Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude Journaling

Wouldn't it be great if every day you could wake up giving thanks for everything you have? And from that place of fullness you could reflect on what you would like to offer?  I have a practice that helps me stay in that place of gratitude.  It's a gratitude journaling!

I used to have a little book that I would write in each day, but since I travel so much (yes, I still offer bodywork in Denver, Boulder, and Chicago), I send myself an email every night writing down at least one thing that I am grateful for from my day. Sometimes my list goes on and I list five things, and sometimes it's just one simple thing.  Here are some examples:

"I'm grateful for the smile on my neighbors face when I loaned her my drill."

"I loved hearing my massage client snore on the table!"
"My stomach hurts from laughing so hard with my nephew!"

"I loved the feeling of my hands running through the soft fur on my friend's dog."






And even if something "bad" happens during my day, I try to think of something I can be grateful for... for example:


"I'm thankful that my flat tire got repaired in time for me to get to work just a little late!"

or

"I'm grateful that my overdraft protection prevented me from having a bigger fine from my bank today."

Still can't find something to be grateful for?  Try answering some of these questions:

1. Who do I appreciate?
2. How am I fortunate?
3. What relationships am I thankful for?
4. What am I able to offer others that I am grateful for?

And I have found that when I focus on looking for something to be grateful for during my day instead of what was "missing", my happiness expands, and I am more satisfied with my life!  I hope you enjoy gratitude journaling or emailing... let me know if you notice your stress levels going down!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Laura Rose

www.listeningtouch.org

Healthy Breast Care: Take your Breast Health into your own Hands - A Workshop for Women

 

 You are Invited!

to a special workshop:

Healthy Breast Care:
Take your Breast Health into Your Own Hands
 

 

This is a Women's Circle where you will experience the sacredness of your breasts, share your heart and breast stories, and

learn how to take loving care of your "girls!"

What you will learn:
-Breast Anatomy and how the immune system functions in the breast area.
-Subtle anatomy of the breasts
-Gentle movement and breathing exercises to enhance breast health
-How to give yourself healthy lymphatic breast massage
-How to teach your partner to give you a healthy breast massage

****Sorry, Men, this workshop is for women only! 
But send the woman you love and if she is smart, she will teach you! 

 

Healthy Breast Care Workshop Details

 

Wednesday October 23 7-9pm

@ The Consulate Healing Center 

750 E 9th Ave Suite 209
Denver, CO 80203

Space is limited!
RSVP 303-601-5060
or email: listeningtouch@gmail.com

How to truly listen to your body during bodywork

Many people are discovering how supportive it is to be mindful in their lives, and I am discovering how powerful mindfulness can be during a bodywork session.  Mindfulness is a wonderful tool for our day to day existence, helping us to stay present to every moment, rather than cutting off some aspects of our experience.   It can bring more peace and self-understanding into our day-to-day existence, by staying away from the usual habit of trying to avoid emotional distress, pain, or tension  and trying to make things different than they are.

When receiving massage and bodywork, most people have an idea about something that they would like to change.  Maybe it's a bad mood, maybe its a tight shoulder or a painful back, but we want it to go away.  I have found that if we take some time to slow down and listen, our body often has a message for us.  Some examples of what your body might say to you is: "I'd really like to have a do nothing day" or "I need to tell my boss that I'm feeling overwhelmed" or "I'm really sad about my family member being sick."  And it can be really helpful to "unpack" these feelings, and observe them, let them know that you hear them / feel them / see them, and then come back to the feeling of the weight body on the massage table, the touch of my hand with your body, or your breath.  If you just make the sensation go away, you might miss out on some important messages.  


Here is an example of how the inner dialogue or experience can be:

I'm laying on the massage table...
I'm relaxing...
I'm breathing...
I'm letting the weight of my body sink into the support under me...
I'm feeling a painful place in my body...
I'm experiencing the sensation as it is...
I'm saying hello to it...
I'm letting it be as it is...
I'm inviting this place to speak to me from it's own perspective...
I'm thanking it for sharing with me...
I'm invite it to let me know if there is something more...
I'm noticing it is relaxing on its own...
I'm lovingly inviting it to let go, relax, soften...
I'm breathing into that place...
I'm noticing that place feels different now...
I'm grateful for my body...
I'm resting...
I'm breathing...
I'm thinking about something...
I'm saying hello to that part that is thinking about something...
I'm noticing the thinking stops when I say hello...
I'm breathing...
I'm letting go...

and often the sensation goes away on it's own!

