My Writings. My Thoughts.

Friday’s Gift

// September 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Meditation

First Friday, September 18, 2009

Present Moment Living, boy that’s a mouthful. So you take a moment and be joyful and full of understanding that everything in your life is exactly as it should be. The life you are experiencing is as you are thinking. Do you have enough of what you want? Or, are you experiencing a lack of something?  If you take this weekend and open yourself to expanded possibilities of abundance, express gratitude for the things you have … and have not …  you will find an opportunity to be at ease with yourself and reduce the level of stress that is challenging your well-being.

Remember, it’s almost always as you think it is. So, give yourself a break and be kind in your conversation to yourself.

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist Monk, has a wonderful way of expressing gratitude for being alive.  His morning outlook: the attitude we choose upon awakening can set the tone for the whole day. As you awaken, before you leave your bed, take a moment and be grateful. Notice how this simple change of focus enhances your day.

Body Works Massage & Wellness Center Welcomes You

// September 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Events

Hi, I’m Ellen LaRocca, licensed massage therapist. Welcome to our web site, where you will be updated often on strategies for a life of balance. We will be offering information on a variety of subjects pertaining to your health and daily living.

Please feel free to peruse our site and add your comments, and requests for what you might like to see.

Ten Secrets for Healthy Breasts

// August 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Women's Health

At least 70% of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors

Ten Secrets:

  1. Wear your bra as little as possible (certainly not 24 hours a day). Author of “Dressed To Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras”, Sydney Ross Singer, has studies showing that women who wear a bra 24 hours a day have a 125-fold (12,500%) higher percentage of getting cancer than women who do not wear a bra at all.
  2. Be sure that your bra is not leaving red marks on your shoulders as this is an indication that your lymphatic system is being compromised. Your lymphatic system is an important part of your immune system and plays a crucial role in breast health.
  3. Wash all new clothes before you wear them as they have toxic chemicals on them (such as fire retardant) that are absorbed into your body. Also many undergarments are made in less than sanitary conditions in developing countries and undergarments may have been tried on previous to you purchasing them.
  4. Be mindful of what you put on your body in the form of toxic perfume, make-up, tanning lotions, antiperspirants and body creams as everything is absorbed through the skin and filtered through the liver, thereby straining your immune system and diminishing your breast health.
  5. Love your breasts. Emotions play a role in our health and a positive, happy viewpoint about your breasts can contribute to healthier breasts.
  6. Do not use birth control pills. They interfere with the normal hormonal balance of a woman and the increase of breast cancer in woman has skyrocketed since the introduction of the birth control pill.
  7. Learn about Thermography as an option to mammography. Digital Infrared Thermography (DIT) is painless, non-toxic and highly accurate. Safer and more effective than mammography, it has the ability to detect breast irregularities and possible “hot spots” years before they would ever be revealed with mammography or a breast exam.
  8. Encourage young girls to exercise as it helps to delay puberty. Exercise has been shown to decrease the flow of estrogens and narrows the window of vulnerability to breast cancer. Clinical studies have shown young women who are involved in regular exercise and vigorous aerobic exercise programs begin puberty at an older age and have a nearly 200% decreased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Get out and exercise!
  9. Find ways to deal with stress, including meditation. According to Dr. Nan Lu, a classically trained doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and author of “Traditional Chinese Medicine – A Guide To Healing From Breast Cancer”, he believes meditation is the best healing exercise.
  10. Learn how to do lymphatic breast massage as it helps the flow of lymph in your breast tissue and promotes healthy breasts. For instructions on performing a proper breast massage, please visit my website at: www.bodyworksgoespink.com

More on breast health in the future, for now, get to know and love yourself!

Dry Skin Brushing – Directions

// August 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events

when to brush: daily, 3 weeks on, 1 week off, to gain maximum benefit. Do not share your brush with others. Use brush without water. Shower, or bathe, after brushing, once, or twice, a day. Wash your brush once a week with mild soap, rinse and hang to dry. Use a natural, not synthetic, bristle brush, so that it does not scratch your skin.

how to use: do not wet the skin, it will not have the same effect and will stretch the skin ~ always brush towards the heart ~ do circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen ~ do lighter strokes over and around the breasts, do not brush the nipples ~ brush each part of the body several times, vigorously and completely ~ brush the whole body ~ brush the soles of the feet first, ankles, calves, then thighs ~ brush stomach, buttocks, back, hands and arms ~ warm bath, or shower, followed by a cool rinse. You can also brush the neck and face, using a much softer brush and gentle strokes.

for more information, or to purchase a brush, please contact me through my contact page

Thank you!

Dry Skin Brushing for Health

// August 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events

“Dry skin brushing is one of the finest of all baths – no soap can wash the skin as clean as the new skin you have under the old. Skin brushing removes the old dead layers. This helps eliminate uric acid crystals, catarrh & various other acids in the body.” Dr. Bernard Jensen

Skin is considered the largest organ of the body. The primary purpose of the skin is assisting in the elimination of the body’s wastes. Interesting enough, the body makes new skin every 24 hours. Healthy skin should eliminate approximately 2 pounds of waste daily.

Dry skin brushing helps all of the body systems to preform at peak efficiency. It increases and stimulates blood circulation in all the underlying organs, connective tissue and lymphatic system.

Okay, here’s the list of benefits:  tightens skin, aids digestion, removes cellulite, increases cell renewal, aids lymph system, removes dead skin layers, improves cell exchange, strengthens immune system, stimulates gland function and helps in rejuvenating the nervous system.

So, why not treat yourself to a daily dose of loving your body….

I’ll show you the ‘how to’ next


best massage in mandeville

// August 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events

Welcome to Body Works Massage & Wellness Center, where you can receive the benefits of thirty years of experience, with any one of our four massage therapists. Ellen LaRocca, LMT, (that’s me!) has been practicing therapeutic massage, teaching and studying many modalities of body work for many years, bringing to the Northshore excellence and experience. Today is my first post on this site. I will be posting information and education on massage, benefits, contraindications, and personal opinions on the subject of bodywork for health and well-being. Please visit often, as I will do my best to post often. You can also request information by going to my contact page and shooting an email to me, I will respond with the best answer I can research. I will be posting info about meditation and how to easily learn to meditate for present moment living and happiness. Well, here we go!!

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