Transformational Bodywork through Sacred Lomi Massage

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Karen Stresau

Even if you regularly receive bodywork, you have probably never experienced anything quite like Sacred Lomi massage. This unique form of massage incorporates long, flowing, full body strokes that run from head to toe. Though it was once performed exclusively by Hawaiian medicine men, it has been steadily gaining popularity. The name Sacred Lomi was coined by Tom Cochran who adapted it from Hawaiian Temple Bodywork, and as the name implies, this form of massage is considered a sacred practice. experienced anything quite like Sacred Lomi Massage.

During Sacred Lomi massage, the practitioner uses a form of breathwork to increase their energetic charge. The therapist continually breathes into the strokes, even blowing energy or prana into the oil before it is applied to the client. Sacred Lomi also differs from other modalities because of the use of the forearms, which allow for deeper compression work and for the circular strokes used to create movement in the spine.

While Sacred Lomi does address sore and tired muscles, it goes far beyond mere bodywork and moves into the realm of transformational healing through the conscious touch and presence of the practitioner. This requires being sensitive to their client’s energy field and being able to constantly track it. It also means that practitioners must keep their energy field clear and in balance. The healing space is also kept clear of negativity, in order for the client to be held energetically in a safe and compassionate way. The result is that Sacred Lomi allows for a greater depth of contact and connection between the client and the practitioner.

As both a Sacred Lomi and Brennan Healing Practitioner, Karen Stresau is able to combine them together in a way that allows clients to receive not only a greater mind/body connection, but also help them move blocked energy, allowing them to experience a lightness of being.

Karen is a licensed massage therapist specializing in Sacred Lomi, a Brennan Healing Science Practitioner and an Emotional Clearing Facilitator. She has studied both the Big Island and Sacred styles of Lomi. Her office is located at 320 Fourth Ave., Indialantic. For more information call 321-543-8587, email karen@karenstresau.com, or visit her website at www.karenstresau.com (MA #44244, MM #4010).

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Combining Restorative Yoga Therapy with Energy Medicine and Massage

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Karen Stresau

Karen Stresau, Brennan Healing Science Practitioner and Lomi Lomi Massage therapist, is happy to announce the addition of Restorative Yoga Therapy by Tammy Plauche, Certified Yoga Instructor to her practice.  Tammy’s focus is on working with clients who have physical restrictions due to pain or paralysis from stroke, surgeries, or diseases such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

“Pain can be debilitating but yoga can improve a client’s pain level so they are able to live their life normally again,” says Tammy. She has over 10 years of teaching experience including working with seniors.  She holds a 200 hour RYT certification and is currently working on her 300 hour Yoga Therapy certification.

“I’m excited to offer my clients this amazing tool for reestablishing movement and normality to their lives. Tammy and I both have a passion for helping clients recovering from illness or accidents. The idea of combining energy healing, bodywork and yoga is a new one and is promising to be quite powerful” explains Karen.

Tammy also offers Yoga on the River where she teaches Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa style.  Their office is located at 320 Fourth Ave., Indialantic.  For more information call Tammy at 321-890-7448, email yogaontheriver95@gmail.com,  or visit her website at www.yogaontheriver.com.  Karen can be reached at 321-543-8587 (MA #44244, MM #4010).

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What Is Energy Medicine?

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Karen Stresau

Energy medicine is fast becoming the latest buzz word in holistic healthcare.  If you’ve never heard of it, or if you have heard of it, but aren’t sure what to think about it, let me explain what I do and what I can do for you.  I offer a combination of body work, energy healing and body—centered psychotherapy. My goal is to work with clients to help them relax and live from a calmer and more centered place.

To give you an idea of what I mean when I speak of our energy field – I bet you’ve been around someone you would describe as having negative energy or someone who seems to suck all the energy out of you. Most likely, you can’t wait to get away from them! Then there are the people you meet who seem to be overflowing with positive energy and you like being around them because they uplift you and make you feel good. These are familiar experiences we all have that give us a glimpse into how our energy field affects us and others.

Just as we have various systems in the physical body, we have various systems in the energy body. For instance, we have the energy field itself or aura, and we also have energy centers or chakras. While the energy field gives rise to and regulates physical, psychological, emotional and even spiritual health, the chakras act as funnels bringing energy into our physical body and releasing energy out into the universal energy field around us. The seven major chakras serve to pull energy into a specific area of our body; for instance, the 3rd chakra located at the solar plexus, nourishes the digestive organs.

Everyone’s overall health is reflected in their energy field and can be affected through changes in it. Any disease process, whether it is physical or emotional will show up in the energy field. Properly trained healers look for areas of weakness, imbalance, or blockage that are present prior to or during the disease process. They then work with the energy field using their hands and their own energy field through the use of harmonic induction to stimulate change in their client’s field.

