Back to School:

The Importance of Routines & Self-care

by Agusta Perkins, LMT at Four Pillars

Hi Moms, Dads and Caretakers!  The kids are finally back in school. You survived yet another summer -break entertaining and taming your spawn. Summer busyness is behind us and we are back into homework and structure of the school year.  If you’re like me, you may be feeling a bit depleted from the fun, sun and run, run, run of summertime.

You see, routine is good for us and for our children. The routine of back to school provides a sense of structure and familiarity. In fact, reliable routine is often key to staving off symptoms of anxiety and depression.  During the summer, routine goes out the window – and that disruption can be stressful.

People are creatures of habit, and routines offer a way to promote health and wellness through structure and organization. Having a routine can greatly improve your health.

Many people who don’t have any type of routine suffer from:

• Stress
• Poor sleep
• Poor eating
• Poor physical condition
• Ineffective use of time.

Often, no routine means you simply run out of time, leaving things undone and not making the most of your time. And this means less time for self-care. People all have different requirements for self-care, but in general, the goals of self-care are to find a state of good mental and physical health, reduce stress, meet emotional needs, maintain one’s relationships, booth romantic and platonic, and find a balance between one’s personal and academic or professional life.

Self-care is often considered to be an important aspect of resiliency: those who are able to adequately meet their needs are often able to better cope with everyday stressors. Creating a self-care routine is critical to maintaining your own health and happiness so that you can create a life filled with joy and wonder.

Now is the perfect time to schedule some care for YOU!  Four Pillars is your hub for Wellness and self-care.  Come let us pamper you with a massage or facial or even better….BOTH!   Not your cup of tea?  (By the way, we have tea waiting for you here every day.)  Try one of our Monday specialty sessions of Zero Balancing, Group Hypnosis or Group Meditation.  We also offer Reiki, Chakra Clearing, and Acupuncture for Stress Relief every day of the week.  We have a plethora of books, essential oils, and workshops to meet your wellness needs also. What are you waiting for?  Now is the time to schedule an hour (or more) for yourself.  You’ve earned it.

Agusta Perkins is a graduate of Sarasota School of Massage Therapy with over 800 hours of superior training.  She is also a member of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association & the American Massage Therapy Association. She provides relaxation and therapeutic massage incorporating her knowledge of Neuromuscular, Myofacial, Swedish, stretching and deep tissue techniques.  She loves to incorporate heat in her sessions using Synergy Stones, river rocks and warm moist towels. She is also certified in Sacred Lomi, a traditional Hawaiian “temple style” massage that incorporates long and flowing strokes that invite the recipient to completely relax, let go and receive.

Agusta loves spending her free time with her five-year old son and exploring and experiencing the beautiful city of Sarasota and surrounding areas.

Agusta provides her massage treatments at Four Pillars, a wellness spa in Lakewood Ranch offering massage, facials, acupuncture, reiki, hypnosis, sound therapy and life coaching. www.fourpillarsflorida.com

Celebrate Everybody Deserves a Massage Week

and Discover our Corporate Wellness Program

75-90% of all doctor visits are related to stress.

A 60-minute massage can lower cortisol, a hormone that’s produced in response to stress, by an average of 30 percent. And when cortisol levels decline, serotonin — one of the body’s anti-pain mechanisms — increases by an average of 28 percent after receiving a massage. By lowering cortisol and increasing serotonin, you’re boosting your body’s ability to fight off pain, anxiety and feelings of sadness and stress. (Ref: Mayo Clinic)

Four Pillars is your go to place to relax and rejuvenate. We offer various types of massage: Therapeutic, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Thai, Hot Stone, Shiatsu, Pregnancy, Reflexology, and Hawaiian Lomi Lomi. We also offer a full range of wellness services including acupuncture, skincare, hypnosis and life coaching.

Because everybody deserves a massage,

we offer the following discounts everyday:

• 20% off packages of 3 or more
• LWRBA members receive a 15% discount
• Veterans, Military and First Responders receive a 20% discount

Four Pillars also offers Customized Wellness Programs & On-Site Chair Massage for your Business

Let us Customize your Wellness Program for employee stress relief

Office Starter Program – 15-min Chair Massage (On Site at Your Business):

A massage wellness program does more than feel good. It lowers stress while boosting productivity. It also improves posture, cuts down on sick days, lowers blood pressure and contributes to a focused mind and motivation. Retain your employees and invest in their well-being.  It could be the perfect gift for your staff that makes them feel appreciated and cared for at work.

