The body is our physical presence here on Earth, and it talks to us constantly - we store every single experience of our lifetime in our bodies, both good and bad. I have worked with many different body types, conditions and pain, and have come to understand the language of the body quite well. I can feel where people store their "stuck" tension, trauma and pain, and practice a variety of  hands-on techniques to help people release these stored-up issues. Because I believe strongly in the body-mind connection, I would like to dedicate this section of my website to articles discussing these types of issues. If you have any questions, just email me at touch@jodielindley.com 

Since I am a bodyworker, I guess I should give you my two cents about why I believe bodywork is so important to receive. And since I have been working with people's bodies for the past 7 years, and have received regular treatments myself, I think I have a good perspective on this issue!

I akin bodywork to an oil change for your car. If your car doesn't have regular oil changes, the engine burns out and finally quits! If we neglect to take care of our physical "body armour", all the tension and stress from life just sit there, and create an under-functioning body. And eventually we burn out and our bodies "quit" on us. I have seen this happen time and time again. The amount of stress and strain we expect our bodies to handle is ridiculous. Bodywork is a way to help reduce the chance of  burn out, and the creation of disease and pain.

And, like I have said a million times throughout my website, the body is the key to our inner world. If we are not aware of our physical being, chances are we are unaware of our emotional, mental and spiritual being. The body will tell us when we are off balance, neglecting our true authentic self, and denying the reality of our life. We absolutely cannot fool our bodies at all. How great is that! Our very own organic crystal ball!

When is bodywork necessary? Any time! But especially when you know you are coming upon a stressful time in your life, which in today's society, is pretty much all the time. I usually recommend receiving bodywork at least once per month, or if you can, once every 2-3 weeks. The more often we receive, the more in tune we are with our body and its "messages". And for those of you who are in any type of psychotherapy or counselling, bodywork is amazing to receive before a talk therapy session, as it pretty much wears all your protective armour away, to make you more open to release and let go.

So do not neglect your body. It is your precious temple given to you, your guide through life. It speaks to you, all you have to do is listen. And when it begins to cry out in pain or discomfort, bodywork is one way to soothe its angst.

Peace and bodywork!

Jodie

Geez, how many times have I heard that phrase in my career as a Massage Therapist?! Over and over again. Hey, I've been there myself. For example, when I am doing too much deep and intense bodywork on clients, my wrists get "stuck", or my neck gets "stuck". My body constantly tells me when I am overworking, both physically and mentally. And how many times have we all gotten sick with a cold or the flu, when our body just quits on us after prolonged overwork, stress or trauma? It happens to everyone, and it is our job to listen to what our body needs and wants.

When I am working on my clients, I am feeling for "stuck" places....to you, these are "tight" spots that cause pain or discomfort. And they feel so good to be released don't they?! As human beings, we often store all our emotional and mental energy in our bodies. Everyone has that one area that tends to get tighter faster, causing aches and pain. From my experience, necks and low backs are the most common, but everyone has their own special brand of "stuck-ness".

I know for me, as soon as I get an ache or pain, or get physically sick, I ask myself, what is going on inside me? What is my body telling me it needs or wants? I inevitably always link it to an emotional or mental issue, unless physically I know I am just doing too much. I look at any "illness" as a dis-ease, or lack of ease, in my body, where my energy is stuck and needs to be moved through. Resolution usually comes through physical bodywork, emotional "house-cleaning" or just taking some time for myself. The key is to look inside, because there you will always find the answers.

But what about chronic cases? Constantly nagging body parts that no matter what we do to resolve, just don't get better? For those, I say again, look inside. Chances are you are ignoring an important issue. It's often not easy or fun, but it really is worth it. Some of our "stuff" is so buried, that the only way to reach the light, is to go through the dark.

To help this process along, my suggestion is to gather a "team" of health care practitioners that you respect and trust. I have found a combination of bodywork, psychotherapy, homeopathy, proper exercise and nutrition, and some good old laughter helps tremendously. Sometimes we need to ask for help, and that is okay. The body is a wonderful mystery, and is an incredibly intelligent communicator. We get stuck when we stop listening to the wisdom of our own cells.

I will use a quote here I have used before, but that's only because it speaks such truth in my mind...

                      We cannot heal what we cannot feel.
                                           --John Bradshaw

Listen!

Peace, Jodie