In my 36 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist, my practice mainly consists of families. If you ask me why, I will have to say that it sort of happened as natural course of things. Because my massage practice takes me into people’s homes, I get to interact with everyone in the household. From … Read more about The Spiritual Side of a Massage Therapist.
Val Boonstra, The Happy Healer
I have a friend who jokingly calls me the happy healer. I enjoy that title. While I don't spend every waking moment of my life trying to be happy, I do work at maintaining a positive outlook no matter what is going on in my life. I have always been happy to have my massage … Read more about Val Boonstra, The Happy Healer
Yoga For Anxiety and Depression
Featured Image by Justyn Warner from Unsplash As an alternative health practitioner, I am always on the hunt for methods to help my clients with stress, anxiety, injury prevention and pain relief. I know from my own practice that regular massage is helpful for each of these things, and can even … Read more about Yoga For Anxiety and Depression
Massage and Pilates
Massage and Pilates, what does one have to do with the other? While it may seem as though they have nothing in common, let me present you with these words and we will proceed from there. One relieves pain and the other helps to prevent injury in the first place. During my career as a masseuse, I … Read more about Massage and Pilates
Massage Therapy and Exercise for Pain Relief
The majority of my massage business is out calls. I go to people's homes with my own massage table to work on them. The advantages of doing house calls is that it provides me with information about their lifestyles. When I start working with a new client I make it a point to observe … Read more about Massage Therapy and Exercise for Pain Relief
Fixing Ourselves
I was taking a walk down memory lane looking at some old photographs. It's funny how people take so many pictures now and back in the day that just wasn't the case or maybe it was just my parents that wasn't the case with I don't know. I found a photo of myself wearing a beautiful dress my mother … Read more about Fixing Ourselves
Yoga and Meditation
Did you know there is something you can do every day which will improve your brain's ability to retain information? It's true. No appointment needed. It's yoga. Many aspects of yoga have been proven to increase brain function and memory. Yoga stretches your body, it helps you to … Read more about Yoga and Meditation
Personal Training Tools
Resistance and weight training are just as important to our overall well-being as Aerobic forms of exercise. As someone who has been in the Holistic side of the wellness industry for over 30 years now, I know for a fact the men and women who age well are those who have eaten wisely and exercised … Read more about Personal Training Tools
Water Walking for Good Health
The months of summer allow for flow and ease when we coordinate our energies with the energy of the sun. Though more intense in the summer , the sun can bring enlivening exercises and energies to us and our bodies that are not available during the fall and winter months. Capitalizing on the ebb and … Read more about Water Walking for Good Health
Why Does My Back Hurt Val?
As a massage therapist, I often go out to people’s homes to massage them. While in the process of setting up my massage table my patient will usually inform me of the latest aches and pains, and occasionally they will say “Val, why does my back hurt so much?” I use to think I knew. And … Read more about Why Does My Back Hurt Val?
Pilates for Everyone!
You might think that Pilates are only for people who are flexible or do not have injuries but, thankfully, they are for everyone. First, a bit of history. Did you know that Pilates were first “on the scene” in the 1920’s? Joseph Pilates developed these exercises for POW’s as a way of dealing with … Read more about Pilates for Everyone!
Body Movement Seminar
On September 22, 2013 another body movement expert, Tami, and I will be holding a seminar . It is addresses the need to learn how to move in ways that go with your intrinsic connections rather than against. Intrinsic-connections, in short, are the connections that happens when one can access their … Read more about Body Movement Seminar
