Lotus Tree Wellness

Why a back pain flare can feel so personal.

A new UC San Diego brain-imaging study looked at 114 people living with chronic low back pain. When a simple leg-raise movement brought on their usual pain, researchers saw activity rise in the brain's "default mode network," the system tied to our sense of self. With a short burst of heat pain, that same network quieted down instead.

What could this mean? Long-lasting pain may become woven into how we experience ourselves, which might help explain why it can feel so heavy and so hard to shift. This is early research, and it does not mean pain is imagined. Your pain is REAL.

Approaches that work with the whole person (gentle movement, skilled touch, mindful attention) can change your relationship with pain, even when they don't erase it overnight.

Has back pain ever felt like part of who you are? Share below if you'd like.

Save this, and share it with someone who lives with back pain.

See you tonight! 🌙

Join us tonight for chair massage, some amazing vendors, flower crowns, and so much more!

This Friday! 🌙

Join us from 5-8pm in downtown Greeley for a curated night market celebrating local makers, diverse cultures, handmade goods, farm and homestead products, wellness offerings, and local food.

📍 Lincoln Park

How to avoid burnout at work. Don't go to work. Go to the mountains.

If only it worked that way. A client came back from a week in the Rockies feeling like a new person. By Wednesday she was on my table with a clenched jaw, tight shoulders and three nights of bad sleep.

That's the real cost of burnout. You spend months waiting for the break, and the relief is gone before you've unpacked.

The trip wasn't the problem. Her body just had no daily way to come down from stress mode.

That daily piece is exactly what I help clients build, in small steps that fit inside a normal workday.

Follow along for burnout recovery that fits a real workday.

National Massage Therapy Awareness Week is October 25–31, AMTA's 30th year celebrating the profession. I want to mark it by sharing something I teach both clients and massage students: the session belongs to you.

A good massage therapist wants your feedback. You can change the pressure, temperature or music, choose areas you'd like left alone, and decide whether you'd like to talk or rest in quiet. All of it is yours to adjust at any point, without explanation or apology.

Feeling safe is part of what helps the body settle. When you know you're in charge of your experience, there's more room to rest.

Save this for your next appointment, and share it with a friend who's been nervous about booking their first massage.

Save and share. Booking for NMTAW week is at the link in bio 🔗

AMTA
AMTA Colorado

You'll scroll past this in two seconds. That's my point.

In our first session, a client told me, "I can't meditate. My mind won't shut up." Then she checked her phone three times in five minutes without realizing it.

She wasn't bad at meditation. Her attention was just never off duty. The cost was a constant low hum of scattered, tired and behind, even on good days.

We didn't start with 20 minutes of silence. We started with something much smaller that fits between the things she was already doing.

DM me PAUSE and I'll send you 10 free guided meditations to start your practice.

Follow along for more tips on how to slow down.

Your nose may be doing more for your calm than you think.

New research traced a pathway from the nose to the parts of the brain that handle emotion. When air moved slowly through the nose, the animals in the study settled. When breathing sped up, they grew more on edge.

This was done in mice, so it's a first step, not a final answer. But it matches something so many of us notice.
The pace of your breath can change the feel of a moment, even when your to-do list stays exactly the same.

If it feels comfortable, try this today. Breathe in and out through your nose and let each exhale be a little slower than the last. Eyes can stay open. Nothing to force. If nose breathing doesn't feel good for you, simply noticing your breath counts too.

Where in your day could you use one slower breath?

Comment CALM and I'll send you my Body and Mind Reset Guide, with a few more simple ways to come back to yourself.