Long Weekends are MADE for PLAY!

There are many components to a happy life.  One of them being play.  Rest is equally important however rest brings you to a play where you can finally enjoy play.

What do I mean when I speak of PLAY?  Play can be anything that fills your soul up.  Dr Stuart Brown, a researcher in play has a definition for play that I love!

Play is…

• is voluntary
• has no obvious survival value or is apparently purposeless
• is pleasurable or fun
• creates a diminished sense of time and self consciousness
• is improvisational

There are different types of play.  You can plan it, get lost in it or find yourself.

For me play is creating and organzing.

Creating

I love to paint, I am not an “artist” in the eyes of the art community but inside myself I am one of the best.  Glitter, paint, collages, scrapbooking…I get lost in these things for hours.  This is my get lost inside myself play.  Sometimes its as simple as putting pictures into an Album.

Organizing

This is like play for me, because it fills me up.  Cleaning, sorting and freshening up spaces or areas makes me feel great inside.  Nothing is better than an organized, clean and creative space.  Less clutter leads to less stress.  So technically for me, housework can be play.  But only if I am doing it because I want to, not because I feel I have too!

Be careful not to force yourself into play often.  Take baby steps.  Maybe its a trip to the park with the kids, weeding your garden, making homemade bath salts or trying a new dance class.

Whatever you do get out and play this weekend!  How do you play?  Remember play is as important as rest, nutrition and self love!

Have a fantastic long weekend!  Stay safe and have fun with family and friends!  That’s what long weekends are all about!

Peace, love and blessings,

Stephanie Oliver (Muir) RMT

http://www.facebook.com/LavandulaWellnessCentre

http://www.facebook.com/StephanieMuirRMT

http://www.lavandulawellnesscentre.com

One year ago today…

One year ago today….how time flies!

Last year on this very day I made a choice to let go. Let go of the past, and embrace the present. Stop fearing the future and live in the now. I was sitting on the beach, 7am watching the sun rise. It was quiet, the water was still an the sun was shining! In that moment I realized this is what life is about. Not about money, status, getting things done or finding your way. Life is about moments and relationships.

The moments if you stop to embrace them will enhance or change your life. I met some awesome people last year the day after this day. It was the universes way of telling me, yes you can slow down and still be productive, yes you can take time for YOU and not feel guilty. I learned that night about “stillness” which is what I experienced that morning on the beach.

I also learned that relationships need communication. Without it there are just two souls feeling different things,. You will drift apart without communication. Little things or expression of emotion can go a long way. I have lost friendships over this, especially over the past year.

The most important thing I learned is our greatest fears can be our greatest gift.

Over the past year I left the comfort of my career and started a new one, I took a leap and started Lavandula and here we are one year strong. This allowed me to see my worth, what I could do, and what I couldn't. I met amazing people over the past year that I would not have had I not jumped out of my comfort zone.

I got married, bought a home and changed my inner circle. I know now surrounding yourself with people who are like minded, people who bring you up, is very important. Relationships that tear you down, there is no time for that. One way streets are no longer for me. I will care but only as much as I can without it hurting myself. Toxicity is not a good thing in any relationship. The givers generally start to turn resentful and push back. If you are a giver this will hurt your credibility as so and if you are the taker you will inevitably feel confused, sad or lost as to why, because a) it’s never been a problem before or b) they have no idea what they have done wrong because they haven’t done anything wrong per say. You did.

The moral of the story is last year I didn’t think I would be where I am today. I didn’t think I could do it alone and looking back, I didn’t. Great relationships will enhance your outlook on life, support you at your worst and show you love at your best! Facing your fears and going for that one thing you keep thinking about will open doors you didn’t know were there. It’s scary as hell, but worth every second, even the defeating ones. Take time. Life moves fast. We lose sight of what matters due to the demands society places upon us, why add to that by putting more on yourself.

Stop, be still, live freely and speak what you feel.

Here’s to the end of not only a fabulous birthday but an amazing 26th year of life! I can only imagine what 27 will bring!

