Working with forward head posture: Zero Balancing and more

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Note from MaryAnn: This is a guest post by someone I’ve known for nearly a decade. Years have gone by without us seeing each other, and then we reconnect, and it’s a happy occasion. She is a wonderful writer with a fascinating and fascinated mind, a perceptive presence, and a wicked sense of humor.

We initially did a 90-minute craniosacral therapy session with Zero Balancing. Then we did a 30-minute Zero Balancing session that she writes about here. This is the first in a series of posts about her experience receiving bodywork from me to help relieve her forward head posture (and the pain and tension that accompany it) and work with anything else that arises.

Forward head posture is becoming more common with our sedentary, screen-gazing habits. Several of the modalities which I’ve trained in and practiced are very effective at relieving forward head posture, including Zero Balancing, myofascial release/Deep Massage, and craniosacral therapy. And Cate will have homework to do as well.

I hope you enjoy reading these posts as we progress. The bottom of the post contains a link to the following post if you wish to read them consecutively.

by Cate Radebaugh

Over the years, I’ve developed forward head posture. Some of it comes from many hours in front of a computer screen, and obesity and self-image issues haven’t helped any. I recently became aware, though, that carrying my head out so far in front of my body is exhausting, and my neck, shoulders, and upper back are so constricted from the constant weight that they never really relax or rest, even in sleep.

So … I went to see my friend MaryAnn Reynolds to find out if she might be able to help. I’ve already said a little about my first visit* and my second was just as interesting. It was a Zero Balancing session. I think Zero Balancing is a really funny name and an even funnier intent, because I already experience moments of what I think of as zero balance and would just as soon not. MaryAnn’s Zero Balancing is different from that. In fact, it seems to be something of antidote. Continue reading →

Gravity Pal, a low angle inversion table, makes a difference in a minute a day

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I just had the pleasure of taking Zero Balancing II training in my pursuit of skill and finesse in my bodywork practice. Jamie Carmody was an excellent teacher, her lovely San Antonio studio well located, and my fellow students a delight to learn with, practice with, and get to know.

For more about Zero Balancing, go here. I’m getting ready to send out a newsletter with some sweet special offers, including one for Zero Balancing that will be impossible to resist for wellness-seekers in the Austin area. If you’d like to subscribe and get in on this time-limited offer, please send your email address to me at mareynolds27 at gmail dot com.

If you haven’t yet encountered it, you’re probably wondering what Zero Balancing is. My description is that it lets you feel like you’d feel without habitual tension patterns or the constant pressure of gravity pulling you down. Younger? Taller? Lighter? Buzzing with healthy energy? Can you even imagine feeling like this? I invite you to come get a session, or two or three, and find out how it affects your body.

Continue reading →

Cashew-tamari-garlic dressing, like Wheatsville’s but even healthier

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Austin is blessed by the presence of Wheatsville Food Co-op, an institution that has operated in this fair city since 1976. A food co-op is a business structure that people join by paying a one-time fee. They then become actual owners of the co-op, voting on the board of directors and if there is sufficient profit, receiving rebates.

I could go on about Wheatsville and how awesome it is. Local, organic produce and meat, an amazing bulk section — I am so grateful Wheatsville exists, and I’m happy to be a member. Click the link above to learn more, and put a stop there on your to-do list when visiting Austin.

Wheatsville makes in-house an amazing cashew-tamari-garlic dressing. It is savory amplified ten times. So good. And it’s thick enough to use as a dip that will make kids — and you — love to dip veggies or crackers in it. Continue reading →

Quick sweet dessert with raw cacao

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Having given up sugar (well, almost), there are those times when I need to satisfy a craving for something powerfully tasty and sweet. Usually it’s post-dinner that I get that feeling that a little something sweet would be satisfying. And my favorite sweets are those that contain chocolate.

So once every couple of weeks when that craving hits, I add these ingredients (all organic if available):

  • raw cacao
  • coconut oil
  • maple syrup

into a small bowl, stirring to mix. Continue reading →

I’m moving my private practice!

