Bodywork by Eli

11/10/2024

Teaching breath classes again and super excited about it! 🌬️
I’ve got some really good feedback about my new class material. I’ve been diving much deeper into the inner workings of the breath and teaching on an intellectual level but also including the embodied learning experience. Showing people the overlap between the ancient eastern philosophies with modern science is so fun. Our western minds can sometimes need that logical information and explanation to be able to calm down and understand but it’s important to feel it and experiment with our bodies too. I love incorporating breath into my bodywork sessions and the client outcomes are very noticeably different when I do. The breath is such an important function of the body to become aware of and use more consciously. I recommend to any of my fellow bodyworkers to learn more about the breath and how they can use it in their sessions for added benefits. If you have any questions as a laymen or practitioner, please reach out! 🙏

09/25/2024

A student forever ♾️

09/21/2024

Long time, no post. I’m back to doing what I love full time!Living and working at an off-grid hot springs retreat center in Oregon between Portland and Bend. This little oasis is pretty magical. No cell service, mineral hot springs, mineral wet sauna, cold baths, a super cold river running through the property, an amazing labyrinth to walk, vegetarian buffet and more!

Feels good to be back working after a little hiatus traveling and whatnot. I was a bit rusty at first but now I’m back in my flow and it feels better than ever. I’ve heard 4 times this week from guests that I gave the best bodywork they have ever had. Which my ego loves to hear but more importantly they are happy and feeling amazing. It fills my heart to know that. Looking forward to teaching some classes here very soon.

Just wanted to give a little update to all my previous clients, friends, and family back home wondering where I’m at and what I’m doing. I’m very happy and at peace, miss y’all ❤️

07/23/2024

🙏🙏🙏

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PUBLISHES LARGEST STUDY EVER ON MASSAGE THERAPY USE

July 2024

"Many people receive massage therapy and for many reasons. But according to a new study – the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted on the subject – the prevalence of visits to massage therapists is higher than one might have imagined and the reasons may be surprising."

“What our study shows is that it’s probably not helpful any longer to label massage as an ‘alternative’ therapy, with all of the marginality that the term conveys.”

“Licensed massage therapists ought to be respected as mainstream practitioners, whose profession provides a therapeutic approach not just to address pain and functional challenges but to foster wellness and overall well-being, physical and emotional.

Everyone can benefit from working with a skilled massage therapist. They’re the hidden gems in the healthcare system.” - Jeff Levin, Ph.D., M.P.H., University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

Study Link: Journal of Science & Healing
Prevalence & Determinants of Massage Therapy Use in the US
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830724000958

05/16/2024

Stop scrolling and bring your awareness to your breath. We all forget. Life gets crazy and we all get stuck in our head. We don’t need to sit down for 30-60 minutes to change our state of mind. Just a few conscious breaths can shift our nervous system. We don’t need to be sitting in a full lotus or doing a yoga sesh to bring awareness to the breath. It’s a daily practice of reminding ourselves to turn our awareness inward in any moment we feel uncomfortable.

There’s so many techniques to learn but I think the focus needs to be on breath awareness and checking in throughout the day. We simply can’t change anything if we are not aware of it. Only once we learn how to become aware of our current breathing pattern and how it affects our mind and body are we able to pick the right technique to use.

Start using a simple deep diaphragmatic breath with 4 basic principles: in and out through the nose, breathe into the belly not the chest, no counting in your mind, make it circular meaning no pause between inhale and exhale. This technique is called Conscious Connected Breathing (CCB) in the west and is very simple but effective. The thing I like about this one is that it is so simple that there isn’t much to think about once you get into the rhythm of it, very quickly disengages the constantly thinking “monkey mind” that we all so desperately try to get out of or distract ourselves from with whatever we can.

We all want silence of mind but we tend to use outside influence to distract or numb the thinking mind. This has always been an issue throughout time but I would argue that in modern society it’s become an epidemic. Our internal world has become so chaotic that most people can’t stand silence because their mind and body is screaming at them from being ignored and suppressed for so long. All your mind and body wants is some peace. Let it purge. 🤮

Think of meditation like fasting for the mind. If we don’t meditate regularly our mind and body gets clogged up with thoughts, emotions, and energy which cause stress and physical sensations of pain. Suffering (pain) is just as much in the mind as it is in the body.

Shirts coming soon… 😁

https://linqapp.com/HomebodyEdu?r=link

05/09/2024

Grateful for all the good reviews and my clients 🙏. Thai Massage has proven to be much more effective in my practice. I am such a fan of the mat work and clients are really loving the full body effects. It seems to have a more profound effect on the nervous system which allows for not only relaxation but increased mobility in less time. It is great for increasing one’s yoga practice or getting someone into yoga who just can’t seem to get into certain positions from lack of mobility or stability. The other thing people keep saying is that it leaves them feeling deeply relaxed but recharged compared to more western style table work. Also because it is on the mat instead of a table, clients feel more grounded during the session. They feel they are not worried about rolling off the table or not being able to sprawl their arms or legs out in a more comfortable position. So many less restrictions for clients and myself as the practitioner. There’s so many more options and I incorporate a lot more breath education in these sessions because of the stretching element. I absolutely loved receiving this work when I was studying and sharing it brings me so much joy.

