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The Invincible Bodyworker:
Surrendering to Winter Illness
By Gina Mastroluca
This winter when I began to experience the familiar symptoms of the common cold, I felt discouraged and upset. As a holistic bodyworker, I took such excellent care of myself how could I be getting another cold? It seemed I hadn't done enough to make myself invincible, I felt I was disappointing the people in my personal and professional life who counted on me to be strong.
I immediately took up my arsenal - vitamin C, goldenseal, echinacea, hot tea, lavender infused baths, saline nasal cleanses and my humidifier by my bedside. Ready and alert, I would marshal my immune system to maintain my health at all costs.
I examined the possibilities for ripe germ contact. Perhaps my nephew had brought it home from school. Somehow, my defense systems were weak and I was a victim of the nastiest of cold viruses. At least if I'm going to get sick, I thought, let me savor the pleasures of compromising my health.
A client of mine whose son returned home from school with a vicious flu told me in desperate defeat - "I sprayed the entire house with Lysol! It was as sterile as a laboratory!" As I listened, I saw her in a superwoman's cape with cleaning agent in hand flying around her home spraying and wiping with unmatched intensity. Still, she got the flu. What else could she have done?
On the third day of suffering, I collapsed on the couch surrounded in a moat of self-healing remedies. I resisted my vigilant hourly trip to the bathroom to rinse my sinuses in a saline solution. I just lay there, the midwinter sun was weak and diffuse. A drift of snow clinging to the side of a ledge let go, fell and was buffered by the deep snow beneath. All was still. The world, my neighbors and friends were out there somewhere engaging their upright bodies in the daily activities of life.
Feeling weak and utterly defeated, I called to cancel the next day's appointments. I had tried everything, nothing was working. I considered the possibility that my body wouldn't or couldn't bring me back to health. I could even die from this cold virus! Many people have died from seemingly trivial ailments, haven't they? Who would help my clients to stay healthy?
Then,
something enlivening happened.
I surrendered. I missed the world, but the stillness
and light in my small room pacified me. What if my body had willingly taken
on this virus in order to stimulate some much needed cleansing? Maybe I needed
to rest and discharge a backlog of stress and toxins.
And on a deeper level, perhaps my spirit was ripe for the opportunity to practice vulnerability and letting go. Surrendering to the vulnerabilities and inaction of the common cold guided me to reflect (almost cheerfully) on the cycles of death and birth that govern our natural lives - what Elizabeth Kubler Ross calls the "little deaths." And once again to recognize the human desire to be in control, to be in action, to appear strong. None of us are invulnerable to the emotional, mental and physical stresses of living. And like the built-in cycle of sleep, maybe an occasional virus or flu plays an intelligent role in the body's cycles and seasons of cleansing, clearing and regenerating. What depths there are to know about oneself in fully retreating into even the most common cold. How mysterious our innate healing wisdom is, acting continuously in countless ways on our behalf. And how wondrous it feels to be well again!
What is Polarity Therapy?
An interview with Gina Mastroluca
Why do you do what you do?
I love working one on one with people who are seeking greater health, wholeness and self-expression. Originally, I was exploring mind-body approaches to wellness for my family and myself. I received a polarity session and I felt a tremendous sense of peace and well-being. I felt my heart open and my body awareness expand. I left the session with a tangible sense of greater possibility for my health and all aspects of my life. I knew immediately I would want to share this profound healing art with others as a practitioner.
What exactly is Polarity Therapy?
The philosophy of Polarity Therapy is simple: We are made up of energy. Science now tells us that we are more energy than matter! The ancient health system of India refers to this energy as prana. When the energy within us is flowing freely and in balance we experience a wonderful sense of well-being which includes greater physical health. So, Polarity Therapy is a beautiful hands-on healing art of strengthening and balancing human energy flow for a healthy, vibrant, body, mind and spirit.
What happens then, when it is not flowing well?
Did you ever have a day when you hit all the red lights? Ever been stuck in traffic? This is what it feels like in your body. There is a sense of stuckness, nothing is working smoothly on the inside or the outside. You feel tired, frustrated, irritable, low energy. If your energy pathways remain stuck consistently over time you can imagine how your relationships and work begin to feel. And when your energy pathways are blocked, physical symptoms and pain are more likely to develop.
Can you see the energy blocks?
I am trained to see, feel, and sense where energy flows and where it blocks. More often, I help my clients sense energy flow within their bodies. I show them how to nurture and enhance their energy system for a healthier body and spirit. This is a tool they can use for life.
