 stump people We use quite a few facial muscles when we smile and we even use body muscles when we laugh…Some of us hold stress in our faces…How much tension do you have in your jaw? Do you clench your teeth? Does your mouth open evenly on both sides? A surprising number of us today (including children) grind our teeth or clench the jaw so tight that we may suffer headaches or wear our teeth down.
Now don’t go all eew! or yuck on me…but it is so easy to do self massage on our teeth and gums! It only takes a few minutes; first scrub your hands thoroughly and you may also wear a disposable glove. Then apply light finger pressure to the gums and teeth. You may decide to do small circles or short strokes. Go as high as the cheekbones and down to the jaw bone massaging the gums thoroughly.
Don’t forget to check under your tongue; it has a very strong muscle and it attaches to bones in the skull and the hyoid bone in the neck…and yes, this area can be just as hypertonic as any other muscle in your body.
Gently rub all of the surfaces of your teeth. Slide your fingers along the tops of your teeth and press back in to the corners of your mouth (you know the place; it’s where peanut butter gets stuck). Notice how the bones form sort of a semicircle, so roll your fingers from top to bottom, then slide your fingers over the edges and massage the sides.
Next, place your thumb on the inside of your cheek and grasp the tissues between your thumb and fingers. Gently massage the cheeks, allow your thumb to go as high the cheek bone, and gently press all along the edge of the bone. You may find some sinus relief while working in this area, too.
After you finish, take a few moments to reflect on how you feel now. Is your tension reduced? Does your whole face feel more relaxed? Are your sinuses draining? If this was useful for you, try applying these techniques every day for a week and see what changes you have made.
When you release the stress in your jaw and teeth- your whole facial appearance will become more vibrant. Now, to exercise your facial muscles, go make a few funny faces in the mirror; remember to take it seriously-you are practicing some self health care.
I will be offering a lead through on Saturday Feb 26 at 11 AM Pacific Wellness Center (also known as Dr Z’s MindBody Shop) Located at at 4841 Soquel Dr, Soquel Village , CA
Donation: $5, please come even if you can’t afford it. Please call 831-227-5335 to reserve your place, space is limited.
Thanks for checking in,
Jane Ann, massage professional
 altered book image, students work You are invited to come join me this Saturday at Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts from 9-5 on a journey through your senses. In the morning, we will participate in a guided meditation through the 5 senses. The term ‘keeping your wits about you” referred to our sense of vision, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Collectively, our senses are our view of the world and how we relate to it.
We will then begin an altered book using collage, paints, felt pens, and embellishments to gain insight to each of our senses. I supply all of the materials and you will have a choice of several repurposed books to choose from.
In the afternoon, our guided meditation will focus on our dreams, déjà vu, the feelings that we have/get in our gut, bones and (of course) our hearts. It is said that the body doesn’t lie and I have found this to be true when I tried to ignore what my body was telling me…
We will then add these components to our altered book to create a colorful and unique that book represents mind, body and spirit through our senses. Students who have taken the class last quarter are still telling me how they enjoyed the process and that it was a powerful the experience for them.
You can reach the Twin Lakes office at 831-476-2152 to enroll. I hope to see you there. If you have any questions for me, I can be reached at 831-227-5335.
Thanks for checking in,
Jane Ann, massage professional
ps. the previous post contains your valentine;)
Are you wondering how I am going to tie self care into a Hallmark Holiday? I enjoy making Valentine Cards and getting candy is nice but LOVE is what makes the world go round! Let those you care about know it!
A small act of kindness can amplify in amazing ways. Give a smile to the clerk at the checkout while you are in line…hold the door open for another person…take a deep breath and allow yourself to feel patience in traffic…pick up the phone and call a family member or friend you haven’t talked to in a while…or whatever seems appropriate to you.
Remember in the last post about how the mirror imaging of positive emotions is actually contagious? (If you don’t remember, take a peek after you finish reading this) Your seemingly small actions are actually sowing joy. Yep, it’s that easy.
