712 D Street, San Rafael, California
There are several approaches to the system that can be included in a manual therapy session, such as
Cranial Sacral Therapy
This gentled subtle work is a comprehensive and profound way of releasing stored tensions, energy, fluid, or myofascial restrictions anywhere in the body. It addresses embryological underpinnings and appreciates that some issues were inspired at very early stages of development along tissue fields that developed at the same time.
The techniques may focus on global and significant patterns that originate in the skull and brain, recognizing that some of the cellular, bony and membranous connections there impact the entire system. Cranial work can be done with clothes on or off, as a session on its own or integrated into other forms of massage and bodywork. Some of the most deep and subtle areas of restriction will only respond when approached most slowly with patience and gentleness, and, as in neuromuscular work, because it addresses origins in the brain, the results can be most lasting.
Brain/Spine Integration/Neurotherapy
This subtle style is more detailed than cranial sacral work. It listens for and tracks the fixations in each segment of the spine, reaching down to the meninges, ligaments, and deepest layers surrounding the spinal cord. It's very helpful where there has been birth trauma, surgeries, and whiplash or disc injuries. It works with the brain's relationship to injured or dysfunctional areas, and helps to release shock from the cells. Sleep issues can also be assisted by calming and settling the 'buzzy', over-stimulated areas inside the brain cells, cranial nerves, and the membranes inside the skull.
NeuroMuscular Reeducation
Based in Feldenkrais and Hanna Somatics, this approach uses the body's relationship with the sensory cells and the brain to ask the muscle to make changes in length, tone, mobility, and range of motion. It helps to reestablish neural connections and aliveness where areas have gone numb or entrenched in patterns that are unhealthy. This approach is gentle and is based on a non-threatening method of rebooting the system, and reorganizing the nervous system using the brain for feedback while creating a healthier pattern. Our nail technicians will pamper your hands and feet with our luxurious manicures and pedicures. Choose from a range of options, including our classic mani-pedi, gel polish, or paraffin wax treatment.
Visceral Manipulation
There are as many as 400,000 nerve cells in the gut including the same neurotransmitters that the brain uses. Imbalance in the intestines or internal organs can refer back into the spine in the area of their nerve roots, or via shared nerves or fascia into neighboring joints like the hips or shoulders, creating discomfort in the musculo-skeletal system. It is a vital area to restore and responds well to direct, subtle contact to open restrictions and mobilize organs and restore natural rhythms.
Myofascial Release
The fascia is an interconnected web of hydrated, fine strands of tissue that is everywhere in the system, surrounding and permeating even some organs and cells, acting as a superconductor of energy and information. With fatigue, illness, stress, strain, injury or surgery, adhesions can happen that create stickiness that will restrict muscles and joints from moving as smoothly as they would normally. This technique is gentle and seems superficial - working on surface fields of tissue, but because everything is so connected, it has a deep influence on several layers.
Joint Mobilization
Very often the joints are what causes muscles and connective tissue to contract due to compression or malalignment. Having full, free articulation is a huge support for everything else to be able to move better, with less stiffness or soreness because there are numerous joint receptors that communicate to the brain and help reset muscle tension. It's also a very gentle but precise method that is effective and can ward off later issues with degeneration.
Vascular Release
This method focuses on restrictions there may be in blood flow from the core to the extremities. In many cases, when there's been long hours of sitting or repetitive motion activities, some of the blood vessels through the neck to the head or down the arm, or through the abdomen down the legs has been limited. Very often a condition called ischemia - oxygen-deprived tissue - can create tight muscles, numbness or spasms, which this approach is very helpful for.