Metta Wellness, Ayurveda, Massage & Wellness

Fall is here, and so are the Holidays. With the holidays comes family gatherings, work parties,busy stores and change of food and drink. This time of the year can be exciting, and fun, but can be tiring and somewhat stressful on the body. This is where taking some time for yourself daily can help. The last few months I have been going to and part of conferences all related to self care, meditation, massage, yoga all to keep the mind and body relaxed, lowering the stress response. Stress is a part of our daily life, it can be the thing that pushes you to work harder to change your lifestyle, but it can also be causing you stagnation.Feeling heavy, or disconnected from self, family, or work can be signs of imbalance due to a build up of stress. Their are many ways to bring the balance in and calm the system. Starting with the breath is a quick and easy way to feel the body reboot and see the calming of the system in a short time. When I am teaching, working with a client o...

Time to Awaken, Revive... Yes, another month is coming to an end, and we soon enter into a space and time of seasonal change, a cleanse in the air, dampness as the ground is melting and spring arrives. We have changed back the clocks and entered into spring, and it's time to cleanse the body and balance the mind. In Ayurveda we look at the seasons, and our body type, and how we can balance through change. I love this time of the year, listen in to the body, doing a gentle cleanse, stepping back into my meditation, can give you an open feeling, a lighter, free yet grounded and balanced. As I take time this month to walk outside, breath and meditate in the fresh  spring air, I feel awake, I feel revived. I will see you outside, in the fresh air, with a calm meditation. Join me for Guided Meditations, a simple way to settle into your space before your massage at Metta Wellness.

Their are so many ways to enjoy the holidays with health in mind. No, I'm not saying you can't enjoy the holiday food and drink, but in moderation, consideration and some healthy preparation, and you will glide through with ease. For me, the holidays are, being with family, the food, the decorations, visiting with friends and family. It can take a toll on you if your not ready. I do a lot of baking during the holidays, and I spend a lot of time with family, so I find ways to make healthy choices over the holidays. Some of the best ways that I find to enjoy the holiday's with health: Enjoy the food, yes I will enjoy the food. You have so many parties or gatherings, so for our house, we work to eat a balanced healthy meal every night. Along with eating healthy during the holidays, we do a lot of herbal tea, nettle being my top, then root tea(spicy) or a chaga tea, to help keep the body clean. Doing this between parties helps to enjoy the food that we eat and for it t...

Ok, so I will admit to you that I love creating and blending teas, and if you have not had me blend one for you yet,then this may be a surprise. Blending teas is not only fun, but for me, calming and relaxing. Sometimes you blend a tea, then have it for awhile then go back and revisit it, then change it  a bit, then other, you leave just as they are, because that is how they should be.  This is one of those blends that works just as it is. Chai, yes, warming, nourishing and a perfect standby in the cooler months. Chai can be simple, and yes then more complicated, so play around with the spices till you find your combination, then settle in with a cup and relax for the long winter ahead. I like to blend a large batch of chai spices around October every year, then I have it for when I need it, and it make a wonderful holiday gift(just need a mason jar and you can create the rest from their - fast, simple gift giving). Lets make some Chai spice mix:    Cinna...

Yes a new year, means a  fresh start!   As we move forward and quickly in this new year, its a time to reflect, and create the space we want. I love taking this time of the year, to see what I have learned in the past year, what I want to take into this new year and what did not work in the past. Metta Wellness will be spending this year settling into our new work space and looking at new ways to bring you more. More herbal tips, new choices in the massage and treatments along with healthy eating and living tips. Throughout the year we will look at ways to create a balanced mind, body and spirit through our everyday routines. In my personal space I have added many new herbs to our diet and working to add yoga back into my daily routine. I look at what we have found to work in the past year and what area that I need to work on, and start to slowly make the adjustments that I need. Enjoy the process of moving forward with your goal and what you can do to ...

Welcome August! For most of us, this is the end of the summer vacations, kids getting ready for school, heading off to college for the first time, back to our routines and schedules. For me, work will slow down in the massage side of things this month, while vacations are at hand, but will be busy with the herbal side, drying and prepping for oils and salves. I also use this time to sneak away and plan some space to rejuvenate and reflect before the winter comes in. As we have these times of ebb and flow, we forget to take care of our selves, and a little planning will go a long way to make this time run smooth. So as you are planning those last minute beach days, or sneaking in a road trip, think about self care. Throughout the month of August, each week we will find ways to plan, pack and stay healthy while on these end of summer journeys. For me, I love my herbal teas, so before a trip I will blend a tea - if it's a day trip I will make it and have it ready t...

To me this is the ideal Winter body-treatment, warm and focused on sore muscles. I start with warm herbalized oils( one of my own blends of wild harvested herbalized oils ) applied to the body, then a relaxation time while the herbs soak in, while you are resting I am heating up your herbal poultices. The herbal poultice will be used  in a quick rhythmic tapping to heat the joints and muscles while breaking up stagnation in the body, leaving you feeling warm and blissful. The herbs I have blended  together are to help relax the muscles while encouraging circulation with your herbal goal in mind. I have three herbal poultice blends, a Stress and Relaxation Herbal Poultice,Arthritis and Joint Pain Herbal Poultice and Muscle Relaxing Herbal Poultice.Before your treatment we will work together to pick the herbal blend that is best for your body.  The products and body-work offered by Metta Wellness are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any illness or dis...

Metta Wellness offers Maharishi Ayurveda, what is that you ask: Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old traditional way of healing form  India  based on a whole body approach of mind, body, and spirit. Working with your  doshas  and daily routine to create balance.  Maharishi Ayurveda  has worked over time to bring the principles of traditional Ayurveda here for everyone and that is just what Metta Wellness is working to do. Maharishi Ayur-Veda  is a health care system based on an analysis of health from the deepest  quantum mechanical  level in nature, the  Unified Field . Vata, Pitta and  Kapha , the three doshas, were the first expressions of the Unified Field. They are located at the deepest  level of nature’s functioning. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are subtle but powerful fields that create the structure and function of the physical world including the  human body . Maharishi Ayur-Veda works to treat...

