Massage/Muscular/Manual Therapies

Includes hands on mobilization and manipulation of the muscles and myofascial adhesions between muscles and soft tissues. A few uses for massage are to promote lymphatic drainage, to produce traction, release trigger points relieving pain, to calm the nervous system and to improve circulation. Various movements may be done to improve range of motion and restore proper movement at joints. 

No. You do not have to undress for massage/muscular therapy.

Although many massage establishments encourage clients to only undress to their level of comfortability, many clients still believe they must undress because they may only be familiar with Swedish massage and other styles of massage that involve undressing partially and using oil  in order to glide over the skin, or perhaps that is the only type of massage offered at that particular office. However, there are many types of massage that do not require use of oil and can be done with the client fully clothed (in comfortable, button and zipper free clothing), such as Thai massage and neuromuscular therapy for instance. 

Please tell your therapist during the session.

Sometimes it might feel easier to endure a few seconds of pain than to risk "hurting someone's feelings" but please rest assured knowing that your massage therapist will not be offended if you ask her to adjust her pressure or give feedback. It is actually of the utmost importance to communicate with all practitioners regarding likes, dislikes, needs, etc.,  in order to have the most successful outcomes. The more practitioner and client communicate the better each session can become. Please, let's work together to achieve your wellness goals?

To start, yoga is much more than the physical movements that come to mind when the word yoga is spoken...

Yoga has been defined as "unity" or "to yoke" and it actually consists of 8 main parts (referred to as limbs).  In fact, the postures are the only aspect of yoga that include physical movement. The rest of the aspects involve various types of ethical direction, breathing, relaxation and meditation tools, and a lot of ideas which are intended to help you to live a healthy, and well adjusted life as well as ready the body for deep relaxation and meditation. The 8 limbs or aspects are as follows: 

Moral discipline

Observance

Physical postures

Breathing techniques

Turning inward (sense withdrawal)

Concentration

Meditation

Oneness or bliss

The first 2 listed, the moral disciplines and observances, are basically a set of ethical principles regarding the way we should conduct ourselves in relation to self and to others. These moral disciplines include non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, proper use of power, non-greed, cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self reflection and surrender to a higher power (or contemplation of one). 

Through varying forms of yoga, many students who have struggles with pain, stress, anxiety, trauma and addiction find they develop the ability to recognize and tolerate physical sensations associated with thoughts and feelings (triggers), and as a result begin to feel safer in their bodies. This restored sense of agency, improved body awareness and improvement of symptoms may help individuals feel as though they have reclaimed the sense of power that is so often damaged through these struggles.

No. But we have found that flexibility of both body and mind can become a product of practice over time.

At Saint Lucie Massage & Yoga we believe that yoga should be accessible to everyone and therefore we direct our intention toward empowering students to learn how to follow the cues of their own bodies. With this in mind, there is little to no focus on perfect execution of yoga forms (with the exception of when/if safety is a concern). Classes whether private or group, are purposely kept small in order to modify instruction to the needs of each class. 

No. But some people have traditionally inserted their religion into the practice over time throughout history.

Yoga is not a religion but rather a set of tools and precepts to practice that, in a nutshell, are intended to promote a healthy and happy life. Over time and throughout different cultures, various religions such as Hinduism, or practices such as Buddhism have become intertwined with various types of yoga. Many people now practice Christian yoga. At this point in history yoga has taken on hundreds of styles and personalities and has definitely become westernized. 

All of that said, yoga being the type of practice that tends to expose and encourage the authentic self to emerge, really can makes an easy pairing with each individuals spiritual or religious beliefs. 

At Saint Lucie Massage & Yoga we like to leave spiritual and religious beliefs  to each individual and their own personal experience. This is one reason why we teach in English instead of Sanskrit, so that students can rest knowing that they understand what is being said and decide for themselves whether they agree.

If there ever is an occasion where a faith based yoga class is offered at SLM&Y, the notation will be clearly listed on the schedule.