Thank you to all those special people who believed in me, supported me, listened to me good and bad and never let me fall along the way!

XoXo

Stephanie Oliver (Muir)

Change with Love

Change on the rise!  Sometimes we need to sit down and analyze our chaos. What made us full and happy may change or alter. This is a good thing even when it feels like it's pulling you down, as you can always come back up!

Change is necessary for growth. If you don't grow, you "die". The only thing worse than staying the same is living the same path that is no longer serving you out of fear that YOU may fail, regret it or still feel empty. You also may fear you have made choices YOU are no longer happy with and this is hard to deal with when analyzing the parts of our chaos we created. It's easy to blame others until no one else is around to blame.

Your dreams may change, your plan may alter and your path may curve. This does not make the past a waste nor does it make your future certain. It means you are growing in the present where we find peace.

Remember, things that grow receive love, give love and cultivate it. Much like a tree, flower or vegetable, it gets harvested, watered and fed so we can enjoy its beauty or nourishment.

If the tree, flower or food didn't grow we wouldn't want it, the same should be for our dreams and aspirations!

Follow your heart. Listen to your soul. Try new things. Find joy and love. The rest will somehow follow if you keep chasing!

Do something courageous, something you love and have some fun this weekend! 


Sending peace and laughter your way,



Stephanie Oliver (Muir) RMT



#foodforthought #dreamsexpand #growth #change

www.facebook.com/StephanieMuirRMT
www.twitter.com/StephRMT
www.lavandulawellnesscentre.com

Regular Massage=Regular Dental= Regular Check-ups

Why are regular massage therapy appointments just as crucial to your health as your 3-6 month dental visit or yearly check up at the doctors office?

Did you know that people who start to receive regular massage therapy appointments are less likely to have chronic low back pain, headaches or shoulder pain that is not caused by injury or trauma?

Massage therapy helps to regulate your circulatory and lymphatic flow, promotes relaxation, increases your range of motion in your joints, breaks down scar tissue from old injuries, helps new injuries heal correctly, improves performance and prevents injury, treats the fascia and eases away muscle tension from over use or over strain.  Massage therapy also increases the functioning of your immune system.

Your massage therapist also sees things you don't; we massage parts of your body you don't see often, your neck, back, posterior arms and legs.  We palpate muscles and lymph nodes and feel things that aren't always "right" on the surface. Your therapist can make you aware of your moles and watch the change for you, they can notice lumps/bumps to make you aware of or notice a vein that may need some attention.

 

Your massage therapist cannot diagnose you, but they can recommend that you get something checked out or looked at.  Massage therapists in Ontario have a high level of training when it come to anatomy of the human body, physiology (what happens inside) and pathology (disease). We also with time and experience see many clients with common ailments that have been previously diagnosed, so more often than not your therapist knows what they are doing and can guide you in the right direction when there findings are not in their scope of practice.

When we go to the dentist we have our mouths checked- gums, teeth, tongue, upper lymph nodes around our face and neck.  This keeps our cardiovascular system strong and our oral hygiene in good shape.  We see the doctor they have a quick listen to our heart, take our blood pressure, weigh us, ask a few questions and most of the time it ends there, and all is good.  Its not always fun, yet most of us, still make a point to do it.  When you see your massage therapist you not only receive a service that you will actually enjoy (no offence to the hygienists, dentists and docs, I love the clean teeth feeling but I can't say I can compare the "check ups" and cleanings to a massage), you will receive so many awesome health benefits!  Prevention and solution can be found with massage therapy just like many other health care service we depend on.

Keep that in mind next time something hurts.  Pain killers can be a quick band-aid to your problem, but to fix the issue and prevent it from coming back, massage, chiropractic or holistic health services may be a better long term option!

 

Remember to always take care of your best asset, YOU!

Love your body its the only place you have to live ~ Jim Rohn

Sending light, energy and health your way!

Stephanie Oliver (Muir)

stephaniemuirrmt@hotmail.com

www.lavandulawellnesscentre.com

facebook.com/StephanieMuirRMT