Thanks to Hooping.org Magazine for featuring me as their hooper of the week! You can read the interview here and find out more about my love of hoopdancing and hoopyoga, how I got into this movement art, and why it is so great for the body, mind, and spirit.

I love integrating sound healing and vibrational medicine into craniosacral therapy and bodywork. If you are one of my bodywork clients, you've probably experienced the use of tuning forks like those in the picture above during your CranioSacral session. They can be listened to and placed upon acupressure or trigger points on the body. The sound vibrates through the tissues, bones, and cells of the body and creates a resonance for health. It is a great way to begin or complete a bodywork session.

I also like to share in my workshops about the use of toning. The use of toning, by singing notes or sounds, vibrates throughout the body and releases tension from the muscles and fascia being vibrated by that note. Women in labor can tone low notes to help relax the uterine muscles. When my ear was blocked with water last summer after swimming, I sang and hummed for hours with a range of high and low notes to vibrate the restriction free.

In-toning is the practice of toning quietly, in your head, to focus your mind and create vibrational resonance. This is an extremely effective technique, that I use as a bodyworker and craniosacral therapist to clear my mind during sessions and facilitate the soft-tissue release. Try this technique when needing clarity, focus, and relaxation. It will enhance any kind of healing work, meditation, or daily life tasks and is quiet and perfect for any situation.

An exciting new direction that I have been exploring sound healing is with CelloCranio. This is the combination of my working as a CranioSacral Therapist with Liz Byrd, a Cellist who uses Vibrational Tonal Cello Therapy to enhance healing. Liz has honed her craft as a Cello Therapist working at the Upledger Institute for 3 years alongside Dr. John Upledger, the modern founder of CranioSacral Therapy, as well as at NYC's Beth Israel Health and Healing Continuum. We are now offering CelloCranio sessions together in Eugene. The live cello enhances the CranioSacral Therapy, accelerating the release and healing process. It has been considered akin in effectiveness to Aquatic CranioSacral Therapy.

Speaking of which, I've been developing my work with WaterCranio with adults, pregnant women, and babies. I've been floating clients in the warm salt-water of the therapeutic 92-degree pool at the Tamarack Wellness Center. It is really amazing and wonderful work to give and receive. The warm water provides a buoyant support that dramatically reduces the effects of gravity on the body and facilitates a three-dimensional release of the spine.

With the gentle support of a neck cushion and ankle floats, the body is free to relax, unwind, and spiral the physical, emotional, and mental tension away. I am enjoying integrating my knowledge of CranioSacral Therapy, Energetic Medicine, and Sound Healing with the therapeutic effects of the water. Water and sound are deeply connected. Water also reminds us of the depths within ourselves. We are each mini oceans walking around with our own inner tides, currents, and waves.

Last weekend I drove up to Seattle to attend a workshop on The TARA Approach for Self-Care. This was a wonderful class in which we learned to apply the art of Jin Shin Tara to our selves and others for the healing and resolution of shock and trauma. Jin Shin Tara is the art of applying gentle touch to 26 points on the body to balance the meridians and energetic systems of the body.

The TARA Approach for the Resolution of Shock and Trauma integrates the energetic medicine of Jin Shin Tara, therapeutic dialogue and resourcing, craniosacral therapy, and pre- and perinatal psychology to create a whole system for the healing of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. http://www.tara-approach.org/

I really enjoyed the emphasis on Self-Care as I believe the source of all real healing is within our selves. Caring for our self, is creating sustainable health, and it is essential to have healing resources available in case of crisis. As on person in my class remarked, self-care is like the protocol for oxygen masks on a plane. In times of distress, if the masks were to fall down, you put on your own mask first, so then you can assist with others.

I feel that is amazing that with gentle touch of ourselves, or others, we can transform our bodies and our lives. I look forward to integrating this work into my craniosacral bodywork and birth-assisting practice. I also hope to continue with my training in the TARA Approach in the very near future.  

Please vote for my "Gemini Hoops" video and help me win $10,000!

Thanks to those who have already voted, I am currently in 3rd place! Please vote, every vote counts! Voting continues until April 30th, 2008, please pass it on!

http://www.clipstar.com/videopage.jsf?video=9_7002_159

I am hoping to win this contest to fund the creation of a family healing arts center with craniosacral therapy, chiropractic, midwifery, and workshops for pregnancy, infants, and adults. Please help make this happen in the best way possible! 

If you are interested in learning more about HoopDance and HoopYoga take a look at the Mandala Hoops workshops.   

Thanks, Kara

 

I am thrilled and excited to be teaching and attending at the Hoop Convergence in Carrboro, North Carolina in April!

The Hoop Convergence is the first national hooping conference. It is unique from any other hoop conference for it is a dynamic community collaboration of hoopdancers, teachers, and performers from many different regions and cities, who are creating an inspiring array of workshops, forums, discussions, and jams. 

I will be presenting on the topics of "HoopYoga", "Hooping as a Healing Art", and "Hooping Mamas: Spiraling through Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum".

Click on the logo below for the Hoop Convergence website and more info on this incredible conference!