Joyful Bliss Bodywork - Zen Shiatsu, Reiki, MLD, & Joy

09/03/2026

Reiki Share open to anyone attuned. Wednesday, September 9th from 7:00-9:00pm at Zen Shiatsu Chicago 818 Lake St. Evanston, IL 60201.

Register here:
https://zenshiatsu.edu/chicago_evanston_reiki_share/

08/27/2026

sometimes it’s hard to close the book (quote by Kristina Mahr)

08/23/2026

08/23/2026

Sometimes you do things at pain levels other people would never imagine moving through — not because you are okay, but because you refuse to let pain take your entire life away. 💜🦋 Selma Blair captured the reality of invisible illness when she said, “I looked like a ‘normal’ girl to them, but I was Disabled this whole time.” Her words were about her experience with multiple sclerosis, but they can resonate deeply with people living with fibromyalgia.

A day when you manage to work, cook, leave the house, spend time with family, or even smile does not automatically mean you are having a good day. Sometimes it means you pushed through pain, fatigue, brain fog, and exhaustion because there were things you simply could not stop doing. The effort may be invisible, but that does not make it any less real.

People with fibromyalgia often learn to function while hurting because stopping completely can mean losing parts of the life they still want to live. 💜 You may see someone walking, talking, working, or laughing and assume they are doing well, while they are quietly counting down until they can finally rest. What looks like strength from the outside can actually be someone using every bit of energy they have left.

This is why invisible illness is so misunderstood. Fibromyalgia can involve widespread pain, severe fatigue, sleep problems, brain fog, and heightened sensitivity, and symptoms can fluctuate from one day to another. Being able to do something despite those symptoms does not mean the symptoms have disappeared.

So when someone says, “I pushed through today,” believe them. They may not have had a pain-free day — they may simply have been stronger than the pain for a few hours. And sometimes, that is what surviving chronic illness looks like.

08/19/2026

♥️☯️🌻

08/18/2026

Manual Lymphatic Drainage in Valparaiso - Joy’s current openings at The Beauty Lounge LLC are Tuesdays (11am, 12:15 & 1:15pm, every other week 4:30pm) and weekend mornings (Sat/Sun 8am-noon). Plan to book a week or two out.

Do you know that old sports joke…those who can’t do_________, teach.

Well, in most fields, and bodywork it’s the opposite, those who have experience and advanced training, and DO it well, first build a thriving practice & then are qualified to teach others.

Joy just completed a third training in MLD. Wowza, the science has advanced and is amazing to observe. Fascia and lymphatics are critically important to whole body wellness, and in Australia & Japan there is imagine done of the lymphatic flow. Concrete evidence showing that MLD done properly circulates the lymphatics system more efficiently! While the imaging is not here in the USA yet, MLD is here!

🌱 Schedule yourself some lymphatic massage today!

General LIst of Benefits:
Immune Support
Increased Lymph Circulation
Increased Relaxation
Removes Metabolic Waste
Reduces Inflammation
Reduce Edema
Can Help Anxiety
Allergy Relief
Pain Relief
Reduces Facial Puffiness
Post-Op Recovery
Fitness/Sports Recovery
Lymphedema Management
Lipedema Management
Migraine Management
TMJ Management
Post Dentalwork/Dental Surgery Recovery
Reduces Bruising
Can Improve Skin Issues

Send Joy a message here for a brief intake call and discussion of a treatment plan tailored just for your needs, schedule, and budget.

🌱🤲

A supplemental video from the 2012 review by E.M. Sevick-Muraca, "T...

08/14/2026

I am teaching 42 CE MLD - Lymphatic Massage or Manual Lymphatic Drainage course in October in Evanston, IL. If folks in NW Indiana want this course let’s make it happen. Get in touch with me today!

There is help available managing those heavy, stuck, itchy, puffy, tight feelings, whether or not you have ever had lymph nodes removed, tested, or radiated.

Looking forward to helping more folks with general or specific auto-immune issues, oncology care, post operative care, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, relaxation, wellness and stress relief.

Professionals requiring CE’s in any of these licenses can earn the 42 hours: Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists, Napropaths, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, & Acupuncturists.

If you have interest in taking the class for your own benefit to provide self care or care of a loved one, join us!

In Evanston use the link below to reserve your place with $400 deposit.
In NW Indiana send me a message and we can schedule to make it happen!

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08/12/2026

https://youtu.be/aHXHyAzwOOc?si=ymTm_JuFBbxFj_cJ

This video illustrates normal lymphatic anatomy and flow. https://w...

07/31/2026

You are not alone. The medical process is fascinating and amazing, while the emotional and physical processes are quite taxing to many clients. If you are seeking some improved comfort between stages along the process please do reach out for MLD, manual lymphatic drainage treatments.

We can schedule a conversation to discuss your particular scenario, and a treatment plan to create more ease while your system evolves.

At Zen Shiatsu Chicago on Mondays & Wednesdays in Evanston, IL
AND
AtThe Beauty Lounge LLC on Tuesdays & weekend mornings in Valparaiso, IN.

Many studies show that breast reconstruction improves breast-cancer patients’ overall mental health. Yet many patients say they felt underprepared by their doctors for the length and intensity of the breast-reconstruction process. Up to 40 percent of women who undergo breast reconstruction end up dissatisfied with the results.

“To me, the risk of a complication is the Achilles’ heel of breast reconstruction. It’s a really important operation. It has the potential to restore quality of life,” said Dr. Clara Lee, a plastic surgeon and professor. “But there’s this relatively high complication risk.” For some women with breast cancer, that complication risk means undergoing multiple unplanned surgeries in pursuit of rebuilding the breasts they lost to cancer. And even if everything goes well, with minimal or even zero complications, almost all breast reconstructions will involve multiple “revision” operations.

What drives some women to persist through so many years of so many surgeries? It’s difficult to understand unless you’re in it, and many of the women Melissa Dahl spoke to found it hard to articulate. “Where it gets hard,” said Dr. Monique C. James, a psychiatrist who works with patients undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction, “is when people have assigned meanings to their breasts that connect to their identity.” She starts her relationship with her patients by asking each one the same question: “What do your breasts mean to you?” Just like breast reconstruction, the question is often more complicated than it seems.

Dahl reports on the complication-riddled process of breast reconstruction: https://nymag.visitlink.me/pcEAWK