As we carry out these small acts of kindness, we are also benefitting ourselves. Since we enjoy these activities, they may cause a slight change in our brain chemistry which in turn can lower our pulse rate, deepen our breathing, strengthen our thymus, and bring happier emotions into our own awareness.
Thanks for checking in,
Jane Ann, massage pro
 to you from me
 Take the plunge...laugh a little Lucky for us, laughter is even more contagious that stress is! Here’s an interesting article:
“Researchers at UCL (University College London) and Imperial College London have shown that positive sounds such as laughter or a triumphant “woo hoo!” trigger a response in the listener’s brain. This response occurs in the area of the brain that is activated when we smile, as though preparing our facial muscles to laugh. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research and the Barnwood House Trust, is published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.
“It seems that it’s absolutely true that ‘laugh and the whole world laughs with you’,” says Dr Sophie Scott, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL. “We’ve known for some time now that when we are talking to someone, we often mirror their behaviour, copying the words they use and mimicking their gestures. Now we’ve shown that the same appears to apply to laughter, too — at least at the level of the brain.”
The research team played a series sounds to volunteers whilst measuring their brain’s response using an fMRI scanner. Some of the sounds were positive, such as laughter or triumph, whilst others were unpleasant, such as screaming or retching. All of the sounds triggered a response in the volunteer’s brain in the premotor cortical region, which prepares the muscles in the face to respond accordingly, though the response was greater for positive sounds, suggesting that these were more contagious than negative sounds. The researchers believe this explains why we respond to laughter or cheering with an involuntary smile.” This article is quoted from the Science Daily web-site.
How do you feel when you have had a chuckle or belly laugh? Are you bent over with tears in your eyes or snorting, gasping for breath, tittering, or…? Each of us has our own unique laugh- just like our voice.
While you are laughing, you are:
- Exercising the diaphragm, belly, ribs, shoulders, internal organs, the whole body receives an physical work out
- Increasing blood circulation
- Reducing pain
- Reducing stress hormones
- Increasing endorphins neurotransmitters
- Physically releasing muscle tension and allowing relaxation
- Engaging various parts of your brain
- Fake smiling or laughter is just as beneficial as the real thing; positive changes still take place in the brain and hormones!
All of these laughter benefits have been researched by experts (what a fun job! I hope) and it has been estimated that the average 6 year old laughs 300 times a day. By the time we are adults, we only laugh 15 to 100 times daily. Let’s close the gap!
Grab a funny book, share a hilarious story with a friend, or go see a comedy- get laughing! If you would like to share your ideas for increasing laughter in our lives, please leave a comment.
Enhance your health, it’s a precious gift.
Thanks for checking in, Jane Ann, massage pro
Art for Self Care? You betcha.
 Kathys Hand Indulge your creativity by trying something new; fire those neurons and blaze new pathways by stimulating all of your senses through art.
Consider this; by allowing the creative process, we find ourselves in the present moment as we bring our attention to our senses through art. Our eyes become aware of various shapes, textures, forms and colors. Visualize your fingers as they touch the texture of your materials and tools. Notice the movement of your body, arms, wrists, arms, and fingers as you manipulate your chosen medium. Perhaps you are following your own inner music as you turn your dream into reality.
I’d like to invite you to the Hands and Heart Copper Embossing Workshop on Saturday February 5 from 9-12:30 at Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts.
The $30 fee includes your copper foil and embellishments. You will have access to a range of embossing tools to experiment with. We will discover a brief history of embossing and a demo of techniques will be provided. You’ll create your own unique copper foil artwork in the wonderful space that TLC is, surrounded by old and new friends… After you’ve finished, maybe you’ll use your creation in your office or home…maybe you’ll take a photo and turn it into a greeting card or perhaps it will be a gift to a cherished friend.
To register, you may call the TLC office at 831.476.2152
I am happy to answer any questions that you may have and can be reached at 831.227.5335 or janeannmassagepro@gmail.com.
Enhance your health, it’s a precious gift
Thanks for checking in,
Jane Ann, massage pro
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