Connections. They’re the unseen threads that link us to everyone and everything around us--our families, our friends, animals, nature, people we don’t even know, our source, and our very selves. How we nurture these relationships can make all the difference to living a happy and fulfilling life.

Here are a few thoughts about making the most of the connections in our lives:

• There are many different kinds of connections, and they are important for everyone--even introverts. “We, as humans, are not meant to be solitary creatures. This goes for my fabulous introverted friends also. For connection is not only to other people,” says Reiki and reflexology teacher and practitioner Tracy McGovern. Tracy relies on the different connections in her life for support and a way to keep centered. “When I’m feeling off it is the question I ask myself. Where do I need to connect?” she says. “If I’m feeling scattered and anxious I need to connect with nature. A hike in the woods or a walk on the beach. Connection to the natural world. If I’m feeling sad or melancholy that is balanced by friends and family. Connection to other people. Sometimes all I need is music. Connection to memory, or to the particular frequency/vibrations. If I’m feeling anything at all and I can spend some time with my dog….forget about it….everything is better.”
  
  
  
• Connections can change over time--new ones are formed, established ones shift, spent ones fade--it takes thought and work to navigate the changes. “Relationships can change, in the blink of an eye or over a long period of time.  All relationships have ups and downs and require conscious thought and effort to keep them going,” says myofascial release practitioner Lisa Franklin. “Now is a good time to look at the relationships you have and determine which ones no longer serve you.  Is it time to finish the relationship?  Is it time to invest some time and energy into it to change it?  Is it time celebrate the relationship?”
  
  
  
• Our relationship with animals can be especially healing and rewarding. Yoga instructor Deb Zobel has found this to be true in her own life. “As I was snuggling with my cats and dog, I observed them intently,” she said. “I looked at each of them, seeing just how amazing they are, each with their distinctive and beautiful fur, their eyes that can see right through to your soul, each being as unique as you and me.  I also noticed how slowly and peacefully they were breathing, some of the cats purring in the bliss of relaxation while in contact with their human.  They were content just to be with me. I then contemplated how I felt.   The warmth of their bodies, their soft fur as well as the vibration of the purring made me feel relaxed, content and at peace.  And love.  It was a vivid example of the harmonious relationship we have with our animal friends.  We, on one hand, know on a cognitive level what they need – food, shelter, vet care, and yes attention and love.  But the animals seem to have a deeper understanding of what love is, and nurture that every chance they get.  They cultivate a true relationship with us whether by their funny antics or child-like naughtiness, but most amazingly, by their desire to just be with us.  Animals seem to have an innate sense of our need to feel a physical and emotional bond to another living being and they fulfill that need most graciously.  We are truly connected at the most profound level.”
  
  
  
• Our connection with our own self is one of the most essential and rewarding relationships we can have, but also often one of the least recognized. “Even when we are alone, we are not connected to ourselves,” says Tracy. “In fact we are often not even aware of our own true self. As much as we can’t escape ourselves, this is frequently the most neglected connection we have. And the hardest, and most rewarding, work you’ll ever do.”

 

• With attention and care, we can build up the connections that nourish us. “Each person's individual task is to pay attention. To actually learn on purpose which connection shifts you from where you are to a higher place,” explains Tracy. “People. Source. Sounds. Scents. Nature. Animals or pets. Self. Do you know which connections move you from the dark places toward the light?”

This week we invite you to join us in saying yes to nurturing the connections in your life, whatever they may be for you! Stay tuned for tips, fun facts, and inspiration--and don’t forget to share your own stories, ideas, and tips with us by tagging us at #chronicwellness and #cwquakertown.

t’s your passport to foreign lands. It’s a doorway to imagination. It’s a teacher of languages, and a caster of spells. It’s an escape, an accomplice, a confidant. It’s a friend.

A good book is all of these things, and more.

“Each book is a treasure, waiting to be uncovered,” says myofascial release practitioner Lisa Franklin.  “What secrets does it reveal, what new piece of information does it hold, where will it take me?”

Lisa’s been an avid reader since the age of four. “I’ve read a wide variety of things, one summer I spent reading the bible and the entire World Book Encyclopedia (that dates me, doesn’t it?).  I’ve read matchbooks, pamphlets, booklets, comic books, War and Peace, the Greek tragedies, romance novels, self-help, science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, lots of insurance course books and so much more!”

For Lisa, reading isn’t just an intellectual exercise--it’s a complete sensory experience. “I love the smell of books, the feel of the paper, the weight in my hands, the endless possibilities they represent.”

In addition to the sheer enjoyment, there are many other benefits to reading, Lisa explains. “Did you know reading regularly improves focus and attention?  It aids in relaxation, creates stronger analytical skills, helps with writing skills, improves memory retention, expands vocabulary and provides so much enjoyment.  Children who are read to at a young age are generally better students when they get to school because you’ve already set them on the path.”

