Share Comfort Freely. The Video Blog of Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Psoas Release and Strengthening Stretch

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:11:54 -0700

If we’ve worked together at my office, most likely we’ve discussed and worked with your Psoas, and you’ve felt the benefits of tuning in to this muscle.

If you don’t know where this muscle lives or what it does, then you are at it’s mercy. It can be quite a pain in your ass, back, hip, leg, neck... yes it’s that influential. Psoas is essentially a Keystone of the body, tying together the forces of the upper and lower halves. In this video I share the combination strengthening/release posture that has taught me the most about my own Psoas, and how it both participates and feels within overall body-balance.

BUILD INTO THIS GRADUALLY! ANY INCREASE IN LENGTH/OPENING YOU FEEL IN THE FRONT OF YOUR SPINE IS TO BE SAVORED. DO NOT TRY TO DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON. MOVE SLOWLY, IF IT HURTS DON’T DO IT, OR TRY TO FORCE/ENDURE THROUGH IT. Watch the entire video and read the instructions before use. If you have spinal issues, consult your doctor before engaging any exercise. You do not need to bend as far as I do in the video, to help open the front of your spine & experience the benefits of this posture.

Trying this posture, even if just once a day, can help build balance and core strength, and you don’t need to be a gymnast or yogi to do it!

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

Foot Wisdom With Dr Ray

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:58:53 -0700

Meet Podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan, the inventor of Correct Toes toe spacers. You’ll also find his wisdom featured in this April’s Running Times Magazine article on Transitioning to Less Shoe. This video exposes the basic flaw behind confining feet to classical “shoe position” which can lead to many modern foot problems. The theory is simple, if you skew the foundation of an arch, the arch will lose it’s integrity. Once we’ve lost integrity, we need outside support, such as arch support. Arch support for most feet, is simply a crutch enabling folks to avoid rebuilding the inherent support their arches could provide if strong; arch integrity that was lost because we put on, and learned to walk and run in shoes! Minimalism is here to stay. Barefoot is only making more and more sense to the masses. Check out the video below of Leif Rustvold who runs over 100 miles within 24 hours with no foam cushioning or external arch support whatsoever! Trust your bones when you have them in the alignment they’re built for!

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

One Day Run For Hunger

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:54:38 -0700

I enjoyed an opportunity to hang on Leif’s Crew and tag along with him for a couple of laps while he logged miles at the Pacific Rim One Day Run.

Leif ran the event on behalf of the Oregon Food Bank generating over $1000 in donations for them. He deemed it the One Day Run For Hunger. I have the feeling the success of the event will have us seeing more Runs for “fill in the blank charity” striding from Leif’s feet. Read his race report and follow his adventures @ http://distanceminimally.com and follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/ZekeBoisei

Enjoy this video tribute to Leif’s Ultra, I hope you notice and appreciate the naturalness of Leif’s stride and feet as much as I do. His feet work within millimeters of the ground saving precious energy. I can’t imagine each step looking as comfy if his heel needed to accommodate a large heel cushion between he and the ground, as you’d find in a “traditional” running shoe. Leif covered 6 miles barefoot, but the pointy gravel on 80% of the path urged him into his minimalist Vibram Five Fingers for 98.5 miles of his run.

This was my first exposure to a marathon/ultra marathon. I’m just now enjoying running for the first time in my life, now that I’ve embraced natural foot health/footwear, and the idea that I can support myself. I haven’t contemplated anything as glorious as an organized running event. I came to natural foot health through my work helping folks learn to stand and move comfortably and sustainably.

I couldn’t help but be inspired that Leif was “minimally armored” compared to many other participants. Everyone else was in “traditional” running shoes. I saw numerous compression socks/sleeves, patellar tracking bands, packets of pills, bottles of ibuprofen, stories of injuries, people limping, faces grimacing, an impressive feat of will for every single runner.

Plain and simple, Leif comfortably and sustainably runs naturally. Stay tuned for our upcoming book about natural foot health, and start to imagine how great you’ll feel when you know you’re naturally supporting yourself.