Did you know?
It is done fully dressed for those uncomfortable with disrobing. No use of oil or cream for those that don’t like the feeling during or afterwards. Also there isn’t the typical Swedish style rubbing that most are familiar with if that’s not your thing. It is comprised of rocking, compressions, stretches, and acupressure. It’s been a game changer in my practice for giving and receiving. Once you go Thai, you may never go back. Unless it’s going back to Thailand. 🇹🇭😂

05/09/2024

This topic came up in conversation yesterday. As much as patience and tolerance are virtuous, it is only to a certain degree. At some point these ideals can be toxic and knowing how to discern the difference between healthy and unhealthy patience and tolerance is VERY important. We disrespect ourselves when we put up with too much disrespect from others which causes self-loathing and resentment towards others and self.

This is a breeding ground for hate and toxic behaviors to manifest for both parties. This can very quickly lead to bad habits, addictions, and self-destructive actions that are the opposite of self care. Self care begins with self respect and boundaries. If we do not love and respect ourselves, we won’t take care of ourselves. If we do not have strong boundaries, we won’t have any time to.

Boundaries are super hard to put up, especially with those we love dearly. Self respect and self love is often very hard to give to ourselves but it is so important for living a healthy life.

This topic is very important because health and wellness starts in the mind and with our relationships. Our relationship to others and our relationship to self. Which are really one and the same. It’s is harder to be in control of our relationships to others when we don’t have a good relationship with self. When we take a step back and focus on our internal relationship with our self, our external relationships with others inherently changes too. It is much easier to work from the inside out than the outside in.

Care, respect, love of self is so much more than just going to a massage, a yoga class, or exercising. This journey of self healing really starts from the inside out and goes way deeper than we might think. If we do not deeply value ourselves and our health mentally, emotionally, and physically we will not be able to get healthy or stay healthy which is the harder part. It’s a lifestyle and a daily practice not something we do in our “off time”.

We all say we don’t “have time” and we never will if we don’t make time and create space to do so. It needs to be a priority, no excuses.

05/01/2024

Sharing because I’ve found this to be very helpful with nervous system regulation, give it a try when you are overloaded or before bed 🌀

Sound Bath Meditation frequency music to calm the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Use this sound healing meditation music to relax your mind and body, releas...

04/17/2024

People are loving the mat based work! For many reasons, I do too. My bodywork sessions involve much more than a basic spa massage. I provide as much education as I can about breath and the nervous system to teach you how to release your own tension inside and outside of the session so you are not dependent on me or anyone for that matter. This is really important to me, I want people to be self-sufficient and empowered to be in charge of their own physical, mental, and emotional state of being. We can’t control much externally but we can take responsibility for our internal state of being. We do this by learning how to befriend and retrain our nervous system. Relearning how to respond to stressors, triggers, traumas. Basically how our nervous system responds to our environment. Yes, we can carefully select an environment that is easy to respond to but learning how to respond better in challenging environments is the key to healthy dynamic nervous system function. Breath and somatic mind-body awareness is everything so I utilize it deeply in everything that I do because it is deeply essential to everything we do. 🌀

I love sharing my craft and I am so grateful for what I do because it truly fulfills me in ways that nothing else can. 🙏

04/12/2024

Hey Fam, finally made some merch! The central placement is perfect to rock a button down or kimono over it. Follow my art page for more merch and my personal art. I set up an Etsy store under the same handle as well! Use Promo Code: “FAM47” for free shipping. 📦

Whether you’re a client of mine, family, or a friend I really appreciate your continued support in all my endeavors. If you’re wondering where I’ve been… yes, I’ve been hiding lol. Life hit me super hard when I got back from Thailand. I really fell off the wagon with my self-care practices and lost all of my momentum. Lately I’ve been taking time to build myself back up from the inside out. After running a small business by myself for 3 years, I realized I was burning out and my personal life was taking a big hit. I was biting off way more than I could chew in many ways trying to learn too much at once. It’s kinda ironic that in the quest for knowledge and to alleviate others suffering, I was hurting myself. Even my trip to Thailand was all about what I could learn for others, instead of myself. I’ve taken a much needed step back to focus on me, figuring out what I want to do and how I want to do it going forward. I’ve been working on building a strong foundation of self-care practices again, meditation, breathwork, yoga, exercise, and making art! One thing that I didn’t make much time for in the past few years, creativity. It feels great to connect with myself and my inner child again as I recalibrate to find alignment within myself.

If you’d like to support me and my mission in the meantime then rock a T-Shirt! They’re super comfy that they might just make you feel at home in your body. No promises though, you have to do the work! I’ll be back when I’m done mine. 😊

https://arthasnorulesdesigns.etsy.com

https://linqapp.com/HomebodyEdu?r=link