One of the best side benefits of my massage practice is I get to have interesting conversations with people whom I might not have ever met otherwise. I recently worked on a nice couple visiting from out of town. The gentleman mentioned his brother had gone to massage school and tried to start a … Read more about Learning to Adapt
Testimonial for Valentina
This has been an exhausting year for many of us. Valentina is and has always been one of the bright spots in times of darkness. When my body is sore from being tense all the time, she comes over and smooths out all my tension. If I have injured myself, she helps me heal. Thank you Val, for … Read more about Testimonial for Valentina
How To Listen
When people go to their hairdresser they tend to vent. Service providers such as hair dressers, bar tenders and others that one sees frequently and grows to trust, can become a safe place for some to vent about life's challenges and frustration or joys. Massage is similar in that respect. … Read more about How To Listen
What Does A Good Massage Do For You?
People I meet will often ask what I do for a living. When I tell them that I am a professional massage therapist, I am usually met with one of two reactions. The first is, "oh my, I need a good massage." The second reaction is "what does a massage actually do for me?' What does a good massage … Read more about What Does A Good Massage Do For You?
Memories
Sometimes I experience a memory that I am amazed I can recall because I was so young when the event occurred. It's funny how we, as humans, have some insignificant moment pop into our minds over and over. Yet there's times we can't even remember why we walked from one room to the other. I have … Read more about Memories
Intrinsiconnections
I, Valentina Boonstra, am a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, and I help people recover from surgery. A couple of days a week I also work at Sara Care. For over 30 years I have been in business in Brevard County. It's my home, and I feel very loving and connected to my community and … Read more about Intrinsiconnections
How Are You Doing?
Whenever I talk to my friends these days and ask how they are doing, the response I get is "I am so tired, or I am exhausted or I just laid on the couch all day I couldn't get anything done". Many of us have been on some kind of lockdown since early March. The stress of trying to follow all … Read more about How Are You Doing?
Alice
In the early 1980s, I worked in a hospital as a unit secretary. While I was working in the hospital, I had the good fortune to meet a woman who was being cared for on the floor that I worked on, her name was Alice Heister. … Read more about Alice
Dealing With Stress During The Holidays
We are lucky. Our Valhealing blog has lots of readers and sometimes they even ask us to print a post they write. It's a nice compliment that people take time to let us know they like what we write. Today, we received a request from Levada Elrod to post this on our blog, and to supply a link to their … Read more about Dealing With Stress During The Holidays
Massage as a Healing Space?
I just read an article in Massage Magazine that I found to be very interesting. It was written by Amy Bradley Radford, L.M.T., B.C.T.M.B. I am going to use an excerpt from her article here so you can see what I am going to be writing about. Take a look: "Many years ago, a wise massage … Read more about Massage as a Healing Space?
A Gong and Setting Our Intentions
Post by Julie Klutinoty Stepping into a softly lit room, I remove my shoes and place them in the cubed shelves against the wall. I reach for a blanket an eye pillow and find a space in the room that feels safe and nurturing. Once my mat is unrolled, I find my way down to the earth to prepare … Read more about A Gong and Setting Our Intentions
Too Much Jocularity
Can there really be such a thing as too much jocularity? Everyone has different ways to express their stress. One of my ways of relieving stress is through humor. I have had to learn to tone it down a bit when I was younger my humor was more biting and … Read more about Too Much Jocularity
