Staying cool in the heat with essential oils!

Summer brings some pretty intense heat and if you're like me, you often feel like melting into a pool of, well, blaaah....  I use essential oils to stay cool and calm and healthy through the summer months, and these are some of my favorite oils, as well as ways to use them!

Peppermint

contains a significant amount of menthol which has cooling and refreshing properties, and also eases tension and relieves aches and pains.  Peppermint is also soothing for the digestive system and it increases mental alertness!

Spearmint

 also contains menthol, but has a softer scent then peppermint. It is very nourishing for the respiratory and nervous system.

  

 Lavender

is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy.  Lavender is also an amazing healing agent for the skin - especially when there is a burn.  Lavender is also soothing on cuts, bruises and even bug bites, so it is essential in the summertime! 

My favorite ways to
use essential oils in the summer:

Foot Soak

Soak your feet in a tub of cool water

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils and epsom salts if your feet are achy from summer fun! 

Body Spray / Mist

keep spray bottles handy with purified water and your favorite essential oils

I like 12 drops of peppermint and 12 drops of lavender in a bottle of purified water.

Cooling Bandanas

When hiking, in addition to a sun hat, wear a bandana dipped in ice water and a few drops of your essential oil of your choice.  There are even bandanas with little beads in them that absorb the water!   Check them out! 

 Cooling Bath

If you've been out in the heat or are feeling sunburned, take a lukewarm bath with a couple tablespoons of baking soda and 10-30 drops of lavender essential oil (which has healing properties for burns and skin health)

Add to lotion or oil

Essential oils can be added to your lotion and body oil.  Just add a few drops into your palm full of lotion or oil and slather yourself in the healing aroma. 

And of course, essential oils can be added to your massage treatment... just ask!

Diffuse into the air

Essential oils can be diffused into your home by adding some drops to your humidifier, or using a simple candle diffuser.  The most efficient way to distribute oils through air is with an electric diffuser. 

 

*When using essential oils, you want to be sure that you are getting the best quality because they are absorbed right into your blood stream.  Young Living Oils are some of the purest and cleanest you can find, and are even safe enough to ingest! 

 Laura Rose is a distributor for Young Living Oils -

contact me to order essential oil products for yourself!

www.listeningtouch.org

Mom deserves an AWESOME Massage!

AWESOME Moms deserves an AWESOME Massage!

Moms and Moms-to-be can win a ***FREE*** Listening Touch Massage or Private Yoga session!

(and YES you have my full permission to enter your awesome self!)

All you have to do is tell me why a mother that you know is an AWESOME MOM and you could win one of two prizes!

Prize #1

75 minute Awesome Mom Massage

Customized for Mom's special needs 

-tension reduction

-relaxation

-stress relief

-peace and quiet

-aromatherapy

(whatever she needs most!)

Prize # 2

75 minute Private Relaxing Yoga Lesson

(perfect for a Mom who doesn't live in Colorado or Illinois... we can do a skype session!)

HOW TO WIN

FACEBOOK: write on the Listening Touch facebook wall - 

what makes her  -  or you...  (it's totally fine to nominate yourself)... 

AWESOME! 

(and why she deserves an awesome massage!)

The more you post, the higher your chances!

Like the Listening Touch facebook page: 1 entry

Write on the Listening Touch facebook wall: 1 entry

Write on the facebook wall and share it on your page: 5 entries

Post a photo on the facebook wall: 5 entries

Post a photo on the page and share it on your page: 10 entries

Every "Like" or comment that you get will earn you 1 entry

Don't do facebook?  Just email me and you will be entered!  

 ,

And one week after Mother's Day (May 18th) two lucky winners will be drawn out of a hat!

Here is an example of a post I made about my sister:

It's easy and fun... and the Mom in your life will thank you!  

Can't wait until the contest? You can purchase a gift card online!  

Save 10% with PROMO code mothersday  

Rainbow of Vitality: a Transformational Bodywork Series

 

 

RAINBOW OF VITALITY  

BODYWORK SERIES 

 

There is so much more to your body than meets the eye.  Engage your inner healing process by connecting to the inner network of energy that sustains life, and engage that energy to support you in healing and transforming disease, pain, emotional distress, and fatigue.  This special series of treatments is a healing journey that incorporates many different massage and healing modalities, as well as follow up and check-in times in between sessions. 

This video walks you through the main energy centers in the body:

 

 

 

 

 

Earth - Root Chakra - tailbone, colon, immune system, hips, legs & feet

Relax into the support of the earth and feel your bones and tissues stretching, balancing, and becoming in harmony with your spirit, facilitating the experience of being connected to, and supported by life.

Modalities used: Thai Yoga Massage, Breema Bodywork, Reflexology

Water - Sacral Chakra - pelvis, intestines, reproductive organs & bladder

Our body is mostly made up of water - get the waters in your body flowing and balanced, detoxifying your body and enhancing your center of personal power & creativity.

Modalities Used: Lymphatic Drainage, Swedish Massage, Energy balancing

Fire -  Solar Plexus - stomach, liver, gallbladder, adrenals, spleen

cleansing, purifying and motivating.  Spark your fire and increase your passion and joy with this treatment that starts with some guided yoga, and then relax with the heat of the bio-mat and hot stone massage, supporting you to honor yourself, and maintain strong boundaries.

Modalities used: Yoga, Bio-Mat & Hot Stone massage

Air - Heart Chakra - chest, upper back & shoulders

A gentle touch session that focuses on connecting your body and spirit, and revitalizing your whole energy system by listening to your heart and engaging your compassion towards your self and others.

Modalities used: Aromatherapy, Polarity, Hakomi-Inspired Therapy

Ether - Throat Chakra - neck, thyroid, jaw

Gentle rocking and stretching to all of the joints in the body, as well as for the neck and throat and energy balancing to assist you in listening to your inner guide and speak your truth clearly.

Modalities used: Energy Balancing, Stretching, Sound Therapy

 

Light - Third Eye - brain, nerves, eyes, ears, nose, pituitary

Gentle face massage with guided visualization to support you in seeing the difference between truth and illusion, and see the bigger picture in your life, as well as slow down over-active mental activity. 

Modalities used: Cranial Sacral, Bio-Mat, Guided Visualization

Consciousness - Crown Chakra - head, muscles & skeletal system

This energy work supports you in connecting your body to your spiritual nature, and in letting go of fears in order to center yourself in faith.  

Modalities used: Cranial-Sacral, Sound Therapy, Bio-Mat.

Single RAINBOW Vitality Session -75 minute session

(you can pay as you go, or pick one chakra to focus on)
 

TWO FREE BONUS GIFTS

BONUS #1 -Check-in session - After your Rainbow Vitality Session, you will have a 20 minute check in with Laura Rose on the phone so that you can deepen into the inner healing dialogue.

BONUS #2 - Optional journaling and relaxation exercises before and after your Rainbow Vitality session!

Normally, the investment is $120...  Special introductory offer... $100!   
Book your Rainbow Vitality Session today!

Complete Rainbow Vitality Series

A series of seven 75 minute sessions for each energy center 

 

FREE BONUS GIFTS with Rainbow Vitality Series 

 

BONUS #1 - Seven half time check-in sessions

In between your Rainbow Vitality Sessions, you will have a 20 minute check in with Laura Rose on the phone so that you can deepen into the inner healing dialogue.

BONUS #2- Journaling and relaxation exercises

before and after your Rainbow Vitality sessions!

BONUS #3- Relaxing Eye pillow

BONUS #4- Comfortable Ear plugs

BONUS #5- Customized aromatherapy blend

Normally, the investment is $840... Special introductory offer... $600!  

Book your Rainbow Vitality Series today!

 

Call or email Laura Rose with any questions: 303-601-5060 listeningtouch@gmail.com

www.listeningtouch.org 

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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