Enjoy comfortably,

Aaron

A Christian a Shaman and Unconditional Love Walk Into a Bar

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:29:06 -0800

Apologies if you thought the title was part of a joke... I’m serious.

After some weeks building conversation and context, processing and sharing experiences, at times stranger than fiction, I was invited to share a meal and more of my own story with with author: Lawrence Hall Dawson.

Lawrence allowed me to record and share our conversation that day. Here’s a tiny vignette - from what was one of the most unique conversations of my life.

Lawrence has written several books, the most recent of which document his unfolding personal relationship with God, which accelerated following a spiritual awakening experience during the late 1990’s. It was during this awakening that Lawrence was taught his “Communion Process” through which he engages in daily question and answer sessions with God. Utilizing these sessions to explore what he was taught within traditional Christian institutions, he shares his experience and teaches the Communion Process through his writings. Click here to view his books & publisher’s page.

I had opportunity to get to know Lawrence over the Summer and Fall of 2009. Word of mouth brought Lawrence to my work, as he was focusing on embodying and balancing the intense energies that his spiritual communion brought into his life daily. This happens to be the substance of my gig: helping others comfortably embody their spirits.

He returned the favor by inspiring me with his bravery in open sharing, and authorship, of his experience. I suppose ultimately inspiring me to open up about the spiritual aspect of my life and work, cracking the door a bit for you with this video. Thanks Lawrence.

It is not easy to have experiences that go against the grain, or defy what culture teaches us is possible and/or OK. It is almost impossible to integrate such experiences without community support or external validation. Many of those who attempt to do so, outside of a supportive community or alone, end up diagnosed somewhere within the mental health spectrum.

Even the act of seeking help to understand these experiences demands that self-doubt and isolation be overcome through the baring of our deepest vulnerability- the trusting or showing of your true self to another. This requires rare individual bravery, not taught or encouraged in conformist systems. It is terrifying to face judgement in the here and now, as we share ourselves.

Especially sharing experiences stemming from a voice -not your own- heard in your mind.

Terence Mckenna said something like this: “It’s no great feat to hear a voice in one’s head, the challenge comes in knowing if it’s telling the truth or not.”

My path to be a healer is, and was originally oriented by an experience I went through when I was 19 (July, 1994). I stumbled into an experience which was my Shamanic Initiation, involving hearing a voice -not my own- in my head. Alas, this was the only time I’ve had the simplicity of a voice giving me the low-down of the situation. Spirit now presents information much more metaphorically, but does continue to present, and guides my healing work.

To keep a long story short, I had opportunity to experience the vibration of Love in every wave/particle in every atom in every molecule in every cell of my body and all of creation around me, as one unified, interconnected web of wholeness. At this time I was informed by a deep, gentle, yet firm voice (yeah, that’s right- a voice in my head) that I was experiencing my spirit, that my spirit was this vibration of Love, the Unconditional Love that is all-that-is. The experience deepened into what can be described as what some would call an out-of-body experience, or as I’ve come to prefer, an in-axis experience. An in-body experience of journeying through and within my own center to explore the world of spirit.

I met spirit guides who could read my thoughts as easily as you can read this. The only things novel or original that I possessed, and of true interest to these spirit guides were my feelings. There was nothing I could think they didn’t already know about me, and accept in loving trust about me, by the time I had finished thinking it.

My guides led me on a tour through every person that I had-was-would loved/love, and home I had-was-would lived/live in, as my guides reiterated and reconnected my existence within the universal fabric of Love, providing me the atmosphere of complete non-judging love and trust. I struggled to make “sense” of this experience as it occurred, “make sense” through the culturally indoctrinated intellectual lenses and filters my 19 year old brain had learned to date, and was failing.

The voice again intervened and informed me I had the choice to either force my understanding and attempt to make sense of it all “now”, at that very moment,- which meant I’d return to my body insane. Or, the voice informed me, I could let go of, and surrender my need to understand at that moment, and trust in knowing that the information I’d need would be there when the time was right. - This choice meant I’d get to come back to presence in my body sane.