It can be difficult to have this much awareness on your own, and that's where a mindful practitioner can help with some active listening and "focusing" dialogue work.  Your practitioner can support you in staying present and really listening with compassion, with gentle touch, helping you to "stay with" and witness your inner experience instead of pushing it away or going for an emotional roller coaster ride with it.  If you would like some support with mindfulness, I would be happy to be a companion to help you to focus in and really listen to the messages that your body might be telling you.   And hopefully when your body has a message for you five days later when you are walking down the street, you can listen with compassion, instead of just telling it to go away. 

www.listeningtouch.org

303-601-5060

Laura Rose Boyle has been listening and touching since 2000 and studies and practices Inner Relationship Focusing and Hakomi Therapy in addition to massage and bodywork.  
To schedule a Listening Touch session, visit: www.listeningtouch.org

Healthy Breast Care: Take your health into your own hands with self breast massage

Healthy Breast Care:

Take your health into your own hands

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Breasts have an incredible design for breast feeding, with an ornate glandular system that produces milk from veins and arteries, and the milk is directed towards the nipple to be fed to a baby.   Unfortunately, this design also makes breasts vulnerable to disease.  The lymphatic system is designed to clean toxins, viruses, abnormal cells, and bacteria out of the body.  In most areas of the body, there lymph flows along side muscles, veins and arteries which pump the fluid towards lymph nodes which filter the lymph fluid.  In breast tissue, the lymph vessels follow the breast lobes and mammary tissue, which are designed to flow out towards the nipple.  But the lymph nodes that clean out breast tissue are all the way back in the chest wall and in the armpit area.  So this fluid has to flow all the way back through the breast tissue, through a space that is behind the breast, and through the tight muscles of the chest wall to the lymph nodes that are ready to clean out the fluid before it is circulated back to the heart where it is pumped through the liver and kidneys and back to the rest of the body. 

The lymph fluid can be moved through the breast tissue with self breast massage.  Removing the bras or constrictive clothing, lifting the breast tissue, and “fluffing” the breasts is a good first step.  When you are in the shower, use your fingers to soap up your breasts and lightly massage your breasts towards your nipples. 

To learn more about Breast Massage, come to a Breast Care Workshop!

Healthy Breast Care:

Take your health into your own hands

Tuesday April 16 7pm-9pm

@ Full Bloomed Lotus

1217 Washington, Wilmette, IL 60091

Do you know how to take care of your breasts? Did you know that breast massage can help prevent breast disease? Do you avoid doing your monthly self-breast exam?

You are invited to a women's circle where you will learn how to take loving care of your sacred breasts. There will be an opportunity to share your heart and breast stories, experience the sacredness of your body, and you’ll leave feeling empowered to take your health into your own hands.                 

What you will learn in this informative workshop:

• Gentle yoga, qi gong, breathing and sound healing exercises
• Breast anatomy and how the immune system functions in the breast area
• Subtle energy anatomy of the breasts
• A demonstration of healthy self-breast massage will be given.
• How to give yourself a healthy breast massage & teach your partner to give you a healthy breast massage.  

During the massage section, you will have the option to follow along with your own self-breast massage, (either with your top off, or with a scarf covering your chest) or you can simply observe. You will feel empowered with knowledge and tools for your health that you will usefor the rest of your life!

The Facilitator: Laura Rose Boyle, Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor, became passionate about breast health while offering massage and bodywork for Breast Cancer patients at a hospital in Chicago. She has studied Breast Massage and Lymphatic Drainage with master teachers around the world, and has a healing arts practice in Boulder, Denver, and Chicago.

Location: Full Bloomed Lotus

1217 Washington, Wilmette, IL 60091

Tuition: $30 if pre-registered, $35 at the door

Register online: www.fullbloomedlotus.com 

847-853-0600

Laura Rose Boyle, LMT, RYT

www.listeningtouch.org 303-601-5060

 

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