What do you mean by nurture the energy system?
I introduce practical tools and exercises to tune into your energy system; to let go of stress, negativity and stagnation; to unplug thoughts, people, and experiences that drain your energy; and to restore and enhance vitality.
So, Polarity Therapy helps with stress?
Yes, Polarity addresses the energy behind the stress and helps you let go of the root cause of the stress. This could be a stressful issue in a relationship expressing itself in tight shoulders and indigestion. The main stress could be an unsatisfying job. This could manifest as irritability, headaches, and depression. In both cases, there is a corresponding block or stagnation in the person’s energy system influencing their physical body and their life experience.
How can we be sure there really is an energy system?
You could ask your self:
Did I have enough energy when I awoke this morning? Where did it come
from? Where did it go? Are there times when you have too much energy? Feeling
wired or wound up from a stressful interaction?
What is keeping my blood circulating throughout my body? What keeps my
heart beating? In our homes we don’t see the invisible electricity behind our walls
fueling a reading lamp. Yet, we do notice the practical result of the
energy flow to our lamp—light!
What happens In a Polarity session?
We sit down together and talk about the intention of the session. It may be to free up energy that is causing an uncomfortable physical symptom or to help you connect with your sense of clarity and purpose for an aspect of your life. Then, you rest comfortably on the massage table and the hands-on, nurturing, bodywork begins. This hands-on contact allows you to relax and to connect with a core place of clarity, strength and wisdom within you. It is from that place that we collaborate to create mind, body health and well-being for you!
There is energy all around us creating weather and wind and autumn leaves on the trees. Autumn is a wonderful time to watch the earth’s energy in action! Body and spirit flourish when your energies are flowing.
Thank you!
A Conversation with Gina Mastroluca:
"When energy flows freely through
our body we experience better health and well-being."
by Leigh-ann Smith
Gina Mastroluca is a Registered Polarity Practitioner who teaches Polarity Therapy and also has a practice in Portland.
What is Polarity Therapy?
Polarity Therapy is a wonderful, hands-on healing art that works with balancing
and strengthening the human energy flow throughout our bodies. Traditionally,
it is a four-part healing modality, so it's the hands-on body work, yoga, energetic
nutrition, and something that is called working with how our mind effects healing,
how our thoughts and beliefs affect the way our body heals and how we feel.
Do people often group it into other forms of alternative healing, like massage?
Well, often it is grouped with energy medicine. The principle of polarity therapy is that we are energy beings and that we are made up of energy. When energy flows freely through our body we experience better health and well-being. The roots of polarity therapy come from Ayurveda, which is the ancient Indian system of medicine. Ayurveda means the science of life and longevity. It has been around for at least 5,000 years. The idea of it is to support your health before it forms into symptoms and disease. It is similar to the theory of Chinese medicine, which is also based on energy.
Who founded Polarity Therapy?
Dr. Randolph Stone founded Polarity Therapy. He was an amazing man. He was an osteopathic doctor and a naturopathic doctor and chiropractor. He went around the world and studied many different forms of healing. He was particularly fascinated by the Ayurvedic form of healing in India. Dr. Stone was one of those seekers; he was looking for the truth in healing and so he was a really brilliant man. He synthesized many things into polarity and then called it Polarity Therapy.
What is the aim of Polarity?
When our energies contract we tend not to feel that great and we can develop symptoms. When our energy feels open and flowing and expanded we are more apt to feel open, more clear and happy. Polarity Therapy is very centering. It helps us to express our highest potential for health and well-being, for creative expression, and our highest potential on all levels. It is a mind-body therapy, and there is a big emphasis in integrating our whole self so that includes our spirit, our emotional self.
How are the modalities used in treatment?
Well, in a session you would come, sit and we would talk about the intention of what you really want from a session. Then you would get on the massage table and we would do some nurturing healing touch, helping to relieve any blocked energy and help with the flow of energy. Then after a session, we might talk about how to balance your energies between sessions. I might give you some yoga postures to do. I might also give you suggestions on what might support your life force, nutrition, what food choices might be beneficial.
How many sessions do people usually go through?
I really let people choose how many. It depends on how much support they want and what they need. Some people receive one session and they love it and it works for them, so they go onto something they really need. Maybe they go and practice yoga and that is their healing path. More often people come for six sessions if they want more support. It really gives us a chance to get their energy flowing and feel more like themselves again. After that, I have clients who have been coming for years and it is just their maintenance. They come once a week or every other week. It is just how they support themselves, keep them tuned up. I myself receive sessions regularly to keep healthy.