I chose sane, and gave up attempting current understanding. BOOM, I returned to full presence in my body, felt confused but sane, humbled, amazed, and as though I just had valid experience of my true nature and spirit, for the first time in my life. Since then, I’ve followed the warm-fuzzy sensation I learned in my cells during that initiation, while my researching my own experience. This feeling pops up from time to time and pulls me toward what I need, like the game kids play where they say hotter/colder to guide a blindfolded person to the goal.

This process of listening to my heartfelt sensation truly has guided me to the information I’ve needed, at the appropriate time. It has led me to the healing I’ve needed personally, and taught me how to help others in their healing. While this experience placed me in an upstream journey against mainstream culture, I would not trade it, as it taught me true peace and interconnectedness rests at my center, which is a comfort at all times.

While from very different origins and vocabularies, Lawrence and I share a common experience. Namely, being initiated and internally (voice-in-own-head or feeling-in-own-heart) recruited into a spiritual culture that is interested in transparently propagating Love; while being far different, more pragmatic, and far more interactive than Western Culture’s Institutions and Religions care to share is possible. A spiritual culture that empowers individuals to journey into their own unique relationship with the Love that is the foundation and Spirit of the Human experience.

Thanks for watching and reading, enjoy comfortably, ask questions and follow your heart,

Aaron

Have an experience to share or get off your chest?
-I provide a safe place for it. Get in touch.

“Absolute authority can withstand all questioning, absolutely.”
-A wonderfully inspiring quote from my friend Virginia.

Auto Accident Survival

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:30:53 -0800

This fellow above is my Dad. He happens to be one of the foremost experts on all issues Automotive and Auto Insurance. He makes his living as a Consumer Advocate and ally, helping common folk navigate the adversarial world of Auto Insurance disagreements.

I had the opportunity to interview him over lunch and asked what info he wished folks knew, before they got into an accident, that would make his task battling Insurance companies timelier and easier. Enjoy this video and go in ready to advocate for, and take care of... yourself. Insurance companies will be watching their own back - not yours.

This ended up being an important video for me to make. It helped me bring the foundations of my own dubious attitude toward Insurance and Western Medicine to clarity. My father and I shared a unique experience while I was growing up, that profoundly influenced the people we have become today, and shaped the services we have to offer our communities.

I’m going to share this experience:

