The Richway Biomat is a powerful therapeutic tool I am using in just about all of my sessions these days. It relieves stress, soothes pain, heals soft tissue and improves circulation. Infrared therapy has also been studied for anti-depressive & anti-anxiety treatment with positive results, decreasing indicators of depression and anxiety. Paired with thai body & Healing Touch energywork, my sessions are truly elevating to new and deeper levels of rejuvenation for my clients.

The mat uses the potency of far infrared light and negative ions by heating highly efficient natural transmitters: amethyst & tourmaline tiny polished stones. With a reliable EMF barrier and truly superior quality workmanship, this is the best amethyst mat on the market - I did a lot of research - and now I've become a distributor.

Learn more here.

https://clairestillman.biomatnetwork.com/default/

BENEFITS OF FAR INFRARED THERAPY

Supports Core Body Temperature
Enzymes are responsible for nearly every chemical and biological process in the body, and they are very sensitive to temperature.  A small decrease in temperature can cause a large decrease in the activity of an enzyme.  Many people have low body temperatures without considering if this could be related to other health problems.

Relieves Stress, Improves Mood, Promotes Relaxation
The BioMat is more relaxing than most other infrared therapy modalities because you can lay down.  We also recommend using headphones with ambient music to further the relaxing effects.  To read a published study on the stress-relieving effects of the BioMat, click here.   Or click here to read a more general scientific study, showing the anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects of infrared therapy, using an animal model.

Heals Soft Tissue
For brand new injuries that involve swelling, ice is usually the best treatment, in order to relieve swelling.  However, for existing injuries, such as strains or sprains, or other soft tissue injuries, heat is the best treatment. The BioMat allows you to deliver heat deeply to the injury site, rather than just on the skin.  It produces far infrared light without becoming hot to the touch, so you can use it very near to the injury as well.   Click here for a study showing rapid and improved wound healing, using infrared therapy.

Relieves Pain
Infrared therapy is known to relieve chronic pain.  Click here for one interesting study, focusing on back pain.  However, many infrared devices offer no way to easily target that therapy on the effected area for long spans of time.  The BioMat produces a significant amount far infrared light, without being hot to the touch.  So it can be used close to the body, and can be used in a variety of ways.  Infrared light offers a powerful and natural form of pain relief, with no unpleasant side effects.

Improves Circulation
Whole-body infrared therapy, also called waon therapy, can increase the temperature of the body, and improve circulation greatly.  The capillaries expand, and the hands and feet become warm, in the effort to shed excess heat.  This extra blood flow allows more nutrients and oxygen to reach the cells, allows wastes to be rapidly exported, and allows rapid drainage of accumulated lymph. Click Here for a study showing the circulation benefits of waon therapy.

Allows Artificial Fever
Hippocrates said that if had the power to produce a fever, he could cure all disease.  This is a bit of an overstatement.  But still, it’s amazing that even in his time, he understood the body uses fever to fight off disease.  It is possible to use the BioMat in order to raise body temperature in a controlled manner, by using the high settings, and putting a blanket over yourself.  This technique essentially creates a mild artificial fever.  There is a fascinating book by Dr. Nobuhiro Yoshimizu, called The Fourth Treatment for Medical Refugees, which describes this technique in detail, and the breathtaking results that were achieved.

Breaks a Sweat
Sweating is healthy, and it serves several important biological functions. Aside from cooling us off and unclogging pores, sweating allows our body to excrete accumulated toxic compounds. This study even finds that certain toxins are preferentially excreted through sweat. Going through life without sweating every day is unnatural, at least compared to the rest of human history. Of course, not everyone can exercise vigorously every day. But far infrared therapy does involve some of the same biological processes.

Physical Bodywork + Energy Bodywork

Exciting announcement! I've completed Healing Touch Level 1 and Reiki Level 2 trainings and am practicing these methods on an ongoing basis. Energywork can have profound healing and calming effects. The National Institutes of Health have funded multiple studies that show the effectiveness particularly of Healing Touch, spurring on medical professionals to offer it. Health Insurance Companies have given it a billing code and it is used in hospitals and other health care settings around the world. The work is perfectly complimentary to Thai Bodywork and I am thrilled to fold this into my offerings.

For sessions in March returning clients will have the option of adding on a complimentary 20-30 minute energywork session onto their Thai Bodywork bookings. Simply ask! New clients can take advantage of this simply by becoming returning clients --- that is, by booking more than one Thai Bodywork session in March.

