Before, during and after Massage Stretches This is where you will find all the information that I tell you while you are on my table; information you can only remember in pieces. Most of what you find here will be games! Games to play to teach the body how we really want it to feel. By making it a game we take out all the stress. If it is not a game, it becomes another darn thing to add to an already crazy day. Trust me, I have your best interest at heart and I play all these games myself... they are tried and true! Let's talk about clenching the jaw. We are a clenched-jaw society! Even the children are so stressed out, their schedules are jam packed, and jaws are set in "determination of will". Everyone's neck, jaw, and shoulder muscles are so tight that headaches are a daily event and you can't even wake up pain free! How many of you wake up and your jaw is sore? Temples pounding? Yes it's a huge number of us! Well, it used to be that way with me, but I switched that behavior with the help of a TMJ specialist 10 yrs ago. Oh and I forgot the added benefit...it will save you $$$ hundreds of dollars in dentist bills! Game #1 Where is my tongue? Stress in the Making. When we are stressed out the breath remains high in the chest and shallow. This creates a as the body releases adrenaline and cortisol and we get more stressed...the breath stays shallow...flight or fight...more adrenaline...on and on... How are you going to relax under this cycle?? Well,let's face it... you're not!! "Relax" they say. Right, easier said than done. How are you supposed to shift your mind from the cause of your stress to your breath? Who thinks of that at a time like this? After you play this game a couple of times, not only are you going to think of the breath, but you are going to control it and your stress level! Game #2 The Elevator Monkey Mind Oh yes, that monkey mind. Chatter, chatter, runaway mind! Considering that all our thought manifest in our lives somewhere along the line... we should try to get control of our minds! We lie in bed trying to relax and sleep, but we just cannot shut off our brain! It is so frustrating! Yes, it is definitely frustrating, but so easy to switch out! Game #3 The Nursery Rhyme