When my father was 17, he was in an automobile accident that resulted in a plate implanted in his skull - a newly developing technology at the time- it was secured using only soft tissue to hold it in place, no screws, no wires, just tissue. It worked well enough, allowing him to live freely, avoiding only the largest shocks for safety (He was denied enlisting, as the military felt the concussion of a howitzer firing could be enough to dislodge the plate - perhaps I owe my very existence to this plate!)
In the mid 1980’s, he got hit broadside in another auto accident, striking his head and dislodging the plate. This was before MRI’s were used for diagnosis and the imaging technology was limited as to the insight it could provide. He headed down a long slope of physical degeneration and disability that Western Medicine failed to understand at the time. His pain made work difficult and his successful Auto Fleet and Lease company began to fail as he could not be present.
He had Disability Insurance and Auto Insurance to cover his risk for these kinds of events and filed his claims to get everything covered. His regular MD treated him with painkillers and steroids to combat the discomfort and inflammation, but the ongoing use of corticosteroids only furthered the soft tissue degeneration. As this unfolded, he found himself involved in arbitration with his Disability Insurance as they fought his claim tooth and nail. The Insurance company pulled out their aces up their sleeves- in the form of IME’s (Independent Medical Examinations) from doctors they chose. How is a doctor who receives their referrals from Insurance Companies independent? You tell me! - The term that entered my vocabulary at that time was “Insurance Company Whores” -Medical Doctors who maintain an ongoing relationship with insurance companies, in a win-win situation where the doctor spins diagnosis to favor insurance, and in turn insurance continues to fill their office with patients.
The IME whor... wait, I mean Docs, came back with the diagnosis that my fathers problems were imagined, and his discomfort was psychosomatic (a physical illusion created by thoughts in his head). Binding arbitration sided with the Insurance company and denied his disability claim with no recourse for appeal and no other options left. So I watched my father lose everything he worked for and had secured against risk with insurance, at the hands of healers that didn’t help him, and a legal and Insurance system that didn’t protect him.
Late 1980’s: business bankrupt, body failing, MRI’s enter the picture as their diagnostic capability was realized. Lo and behold, the IME whores were close- it did all start in his head! MRI’s were able to show the plate in his skull had been dislodged from it’s soft tissue moorings, and had moved in nearly 3 mm exerting pressure on his Dura and Neocortex creating a cascade of nerve damage throughout his body. MRI also found multiple spinal disc problems as a result of the nerve damage and ongoing steroid treatment.
By the mid 90’s he had been treated surgically numerous times and now has multiple vertebral fusions in both lumbar and cervical spine plus a new Kevlar Plate in his skull (Although he won’t let me test the bullet-proof properties of the Kevlar ; )).
My witnessing the utter failure of our Medical, Legal and Insurance systems to aid my Father was one of the first major turning points for my life direction. It undermined any trust these institutions told me I should have in them, and I’ve sought trust in myself as my best advocate for health and happiness ever since.
It’s great to look back upstream and see how I got here, learning, refining and creating revolutionary pain treatments based on empowering individuals to activate their own innate healing abilities, and find trust in their internal authority.
I’m proud to be an advocate working against the profit driven medical and drug industries, and I’m proud of my Dad for turning his suffering into service of the community, fighting against for-profit Insurance on the little guys behalf. Two peas forced to grow in the same pod, for-profit Insurance & Medicine will someday regret they handed us the pod ; ).
Hopefully this helps you understand why I won’t accept your Medical Insurance Plan, (Until the US provides a single payer system- then I will gladly take your insurance.) and why I will help you heal, and deal with your auto accident as completely and quickly as possible. I’ll get you in touch with the right advocates and the fast track to having it all behind you. Have questions? My dad and I are here for you.

No more profit from suffering! Share comfort freely,

Thanks for reading and watching,
Aaron

PS: Happy Birthday Dad. I’m glad you survived.

Softainability

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:15:01 -0800

Softainability: A desired state of relaxed, flexible balance, allowing for and creating perpetual freedom and comfort; identified by minimal pressure, minimal friction and minimal stress while empowering with the capacity to handle maximum pressure, maximum friction and maximum stress. (For the miniscule amount of time we should tolerate it!)

“Relax, find stacked posture, soft and centered.” -A typical sentence I repeat often. I say it to clients and students, but I say it far more frequently to myself. I don’t say it to myself word for word anymore, the words have become infused with experience. They’ve become a feeling, the feeling of knowing how to rest supported in my own comfortable center. It feels like home, secure and familiar. The security of freedom. Secure not because I am hard and armored, secure because I am soft and sensitive, ready to feel energies at their subtlest and utilize, redirect or release them. Softainable. I take a breath and settle in.

Training with Bruce Lee’s art was the experience that taught me the feelings of my Softainable center. I did not know how sloppy and imbalanced my center was until I asked my body to move with some of his principles: “Non-telegraphic economy of motion.”

Waste no motion, and move without telegraphing (conveying) your intent.

When you’re tense and imbalanced, moving will yank things around and requires increased high-energy, low efficiency, contractions of muscles to get where you’re going. These contractions are visible to others and convey the intent of the movement. Moving from a Softainable center helps minimize these contractions as you can move directly from where you are, to where you are going, no energy wasted altering the inertia of imbalances or “winding-up” to build momentum.

I was stoked to find Bruce’s “lost” interview in the public domain and include his image in this video greatly inspired by him. Please watch all 24 minutes of the interview: http://www.archive.org/details/BruceLeeTheLostInterview You get to hear the thinker and philosopher.