Gentle beginner flow, prenatal, family, kids', chair, and stress, trauma & addiction recovery yoga

Apart from the physical practice that first comes to mind when hearing the word yoga, certain types of breathing, mindfulness, progressive relaxation and meditation may be part of the treatment plan. Sessions, whether group or private, may consist of instructor-led movement through the aforementioned techniques, which are often carried out while either on a mat on the floor, in a chair, or sometimes even on a massage table.  

Jen specializes in guiding students through a certain type of therapy that utilizes yoga forms and yoga like concepts to alleviate symptoms associated with stress, trauma and addiction, and as such, all yoga classes are taught through this lens.

While all yoga has the potential to calm the mind, and regulate physical, mental and emotional responses, the type of approach that Jen teaches, fosters the healing process in a slightly different way.

This type of yoga does not focus on any particular execution of postures as might happen in other yoga classes, and does not include hands on adjustments by an instructor. Rather, the client is invited to consider the experience an exploration of moving at their own pace through an experiment of noticing body cues and sensations.

The specific language used in this type of yoga may also promote consideration of concepts such as looking inward/learning to listen to your body, noticing choices and dynamics and taking action outside of the yoga practice and into daily life.

Small groups may book private sessions and share the fee. 

Then PLEASE simply don't do that yoga form.

Your comfort and safety is our #1 priority! Sometimes it might feel easier to just go along with a session or class than listening to that inner voice. But please, listen to your inner voice-listen to your body. You know your self and your body and what is right for you, and it is our job to hold space for your exploration of learning to listen to your body.  Your class. Your session.

The somatic therapies offered at SLM&Y are body-centered therapies such as yoga, massage, biofeedback, etc.

However, although Jen is not a doctor nor a mental health therapist, she does work in collaboration with therapists, chiropractors and other practitioners of clients who have asked for this approach.

In these cases both practitioners work together to give the gold standard in stress management, trauma and addiction recovery, utilizing talk therapy, somatic therapy and other mind body exercises to release unhelpful patterns and promote a holistic healing. 

The simple answer is that everyone is unique with their own experiences.

That being said, when we experience the stress of busy life, or the cycles of addiction and/or various traumas, many times we seem to typically lose connection with our bodies; what we are feeling, why, and where.

When we decide to take action to grow and heal, it is possible that we might feel a flood of sensation. On the other hand, we may feel numb, or maybe even experience an oscillation between the two...or something else entirely.

The types of somatic treatments offered at Saint Lucie Massage & Yoga are geared toward helping people to get back in touch with their bodies. With continued practice, pathways in the nervous systems of students may begin to rewire and they may start to notice the physical sensations which precede certain thoughts and emotions, allowing them to practice identifying and getting ahead of triggers, have more balanced mood states, better emotional regulation, less pain, and an overall sense of improved agency that extends past the session and into daily life. 

A few benefits of somatic therapies based on research, studies and experience:

*Reduce uncomfortable feelings & sensations in the body & mind (such as pain, anxiety and depression)

*Rebalance brain chemicals (neurotransmitters that help with mood)

*Improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

(When the heart is inflexible it gets stuck in a pattern making it difficult to shift between states resulting, for example, in insomnia, anxiety, depression or fatigue.)

* Improve mental focus (so you can make overall clearer decisions).

*Build awareness of the connection between physical sensations & thoughts or emotions (in order to identify & cope with triggers)

**Mindfulness; grounding, and being in the present moment, affords us the ability to change our physical response in order to help with emotional dysregulation. This gives us the chance to use the tools we’ve been taught to discharge energy in healthy ways, process difficult emotions in the body and relax enough to get ahead of triggers in order to create new patterns/pathways/habits.

Research shows that

trauma affects the language and memory centers of the brain making it difficult to yield lasting positive

results from talk therapy alone. Because of the nervous system's role in stress management, trauma and addiction, it is essential to address these issues using a bottom up processing approach, and to include tools designed to relax the nervous system.

