It’s easy when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed to forget the importance of taking care of yourself. When you take care of yourself first, you have more to give to others in your life - family, friends and co-workers. When you treat yourself well, you are naturally more productive, motivated and energetic and have more to give to the world. What are some easy ways to nurture yourself?

• Eat Breakfast and Lunch - Skipping breakfast and working through lunch is a recipe for afternoon slumps and late night binges.
• Get your Beauty Sleep - Whoa, dark circles! Sleep 7-8 hours a night to look and feel your best.
• Active Relaxation - Take 5-10 minutes every day to meditate, do yoga, stretch or just breathe.

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Although my mom force-fed me healthy food when I was growing up and I’ve been a vegetarian or pesca-tarian (fish-eating vegetarian) of some sort since college, I wasn’t always the healthiest eater. My vegetarian diet was filled with pasta, bread, cheese and unbearable sweet cravings. In 2002, in my Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) class at Boston Shiatsu School I was introduced to the book Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. I began studying this veritable bible of nutrition and TCM knowledge and making changes to my diet. (more…)

A lot of my clients ask me how I got into this line of work. What made me want to become a massage therapist, study Shiatsu and open my own business?

I graduated college with a degree in Art History in the middle of a recession. There weren’t many jobs available and certainly not any that would pay my bills in my chosen major. So I began working administrative jobs - basically a fancy term for secretarial jobs. As I learned more skills, I began branching out into graphic design, multimedia, web design and finally project management. As I turned 30, I realized that I didn’t want to work in a cubicle interacting with a computer 50+ hours a week for the rest of my life. I was sick of office politics and working for a boss with different ideas than me. I realized that I wanted to work for myself. So I quit my job and started working freelance.  This was great for about a year, until I realized that I was still planted in front of a computer for most of the day and I couldn’t help but feel that the work I was doing was essentially meaningless. So I started looking around… what could I do that would be meaningful, based on interacting with people and allow me to work for myself? (more…)

Shiatsu is a traditional form of Japanese massage designed to enhance and restore health. Through the application of pressure and stretching techniques shiatsu alleviates stress, relieves muscle tension, eases joint stiffness and realigns the structure of the body. Pressure along energy pathways of the body moves stagnant energy, clears energy blocks and brings the body into balance. Shiatsu works on the body’s physical, emotional and spiritual planes. Treatment is deeply relaxing and has an overall calming effect, allowing the body the opportunity to heal itself. Following a Shiatsu session people often say that they feel relaxed, calm, and balanced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is clothing worn during a shiatsu treatment? Since we are applying pressure with our thumbs to acupressure points, it is much more comfortable for you if you are wearing loose clothing such as yoga or sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt. (more…)