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Update: I’ll be seeing people in the new space starting August 16, 2016.

~~~

I’m leaving 827 W. 12th Street, where I’ve done my private massage and bodywork practice since October 2012, except for outcalls and occasional work at my trailer.

I’m moving my office to 5524 Bee Cave Road, Suite G1, in Westlake Hills. I’ve been offered an opportunity to relocate to a suite to be shared with two craniosacral therapists whose skills and integrity I greatly admire, Nina Davis and Christian Current.

Workwise, I find myself more drawn toward craniosacral therapy. I start the classical Upledger training in August. I’ve already completed Ryan Hallford’s trainings in classical craniosacral therapy, and the Upledger training will be an expansion on that. I plan to complete Ryan Hallford’s biodynamic training this fall, and I plan to study biodynamic CST with Michael Shea when he returns to Austin next year.

Beyond that, there’s more, but my path hasn’t become clear yet.

Continue reading →

Homemade red cabbage sauerkraut

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I just made my second batch of sauerkraut with a head of red cabbage. I’m getting into this, and I will never buy sauerkraut in a store again. It’s so easy and gratifying to make at home.

The first time, I used half a head of green cabbage, wakame (seaweed), and salt. It was good. Not that juicy, so I added a bit of sauerkraut juice from a jar of Bubbie’s!

This time, I used only two ingredients: cabbage and salt, and followed these easy steps: Continue reading →

Working from home in the mornings

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This morning I got a call from a client I hadn’t seen in a while, wondering if she could get an appointment for bodywork sooner rather than later because she had been experiencing the misery of muscle spasms.

She lives somewhere in south Austin, and I live in Manchaca, and depending on how far south someone lives, it can be more convenient to come to my trailer rather than drive to my downtown studio.  Continue reading →

Rebuilding tooth enamel after drinking water with lemon

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Update: This post was originally published in 2016. Now it’s 2021, and in the interest of providing helpful information, I want to share what I’m doing now to reduce sensitivity.

I brush with a toothpaste from the company Boka that contains nano-hydroxyapatite, “a fortifying, 100% non-toxic version of hydroxyapatite, a mineral that makes up the primary foundation of teeth and bones.” It remineralizes teeth, reduces plaque, and reduces sensitivity.

I got a two-pack, a mint-cardamom-green tea flavor as well as their coconut-ginger flavor with chamomile, so I could try each flavor. So far, the coconut-ginger is the more refreshing flavor. If you want to try it, here’s my affiliate link.

My tooth sensitivity has diminished quite a bit, and cold water no longer makes me cringe!

Read on to learn about my path to get here.

I wanted to remineralize my tooth enamel after drinking water with lemon and noticing my teeth had become so sensitive it was scary. Drinking it first thing in the morning had softened my enamel, and by brushing my teeth right after drinking it, I was literally brushing my protective enamel away. Yikes.

My previous post from a couple of years ago contains many suggestions on how to drink water with lemon safely, preventing a loss of enamel.

After writing that post, I started researching how I could rebuild my tooth enamel. Now this is not something most dentists will tell you is even possible.

There is no hard scientific evidence about how to do this (so far, except for some data on fasting, which spurs the body to generate stem cells that repair tissues). Fortunately, one dentist did extensive research. More on him below. 

Continue reading →

6 weeks of intermittent fasting by a woman

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Six weeks ago, I started an intermittent fasting eating schedule. I wanted to lose some belly fat. From what I gleaned on the internet about intermittent fasting, when we go longer than usual without eating, our bodies burn fat for energy instead of the customary fuel source, glucose.

Feeling some hunger is also in line with the experience of most humans throughout history. They put on fat from feasting, and when food was scarce, they felt hungry and burned fat. Hunger was part of their lives, and the human body is designed for occasional fasting.

After reading about various configurations of going without food (some fast 1-2 days a week, some do 12-hour daily fasts, etc.), I decided to go with a 16-hour daily fast, 7 days a week. Breakfast is the easiest meal for me to skip. I do more physical work in the afternoons and need energy for that, and I enjoy unwinding with dinner. So from 8 pm until noon I would fast. A good chunk of that time, I would be asleep — a natural 8 hour fast. So really, I only had to abstain from eating the first few hours of each day.

Continue reading →

Intentional breathing and being breathed

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One thing I’ve noticed about people on my massage table is that sometimes they breathe unnaturally. I can tell they are manipulating their breath because the natural breath isn’t that perfectly rhythmic. It’s usually early in a session when I notice this, and after I’ve worked on the person for a bit and they slip more deeply into a relaxed parasympathetic state, their breath changes and becomes slower and a bit irregular, which is natural.

Intentional breathing

It’s not a bad thing to manipulate the breath at the beginning of a massage. Many of us have learned breathing techniques to help us calm ourselves, to shift gears, to go from a state of focused alertness (when driving in traffic) to a state of peace and calm (receiving a massage). Continue reading →