play a large role in eye care as well? If you are interested in learning more natural ways to keep your vision strong, consider joining us this weekend for Dr. Marc Grossman's Natural Approach to Eye Care workshop! Improve your eyesight, become less dependent on glasses, and prevent vision problems at any age.

Here is a sneak peak at some common eye exercises you can do yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W10j2fL0hy0

We are proud to carry Marc's book in our store!