Category Archives: relax

Why massage therapy during pregnancy?

By Stacy Seebart

As your uterus grows and expands to accommodate your growing baby it is normal to have at least a little stiffness and/or muscle tension.  Most pregnant women I see complain of lower back pain, muscle cramps and constipation.

Prenatal massage is becoming very popular as pregnant women begin to recognize the benefits it has to offer. It can help support your health and vitality as your body changes.  Massage also helps you achieve balance during a time of great change, treating some of the side effects of pregnancy, but also leave you feeling relaxed.

Benefits include:

• relieves headaches caused by tension or a build up of metabolic waste in the body

• eases constipation, gas, heartburn as general relaxation will stimulate intestinal movements

• reduces excess fluid retention by gently guiding fluid into circulation where it can be eliminated

• can help relieve pain in your muscles and joints that now must support added and redistributed weight

• can promote restful sleep and decrease pregnancy related insomnia

• can decrease stress, anxiety or fear

This list of benefits can go on and on…

Blooma’s trained prenatal massage therapists will provide you with the best care.  Most physicians, chiropractors and other health care providers will recommend prenatal massage, however be sure to check with your doctor and discuss any conditions that you might have before making an appointment (click on Bodywork/Wellness).

During your session you can expect to be supported with comfy pillows and bolsters.  Depending on how far along you are you may experience the session laying on your side.  At Blooma we have special prenatal pillows that allow you to lay face down!  I often have a hard time getting mama’s to leave the “on the belly” position because it feels so good to lie that way again.  The body cushions will support you and the baby, while relieving tension on your lower back so that you can relax comfortably for the hour.

Of course it is fine to interrupt the session if you need to use the restroom.  Be sure to communicate with your therapist any areas of discomfort or concern.

Pregnancy is such a huge change for you body, mind and spirit.  Take the time for a prenatal massage.  Take care of yourself and your new baby with a prenatal massage to better cope with the new demands on your body and life.

Love,

Stacy, Sarah & the women of Blooma

The coolest “massage” you’ve never heard of…

Prana-what? Pranassage!

It’s a one-one-one yoga session, offered at Blooma, by Pranassage practitioner Stacy Seebart. It’s also more than yoga— it is the creative synthesis of bodywork and yoga that produces deep relaxation in the body and mind. As the recipient, your session may be active or passive depending on your needs that day.

Check out Blooma’s short video of what part of a session might looks like. (Background music: “Om” from Soul Food’s Yoga Groove album)

Stacy moves your body through a series of full body asanas (yoga postures), leads you through focused breath work, all while guiding you deeper into your own prana.  Pranassage helps open you up to your own “Prana” — the life force energy in us all — by using asana, gravity, pressure and touch.  No yoga experience is required to receive a Pranassage.

Pranassage practitioner Stacy Seebart

Stacy is in Blooma’s Wellness Room on Mondays, 12:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m., and Thursdays, 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Try out this unique session and book a Pranassage today. You will be glad you did!

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma

P.S. — If you are a yoga teacher, bodyworker, or in the health and wellness field, contact Stacy for more information about becoming a Pranassage Practitioner!  Stacy will be directing the Nosara Yoga Institute’s Pranassage Practitioner Training® right here in Minneapolis in the Spring 2011. Check out www.pranassagemn.com or email Stacy directly at stacy@blooma.com.

Surviving the holidays…


My Early Childhood & Family Education (ECFE) teacher passed along a handout with simple, but wise tips called “Survival Skills for the Holidays for Young Families.” I’m not sure where the tips come from, but I thought you might benefit from me sharing a few of them—especially as you start boarding planes to leave town or begin welcoming family visitors.


• Be in charge of your holiday season. Don’t let other people or advertising medium impose their expectations on you. Keep in touch with your deepest feelings.
• Keep it simple. You arrange the pace and space. (So important for keeping your kids sane, too!)
• If the loss of a loved one, financial troubles, or any serious anxiety surround you this holiday, make the season as simple and as positive as possible for yourself.

And this part I really loved!

Holiday Bill of Rights:
• You have the right to take care of yourself: eat right, exercise, and get enough rest.
• You have the right to mixed emotions: happy, sad, frustrated, guilty, afraid, and thankful.
• You have the right to solitude—for planning, thinking, reflection, introspection, prayer, and relaxation.
• You have the right not to accept party or dinner invitations.

So curl up with a warm blanket, a cup of tea, breathe a loud ahhhh, and let any holiday stress simply melt away…

Love,
Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma