Interested in anatomy? Health? Here are some articles and links to explore how the body works....
Your Breath and How to Manage Stress -- a good reminder to breathe fully and deeply during your massage.
Just Breathe (Anatomy in Motion)
Our bodies aren’t shy about telling us that we are stressed out! Muscle tension, backaches, stomach upset, headaches, burnout and other illness states are ways in which the body signals to us the need to relax. Rather than run for that anti-anxiety medication, we can utilize our easiest, natural defense against stress: our breathing. The way we breathe can affect our emotions and mental states as well as determine how we physically respond to stress.
We can help preserve and enhance our health, though, by refusing to fall victim to chronic release of stress hormones, even if we are not able to control when or how stressful situations challenge us. We can learn to effectively manage our physiological reaction to stressors by teaching the body to induce a relaxation response. A relaxation response counteracts the effects of the fight or flight response by helping to boost immune system function, reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels, and protect tissues from damage caused by stress-hormones..... Read more at: Anatomy in Motion, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=521502404571244&id=147107135344108&substory_index=0