Echo Avox Mah RMT

This time of year can be really challenging. Come take a moment with us at theoakandmoth.com

I thought I'd share with you a new post card I am sending out into the neighborhood my wellness space is located.

I'd like to also mention that it took me two days to design, create, edit, fiddle with, correct, and more. Several hours of work and a lot of mild cursing under my breath. It isn't easy to design graphic art!

What can take AI seconds to create takes a real person a lot of time and it completely makes sense why there is a cost to it. In an industry that is really struggling right now due to competition from AI, I salute you! The time, care, and energy that goes into creating Art is a real thing.

Hey Everyone!
I have a question.
What would you like to see more of in terms of workshops, events, and meditations? I've been craving more community gatherings (do you remember our 30 person pot luck meditations?!) and building on our spiritual practices together. I was wondering what it is you missed and want more of here at The Oak & Moth!

Send a message to learn more

When the Injury Heals, But the Pain Remains...

Have you ever experienced pain that just doesn't seem to go away, even long after an injury has healed?

You're not imagining it. And it doesn't necessarily mean something is still damaged.

Our nervous system is incredibly intelligent. One of its primary jobs is to protect us. When we experience an injury, the nervous system learns to recognize certain sensations, movements, or positions as potential threats. Sometimes, even after the original injury has healed, the nervous system continues sending pain signals as a protective response.

This is known as "persistent pain" or "nociplastic pain" in some cases. The nervous system can become more sensitive over time, responding to sensations that might not otherwise cause pain. Stress, emotional strain, poor sleep, and previous experiences can also influence how we experience pain.

Sometimes, the body needs more than the injury to heal. It needs an opportunity to feel safe again.

This is where therapeutic bodywork can play a supportive role.

At Oak & Moth, I offer a holistic approach to helping your body unwind, release tension, and reconnect with a sense of ease. Depending on your needs, our session may incorporate:

• Therapeutic massage: to address muscular tension, restricted movement, and protective holding patterns.

• Craniosacral-inspired gentle work: to encourage deep relaxation and support a calmer, more settled state.

• Reiki: to create space for rest, relaxation, and reconnection with yourself.

• Mindful, nervous-system-aware touch that respects your body's boundaries and works at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

These approaches don't erase pain signals with a magic switch, and persistent pain can have many contributing factors. Rather, they may help reduce tension, support relaxation, improve body awareness, and complement a broader pain-management plan.

The goal isn't to force your body to let go. It's to create the conditions in which it may no longer need to hold on quite so tightly.

You don't have to push through discomfort or convince your body that it's safe. Sometimes, healing begins with slowing down, being listened to, and allowing yourself to rest.

---- If you've been carrying tension or living with pain that doesn't seem to make sense anymore, let's talk about how bodywork might support you. ----

Your body isn't working against you. It's trying to protect you. Let's give it some care.

Oak & Moth | Massage Therapy, Reiki & Restorative Bodywork. Book today!

**A LITTLE GIFT FOR YOU — REIKI SESSIONS $20 OFF**

Ever been curious to try Reiki? Or perhaps you absolutely love it, and it’s about time for another session?

From **October 12–16**, I’m offering **$20 off your 60, 75, or 90-minute Reiki session** as a heartfelt thank-you to you, and a thank-you to Creator/God for allowing me to share this work.

Reiki is an invitation to slow down, soften, reconnect with yourself, and make space for whatever your mind, body, and spirit may need.

Sometimes, a session brings a deep sense of peace. Sometimes, it offers space for emotions to move, clarity to emerge, or something within you to shift. Sometimes it makes that nagging knee pain just... go away. And sometimes, I receive a message from Spirit or guides for the person on my table — an affirmation, a reminder, or words that feel as though they’ve arrived at just the right time.

These moments can be deeply moving. Sometimes, the words we need most are the ones that help us remember something we’ve always known, or finally hear something our hearts have been waiting for.

Every session is unique, and you’re welcome to come exactly as you are — curious, tired, overwhelmed, seeking connection, or simply wanting some time to rest and receive.

If you’ve been feeling the nudge to book a session, perhaps this is your invitation.

**60, 75 & 90-minute Reiki sessions**

**$20 off, October 12–16 only**

Offered with love and gratitude through **Oak & Moth**.

Send me a message to book your session or ask any questions.

May you receive exactly what you need, in the time and way that serves you best.

Can you guess how many times I’ve had to “restart” my health & fitness journey?

You know the flail—the unexpected illness, the injury, the chaotic and busy schedule, the extreme fatigue, the travel days with no whole foods in sight. The things that stop your momentum with so much force that thinking about raising your heart rate for anything except the unyielding, involuntary cortisol dump from your stress response feels like too much.

Oh, I probably stop and start at least 5–6 times a year.

From ground zero.

I’m here again.

Today, I did 17 minutes of lazy cardio on an elliptical after more than two weeks of not setting foot in the gym. I was originally going to do 20, but I gave up at 17. Then I did about 15 minutes of light stretching and half-hearted calisthenics.

An elderly woman sat on a bench nearby, watching me while she ate her snack.

“Good job,” she congratulated me when I was done.

The thing is, we often get hung up on having to take a step back and start from the beginning. Having to regress can feel like failure, too.

But it isn’t.

Stopping indefinitely would be.

So yes, multiple times a year, I get back into the slow and sometimes painful habit of starting again. Of re-introducing my body to the idea that it is safe to move. Of getting back in touch with myself so I can feel like myself again.