Trauma and addiction go hand in hand. Not only does substance abuse often occur as a result of attempting to cope with the uncomfortable body and emotional symptoms associated with trauma...but, addiction IS trauma.

Stress, addiction and substance abuse actually cause

trauma in the nervous system. In this way, addiction essentially is trauma.

Because of the way the brain and nervous system is designed, no matter how much a person talks about and rationally understands how to cope with their issues, as soon as their nervous system is triggered and they are in fight or flight, their brain is in survival mode (amygdala is activated and thinking brain is shut down). People who experience high amounts of stress or have been traumatized in some way are not able to think rationally again until they are calm.

This is one big reason why so many clients relapse or feel

like they’ve failed. Falling victim to the nervous system is not

a moral failure but rather a result of lack of tools for calming

the nervous system in order to better process and get ahead of

triggers before it’s too late

Somatic or mind-body therapies such massage, biofeedback,

yoga, mindfulness, sound therapy, vibro-acoustics and vagal toning used in combination with EMDR and cognitive behavioral therapy have proven to have the most positive impact on trauma recovery because of the way it relaxes the nervous system.

Bottom Up and Top Down Processing Together

Therefore, we need to address the nervous system and

give clients the tools to cope with the uncomfortable

sensations that come with being triggered, so they can

train their brain and nervous system to relax, think

more clearly and able to process more effectively in

talk therapy. 

Please see other sections of the website and blog for more information. Jen collaborates with mental health therapists and other health practitioners in order to yield the most effective results for clients seeking this approach to stress management and recovery.

There is much research, many studies and a ton of resources that support the use of somatic therapies in the treatment of trauma. Below are just a small few:

 Studies & Research

Manual Therapy/Massage/Bodywork

…Body Oriented Therapy in Substance Abuse Recovery

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3290748/

Massage and Psychiatric disorders

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6519566/

Massage and Depression

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20361919/

Massage and Anxiety

https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/anxiety/massage-monotherapy-remediates-symptoms-of-anxiety/

Massage and Pain, Sleep, Emotions, etc

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3091428/

Addiction and Trauma Recovery yoga

Trauma Center/JRI

Mind-Body Exercises for PTSD, Anxiety, Depression

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35153889/

Trauma Sensitive Yoga as Adjunctive Treatment PTSD

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853015/

Trauma Sensitive Yoga Treatment/PTSD/Veterans

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33788599/

(Article)

https://www.wcvb.com/article/yoga-to-be-used-to-help-prev

ent-opioid-addiction-among-women-children/12027961

Vibration/Vibroacoustic Therapy

In Clinical Practice (see Re: substance abuse treatment under “Discussion” section)

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0434/0819/5744/files/VAT_International_Punkanen_an

d_Ruona_Research_and_Training.pdf?v=1599752051\

Sound/Vibrations in Medicine

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0142/8681/5296/files/Vibroacoustic_Therapy_Sound_

Vibrations_in_Medicine.pdf?0

Biofeedback/HRV

Biofeedback/HRV to Reduce Craving in Substance Use Disorder

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-014-9251-z

…Evidence supports cardiovascular-focused adjunctive interventions for

problematic substance use and addiction.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40429-021-00379-3

Books by research doctors in the field

The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk of the Trauma Center/JRI

Walking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Dr. Peter Levine of Somatic Experiencing

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, illness and Healing by Dr. Gabor Mate

The Polyvagal Theory: ...the Power of Feeling Safe by Dr. Stephen Porges

Miscellaneous

Complex PTSD, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), narcissistic abuse and addiction

Dr. Sam Vakin

Richard Grannon

Dr. Gabor Mate

Passive stretching at Saint Lucie Massage & Yoga 

Is performed on massage table or on the floor without the use of straps or restraints. Clients are encouraged to relax and release all effort while they tap into their ability to restore and regenerate strength, flexibility, and circulation with the assistance of a guided hand. Please see the about us/meet our community tab for more information.