Massage therapist and athletic trainer Stacy Ford enjoys reading for relaxation, but stresses that for people to reap the benefits of reading, they need to do it on their terms, finding a genre and method that works best for them so that it’s about enjoyment, not pressure.

“I am one of those people who doesn’t comprehend well when reading,” she says. “I do better with the learning styles of kinesthetic (hands-on) or visual (seeing something being done) or auditory (being told how things happen.) Which makes sense that I am an athletic trainer and massage therapist. I learn by touch and manipulating the body to reduce pain and assist in healing. For me to enjoy reading, the subject has to be either an engaging or fascinating topic, or a fictional story I can follow easily.”
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Audiobooks complement traditional books for Reiki and reflexology practitioner and teacher Tracy McGovern, who always has one in her queue to transform boring or stressful activities into chances to get lost in a story. According to Tracy, audiobooks are “an unbelievably enjoyable and complete cure to zenless driving” and can even “bring joy to dirty dishes, unfolded laundry and messy spaces.”

A friend who brings knowledge, stress relief, improved vocabulary, comfort, entertainment, AND joy to dirty dishes? Yes, please!

This week we invite you to join us in saying yes to reading, however it works for you! Stay tuned for tips, fun facts, and inspiration--and don’t forget to share your own stories, ideas, and tips with us by tagging us at #chronicwellness and #cwquakertown.

Soothing anxiety. Helping the skin to heal from burns and cuts. Cleaning your house. Clearing up your sinuses. When it comes to personal care and the health of your home, aromatherapy and essential oils can prove, well, essential.

But don’t let the fact that the oils come from dainty flowers fool you--this stuff works because it works--and just like any powerful tool, you need to know how to use it to safely reap the benefits.

The interest in aromatherapy has played a huge role Tracy McGovern’s life. “Over 20 years ago I became absolutely fascinated with essential oils and aromatherapy. I read tons of books by clinical aromatherapists from all over the world,” says the Reiki and reflexology practitioner and teacher. “It was the references to reflexology and these books that led me to be a reflexologist.”

Tracy calls essential oils “nature’s ‘farmamacy’,” explaining that “they are as potent as anything you can get in a drugstore. And so with their use comes the need for knowledge and understanding. No one should be afraid of essential oils, but everyone should learn the precautions and safety that goes with them.”

When it comes to essential oils, who is using them makes all the difference. “You never use essential oils the same way for adults as you do for children as you would for the elderly, and same goes for animals,” says Tracy. “And each different animal has different precautions and contraindications. You would not do the same for a dog as you would for a cat as you would for a horse.”

Tracy stresses the importance of using pure essential oils, but adds, “no matter how pure an oil is, it still has the chemical components of the planet came from. Plants are wonderful, but that does not remove the need to understand the effect of a chemical composition to each different kind of person, or different kind of animal.”

So how do you learn how to use essential oils safely? “It’s easy these days to research this information,” says Tracy. “Learn and compare information from unaffiliated, unbiased sources. And remember--always, always, always: less is more.”

OK, so we know essential oils and aromatherapy can do really cool things, and we can benefit from them if we learn about them and use them safely. But what exactly is aromatherapy, and how do we use it?

Massage therapist and myofascial release practitioner Lisa Franklin explains that “aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of plant-derived, aromatic pure essential oils to benefit both physical and psychological well-being.”

She points out that aromatherapy has been around for ages. “Aromatherapy has a long history dating back thousands of years when herbs and spices were burnt for ritualistic purposes as well as for the health benefits, or a tea was made to obtain the benefits.  Perfumery was the next major application of aromatherapy.  It was used to hide body odor as well as to benefit the body and mind.”

Nowadays, says Lisa, aromatherapy is all about essential oils, which arrived on the scene “around the 10th century with the advent of the still. The distillation process allowed for the pure essence of the plant to be concentrated into a small, dynamic preparation.”

Once the essence of the plant is distilled, there are two basic ways to use it: the essence can be inhaled, or applied to your skin.  

Lisa points out that inhalation is the simplest way to experience aromatherapy. “You can simply open the bottle of your favorite essential oil and breathe deeply to enjoy the benefits.  Or if you want a longer exposure to the essential oil, diffusion is another method,” she says. “Diffusion is the dispersion of essential oils via an atomizer or vaporizer. Both are safe methods to use when using essential oils.”

Applying essential oils to your skin is the other method. “With appropriate precautions,” Lisa says, “essential oils are mixed with a carrier oil or lotion and applied to the skin. Body lotions and massage are the most common ways people experience aromatherapy.”

So just how effective is all of this? Turns out it’s so effective that, in some countries (France and Germany among them), there are “specialized physicians and pharmacists that prescribe and dispense essential oils for a variety of conditions. Their research and studies indicate that essential oils can be a definite benefit to treating illness.”

This week we invite you to join us in saying yes to healthy, effective, smart, and safe use of aromatherapy and essential oils! Stay tuned for tips, fun facts, and inspiration--and don’t forget to share your own stories, ideas, and tips with us by tagging us at #chronicwellness and #cwquakertown.

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