Add Softainability to your vocabulary and remember each time you think it, you’ll relax something, and be that much more softly sustainable. The alternative is hardly sustainable!

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

Economic Body

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:52:46 -0800

This video conveys some fundamental philosophical underpinnings of my healing work, as narrative visual art. Economy comes from “oikonomia- household management”, your body is your household, your consciousness is the inhabitant that does the managing. These metaphors apply to the macrocosm as well the microcosm, Earth: our collective household, Humanity: the collective inhabitant, Economy: the energetic expression of how we collectively manage the globe. The inhabitants must be paying attention to manage pragmatically. What we pay attention to gets cared for, and this video is intended to initiate a cascade of caring attention. Wanna discuss it? Go to my Transcend Bodywork Facebook Page and join the discussion forum. Sometimes we need some extra energy input into our systems, to notice the imbalances we’ve normalized the feeling of. This is one of the immense values of therapeutic pursuits: therapy, bodywork, counseling meditation, yoga, pilates, etc. etc. they provide the boost of energetic feedback needed to help you notice what perhaps you could not feel. I’ve been enjoying utilizing Correct Toes as a Therapeutic Catalyst, as they draw my awareness all the way through my nervous system and body to the tips of my toes while encouraging economic structural alignment from the foundation up. Try them, you’ll be amazed at what they help you notice.

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

The Story of Stuff

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 08:50:55 -0700

This video is equally important as any of the other body tips I share. A comfy body is useless without a planet to play on.
My children enjoyed watching this, and I appreciated the perspective It gives kids for relating to advertising. The more we pay attention to being happy with and exploring (not exploiting) what we already have, the healthier we all will be. I know 20 minutes seems like a lot of time for paying attention to a video on the web. How insane is that last sentence? Watch this video and it will be obvious to you why you have this underlying feeling you don’t quite have enough time or energy to do so...

Thanks to Annie for creating this work so powerful, useful, simple and important.

Enjoy comfortably,
Aaron

Minimalist and Barefoot Ultra Running

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:23:57 -0700

Please enjoy this coffee shop interview with my friend and barefoot inspiration Leif Rustvold. He was kind enough to share his experience on how he got involved in  Ultramarathons and evolved into a barefoot and minimalist(no arch support) running enthusiast. He was the inspiration who first brought minimalist footwear into my awareness and set a chain reaction of bodywork epiphanies in motion. In kind, he accepted a sponsorship from Oregonically Grown, as we felt he makes an excellent poster boy for sustainable self-support. I hope you find Leif’s example inspiring. Expect greatness from yourself when you listen to your body from footprint to footprint.

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

Strong Stable Support

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:01:00 -0700

Myth: Feet need to be supported.

Reality: Feet are designed to support themselves and you! Give them a chance!

Most folks grow up protecting themselves from the paved world with shoes on their feet. This suggests: It’s harsh out there and you can’t survive without protection, support and armor. This message gets reinforced by the predominant “traditional” treatments for foot problems which involve expensive ongoing external supports
and/or surgical “fixes for a faulty system”. Far fewer and far smaller advertising budgets are dedicated to treatments which teach the body how to strengthen, change and heal from within, and cease dependence on the profit-oriented medical system. Let alone dependency on the shoe industry! Phooey huh!?!

Many of us have not had the opportunity to feel what our structurally trustworthy feet can do for our overall comfort. (They’re the foundation of it). Comfort comes from strengthening and learning to trust our structural center. This center of trust is the axis of freedom and enables efficient, independent action. What I’m suggesting: You are adequate and worthy, you can trust the sensations you experience in your center, your home- once you’ve done the work to find yours. Peacefully listening from this home of comfortable balance, you can hear enthusiastic adventure beckoning your heart toward your dreams.

Healthcare is a hot topic these days.