Sample Office Starter Program (for 8 employees):

-Monthly 15-min Chair Massage

-1 Licensed Massage Therapist, 2 hours

$190 per visit

Included: Essential Oils diffused to uplift and relax your staff

Balanced Wellness Program – 15 min Chair Massage (On Site at Your Business):

Get all the benefits of a massage wellness program (see Office Starter above) plus educational elements to balance out total employee well-being.

Sample Balanced Wellness Program (for 20 employees)

-Monthly 15-min Chair Massage

-1-2 Licensed Massage Therapists, 5 hours

-1 Wellness Educational Workshop

$575 per visit

Included: Essential Oils diffused to uplift and relax your staff

 

Employee Incentive or Customer Appreciation Gift Programs:

Morale goes up, Stress goes down

Whether you’re rewarding sales, attendance, employee of the month, corporate culture, or showing gratitude for business, a gift certificate to Four Pillars can be a healthy reward.

 Call Four Pillars for your FREE personalized Corporate Wellness Program quote, 941-373-3955

Why I want to bring an ancient form of massage into the modern world!

(A Fresh Perspective)

By Michael Fox, LMT at Four Pillars

A spiritual, yet therapeutic modality that helps us reach states of peacefulness in this fast-paced society of technology and stress.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Thai massage last year in massage school (Sarasota School of Massage Therapy), where a two-day sample of this modality was taught by Joni Masse, an incredible and beloved teacher at SSMT. She offers a four-part Thai massage certification course through the school. I was so positive about learning it that I started her class before I even got my massage license!  After the two-day taste of Thai, I was hooked to say the least. Unlike any other modality I’ve experienced, Thai massage really took me to another realm of relaxation and meditation. Not only does the physical manipulation of tense muscles feel amazing, but the pure feeling of nurturing healing is life changing.

Traditionally, Thai massage and bodywork has been practiced religiously within Buddhist cultures over thousands of years; used for medicinal and spiritual purposes. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and specifically within Thailand (around the 3^rd century BC), so did written and oral traditions of this sacred form of massage. Families would practice on each other out of pure love and kindness, which is a Buddhist principal called “Metta” (unconditional love and kindness). Still to this day Thai massage is being used in hospitals in Thailand. It is a pleasure and honor to learn such a historic tradition of healing and integrate it into my massage practice right here in the Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota area!

What does one expect during a Thai massage? Typically, Thai bodywork is performed on a thick floor mat or cushion while dressed in comfy, non-constricting clothes. The receiver should go into each session with both an open heart and mind. With its close relationship with yoga, one can expect to be assisted into yoga-like asanas (positions). Thus, preforming Thai massage greatly increases my yoga practice as well, bringing a new light into my journey of holistic living. The beauty of Thai work is that each session will take a different path. Both the therapist and client create an intuitive flow that leads natural healing specific for each person, working together to reach goals and find balance. While on the mat, both the practitioner and receiver benefit from stretching and zoning out in this meditative state.

Equipped with healing hands and feet, the tools a Thai massage therapist requires is one’s entire body and soul. Mixing palm presses, deep (or light) thumb pressure, forearm rolls and yes, even feet are used to direct loving energy into the lucky person on the mat. Increased flexibility and range of motion are common side effects to this bodywork. Gentle rocking can be used as well as light pounding on tight muscles to help release stagnancy hiding within us. Acupressure is melodically placed along our energetic pathways; where in Thai theory these pathways are named “Sen” lines. Within this theory, there are about 72,000 Sen lines running up and down us. The purpose of working these energy lines is to relieve excess energy as well to energize our lifeforce/Qi/chi/prana or whatever you believe keeps us going deep inside. Thai is a unique way to rejuvenate the physical body, calm our mind and raise our spirit.

                  One of the best parts of this healing art form is to witness changes happen before my eyes. To see the literal unwinding of taught fascia release and joints rotating the way they’re supposed to is solid prove that the ancient Buddhists were onto something great. I have just begun to scratch the surface of Thai bodywork, and can’t wait to dive deeper into this magical modality. Dynamic Thai is my next goal on the horizon and I believe a trip to Thailand is a must!

At Four Pillars, we are creating a melting pot of well-being practices that I’m blissed to be a part of. Offering an array of modalities such as sacred Lomi-Lomi, 5 Element Shiatsu, Zero Balancing, and of course Thai massage there is something for everyone with endless opportunities to obtain health and mindfulness. Thai massage is easily paired with Reiki, myofascial, NMT trigger point therapy, the opportunities are endless!

July 15^th, Four Pillars is celebrating our own Thai Appreciation day with 45 minute sessions for only $45!

Call (941) 373-3955 or visit www.fourpillarsflorida.com to schedule.