The meaning behind Metta Wellness is a powerful and person connection to myself, my space and my work. The word "Metta" is simply translated to, "Loving Kindness", for me this is my work. Several years ago, when I was thinking and in-visioning working in a space, my own space. I knew I need to have a name that would say how I felt about my work, my clients, my space. As time goes, and we move forward, we realize that what we are looking  for is right here. Let me share: When I started this path with massage, I had a plan in mind to finish school and just work, simple. As my path unfolded in front of me, I started my first work as a massage and Reiki practitioner at a womens shelter and at a home for cancer patients. Far from what I planned, but yet where I should be. I learned the power of touch and the power of the human spirit. This was the turning point for me, I learned to follow the path that my work was going, not to force myself to be what I thought...

Yes, that would be me, and the thought of massage and blogging. I have that look of, "what, blog"and what is massage and blogging and how does that go together.. So here I am, and will be. I have decided to blog twice a week on massage, Ayurveda and wellness. Why, because I want to share with you my love for what I do, and why I do this work. Over the past 9 years of doing this work I've learned a from my clients, reading, observing and doing ;so many ways to help bring balance into lives. One thing we all need is a little reminder from time to time, so I am being reminded to share, learn and yes blog. So hopefully you read, comment or share, as we work to inspire each other through our journeys of massage and blogging. Who am I: Heather, I work with for and at Metta Wellness , my space to share massage, Ayurveda and bring wellness in a holistic space.

Lets get healthy and Balanced with Metta  Wellness As we have entered into summer people ask me often enough, how do you stay healthy and get everything done with four kids and starting your own business? So now is the time,lets get healthy and  balanced  with Metta Welness. Massage  is my main focus, my passion at  Metta Welness, and to stay healthy I eat healthy, think healthy and try to live healthy. I have a busy, yet simple life, I work, I cook ,do laundry, relax with the family, and enjoy time sneaking away here and their (sometimes with everyone and sometimes on my own). The key is balance, from my work to my home life they all over lap, we work together to help each other, and to create the space we each need(some days its easy, and others I would like to stay in bed). I eat, create and cook healthy meals( sometimes the kids think I’m a little crazy about eating healthy, but).  My work, I do massage therapy with a back ground in Ayurveda, y...

Summer is here, and it's time to help keep the body, mind cool. What better way to keep cool then a cucumber infused water, with rose petals, sage or maybe rosemary. Take 1/2 cucumber, sliced          2 quarts water          Additional options: rose-petals, sage, mint,lemon,ginger or rosemary Place the cucumbers in jar,top with any additional herbs and pour water over and place in frig, sip through out day. I like to make mine the night before and place in the frig, this allows the flavors from the cucumber and herbs to infuse into the water.Try different combinations of cucumber water, see what you come up with, and share with us on facebook . Benefits of cucumber water: Good for your muscles and joints, cucumbers contain silica which is known to strengthen the connective tissues. Cucumber helps with elimination due to the high water content. Cucumber water helps with keeping the skin clear. Cucumber water will help ke...

Yes, the beauty of Thai yoga massage , one of my favorite modalities to practice and work with. When I was finishing up school for Massage Therapy in 2005, one of our last classes was to help introduce us to all the different types of massage that where out their. So we spent time with hot stone massage, body scrubs, and then we got a taste of a few more modalties that we could continue in learning after we finished schooling. Yes, one of them was Thai massage, or Thai Yoga Massage(also know as Lazy Mans yoga), I was hooked.I took a table Thai class right away, enjoyed it, but felt that their was more to it, so I went on the search. I found a teacher that taught here in the states and traveled back to Thailand every year to continue with her practice. I started from their, and at the same time did my Ayurveda training,and found Lotus Palm, school for Thai Ayurveda Training. Now I could take the Thai massage and Ayurveda along with my background in Swedish Massage and truly enjo...

April is a great time of the year, weather is changing, flowers are starting to pop up, and that means allergies.So this question has come up several times in the last few weeks about Oil-Pulling, perfect timing, because it goes along with the seasons and helps in so many ways including allergies.So what does Ayurveda thinks of it , how it works, and where to start, lets tackle oil pulling today. First "What is oil-pulling? A little background on oil-pulling:Ayurveda is a time tested, 5,000 year old traditional based; all natural healing. With Ayurveda comes many methods of keeping the body in balance through meditation, yoga, massage, daily routine and yes one is oil-pulling. Ayurveda has many modalities all to achieve health, working to maintain a healthy balanced body, mind and spirit. So what is oil-pulling? Simply put, part of the Ayurveda morning ritual to wake up and flush toxins and bacteria out of the body.Oil-pulling has a powerful detoxifying effect,you are pul...

Personalized Oils I love when a client comes into my space for the first time. I start off, like most massage therapist, with a simple health form, but after that nothing is the same from that point on. That health form is my jumping off point, a warm up, for understanding the goal of each client that comes in the door. A massage with me at Metta Spa(Heather Small) will not only settle the body, relax the muscles, but get you started on your road to a healthier balanced mind body and spirit. One way that I will do that is to create your own personalized oils, allowing you to move forward each time you come in for your massage. Think about it for a moment, we all have some stresses in our lives, work, friends, our partners, kids ,taking care of our homes, each day presents us with a different challenge.The healthier the mind, body spirit connection is, the better off we are to handle the stresses that come our way. Some days are great, and others you cant wait to crawl into bed. ...