I’ve noticed a growing tsunami of revolutionary health practitioners who are willing to possibly work themselves out of a job, by training you to be OK on your own! (I’m one of them) Learning to take care of yourself, and keep your health in balance, is the cheapest health care there is! Want to strengthen, heal, trust and love your own feet? Here’s some handy -sorry- I mean footy : ) info, that can help: Take your shoes off! Let your toes spread out and be free - Treat it like a workout at first- when your feet say they’re tired, thank ‘em for working hard, give ‘em a rest, and support ‘em until they tell you they’re ready to work out again. Check out the previous entry or the links to the right for more “barefoot technology” articles and links. See my Free Feet video earlier in this blog for something to do right now if you’re trapped at your desk thinking about your sore feet. Try a pair of Correct Toes, made in Oregon, podiatrist designed and clinically proven by Dr. Ray McClanahan, who discovered he didn’t have to do so much surgery to heal feet and legs and help people perform better.

Give your feet a chance to support you. It won’t be long until your nervous system wakes and tissues strengthen, discovering a whole new world of comfortable choices for your toes, feet, ankles, legs...

From the ground up, rise up and shine comfortably.

Thanks and enjoy,
Aaron

Free Feet 2 Leifs thinking on his feet

Mon, 11 May 2009 08:13:03 -0700

I’m borrowing a lot for this entry. Boy am I excited to be able to! Over the past years I’ve helped many people ditch their orthotics, lifts, custom shoes and chronic foot pain by teaching them how to open their arches and trust the natural structure of their foot. The pictures above link to articles and info about feet that’s helping turn traditional thinking about shoes and feet on it’s head.
The “new school” of cutting-edge foot thought isn’t “new school” at all- it’s so “old school” that it’s “original school” - let feet be feet! My friend Leif brought these articles, and the existence of Vibram’s five-finger footware to my attention and I wanted to say thanks by posting this entry. My feet feel these to be the most intelligent shoes I’ve worn. I will be recommending these shoes to my clients as they build trust in their arches. (Wearing these shoes should be thought of as exercise, until your feet have built the strength to support themselves, at which point your feet will already be in love with these shoes too).
Leif is inspiring. Forgive me if I jumble the details of his story, the point is that his journey has led him to be excited about, and share this info with the rest of us. Leif spent a quite a few years deeply pondering bone structure as he studied Kennewick Man for his masters degree, he also happened to develop a taste for running 50k, 100k, and various other ultra-distance runs, or occasionally riding his unicycle 100 miles in a single go. Leif points out that he performs ultra-runs in Vibram Five Fingers shoes as pictured at the top of this page. (The pic is of my new pair- loving them!- now @ REI!) Clicking the pic will open Vibram’s website for more info and help finding Five Fingers near you. Leif sets a wonderful example of what is possible, when you do some deep thinking about your body and make the choice to trust what you grew there in the first place.
Keeping with the Comfort Generating theme of this blog: Little else is more comforting than trusting yourself- mind, body and spirit. Open the eyes of your feet, learn to trust your connection with the planet. For training, check out Rooted Movement Classes, and check out my original Free Feet video in this blog for some additional foot liberation assistance.

Enjoy your beautiful feet, liberate them, and thanks to Leif for sharing,

Aaron.

P.S. -I’ll be spearheading the grassroots campaign lobbying Vibram for professional Five Finger Footware, and lobbying the fashion industry to tolerate Five Fingers poking out from the bottom of a three piece suit. Contribute to the efforts below. Your verticality at age 90 could depend on it.

Dial Comfort. Yourself.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:28:50 -0700

This quick tip about good phone habits raises a great topic:

Few things satisfy more than bodywork that alleviates pain. I’m an even bigger fan of the expanded sense of self I experience by receiving bodywork when I’m not experiencing any pain. I find a deeper, more subtle awareness of my own center: presence, balance, and connection with sensations that offer new, refined pathways to freedom and ease. Finding this deeper center always strikes me as a bit nutty, because I think I feel “normal, present and comfortable-(ordinary consciousness)” before receiving the bodywork in the first place!