Happy Gut, Tame Tummy

Whatever the cause of an unhappy tummy, essential oils can more than likely help to soothe or prevent it. Based on one of my favorite authorities, Valerie Ann Worwood --- here are some adapted recipes:

INDIGESTION FORMULA Use 1 drop each of pure essential oil of:
  Coriander
  Cardamom
  Dill

~ or ~ use 3 drops of one of these oils. Blend with 1 T honey. Use half of this in heated almond or coconut milk and sip after meals twice a day. Do not exceed this dose.

 PAIN WITH INDIGESTION
Use 10 drops of each of the above 3 oils, or use 30 drops of one of them.
Blend with 2 T carrier oil (like grapeseed, avocado, coconut, sesame). Use a small amount of this blend as a rub over the abdomen and ribs just once a day.




Exploring the DoTerra blends... An alternative to mixing up my own, I am happy to have their DigestZen, a mother-load of synergistic blend made up of:
Ginger Rhizome/Root, Peppermint Plant, Caraway Seed, Coriander Seed, Anise Seed, Tarragon Plant, and Fennel Seed essential oils.

That...
• Aids in the digestion of foods*
• Soothes occasional stomach upset*
• Helps reduce bloating, gas, and occasional indigestion*

 I add a drop to flat or sparkling water and enjoy it as a drink. It's not my little girls' favorite flavor but I like it! And they agree it is much better than choking down PeptoBismal-like medicines.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback, talk about all-things-wellness, share ideas and give access to DoTerra or Young Living's wholesale pricing. Reach me at myclairestilllman@gmail.com or comment here on this blog. Cheers!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Essential Essential Oils

Essential oils have been a regular wellness toolkit in my and my family's lives now for several years for health and home applications. Mountain Rose Herbs and Young Living have supplied us most often, as well as brands found at our local natural foods co-op. I've tried really inexpensive brands too, just to see if I could detect quality differences, and they definitely show up. I guess it's legal to dilute them, call them 100% pure, and sell them. The really inexpensive ones from what I've tried are pretty obviously off. So, I'm really excited to dig in to the DoTerra brand now for the first time. They have a great reputation for purity, I like their Fair Trade mentality, and the few blends I've tried I've found to be excellent concoctions. I'm super happy to be sharing access to this brand of oils. I also share access to the Young Living brand. If you find yourself curious about either line, drop me a line, and I'll tell you what I know, share what I have and easily set you up for wholesale pricing. Cheers!


get in touch! myclairestillman@gmail.com

New Info Cards for my Thai practice, they look like this!

New Year, New Hips

Encouraging and building wellness in the hips is a common request Thai bodywork addresses and its quite effective at it. Hip health can of course lead to greater back health, too. Here is a sample of technique that is beneficial for some bodies. (All sessions are customized to the client as an individual so this particular technique is incorporated as appropriate and not used as a standard.)

Thai Yoga Massage: A MID-BACK EXPERIENCE

Here's a quick glimpse of Thai massage where you can get a sense of the general vibe and some very basic technique. Every session is customized for the client's ranges of motion and specific physical circumstances, so the work shown here is not suitable for every body. Fore instance, someone with "frozen shoulder" or any other limitation related to this posture or these movements would not get this particular sequence. Learn more about my bodywork including schedule, gift cards and location here.

The Bliss of Thai for Friends & Family, a workshop

Be guided through a flow of techniques and postures for an easy to remember sequence. Come away from this workshop having received and learned how to give this accessible massage sequence and a new way of connecting with friends and family. The art of Thai Yoga Massage is beneficial to the mind-body of both giver and receiver!

Thai Yoga Massage, rooted in Traditional Thai Medicine, Yoga and Ayurveda, is an ancient healing art using elements of acupressure, energy work & yoga to relieve mind-body tension & imbalances. Typical results are feelings of lightness, more mobility and a lasting sense of peacefulness.

Sessions are done fully clothed on a padded mat on the floor. Wear comfortable, loose or stretchy clothing that allows ease of movement and warmth. Mats will be provided. Yoga or massage experience is not necessary. Come alone or with a friend or partner. Registering early will guarantee you a spot (there are only 12 available).


Teacher: Claire Stillman

When: Wednesday, November 18, 6:30-8:30 pm

Where: myOm Wellbeing 7963 N Port Washington Rd, Fox Point, WI

Cost: $25 per person at the door ($20 advance) / $40 per couple at the door ($35 advance)

Register at MyOmWellbeing.com  or email claire@omTownYogis.org

All participants receive a $20 discount or a 15 minute add-on on a Thai Bodywork session at myOm Wellbeing!

While every day is made up of moments coaxing our gratitude, the fall seems like the time this action -- gratitude as action -- seems to get highlighted a lot. So in that spirit I bring you the Friends & Family Fall Discounts!

Sessions can be booked online here.

