Essential Space!!

Hi Everyone!

I am currently updating the Essential Space website!  Please contact me at mysargent@gmail.com or (831) 345-2233 if you have any questions about renting our space.  Thank you!

Warmly,
Melanie

Let Your Love Light Shine!

Love is very powerful.

Recently, I had an experience that really helped me gain perspective as to how incredibly lucky I am to have so many different forms of love available to me throughout my life. I have the joy of forming deeply connected bonds with my clients and others that have come into my life. And so, I've learned the many flavors of love and have a deep appreciation for the variety.

Many people only have had romantic love and familial love modeled for them. Spiritual, emotional, and friendship love are foreign concepts that they cannot relate with. In fact, for some people, the idea that love exists in these forms is like believing that the world is flat and having someone tell you that it is in fact, round. Back in the old days, it was unbelievable information, and it took a lot of time, science and enough leaders accepting it as truth for the rest of the people to finally accept it. The same is true for these flavors of love. And, it breaks my heart. That is why I feel it necessary to write about it here.

When people grow up with an absence of multi-flavored love concoctions, it can sometimes be difficult to share your innocent love with them. Many people only know love in a romantic/sexual way or in an immediate family way. When you show them love in a spiritual and humanitarian way, it can be misconstrued, particularly when you are relating with the opposite sex. And, that unfortunately, can lead to heartbreak and emotional distress. For the both of you. Trust me, I just went through this and it is agonizing. I truly considered just turning off, or at least using the dimmer switch to control the amount of love flow that I was projecting. I didn't want to have to deal with another misinterpretation of my affections... and then, I realized that not only would I be restricting my authentic self, but I would also be taking a gift away from the world.

As arrogant as that may have sounded, I firmly believe that each of us are gifted with LOVE and to show it and exult it is the highest form of gratitude to the Universe, aka God. We all, not just me, have an obligation to love fully and freely, and of course, respectfully. We need to let our love light shine full powered! We would be doing a disservice to ourselves and our world if we suppress it. Especially to those who aren't familiar with it and take it wrong... Because, the more they witness this kind of love firsthand, the more familiar it will become and the less likely they are to misunderstand again. And, the more likely they are to start sharing this kind of love as well! See, like a circle of love!

With this love does come responsibility, not only to the recipient, but also to ourselves. We need to listen to our intuition. Choose our loving words carefully and our physical expressions, like hugs, thoughtful and intentional. Explore your personal boundaries and then keep to them, firmly and kindly.

I'm here to encourage you all to open yourselves up to LOVE, in all of it's glorious forms! Share information, hugs, a smile, praise... and do it with loving intention. Let the love inside of you radiate out, and let the love of others filter in! The only way to increase love in the world, is to increase love within ourselves and through our outward expression.

Good Massage News

What makes a massage a good massage?

So often I have people come to me that tell me how much they love being massaged. Or, conversely, they tell me that they don't really care for massage, but perhaps they have a pain in their shoulder that they can't tolerate anymore and decided to try again. In essence, any type of touch therapy that you walk away happy with, is a good massage. However, to discriminating massage connoisseurs, there are several areas that distinguish between a so-so massage and and oh-so-wonderful one! Here are some things to consider when receiving a massage so you too can be an official massage aficionado!

~As a general rule, massages should feel good, like pain is being released, not pain being inflicted! (there are occasional exceptions to this rule that a good therapist will go over with you)

~The contact and firmness of the massage should be at a level that you enjoy. If you feel like you are being bruised or like your bones are being pushed on aggressively, it's important that you speak up and let the therapist know it isn't working for you. If the pressure is too light, let the therapist know that more pressure would be appreciated, and keep telling them until they get it right! This is your dollar that is buying this massage, it needs to be about your needs!

~A good massage therapist will direct the flow towards your heart. The lymphatic system goes in both ways, but the veins have valves that only open in one direction, towards your heart. It's important to keep the blood flow in that direction, rather than against those delicate valves. Light pressure massages will not affect the valves negatively, but a deep tissue massage can, so just be conscientious.

~If you feel a little sore for a day or two after a massage, don't worry! It means that your muscles were really worked over and your body has created some lactic acid to aid in the healing process. Just like working out, massages work the body. More massages and/or workouts, the less sore you will be after. If you aren't sore at all, you may have the type of body composition that just doesn't get sore easily, or you may want to try a firmer pressure massage next time.

~Conversation. Sometimes conversation happens during a massage, and that's okay...as long as that is what you want to happen. A good massage therapist should follow your cues. If you ask questions and stimulate conversation, she should follow until you cease to ask anymore questions. If you get quiet, so should she. Unless she needs to check- in with something massage related. Then, it is important for her to know how the pressure is, if you like something special, or are disliking a specific technique. It's important for her to use active listening skills, both verbal and non-verbal. Just know that you control what ultimately happens during your massage, you're paying for it! So, if you aren't wanting to talk, say so. Gently, of course...

~Temperature, music, and oils... they all play an important role in your receiving a good massage. If you are cold, you won't be able to relax as thoroughly as is optimal, so speak up and ask for a blanket. If you aren't digging the tunes, have her turn them off, change CD's, or at least turn the volume down. If you don't like the massage oil or lotion of choice, ask her if she has another option. Often times, there are alternatives available for your enjoyment.

