Kneaded News ~ the newsletter from Sarah Newdigate Holistic Massage ~ |
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Hello and welcome to my July newsletter! I hope all is well with you. How does the summer affect you? There are many physical benefits that we can get from the sun but we have to be careful to keep our water intake high and not dehydrate. |
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I've had a busy couple of weeks. It was my son's birthday recently. He turned 8 which seems crazy to me! It wasn't that long ago he was a tiny baby and now he's 8! We've had visits from friends and family recently too which has been lovely. It's been particularly nice to show off Somerset in the sunshine to our family from Cape Town. |
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I mentioned in my last newsletter that I'd be taking some time off during August. Here are the dates that I will be away. |
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If you would like to book your massage during August do let me know and I'll be happy to try and find a suitable time for you. Just to be on the safe side I would recommend booking your summer treatments in advance just to avoid disappointment. ~ Get in touch ~ E: sarahnewdigate@gmail.com T: 07583 039744 (please leave a message if you don't get a reply) |
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The Rest & Digest StateYou may be aware of the parasympathetic nervous system, or maybe you know it better as the 'Rest & Digest' system? Humans, like all animals, live in a constant flow between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system. To keep things simple let's refer to these as the 'Rest & Digest' and the 'Fight, Flight, Freeze' states. |
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Fight, Flight Freeze The Fight, Flight, Freeze state (sympathetic nervous system) is that feeling you get when you step into the road and a car speed by narrowly missing you, or when you suddenly realise you've missed an important deadline. It's that chest tightening fear. Chills down your back. You turn pale and break into a sweat. We've all felt this from time to time. It's unpleasant but there is an evolutionary reason for it. |
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Imagine it's the Paleolithic era and you are hunting some gazelles or something. Suddenly you see a hungry lion racing towards you! Instantly you go into a Fight, Flight, Freeze state. Hopefully you choose 'Flight' and leg it! |
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As soon as you see that lion, a number of physical changes occur in you: Your pupils dilate, letting more light in and improving your vision. The heart starts pumping faster, this pumps blood through your body quicker, bringing oxygen to your muscles, allowing them to move faster and for longer. The bronchioles in your lungs dilate. This quickly draws in air, and in particular, more oxygen - again to let the muscles work at their best. Your blood vessels dilate forcing fresh blood to the muscles as quickly as possibly. Several systems slow down and almost stop. The immune system, digestive system and urinary system aren't needed right now so no energy is wasted on these. Your adrenal glands are busy pumping out adrenalin to ensure that now you've started running you keep going until you are out of danger!
Once you've outrun the scary lion and are safe and sound your body quite quickly returns to a more balanced state. Your heart beat slows and your breathing returns to normal. So this is your Fight, Flight, Freeze state working at it's very best. It can quite literally save your life. The problem we have in our modern world is that our Fight, Flight, Freeze state is kicked off by problems such as having a difficult boss at work, fighting with a spouse or struggling to pay the electricity bill. These are very real problems but, unlike the lion, they can't be outrun. We often have to live with problems that stimulate our Fight, Flight, Freeze state for prolonged periods. Sometimes for years. This can mean that our bodies are held in this physical state of stress for very long periods. This is hardly ideal and can lead to some serious health problems. The antidote to this is helping the body spend more time in the Rest & Digest state. |
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Rest & Digest The Rest & Digest state is the exact opposite of the Fight, Flight, Freeze state. It is that lovely calm feeling we have when we're doing something that we love. When we happily loose all track of time pottering in the garden on a beautiful spring day. Playing with grandchildren. Hugging a loved one. These things feel good because they are good for us. |
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If you have been living in a stressful situation for some time it can be really hard to bring your body back to a state of calm, to that Rest & Digest state. You may need to introduce several new tools that slowly allow you to balance out a little more. This can take time and may feel awkward or difficult at first. Here are some suggestions that may help to address the nervous system and help you reside more in the Rest & Digest state: Gentle exercises like walking, Qi gong or yoga Massage or other body work. Reiki or acupuncture can bring people great relaxation Meditation Being outside, especially in the sunshine
If you feel like you have been living in a state of stress for too long and would like to see if massage can help you to rebalance your nervous system, please get in touch. I would be very happy to work with you and your nervous system using holistic massage. |
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I'm very lucky to have so many kind clients. I know that a lot of you have been recommending me to others recently and I'm really grateful for this. Personal recommendations really are one of the best ways things you can do to help a small business to grow. If you know of someone who could benefit from massage please pass on my details. I always have leaflets and business cards available that you are welcome to take and pass onto friends. |
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Why not try...? My suggestion for July is another simple but rather lovely one... walking barefoot. I am a big believer in being barefoot as often as possible. You may have noticed that I always work barefoot. I find it grounds me and allows me to work more freely. I find the barrier that shoes create between my body and the ground subtle but distinctly jarring. Obviously when we're inside there's the carpet, floor boards, foundations between my body and the natural Earth but by freeing my feet and allowing them to feel and move more naturally I find there is more of a connection. This feeling is even stronger outside, being barefoot on the natural Earth can bring you a real connection to nature. It may feel strange at first. A lot of us were brought up believing we must put shoes on before leaving the house. The outside world was 'dirty' and we needed to protect ourselves with shoes or boots. If going for a barefoot hike doesn't appeal then start small - take 5 minutes to stand barefoot in your garden, or local park or forest. Ideally do this on a sunny day. Try walking mindfully on the grass. Focus your mind on the feeling of the plants underfoot. Take note of the temperature of the Earth. Close your eyes and open your mind. What do you feel? Where do you feel it? There have been numerous subjective reports made stating that walking barefoot on the Earth enhances health and provides feelings of well-being. If the idea of connecting with the Earth in this way appeals to you, you can read about the concept of Earthing, or Grounding, in more detail in this article from the National Library of Medicine: The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Grounding can help to improve sleep, normalise the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift your nervous system to that lovely Rest & Digest parasympathetic state (discussed above), increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity. If you would like to read more about this topic, you may like to read Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? |
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