Pure Wellness: Milwaukee Area Wellness For The Body, Mind & Soul

Though most of my clients, who have been with me a long time, know me as their Massage Therapist, others may know me as their facilitator or teacher.

Growing up, I struggled in traditional school. As soon as I started college, though, something clicked. I found my passion and I did well! From that point on I couldn’t learn fast enough. Life is full of so many wonders and infinite information to learn. When I realized I enjoyed facilitating knowledge in a non-traditional setting, that was it. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. In turn, it has continued my own learning process as well.

I want to share with you all the different classes and workshops I offer and hope you join me soon! I offer them in groups, privately or online. Most of these life art classes and workshops integrate self-care and meditation.

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Most often when clients come in for massage, there is only one thing on their mind: their body. Aches, pains, injuries. And rightly so, as pain can be debilitating and fog up thinking.

But the body and it’s physical needs do not happen in a vacuum. The mind and our spirits have a lot of say in what signals it’s sending. Stress can increase pain and how we experience it. Overwhelming thoughts, too much to do, social media scrolling, work, home, relationships, spiritual crisis, children, friends… should I go on? I bet your shoulders are raising just reading that list.

So what can we do at home?

• Be aware of your posture: pull your shoulders back and down away from your head, straighten your spine, take a slow breath in and slowly out.
• Unhinge that jaw: even if you aren’t a grinder, most people don’t realize how contracted their jaws are or how much they clench while they think they’re just in a neutral stance.
• Take purposeful moments of silence: Get up from where you are and change your scenery, whether outside or another room that is quiet. Allow yourself even 1 minute of aware, slow breathing.
• Take care of yourself in all ways: Are you feeding yourself nourishing foods? Are you hydrating your body? Are you attending all of your medical and self-care appointments? Are you taking time to take care of you?

What can you do at your sessions?

• See above: do all of these when coming in for a session. It’s very important you allow your body to completely relax. This helps your body, mind and spirit to balance out as well as allow your therapist to do the work they need without resistance from the body and mind.
• Don’t fight or help: Many people forget they are holding their muscles in positions that are tight and sometimes they think they are helping the therapist. When you are fighting or helping it makes it more difficult for your therapist to move the muscles that need to be moved in a flowing way. If you are fighting because something hurts or strains, tell your therapist right away. Forcing can also backfire as well.
• Let your therapist know what’s on your mind: every session is confidential. If you have stress going on or feel that your energy is off, this can help guide the session. It can also help if you need a referral to a different professional or switching to energy work like reiki.

Allowing yourself and your therapist to be honest and know everything that is going on will fulfill your sessions in a more meaningful way and in turn, your life.

As my Astrothecary line has started moving forward, I wanted to start to share a little of the process with everyone. Each small batch is blended on full moons, but I also take into consideration what sign the moon is in, as well as the sun and sometimes other major planetary actions. From my studies in traditional herbalism and astrology and aromatherapy too, I have gathered lists of plants and aromas that correspond with each planet and sign. Here is a very basic rundown of signs and plants or aromas that correlate with them.

The best time to use these would be when you aren’t “feeling yourself” or need to get back in touch with your purpose. You can also use the opposite of your sign when you need to balance energies out.

Aries – Mars: Rosemary
Taurus – Venus: Rose
Gemini – Mercury: Basil
Cancer – Moon: Mugwort
Leo – Sun: Frankincense
Virgo -Mercury: Lavender
Libra- Venus: Geranium
Scorpio – Pluto: Patchouli
Sagittarius – Jupiter: Nutmeg
Capricorn – Saturn: Cypress
Aquarius – Uranus: Benzoin
Pisces – Neptune: Myrrh

The first time I picked up an astrology book was when I was 15. Connecting to my sun sign of Aquarius was like opening up a book and reading about my life. From then on, astrology flitted in and out of my life. About 6 years ago, I started really delving into it, reading as much as I could and pulling up charts to try to decipher them. A year ago I made the leap to start studying with a teacher and mentor who has been doing astrology for almost 40 years.

You may ask “what the heck does this all have to do with wellness, Cathy?” It took me this long to realize what an important, historical, life art that astrology is and how it has woven itself in and out of my own wellness path, but it kept showing up in sessions with clients, my classes and life in general. And isn’t wellness the overall arc of life?

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Even after years of giving massages, I have to remind myself of how to completely benefit from a massage when I receive them. Here are some thoughts on getting the most out of your sessions…

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In 2013, I spent a half a year working on becoming a certified Aromatherapist. I felt it was overdue since I had already been spending over 10 years using essential oils. I graduated with 250 hours under my belt… but I didn’t feel that was enough. I then decided to go back and start another 250 hour program, this time in clinical herbalism. I graduated the following year…a couple years went by and again, I didn’t feel that was enough so this time I decided to buckle down and study Master Aromatherapy.

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I am currently finishing my Master Aromatherapy Certification and recently had to do a research paper on anything pertaining to Aromatherapy. My first thought was to write it on ethical and safe practices, as that is what I am a large advocate for in the world of aromatherapy. But soon, my brain started realizing I had done a ton of research and a few articles on that and I was ready to expand into something that isn’t a mainstream topic. So I began digging into the combination of Astrology and Aromatherapy.

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Since I started doing guided meditations at work, many clients over the years have requested I  record them. The first step towards that has happened!

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Yesterday, I had the honor to teach an aromatherapy class at Vision Forward‘s Play it Forward Sports & Wellness Camp at Marquette University. Vision Forward provides services and resources, from birth through adulthood, to people with visual impairments.
What a BLAST! 16 adolescents ranging from 10-16 years old joined me in learning a little background on essential oils and safety. They all experienced different aromas and what those could help with: sleeping, relaxing, focusing, and waking up. At the end of the class, they picked 1 or 2 essential oils to mix with their carrier oils to take home. They were enthusiastic and such a joy to work with!

In April, my neighbor Kristine Joy moved in next door to my suite. Kristine is also a Reiki Master Teacher and an Intuitive as well! She holds regular spirit message circles and is an all-round kind, fun and warm person!
In August we will have a yoga studio opening up across the hall from us! Deanna from Tulasara Wellness and Cari of Simple Joy Yoga will be moving in so make sure you grab a spot in their classes after a service with me!