Where is the pyramid in your body? – Deep Massage Newsletter #1

In the last months I’ve been intrigued by a little known muscle, the pyramidalis.  This muscle lies anterior to rectus abdominis, and is contained within its sheath. Its action is to tense the the fascia of the ‘linea alba”, meaning “white line,” between the two sides of the rectus abdominis. Pyramidalis originates on the superior…

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Massage for the Soul – Zero Balancing

If you wanted to massage your soul, how would you do it? We all want to feel healthy – not just in our bodies.  We want to enjoy clear thinking, emotional vibrancy, spiritual inspiration – things more commonly more associated with soul than with body. Recently someone called Zero Balancing a “massage for the soul.” …

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The Deep Massage Book – update!

About a year and half ago I wrote about the process of writing The Deep Massage Book, which I’ve been doing, off and on, for a number of years. So here’s an update.  I’m done with the writing and the commissioned illustrations from a fantastic local medical artist, Christy Krames, MA. I’ve pasted the table…

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The Most Important Muscle? – Deep Massage and the Rectus Abdominis

Forward flexion of the torso – sitting or moving in hunched over position – is the most common postural distortion.  Forward flexion may give rise to serious structural and energetic problems Leaning forward makes our back and neck work harder to keep us upright. It gives us less room for breathing – compromising nourishment to…

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Deep Massage for the Trapezius: Therapy for the Sails of Life

We use our shoulders, arms and hands to take action.  And, on the other hand, when we talk they are used expressively – they are parts of speech.  We see also in writing and sign language an entirely linguistic use of shoulders, arms and hands.   Massage itself meaningfully bridges these two worlds of action and…

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ARE YOU BONE-TIRED? – reflections on Zero Balancing

When we say we’re “bone tired”, what does that really mean? It means tired to our core, not just sleepy.  It refers to a feeling of depletion – that we’ve drawn upon our vital stores of energy, which are now in need of replenishment. In Chinese medicine and philosophy, the energy that flows through the…

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The Deep Massage Book – It’s a Process!

Ten years ago Lippincott Publishers was interested in me doing a book on the method of Deep Massage I teach. However the further we got the more they wanted me to write case studies, tone down the poetic language, and make it more textbook-y. That’s not my spirit so I dropped that project. Then last…

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7 Reasons: Deep Massage vs. Deep Tissue

What Is the Difference Between Deep Massage and Deep Tissue? By David Lauterstein Massage therapists performing Deep Massage generally work without lubricant (unless there is a painful feeling of stretching the skin). Using lubricant causes the therapist to slip over the tension and, to compensate, they have to use tremendous pressure not to slip. This often causes…

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Zero Balancing: Special Donkeys

By Zanna Heighton Zero Balancing has been my inspiration for over 25 years.    There’s not much you can’t work out with the Zero Balancing principles that its originator, Dr. Fritz Smith, teaches alongside the manual skills.  When I started looking at the principles closely, I came to the conclusion that they resonate with the…

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Sports Massage: 3 Ways Working with Athletes Helped My Massage Career

runner sprinting blue sky

by Marc Frazier, LMT, NSCA Almost from the start, my massage career has included a lot of regular work with competitive athletes. This was not something I chose to do, it just sort of happened. In fact, I remember someone telling me at the end of my second semester of training at The Lauterstein-Conway Massage…

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