As another part of this Special, a 10% discount can be applied to Gift Certificates now through Nov 30! Use promotional code: FRIENDS

Order Gift Cards Online

THAI BODYWORK IN FOX POINT

Good news, my north shore peeps, there's a new wellness center in town: myOm Wellbeing in Fox Point. This charming, calm, happy space is owned and managed by Traci Schwartz Sanderson, Fox Point resident, mom, wife, school activist, knitter, aesthetician, yoga teacher, wellness evangelist, the list goes on...

myOm Wellbeing offerings skincare, makeup, yoga, Reiki and Thai Bodwork. Fantastic! Learn more about myOm and book me for Thai online HERE.

Moonlit Yoga - a curated collection of Yoga tools for a good night's sleep

When it's the moon's time to shine, it is a serene and nourishing time for gentle yoga techniques. These are tools that calm the nervous system, prepare for sleep, and help let go of the day. I take my time with these and choose which I visit and for how long intuitively depending on where my body-mind goes, with very little thought if any. Just moving into 1, 2 or several of these is perfect. Comfortable to do in pj's, these are delicious for just before curling up with a book in bed or simply drifting into slumber for the night.

On the floor - with or without bolsters, blocks, or a strap...
When I have a lot of energy and want to wind it down:
    Moon Salutations
    (Chandra Namaskara)
    Shoulderstand
    (Salamba Sarvangasana)
    Plow Pose
    (Halasana) (if my back line is feeling flexible)
    Fish Pose
    (Matsyasana)

If I use one or more of these more active winding-down poses above, then I would follow with one or more of these more passive poses below.

When I am feeling tired, lazy or just want to explore deeper relaxation:
    Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
    Plow Pose (Halasana) (if my back line is feeling flexible)
    Reclined Cobbler's/Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
    Reclined with 2 blocks in T formation (one along the spine under the upper back, the other cross-wise under the head). Legs in baddhakonasana-style or simply extended along the floor
    Full or Extended Child's Pose (Balasana)
    Simple supine twists

On or off the bed if you have a firm mattress - just a luxurious way to unwind -- also a nice way to wake up...
Happy or half baby pose (Ananda Balasana)
Full Child's Pose (Balasana)
Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
Simple supine twists

Usually seated in any comfortable, upright fashion
Alternate nostril breathing Nadi Shodhana {video of nadi shodhana}
Simple breathe or visual meditation, mantra, or candle meditation

And of course for serious relaxation indulgence, Yoga Nidra. Here is a guided Yoga Nidra practice.

There are many more possibilities in the vast toolbox of Yoga that are worthy of exploration. Thanks to the folks at Casper Sleep for requesting (inspiring) this post! Additions and comments welcome!

Organic bounty from Campbellsport,WI farm

I love being a member of a CSA ( Community Supported Agriculture).
We belong to Highcross Farm in Campbellsport, WI. They do a great job of providing a bounty of clean, delicious and diverse organic vegetables throughout a very good chunk of the year.

We get boxes full of creative cooking inspiration every week!

How to Start a Home Yoga Practice

A beautiful thing about yoga is that it requires nothing of you but attention and intention. Even if you just have a chair you can sit in meditation. You can practice breathwork. You can practice physical yogic exercises (asana) on a chair. If you have more space than that, say a bit of open space and a sticky mat, then (given the physical ability to get up and down from the floor,) you can do all of these things on the floor, widening the possibilities for movement even more.

It's best to have a good teacher. Many local teachers (like me!) provide private and semi-private instruction and can get you started with the basics. Local yoga studios and some health clubs offer group classes for beginners at which you can glean some basics to use at home.

The personal touch is ideal, however, I started way back when by using a trusty book, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, which I still refer to at times and recommend. (Now my library is overflowing with books on yoga, but this dog-eared copy is my first love.) Many folks get started using dvds. If you'd like to try the dvd route I suggest visiting a relatively large public library for a somewhat curated selection. It really comes down to how you like to learn, what you can and want to use in terms of time and money, and then from there, what resonates with you.

It's critical to know that there are many, many approaches to this ancient practice and a very broad range of teaching styles. Expertise of teaching varies as the plethora of yoga teacher training programs keep a steady flow of new teachers coming. I recommend seeking a teacher who has been teaching for a good long time, has a long standing committed personal practice, and is clear about the lineage from which their practice is derived.

Once you have selected how you'd like to learn, here is a mixed bag of tips to help you get a home practice going and keep it going:

* Schedule it. Actually put it in your calendar or at least in your mind like brushing your teeth or any other hygiene habit. If it doesn't happen, don't beat yourself up but remind yourself to love yourself, and how good for you this discipline is. And that it will always pay off. Then get on the horse again.