What was your first experience like with Polarity Therapy?
My first experience with Polarity Therapy was that I had an acquaintance studying it. I was at a time in my life in which I was really searching out what I wanted to do with the next part of my life. So I said sure, I will give it a try. Literally within five to ten minutes of lying on the table I felt energy move and expand within me. When I left my session I felt a greater sense of well-being, a greater sense of wholeness, and basically just great.
So then you went on to learn it. How did you receive training?
When I left the session, again I felt this sense of wow and greater possibilities. I thought wow, I really want to learn this and share this work with others. There is a school in Ipswich, Massachusetts, then called the Polarity Realization Institute, and that is where I did my training. But now it is called SpaTech Institute. And I am also a teacher there now. I teach Polarity Therapy.
The Principles of Ayurveda: Anne McIntyre FNIMH
Ayurveda is an ancient philosophy based on a deep understanding of eternal truths about the human body, mind and spirit. The traditional natural healing system of India, Ayurveda, is rapidly growing in popularity in the West today. A thoroughly comprehensive system of healing, it embraces medical science, philosophy, psychology, spiritual understanding as well as astrology and astronomy. It is based on the accumulated knowledge and understanding of millennia and yet it is very up to date, offering practical and effective treatment for many modern disorders such asthma, IBS, anxiety and skin disease. Clinical trials are being carried out at major Ayurvedic institutions all over the world as the search continues for treatments that are safe and effective through reviews of eastern as well as western medicine. Ancient wisdom is constantly being verified by modern research.
The roots of Ayurveda are lost in the mists of time and there has been much speculation about its true origins. A study by Zysk (1991) provides evidence in early literature preserved by Buddhist monks for Ayurveda evolving as a medical tradition from the deep wisdom of spiritually enlightened prophets known as Rishis living in North India in the 5th century BC. Their wisdom was apparently transmitted orally from teacher to disciple and eventually set down in Sanskrit poetry known as the Vedas. These writings, dating approximately 1500 BC distilled the prevailing historical, religious, philosophical and medical knowledge and form the basis of Indian culture. At approximately the beginning of the first century AD the first and most important of Ayurvedic texts appeared written by the famous physician Caraka. His work, the Charaka Samhita, is still considered the main authority of Ayurveda today and is referred to constantly in both the teaching and practice of Ayurveda.
The name Ayurveda derives from two Sanskrit words: “Ayur” meaning life and “Veda” meaning knowledge or science. This conveys that Ayurveda is more than a system of medicine, it is a complete way of life that aims to enhance health and well being and increase longevity through a union of physical, emotional and spiritual balance as a prerequisite for attaining Moksha or self realisation. According to Vedic philosophy, there are four rightful goals in life and all human beings aspire to one or more of them: Kama(enjoyment), Artha (properity), Dharma (career) and Moksha (liberation).
Kama/enjoyment is our most basic goal. We all have a basic desire to be happy and avoid suffering, to enjoy the world of sensory experience and the satisfaction of emotional desires.
Artha/prosperity refers to acquirement of wealth and possessions in the material world. We all need vital possessions like food, clothing and shelter to be able to stay alive.
Dharma/career
or vocation refers to the attainment of status, recognition for our abilities,
gifts, skills or talents, so that we can fulfil our role in life. Moksha/enlightenment,
bliss, spiritual liberation and recognition of our own true nature. The fundamental
purpose in life is true inner knowledge and liberation from suffering to enable
us to reach our full potential. The other three goals are outer or secondary.
When the lower three goals become ends in themselves, they give rise to attitudes,
beliefs and behaviour that predispose to physical and mental imbalance and
disease. Kama as a primary goal is said to lead to over indulgence and
dissipation of vital energy; Artha can lead to greed and selfish acquisitiveness;
Dharma can lead to the pursuit of fame, power and control. Moksha is freedom
from attachment to the first 3 gross states and a state of inner peace and
joy.
At the heart of Ayurveda lies the understanding that everything is One, that everything exists in relation not in isolation. Body effects mind and vice versa, feelings and thought processes have physical effects as disorders of the body affect our psychological state. Moksha/enlightenment can be attained by those who enjoy good physical and mental health, and this is the goal of Ayurveda.
For more, please go to www.AnneMcIntyre.com