Caring Palms will again be hosting an Herbalism Seminar taught by Master Herbalist, Cindy Whitley in September. The last seminar was well received by the students who attended, who thought it was a tremendous amount of information that was well worth the money they had spent for the class.

This seminar works with herbal medicine to help keep one well. Here are the details...

Staying Well with Herbs, Saturday, September 27, 2014, 10:00am - 3:00pm, at the Caring Palms Studio

Improve your quality of life by learning how to stay healthy and fight illness with herbal medicine. Learn which herbs can replace antibiotics, treat and prevent the flu, colds, coughs, infections and viruses. Not only will you gain knowledge of the herbs themselves, you will also learn how to prepare your own herbal treatments. After this workshop, you will bring home information that can save you countless doctor visits and trips to the pharmacy, and everyone will make 3 remedies in class!

The cost for this seminar is $60 in advance. One can sign up through the Caring Palms website. Go to the 'Our Studio' tab and select 'Events'. You can also visit Cindy's website here.

Staring sometime in August, Caring Palms will be open regular hours every Saturday. Our newest therapist, Christine Neubauer will be here to do massage and Reiki sessions.

Previously, the studio had been open 'by appointment only', but now someone will be here from 10:00am to 5:00pm to take appointments and walk-ins. Brian will still be available, by appointment only as he always has, based on what his schedule is.

As of this writing, we have no set date for this to begin, but we are hoping to be open starting Saturday, August 16^th. If you are in need of a good massage, please call for an appointment.

How focused are you? We all should be focused, right? But should that focus be so strong, so determined that we see only one thing? So focused that we lose sight of what is around us?

Have you ever been in the left lane in traffic, waiting to get up to the left turn lane? Maybe you are lucky enough to just squeeze into the lane by driving on the grass a bit and just missing the car in front of you. And then you notice that one of the cars in the lane you were just in has left about three car lengths in front of them and the car ahead of them. (As someone told me when I mentioned this story, that this is the time they want to take a two by four out and readjust this person's focus.)

Or in another instance, you're in the store, maybe a big warehouse store like Sam's Club, and there is someone that leaves their cart in the middle of the isle, blocking everyone while they go over to get a sample piece of cheese. After all, there isn't anyone else in the store, is there?

There is focus, and there is fixation. It is like putting blinders on a horse so it can only see ahead. Do we get so fixated on something that we are blind to everything else around us? Maybe we need to take a step back and take notice of what is around, and see what we are impacting by our actions. (I told the person who mentioned the two by four where I was going to go with this piece, and she said, "So, you're going to take the high road." Uhh, yes.)

While it is tremendously important to have goals, part of reaching a goal is learning from what is going on around you, what you get on the journey that changes you so you can reach that goal. And this is true whether your goal is to massively change your lifestyle, or locate a jar of pickles on the grocery shelf. Maybe before we reach out and grab those pickles, we should see if we are going to hit someone walking by.

There is a joke that I pass out with my Reiki 1 classes about focus. It involves solving a problem...

When faced with an objective, one should... Analyze all situations, Anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, Define Steps that will create a plan, and Use these steps to implement the plan, thus completing the task. HOWEVER, when you're up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember that your objective was to DRAIN THE SWAMP.

While comical, it is a good reminder to look at what is around us. When doing something, we tend to get bogged down into one part of something, so much so that we can forget how it relates to the big picture. This is a reminder to take a step back and look at how what you are doing affects the big picture. It is a reminder to look around you and see how your actions, or inactions are affecting others. It is a reminder to be kind.

When I was learning energies, I played a lot. What can I feel here? What do I notice there? My wife and I used to follow this band around (as some of the members were friends) and we would go to places that they were playing. When a slow song was being played, we would go out on the dance floor. I used to close my eyes and visualize a circle of energy around us. When I felt something was pushing into this circle, I would change directions.

It is a really cool exercise that works better than you think, and anyone can do it as long as they trust themselves and what they are feeling. You can even do this while driving, though I would not recommend closing your eyes. Is someone in your blind spot? Of course with all the new technology like blind spot radar monitoring, we have cars handling this for us. When in the grocery, look and 'feel' what is around you before doing anything. Are you blocking someone? Will walking away from your cart impact someone?

Take a second, and take a look around you. And above all else, be kind. Because the more kindness we spread, the more will be out there.

• August 16 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm Confirmed
• September 13 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm 
• October 11 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm  
• November 8 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm  

The following is a list of currently scheduled classes.  This class is a two-day class worth 12 CE hours for massage therapists.  Each class (unless otherwise marked) currently has a status of 'Scheduled'.  This means that a date has been set, but no one has signed up for it yet.  Once a deposit has been received for a class, the status will be 'Confirmed'.  The current schedule is as follows:

• October 18 - October 19  (Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm) Confirmed

All classes are scheduled to be held at the Caring Palms Studio.  Should the location change, that change will be on the website and students notified. 

Maximize your results with less effort. Utilize the science of martial arts and apply it to massage. Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques for Massage Therapists, is designed to reconnect the massage therapist with proper body mechanics and techniques while putting a new twist on things and showing how to get more pressure with little effort. While it does go over some basics, it takes body mechanics to a new level where every move involves the use of the therapist's entire body so they can work without hurting themselves. The class being part lecture, part hands-on practice takes positions, centering, and the proper use of body strength from Japanese martial arts and applies them to the art of massage therapy. It also shows how to focus one's energies to increase their strength with simple exercises meant to teach the student how to 'think' beyond where they are working so they can get deeper into the client and to channel their energies to the point of thought. The student will learn how to focus their energies and use their body to do deep work and not get hurt. This class will help anyone to work deeply with less effort no matter if one is 90 pounds or 250 pounds. This class is for both the seasoned therapist and the new therapist. It will show moves everyone does, but in a new light as well as moves many people may not have seen before. The idea is not to dictate how to practice, but to show better body mechanics which the therapist can adapt to what they do. This is true whether they adapt all of it or just part of it.

 
NCBTMB and Florida Board of Massage Approved for twelve (12) Continuing Education Hours (CEUs)
Class Cost: $300 Early Registration (at least 19 days before the class date)
                    $350 within 19 days of the class date

This class is for licensed massage therapists or anyone that regularly uses massage in their practice.  For those looking to learn basic massage for relaxation for their partner or friends, see the website on the Massage For Couples classes. 

To sign up for classes, go to the website and select Continuing Education, Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques, and Class Schedule to see additions and changes or to sign up.

Caring Palms has two rooms for rent to a holistic arts practitioner.  This person could be a practitioner of accupuncture, reflexology, hypnosis, massage or any similar modality.  If you know anyone interested, please have them call Brian at Caring Palms.   

Caring Palms is looking to hire a part-time massage therapist for the new studio. This person would be working as an employee of Caring Palms and should be licensed in the state of Florida and have practitioner's insurance (or be willing to get it). Serious applicants will be expected to give a massage to be evaluated. They should also be willing to build a clientele rather than walk into one built by someone else.

We are looking for either one or more part time employees. If you know anyone interested, please have them call us.

At Caring Palms, we pledge to do the best work we can at every session.  We not only do this to continue to earn your business, but because we believe that you deserve the best care possible every time you are here.  This is true whether it is massage, or energy work, or classes. This is our promise.  This is what we will continue to do.