some of you know that in may, erin did some really cool continuing education. she is now offering full craniosacral and reiki sessions! if you’re thinking, “great! …what does that mean?” we are glad you asked.

craniosacral and reiki are both light-touch modalities, performed fully-clothed (anything you’d lounge around in or go to the gym in is great!)  they’re really gentle introductions to bodywork, if massage makes you nervous, that can still deliver dramatic results.  also, they’re totally safe for kids and infants!

craniosacral

craniosacral uses five grams of pressure, which is the weight of a nickel, to subtly flex the sutures of the skull and pelvis. this is what gives this kind of bodywork its name (cranium, sacrum).  using this small of an amount of flexion is painless, and is actually the healthy state for your head to be in.  when the skull or hip bones don’t flex, it impedes the natural rhythm of the fluid that cushions your spinal cord and your brain, leading to problems like headaches, dizziness, and ringing in the ears.

the upledger institute suggests that craniosacral might be helpful for you if you experience:

• headaches, migraines
• sinus problems
• neck pain, whiplash
• “black outs” or fainting spells
• dizziness, motion sickness, vertigo, Meniere’s
• TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks)
• short term memory problems
• eye motor problems
• hearing problems, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), ear infections
• low back pain
• scoliosis
• depression
• pituitary problems
• LDD/ADD, autism
• dyslexia, dyscalculia
• TMJ pain, clicking, crepitus
• swallowing difficulties
• seizure disorders
• stress

in erin’s personal experience with receiving craniosacral, she has had profound results beyond those of any other service she’s tried (western medicine, chiropractic care, massage) in relieving the chronic, debilitating migraines and short spells of complete vision loss she’d been fighting since age 14.  her inspiration for pursuing this training was the absolutely transformative experience of having her first three sessions with a practitioner in bali.  the first session, she had wonderful, poetic imagery present itself as her body started to relax.  in the second and third sessions, patterns of fascial tension unwound themselves as the work on her head continued, relieving issues she’d held in her body for over a decade.  in continuing to receive this work, she has discovered greater physical and emotional freedom and a deeper sense of well-being.

reiki

she is just as excited about her reiki practice, although it is not the newest modality she has acquired.  reiki was actually the first step in her journey as a bodywork professional.  when at the university of minnesota, she found herself needing a couple credits outside her major to graduate (theatre classes were just too fun, so she kept opting to take classes within her major…), which led her to the center for spirituality and healing, where she took reiki 1 for an easy credit. she had very little idea of what she was getting herself into, and was a huge skeptic about the validity of energy work in general. 

her first attunement changed her tune! 

reiki is energy work.  like craniosacral, the meaning is right in the name (except it’s in japanese)  “rei” is universal consciousness, and “ki” is like “qi” or “chi”, your personal life force energy.  the receiver of the energy, which comes from the creative, universal energy around us, guides it to wherever it needs to go in the body, for whatever purpose is of the greatest importance to your well-being, regardless of whether that is physical, mental, or emotional.  the practitioner basically functions as a faucet, providing a channel for the energy to flow through. 

reiki is a good option for you if:

• you feel stressed out and just really want to relax
• you have issues where other types of bodywork are contraindicated
• you’re not a big fan of being touched a lot (reiki can even be done hands-off!)
• you’d like to try something different
• the description sounds cool

in erin’s personal journey with reiki, her first two attunements came close together, both through the center for spirituality and healing. her third attunement, though, which makes her a reiki master teacher, is new as of this may. she went to stay with a reiki master teacher in portland, maine.  basically, each attunement just means that she has become an even bigger faucet with a better connection to the source of the energy, which makes her all the more able to support you!

call 651.288.4040 to book your craniosacral or reiki appointment with erin for 25% off. offer valid until 9/7/2011.

blog written by erin busby

darling friends of phresh,

we are so stoked to welcome shelly to our team. her awesome talent aside, she’s just great person. she just moved back up to minnesota from the warm and sunny south, and we’re sure glad she did! (although, with “snowmageddon the sequel” out there, shelly may admit to missing georgia a bit.)

but hey, back to that awesome talent bit. shelly comes to us with ten years of experience. she graduated from the aveda institute in 1999, and began her professional salon work shortly thereafter. by now, as you can imagine, she’s a lady of many talents. she loves foiling, but not to the neglect of the beautiful brunettes and ravishing redheads of the world! she loves it all. her cutting style is equally versitile: she’s great at anything from a sleek and chic bob to a more edgy, texturized ‘do.

now, for the cool part:

shelly has started at phresh spa salon at our stylist level, offering cuts starting at $35, and color services starting at $55.

now, for the cooler part:

if we could wrap shelly up and put a bow on her head, we would, but instead we’ll give you this little holiday gift: from now until the end of january, shelly is offering 25% off your first service with her.

happy holidays, stay warm, and try not to shovel too much. in the event that you do go overboard, don’t forget our spa services…

we can’t wait to see you soon.

phresh warmly welcomes erin to our team of talented specialists as a massage therapist. erin is a graduate of centerpoint massage and shiatsu therapy school, comprehensive integrative program. she has second level reiki training through the center for spirituality and healing at the university of mn and has been working professionally since 2006. erin also has a b.a. in theatre arts from the university of mn – twin cities.

she specializes in rehabilitative massage, with emphasis on the neck, rotator cuff, and abdomen/hip flexors – accessing rarely addressed muscles, because of their tendency to be integral in relieving numerous common pain patterns. she also specializes in prenatal massage – being able to provide moms-to-be with support as their bodies transform throughout pregnancy. plus, babies love reiki! they can feel it in utero and usually respond by shifting toward it. she’s a super-geek when it comes to anatomy and physiology, and loves working with a wide variety of body types. “i’ve worked with numerous professional athletes from around the country, but i believe that every body deserves to feel unrestricted and cared for.”

erin’s hobbies and interests include world travel, photography, sustainable lifestyles, education, history, theatre/film, bodywork. she recently taught english in thailand and followed that by traveling around europe for several months. “i have a lifetime goal of experiencing each continent (though antarctica can be a short trip!) i love learning about different healing modalities throughout the world, experiencing them, and integrating aspects of them into my own work.”