Send us your favorite Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary photo that you captured during your visit!
It can be of the garden, of you and your friends having lunch, a moment in our Cedar Enzyme bath… Email your photo to marketing at osmosis.com or post on Instagram using #osmosisphoto2017! Be sure to follow us on Facebook to see the photos that have been submitted.
Our first place winner will receive our most popular Transformation Package – A Cedar Enzyme Bath, followed by our unique Osmosis Fusion Massage, blending the long, relaxing strokes of Swedish-Esalen with the revitalizing techniques of Shiatsu, Thai, and Chinese massage. Two and a half hours of complete bliss!
Second place will receive a Cedar Enzyme Bath for Two.
Deadline to enter is April 30. There is no limit to how many photos you submit. Winner will be announced the 2nd week in May on our Facebook page & Instagram as well as in our newsletter.
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram and show some love to your photo when it is posted. Tell your friends to “like” your photo and possibly influence our decision! Be sure to use #osmosisphoto2017 when posting on Instagram
Pregnancy is a beautiful but delicate time in women’s lives. While the life of their baby-to-come is growing inside, women can feel challenged by many changes: changing bodies, changing hormones, and changing moods. As women move through pregnancy, they may experience physical or emotional stresses due to these rapid changes. Pregnancy Massage can benefit a mother’s physical and emotional well-being, easing a woman’s transition into motherhood.
5 Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
Relaxation and Stress Reduction
While reducing tension and increasing relaxation is a benefit to everyone, it is especially important for mothers-to-be. Challenged by hormone-related mood swings or anxieties related to life transitions, pregnant women feel re-assured and taken care of by the nurturing touch of an experienced massage therapist, allowing stress to melt away.
Health care professionals agree that a relaxed mother is a more fertile environment for the growth of the baby. The relaxation response experienced in massage activates the parasympathetic nervous system, releasing norepinephrine and nitric oxide, resulting in decreased blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen consumption, and increased blood flow. This means greater oxygen and nutrient circulation for both mom and baby.
Reduces Aches and Pains
Pregnant women’s bodies are growing fast. As the baby develops and the uterus expands, women are carrying increased weight, resulting in greater pressure on the joints of the lower body, including the hips, knees and ankles. Massage can help ease the discomfort in these weight-bearing joints. Additionally, the tendons which help to stabilize the uterus, attach at both the sacrum and pubic bone. The growing uterus is continually pulling on these tendons, creating tension in the low back and pelvic region. Prenatal massage is useful in relieving this tension. Sciatica and calf cramps are also commonly associated with pregnancy. Massage techniques, combined with gentle stretching help to relieve the pain associated with these symptoms.
Improves Blood Circulation
Women’s blood volume increases dramatically during pregnancy to provide for the needs of a growing baby. By the 6th month of pregnancy, a mother’s blood volume has almost doubled! This dramatic increase may result in symptoms such as swelling, varicose veins or increased blood pressure. Swedish and lymphatic massage techniques are known to increase and blood and fluid circulation in the body, relieving swelling and increasing oxygen and nutrient delivery to baby, and accelerating the removal of waste.
Balances Hormones and Moods
Studies have shown that massage during pregnancy significantly improves the regulation of hormones: norepinephrine, cortisol and serotonin. A study conducted by Dr. Tiffany Field at the University of Miami School of Medicine showed that massage both reduces stress hormones, and increases the “feel good” hormones. These improvements in hormone regulation help expectant mothers balance mood swings. Studies also show that women with decreased stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increase norepinephrine, have fewer complications during pregnancy and birth, and a decreased rate of low birth weight of the baby. Massage is vital to the well-being of mother and, in turn, nurtures the life that grows within her.
Preparation for Labor
Childbirth requires both strength and flexibility, particularly in the low back, pelvis and legs. Prenatal massage techniques and applied stretches are effective in increasing muscle and joint flexibility in the lower limbs and pelvis, important in the preparation for childbirth. Recent studies from the Touch Research Institute in Miami Florida indicate that massage provides more than just symptom relief, but also fewer complications in delivery. The women studied showed lower levels of anxiety, stress, sleep problems and back pain, in addition to reduced rates in labor complications.