I’m in love with the idea that: “There is a deeper state of bliss, comfort and wholeness of being, waiting to be experienced by shifting “ordinary consciousness” via investing in deeper relaxation and subtlety of awareness.

The point is: Please make use often, of every ease and comfort generating idea and piece of technology (ergonomic enhancement) available to you. This frees your awareness to notice more subtle observations of your own posture, creating an opportunity to live in balance and avoid chronic pain.

And I thought this would just be about phones!
Enjoy Comfortably,

Aaron

The Butt Bowl by Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:20:20 -0800

This simple concept helped me feel and relate with the large motion possibilities of my own pelvis. I started off not knowing I could make choices about holding/positioning my pelvis and quickly found I was able bring comfort and support into activities that formerly pushed me(my spine) to the limit.
From sitting to snowboarding, keeping your butt squarely beneath your torso is the key to comfort. Take a Rooted Movement class for personalized instruction.

Enjoy Comfortably,
Aaron

Mouse Relief Ergonomic Exercise by Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 15:02:47 -0800

This tip can release tension from your finger tips to the top of your head. Notice how your elbow is easier to relax when you try this exercise. Once your elbow relaxes does it talk your shoulder into it too? Check out the Disco Exercise video for more arm ease.

Have fun being lazier!
Enjoy comfortably and happy new year,

Aaron

Dan Piraro & Chair Massage Saves the Day! By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:33:09 -0800

Onsite massage is a growing benefit offered by many companies. This video should be especially helpful if you work at one that doesn’t. Send it to your HR gurus and benefit managers to watch. It’s not such a crazy idea when you can see it and know a few of its benefits. Send me an email if you have more questions or require more pro-massage propaganda.

Be comfy,
Aaron

Rooted Movement Balance Training By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:26:31 -0800

What the heck am I talking about? Simple. Roots secure and nourish the tallest organisms on the planet. We have roots too. The best part is that ours move! The benefits of balanced roots reach much deeper than simple comfort and ease . This exercise will ensure you become familiar with your roots.
It’s important to cultivate an open, communicative and patient relationship with your roots, in whatever state you happen to find them. For further exploration of Rooted Movement be sure to check out the Classes Page. Invest in your roots: support local business, check out the Gift Certificates page and the Supporters Page.

Mother Earth wants to support you! Live in balance,
Aaron

Free Feet! By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:22:11 -0800

Headache Relief: Quit Losing Your Head By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:05:42 -0700

This is a quick thought about our noggins that leads to more freedom and less tension in our heads and necks; fewer tension headaches too. Don’t force it. If you can’t comfortably make your head or neck do the things I’m asking, watch the video repeatedly and imagine yourself comfortably moving in the same way while saying this mantra to your body: “I trust you.”. Also, a visit to your neighborhood Chiropractor or Massage Therapist could do you wonders!

Enjoy-Aaron

Breath Surfing: Ride Your Own Wave By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 13:29:34 -0700

If there is one movement I’d like everyone to know comfort in their entire range of motion, it’s breath. Breath is the center we can base all of our relationships of comfort on. The more you play with this exercise the more you’ll have control of your own moment to moment well-being.

Breathe Deep,
Aaron

The Disco Ergonomic Exercise: Why I’d rather Stay Alive & end the Arms Race. By Transcend Bodywork & Aaron Gustafson LMT, CAMT, Reiki Master. Portland Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial Body & Energy work.

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 20:11:17 -0700

The Disco Exercise is something I’ve taught countless times in my practice as a Massage Therapist and Energy Healer. It is effective for reducing tension & discomfort in our Head, Neck, Shoulders, Arms and Hands. An exercise in efficient movement, all you’ll really need to do is less, until you no longer put effort into thinking about doing less! If this helps you feel even a little better please forward it to someone you care about at their desk. If my theory about Disco saving the economy doesn’t pan out, at least you’ll still be more comfortable @ your desk.

Enjoy comfortably!
-Aaron