Did it feel good to do 30 minutes of lazy exercise today when there have been days I could do 90 minutes of intense weight training?

Not really.

Okay…well, after being told “good job,” it kind of did.

Because I chose to start again.

This is me giving you permission to be okay with beginning—even if it’s for the hundredth time.

You don't have to pick up where you left off.

You just have to begin where you are.

Good job.

Today a client said to me, "no one has ever done that before!" In our 60 minute massage session. Multiple times.

She had been experiencing extreme inflammation and arthritic joint pain in her knees, discomfort in her low back, and was beginning to feel a loss of mobility before she ended up seeing me-- desperate to find a solution before she lost her capability to move at all.

And after she got up from the table, she looked at me with a surprised wide eyed stare and said, "I have never been able to get up off a massage table without being in pain before".

This was someone who believes in massage therapy, therapeutic deep tissue massage, and had been consistently going for massages, searching for the perfect therapist to create a regular self care regime.

And this was the FIRST time that she was able to experience a deep tissue treatment that was immediately effective!

It honestly was surprising to hear that the treatment style that I knew would have the greatest impact during our session was something no other therapist had been able to provide her, but I am feeling deeply honored that I am the therapist she will continue to see because I made such an immediate difference being with her for just 60 minutes of her time.

Have you been searching for a solution to your chronic pain? Let's chat! Book here:

Book Online at The Oak & Moth Book with The Oak & Moth, Echo M

Back in 2021 I completed my National Acadamy of Sports Medicine personal trainer certification while heavily pregnant, exhausted, and with acute post-Covid symptoms. For many years I didn't do anything with the skills I acquired because Motherhood was the priority, life had become chaos, and I allowed my certification to lapse, despite my own personal enjoyment with health and fitness.

Just this year I decided to revisit and challenge the NASM CPT exam so that I could re-certify. The intention of holding the title of a CPT is to bring a deeper, more integrated awareness and healing potential for my clientele incorporating functional movement patterns, strengthening the body, improving flexibility and balance, and pain management into one comprehensive plan of action.

As an individual who has experienced severe immobilizing pain several times in my life (honestly making giving birth a breeze), and returning back into my full embodied physical capabilities where I can continue to do the things I absolutely love, I believe in the healing power of Body. I perserverance of the mind. And I stand with the heart.

Interested in joining me? DM to set up your personalized full body healing journey today.

Twisting your spine helps keep it flexible and moving well. It can reduce stiffness, improve posture, strengthen your core, and ease muscle tension from sitting too long.

Too often we get stuck in forward and backward motions with work, daily living, and even at the gym. Adding a twist is the perfect way to keep your spine healthy and happy and prevent that "random injury that came out of nowhere".

Why twisting helps...

- Keeps your spine and joints moving smoothly.
- Helps the discs in your spine stay healthy by encouraging the movement of fluids and nutrients.
- Works your core muscles to support your back.
- May gently massage your stomach area, which can help some people feel more comfortable after eating.
- Keeps your middle back flexible, so your neck and lower back don't have to twist more than they should.

How to twist safely:

It is important to twist with good form to prevent injury. Move at the Chest: Think about rotating your rib cage rather than your lower back.

Use Your Hips: If your hips are stiff, your lower back will twist too much.

Avoid Loading: Never bend forward and twist at the same time while lifting heavy objects. This puts too much pressure on the discs. ** This is if you are new at rotational movement while loading **

If you have osteoporosis, a recent back injury, a herniated disc, or severe back pain, consult a healthcare professional before performing twisting exercises.

~ Life is a sacred spiral and our bodies mirror this too! ~

WHY WE DON'T RECOMMEND ICE! (And what to do instead)

Stop icing your injury. (Yes, really.)

The doctor who invented "RICE" took it back. Here's what your body actually needs:

You probably grew up with this rule. Hurt yourself, ice it. We did too.

Turns out the science has moved on, and we want to share where it landed. This is one of those questions that comes up a lot in the treatment room, and our answer surprises people.

Quick story. The doctor who invented "RICE" (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) back in 1978 publicly took it back in 2014. His update: ice and complete rest don't speed healing. They likely delay it. That's not a small thing. That's the guy who wrote the rule.

So what's actually happening under that bruise or sprain?

Your body kicks off a beautifully smart sequence the moment something gets injured. Blood flow opens up. The first wave of cells arrives to clean up the damage. Then a second wave shows up to rebuild. Each step depends on the one before it. The whole thing is choreographed and your body has been doing it longer than we've been writing it down.

Inflammation IS the repair process. It's not a bug. It's the feature.

When you ice an injury, you constrict the blood vessels. You slow the arrival of the repair crew. You're telling your body, in effect, "hold on, don't fix that yet." It feels productive because the cold numbs the pain for a few minutes. The trade-off isn't worth it.

Same conversation with anti-inflammatory medication. If your doctor has you on something, that's between you and them. The research is increasingly clear, though, that aggressively shutting down inflammation slows recovery rather than speeding it.

So what do we recommend instead?

Move it, within your comfort level. Movement reassures your nervous system that the area is safe.

Compression, if it feels good.

Elevation, if it feels good.

Water and sleep, which sounds boring and is exactly how the repair gets done.

And trust your body. It is a genius.

You're not broken. Your body knows what to do. Sometimes the best thing we can do is get out of its way.

Move it, to prove it.

We're always here to help you understand this better. Let us know if you have any questions.

Your RAPID Therapist Echo~