The bottom line is this, you can't necessarily control the ability of the therapist, but you can at least control the atmosphere and tone of the massage by making your expectations and desires clear. And, if you still don't get the type of massage that you are hoping for, please try again with someone else. Each therapist will have a unique style and technique. So, get a recommendations from someone you know. Or, look at the reviews on Yelp! or Google, or Yahoo! They are real people, with real reviews of services they have received.

Recharge Your Battery

Have you ever noticed how incredibly delicious and refreshing a good nights' sleep can be? Of course you have! And, do you know why a good rest makes you feel so good? Below you will find just a sampling of what happens to you and your body when you become sleep deprived.

1. Stress:

Our bodies naturally go into a "high alert" zone when we don't get enough sleep. Imagine your cells working triple overtime to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. A decent runner can for a few miles without being overtaxed, but if you were to ask the same runner to sprint those same few miles, the result would be very different. When you don't get enough consistent (optimal word!) sleep, it's like sprinting on your body and brain. Eventually, we just hit a wall and can't go anymore.

2. Inflammation:

Our body self-repairs while we sleep. When we don't get enough uninterrupted sleep, it prohibits the organs from doing an efficient job of cellular repair. Inflammation is one result. Inflammation is linked to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It also increases aging... and we all can admit (can't we???) that we want to look as young and beautiful for as long as we can!

3. Memory Enhancement:

Sleeping and dreaming are key aspects of memory. When we sleep and dream we process information we accrue throughout our days and create links and memories that stabilize our perception of reality. Lack of sleep is directly connected to Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia.

4. Weight Management:

Sleep helps to balance hormones in the body. When our hormones are not balanced, or we aren't producing enough of one kind or the other, our appetite will be affected. Hormones play a huge role in our overall function and management of our bodies and minds. Next time you want to lose weight, try increasing your sleep to 7-9 hours per night in conjunction with a healthy diet and some form of exercise and see where that takes you.

There are so many reasons to get a good night sleep. In fact, if you are interested in learning more, be sure to visit http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm. It's a highly informative article that details valuable information about sleep and wellness.

And, I want to include a few tips to enhance your ability to have a good night's sleep...

1. Take care of your body. Stretch out, exercise, get a massage. Your body's little aches and pains, tight muscles and pinched nerves all contribute to discomfort, creating wakefulness periodically throughout the night.

2. Stop having caffeine after noon. Caffeine, even in small doses, can stimulate the brain making it harder to fall asleep.

3. Take supplements such as Melatonin, Valerian Root, or Kava Kava. Let the herbs naturally relax you into an impressive slumber.

4. Drink herbal tea. Not only are there wonderful antioxidants in many herbal tea formulas, but they can also relax and encourage a good nights rest. Try Traditional Medicinals, it's easily found in grocery stores and natural food markets and boasts premium quality herbs. To find out more or to order try this link http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/calming_teas.

5. Have sex. Yes, I said it. Sex. It's wonderful for releasing hormones, endorphins, and natural relaxants. Not to mention, you can burn a few calories too!

Sleep well my friends!

Perspective

Perspective can be an elusive spy. Just when you think you have it, it ducks around a corner and an illusion takes it's place.

I don't think I have all the answers by any means, but I am learning from my mistakes and observing the mistakes of others. And, I'm learning about what other's have learned and shared, not necessarily as mistakes, but as inspirations. I want to share with you what I have learned from this collective inspiration.

You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want. That said though, it's a really good thing to keep open doors of possibility. Those doors that lead to the spaces where your wildest imagination hasn't yet breached. Those are the doors that the Universe loves to open and surprise us with!

Carve out of your consciousness enough room for the inconceivable. Enough room for the miraculous. Enough room for sublime joy. It is possible. It happens every day to random people. It CAN happen to you.

Fear is the equivalent of a cockblock. It sits next to you, on you, inside of you and blocks the Universe from granting you abundance. It feeds itself, much like the monster under your bed. It is imagination at its worst. It festers and gets stronger with more thoughts about it. It's harder to kill than a cockroach. It feeds depression... shame... lack of self-worth... It creates a downward spiral of all things negative. Practice letting go of fear. Talk to yourself about how the fear is irrational. How it's unproductive. How it's unhealthy. How it tears relationships apart.

When fear, depression, or loneliness creep into your consciousness, don't feed them! Watch happy movies. Listen to happy, upbeat music. Surround yourself with happy people and steer clear of the Negative Nelly's of life. Change your thoughts. It is truly the one thing that you have 100% control over in life (barring any mental illness!). It's hard, but the rewards are worth it. Every time a negative, fear-based thought comes into your mind, re-frame it into a positive, healthier version of the thought. For example: "I'm never going to meet my soulmate" (boo-hoo) into "I am meeting interesting, wonderful people every day! One of these people may even be my soulmate!"

Get curious and allow for adventure! Get to know people and open yourself up to the possibilities that surround you! Start with incremental changes in your thought processes and let it flow from there. And most importantly, step back and take in the view. Seeing the big picture or multiple perspectives is a fast and healing way to start enjoying life and the people that share in it!