Jin Shin Jyutsu- A Treatment for Insomnia

Energy work is a vital component to a healthy lifestyle, these modalities balance and harmonize the body, spirit and mind, aiding in healing and quality of life.  Jin Shin is one of these energy modalities that focuses on unlocking the "safety energy locks" of the body.  By doing so, many people have found great relief from direct body poin such as pain in the back or neck, emotional stress and conditions like insomnia.
  Jin Shin is the art of listening to the pulses of the body and harmonizing the life energy in the body.  It promotes optimal healing by reducing stress and increasing relaxation.  Clients describe the feeling of their ailments melting away during a treatment.  There are 26 "safety energy locks" that flow along the energy pathways of the body.  The body will block these pathways as a form of protection due to emotional or physical over stress.  This causes an imbalance in the body.  Jin Shin unblocks these "safety energy locks" by using a life form of acupressure as the practitioners hands become "jumper cables" for the energy flow.  A series of "holds" is called a "flow" which the practitioner follows to address certain conditions.  Acupuncture follows a similar system using using needles on energy points.
  Insomnia is a common and debilitating condition many people suffer from in different degrees, often turning to prescription drugs for treatment.  Jin Shin is a great way to beat insomnia.  Often, blocked energy, stress, lifestyle and other body conditions cause insomnia and Jin Shin can unblock energy pathways, alleviate stress and promote healing in the body's systems.  Many people I have seen for depression will go home and fall asleep after a session.  There are also many self techniques I show clients that they can practice at home to further healing.
  I have found great success in helping people with insomnia, fatigue, lack of concentration, nervousness, anxiety and deep emotional stress practicing Jin Shin.  All of these ailments are strongly effected by the flow of energy in the body and as the energy becomes stagnant, conditions like these occur.  Jin Shin is not a cure, but rather promotes healing and helps a person feel a sense of happiness.
  Appointments are available with me at Spa Scotta.  You should wear comfortable clothing like yoga clothes as you remain dressed during the session.  Appointments are scheduled for 75 or 90 minutes($130 or $155).  Please let the receptionist know you are scheduling a Jin Shin appointment.

This post was written by our massage therapist,  Steve Delissio, LMP, a practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu.

Massage after Exercising...It's a smart idea!

Steve Delissio, licensed massage therapist at Spa Scotta, is our guest blogger today.  Steve was most recently written up in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.  Our awesome new neighbors, Pure Barre, got us to thinking about the relationship between massage and exercise.
Without further ado...The Benefits of Massage After Exercising:

Massage is very beneficial after a workout or rigorous exercise because the muscles are warm and malleable and therefore loose and easy to stretch out and work on.  With a massage, you can prevent the onset of muscle soreness, increase your flexibility and elongate the muscle, all of which will make your workout more beneficial and increase your results in the future.
Every professional sport team or athlete employs massage therapists because they are aware of how crucial massage is to an athlete's success and health.  By improving flexibility, you can increase your sport performance:  run and move more quickly, increase your speed and endurance. The muscles will be working more efficiently for you.  Massage releases the muscle tension which in turn helps the range of motion of the joints.
Having a massage directly after a workout can prevent muscles soreness and muscle fatigue, as well as prevent injury.  Massage improves circulation and blood is the ultimate healer in the body, so increasing circulation and oxygen to muscles will help one recover from a strong workout, especially if any muscles were injured or over stressed.  As you exercise or workout, you can build up tiny amounts of scar tissue in muscles, which a massage can break down.  Just because you feel fine, doesn't mean your body isn't accumulating stress.  Repetitive stress injuries will build up in a muscle or the body in general over months or years and it can be awhile before a person has a severe injury or pain to realize it.   Massage is one way to counteract this, it's all about prevention, just like a healthy diet.
A great benefit of massage is eliminating waste, which is useful after a workout.  Regular exercise depletes the body of amino acids and other essential nutrients.  Massage breaks down lactic acid build up (which causes muscle cramping), increases waste elimination and boosts the immune system to counteract this depletion.
Studies have shown that massage after a workout can decrease the swelling of the muscle and damage to muscle fibers, while showing an increase of white blood cells in muscles making a massage after a workout a smart idea.