* Create the context. Get the kids occupied (or schedule it when they will not be around). Be able to easily make the space for the mat. Be ok with a less than ideal space.

* Be ok with interruptions.

* Have a simple routine. Maybe use the Ashtanga primary series or the first half of it. Or some Sun Salutations followed by a couple of your favorite postures. Or a sequence from a good book. Or a high-quality teacher's dvd.

* ...or not. Follow your intuition, follow your body's cues.

 * Be open to changing your routine as your needs change.

* Wear asana-appropriate (ie. stretchy) clothing while at home, so you can kick into practice whenever the spirit moves you.

* Have a mat in whatever rooms in your home you might possibly want to practice in spontaneously

* Choose an asana (yoga posture) each week and incorporate it or variations of it, or other asanas that could prepare your body for it, to work on for that week.

* Be totally ok with having restorative, yin, very passive practices or very short practices here and there. You don't have to be all up in your yang about it all the time!

* Be totally ok with using your mat time for kriyas or pranayama or meditation rather than asana. Or a combination, even better.

* Study study study. It's inspiring.

* Find a very experienced teacher or teachers that resonate and actively be taught. Receive & apply. Re-teach yourself the lessons while on your mat, alone at home.

A sustained, mindful practice will transform you in ways much deeper and subtler than the flesh. Do this work and enjoy not only the health and body-beautiful benefits, but also coming home to your Self. 

Thai What?

Thai Yoga Therapy.
Thai Bodywork.
Thai Massage.
Passive Yoga.
Lazy Man's Yoga...

Different names for an ancient therapeutic system that's been used to maintain and bring health into balance for centuries across cultures. It's not quite yoga and it's not quite massage, it's really a bit of both and then some. It's a bodywork methodology that has astounding healing and rejuvenating benefits.

Origin & styles
The work of the Buddha's personal physician and friend, Jivaka Komalaboat (also known as Shivago), is generally the origin to which practitioners trace the lineage. The ancient practices of Indian Ayurvedic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Thai Medicine are at the roots of the practice dating back over 2500 years. The Vietnam War era damaged the reputation of the practice as it became associated with prostitution. In the 1980's the Thai government began an effort to revive traditional Thai massage, meeting the growing economic potential of tourist industry. With a large supply of practitioners and training programs, virtually unregulated, comes a wide range of true knowledge and skill. It is very easy to get a really bad, even damaging, Thai Massage in Thailand. The torch-bearers, those with the passion and dedication to the ancient wisdom and practical modern application, do exist both in Thailand (such as at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai) and domestically (such as at Thai Bodywork School of Thai Massage in Evanston, IL) among others.

There are many variations of style in Thai bodywork including the "Northern Style" (a sequence established at the Northern Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai), the "Royal Method" (using only the hands), and the "Commoner Style" (the traditional way for a practitioner to work using hands, feet, knees, legs, elbows-- basically any efficient means to apply pressure effectively.) There are countless stylistic variations stemming from these three general styles and indeed thousands of positions and techniques in the whole of Thai bodywork.

What's it like? 
It's positive and energizing, relaxing and rejuvenating. The client is passive and completely supported. Both the client and the therapist wear comfortable clothing that allow for movement and full range of motion for all the joints. The session is typically done on a shiatsu-type mat on the floor, often with supportive elements like bolsters or small pillows. Sessions can also be done on a massage table.

The term "Lazy Man's Yoga" is apt in that the therapist supports the client in stretches akin to yoga postures. The therapist also works along energy lines using various compression techniques. (My teachers, Chuck Duff and Jennifer Wright, have incorporated a thorough knowledge base of Trigger Point Therapy into their curriculum as well and so this skill set is becoming an important element in my practice.) The therapeutic stretching and compression techniques culminate into an overall body-mind blissed out experience lasting well beyond the actual session.

A demonstration -- after the upper body has been worked (and not suitable for all bodies)

A description of Thai Massage and a demonstration at Thai Bodywork School

The benefits

• Stress & pain relief
• resistance to injury
• improved range of motion
• release of lactic acid and other toxins from areas of accumulation
• toning of internal organs
• more energy and reduced stagnation
• deep relaxation

My Thai Bodywork Offering
For the rich history of it, the art and science of it, the myriad benefits it imparts, and the fact that one of the best schools in the world is just next door, I embarked on a Thai bodywork education toward certification and license. It started from curiosity and respect of this ages old healing art, and its connection with yoga. At some point along the way, through working on people, it began to feel like a calling. As I complete my first year as a Thai bodyworker, after hundreds of hours of education and practice, I offer my certified work to the public. More information about my offering of Thai bodywork can be found here.

(Informational source: Thai Bodywork Fundamentals, copyright 2007, Thai Bodywork, Inc.)