Pregnancy Massage at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary
At Osmosis, we have specialty cushions, designed for pregnant women, allowing them to receive massage lying face down through the ninth month of pregnancy. Our specially trained massage therapists are also able to perform a full-body massage in a side-lying position for those who feel more comfortable that way. Our Pregnancy massage therapists are knowledgeable of the techniques most effective in relieving pregnancy symptoms, such as low back pain, sciatica, calf cramps and aches in the joints of the lower limbs. Our massage therapists are also aware of which techniques, acupressure points and aromatherapy oils, are contraindicated for use during pregnancy.
Is Pregnancy Massage for Me?
If you want to experience greater ease in pregnancy and childbirth, the answer is YES!
Women experiencing complications in their pregnancy, such as but not limited to diabetes, heavy bleeding, preeclampsia, high blood pressure or unusual pain, should consult with a doctor before pursuing massage therapy.
Raizelah Bayen is a California Certified Massage Therapist, currently employed as the Director of Training and Massage Therapist Supervisor at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary in Freestone, California. She has been practicing massage for over 25 years, and teaching T’ui Na, Acupressure, Sports and Pregnancy Massage in massage certification programs for 15 years. Raizelah is an approved CEU Instructor by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), offering trainings in Freestone, California and on-site training at your massage school or spa. For more information, connect with Raizelah Bayen on LinkedIn.
Please contact raizelah@osmosis.com for information on upcoming trainings in T’ui Na, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Foot Reflexology, and Body Mechanics for Bodyworkers scheduled in Sebastopol, California. Or book Raizelah for an on-site training in your massage school or spa in T’ui Na, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Foot Reflexology or Body Mechanics for Bodyworkers.
Thank you for all the amazing Haiku’s submitted to our Osmosis Haiku contest last month! It was not easy to narrow it down to our top three with nearly 100 submissions! Congratulations to the following winners:
By Tara Brach Tara Brach’s teachings blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices, mindful attention to our inner life, and a full, compassionate engagement with our world. The result is a distinctive voice in Western Buddhism, one that offers a wise and caring approach to freeing ourselves and society from suffering.
It’s natural that our attention wanders, and the more we relax back, the more that becomes our habit…returning to presence. This meditation opens with conscious breathing and awakening through the body. We then rest in open awareness, and when the attention drifts, guide ourselves to rest our minds, over and over, in the aliveness and presence that is right here.
We believe that bringing people together is one of the best paths toward transformation and opening your heart. No matter how old you are or where you are in your life, taking a day with friends at a spa can bring pure magic. Imagine gathering up your best girlfriends for a getaway to a legendary place of total rejuvenation and divine connection. Read on to see 3 great reasons why.
Cedar Enzyme Footbath – Where else can you enjoy a convivial Cedar Enzyme Foot Bath seated together while sipping Osmosis Signature Blend Tea? Our warm and fragrant treatment offers myriad health benefits, from improving circulation to relieving joint and muscle pain – it’s a perfect environment to melt away the stress. Afterwards your feet will feel like you are walking on air.
Stunning and Unique Venue – Embraced by the coastal hills of Sonoma County, Osmosis’ Japanese-inspired environment naturally brings clarity and connection. Our secluded five acres of creekside property is extensively landscaped with five distinct Zen garden areas. We consider communion with nature to be a key component of healing and our Zen Gardens are the perfect place to strengthen the ties that bind a valued friendship together. Just driving to the stunningly beautiful village of Freestone is great therapy all by itself!
Enhanced Experiences (only offered to groups) – The Osmosis experience is a total mind and body cleanse. We encourage our groups to enhance their experience with unique offerings such as our Healing with Chocolate Treatment, Custom Cheese and Wine Tasting, Acupressure Aromatherapy Educational Experience, Guided Meditation or Hammock Sound Therapy in our Field of Hammocks.
We know that the most important part of a trip with the girls is spending time together—choosing an environment that brings you closer will generate memories that can last a lifetime. So round up your best girlfriends, book your group experience and relish the girlfriend getaway of your dreams!
our life, taking a day with friends at a spa can bring pure magic. Imagine gathering up your best girlfriends for a getaway to a legendary place of total rejuvenation and divine connection. Read on to see 3 great reasons why.