My approach to wellness is holistic, yet always professional and thorough. I completed an intensive four-year program. I am trained in assessing and facilitating change in the human energy field, and I know over 60 different techniques for working with it. The cutting edge techniques I use can strengthen, clear and balance the energy field.  I can also repair it by holding frequencies specific to the area injured or diseased. During a session, I regulate the frequency and path of energy that flows through my field and out of my hands.

Energy medicine is very new, and many of my clients aren’t sure what to expect, but they often tell me that I give them the courage and tools to succeed and heal, and they go on to say that I have affected and changed their lives forever. It is also common for my clients to remark on how gentle but powerful this work is.

My passion really is to help clients to navigate difficult times and live their lives to the fullest. If you’re looking for a holistic practitioner who is well trained and professional, call or email me today.

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A Gift of Value

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Karen Stresau

How often do you feel content with where you are in life? We often think that if we had the perfect job, relationship, co-workers or children we would be happy. It’s very easy to believe that happiness depends on external circumstances, but once we fall into that trap, we lose our ability to relax and enjoy life. So, how do we fall into this trap in the first place? It all begins by listening to our inner critic.

Have you ever depended on a GPS navigator to get you somewhere only to realize that it was getting you way off course? That’s how it is with our inner critic. It determines how we think and feel about our life; unfortunately, it’s like a navigator gone awry. It’s always judging our experience based on its limited perspective. What happens to us when we listen to its voice is that we lose contact with reality. Our sense of what is happening in the present is lost, and worse of all we lose sight of our own intrinsic value.

So, how do we learn to be happy regardless of what’s happening in our lives? One place to begin is by focusing on what our inner critic is telling us. While we’re usually unconscious of it, we need to bring it into our awareness in order to change. Unless we begin to question its judgments, we’ll continue to strive for happiness without ever actually finding it. How can we be at peace when we’re constantly under attack from within? Is your critic telling you that you’re not good enough, not smart enough or unlovable? Really start to listen and you’ll probably be surprised at what you hear!

What the inner critic tells us is important, but so is what it doesn’t tell us. It doesn’t tell us that we are good enough just as we are, without changing anything! Isn’t that a liberating thought? It’s true. As a matter of fact, our value isn’t something we earn, it’s our birthright. I can feel myself relax a little inside just by writing these words, as if a space inside of me is opening up. It’s important for us to allow this truth to soak in. This is where we begin touching into our true nature. This is who we really are; all we need is a little room to breathe!

Finally, what can you do to loosen the grip that your inner critic has on you? Challenge it constantly. Tell it you’ve listened long enough. Remember, you don’t need to do anything to prove yourself, because your significance doesn’t depend on external circumstances. It’s time to begin believing that you are good enough just as you are. I guarantee that it’s the best gift you could ever give yourself!

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Why Can’t Life Be Easy?

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Karen Stresau

Haven’t we all at one time bought into the belief that the point of life is to be happy? What possible good can come from suffering? I’ve spent the better part of my adult life wondering why my life couldn’t just be easy. I’ve had good physical health for which I’m thankful, but emotionally and spiritually it’s been a real roller coaster ride. I grew up in a military family, so my childhood years were spent moving from place to place.

However, the greatest impact on me didn’t come from attending five different elementary schools, it came from the years my father spent fighting in wars. Even before I was born my father had fought in Korea, and during my childhood he spent three years in Vietnam. The emotional trauma suffered by people exposed to war is well documented, but it isn’t just military personnel that suffer; my father’s trauma resonated through my family in a way that shook us to the core.

From a troubled child, I grew into a troubled adult. Alcoholism and other addictions took hold as I sought to numb the overwhelming anger and frustration I felt. I actually had an old boyfriend once tell me that I was the angriest person he had ever met! During one particularly difficult period in my life, a friend gave me the book “Hands of Light” by Barbara Brennan. When I read her theory about how we create our own reality, it changed my life. I knew that one day I would attend her school, for she had answered the question that I had been asking for many years, “Why me?”

I remember hearing early on at The Brennan School of Healing that my greatest pain would become my greatest gift. I admit I often lost faith in the process, but I held to the promise that perhaps my pain and suffering happened for a reason and maybe, just maybe, one day I could use them to help someone else. Slowly, I learned to face the deep dark recesses within. I began to admit my fear and shame and accept my humanness. I had spent much of my life hiding my insecurities, anger and destructiveness behind a mask, pretending that all was well. In fact, it was a very lonely place to be – always on the outside looking in – wanting compassion and acceptance but never sure if I could trust anyone.

Thankfully, my pain has not only led to deep spiritual growth but it has softened my heart which continues to fill with compassion and acceptance every time I am with someone else who is suffering. I understand today what the thirteenth century poet Rumi meant when he said, “Learn the alchemy true human beings know. The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open.”

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