Mindful Massage
The Wisdom of the Body Temple
Body Work as a meditative process …
Hitaji Aziz has been a licensed massage therapist since the mid-90s offering a unique combination of massage, epigenetic / neuroscience awareness, energy medicine and intuitive insights. Using energy medicine such as Reiki or Healing Touch as a compliment to the massage experience with a culturally sensitive, trauma informed therapist can be a powerful experience. Bodywork can be a meditative experience supporting you to release everyday stress and challenges as you consistently reduce stress while maintaining wellness. Integrating a massage session twice a month or weekly into your radical self-care program works wonders for the body, mind and spirit pushing you closer to a flow state of mind.
Massage therapy is one of the oldest healthcare practices known. The first written records of massage therapies were found in ancient Chinese and Egyptian medical texts written more than 4,000 years ago. Massage has been advocated in Western healthcare practices since the time of Hippocrates. Touch is the fundamental medium of massage therapy. Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consisting of manual techniques to parts of the body. Massage can be perfect for those who work with high stress populations such as first responders which typically include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, firefighters, rescuers, medical staff and I would also add educators with the chronic issues of mass shootings in the American educational systems.
You can compare your body to a computer hard drive that stores all your epigenetic history as well as your emotional and physical data.
- Reducing muscle tension, injuries, spasms, and stiffness
- Reduction of racial distress , trauma, and tension
- Increasing joint, limb flexibility and range of motion
- Promoting deeper and easier breathing/ asthmatics
- Improving blood circulation and movement of lymph
- Relieving tension-related headaches and eyestrain
- Reducing the formation of scar tissue following soft tissue injuries
- Reducing emotional stress, trauma, depression, and anxiety
- Promoting feelings of well-being for the mind-body connection
- Strengthens the immune system
- Promotes better sleep
- Reduces high blood pressure and heart rate
As I heal, I am healed. I approach my craft with a deep respect for my ancestral lineage of healers who came before me and the healers and teachers who are in my life at this present time. My work is in honor of my Great- Grandmother Sally Liddell and those who were formerly enslaved that taught her and also the next generation after her such as Aunt Annie Cole and Uncle George Lett who were the family healers and passed it on to me. For me massage is a form of prayer and meditation and for that I am grateful.
Massage Therapy Encourages Relaxation and Reduces Other PTSD Symptoms
People suffering from PTSD tend to struggle with relaxation. The trauma and stress they experience lead to chronic muscle tension, which can be difficult to release. Massage therapy can help improve circulation and release that tension to promote relaxation. It also promotes the release of stress-fighting neurotransmitters and hormones, helping to reduce the effect of the stress hormones a PTSD sufferer has in abundance. Patients struggling with insomnia may notice that their sleep cycles are reset after ongoing massage therapy. By triggering the body’s relaxation response, the massage therapy treatment breaks the fight or flight cycle that a PTSD suffering is trapped in.
Massage Therapy Sets the Stage for Additional Therapies
Massage therapy may not provide a cure for PTSD, but it can set the stage for other treatments, like talk therapy. Massage improves circulation, relaxation, and sleep patterns, so the patient can open to other types of therapists to get to the root of the issues causing the PTSD.
Trauma can make you feel like you have been knocked out of your body and then one day you finally get enough courage to go back home to your body with grace and less fear