Overcoming life's obstacles

Circles of Healing

The Complete Guide to Healing with Massage & Yoga:
For Caregivers, Practitioners, Students and Clients

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Note from Allen Kates, MFAW:

   I've known author Gwen Wendy Hammarstrom for several years, and this book reflects her qualities and personality--courageous, helpful, loving, compassionate and caring, a massage and yoga practitioner who possesses an astonishing amount of knowledge and wisdom that she is eager to share with others.  The book is a stunning accomplishment, a tour de force that everyone who practices massage or yoga will want in their library. It is a reference book like no other, filled with description, instructions, photographs and helpful hints. Easy to read and easy to follow, Circles of Healing is without a doubt the go-to book for healing, whether the source of suffering is physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual. Wendy's tender touch in Circles of Healing embraces not only your heart, but also your soul. It nourishes your spirit, and helps you laugh and sing again. The book is Wendy's life journey, a precious gift to everyone who has the privilege of reading it and applying its insight and exercises to their own lives.

Description, Table of Contents, Reviews, Author Bio

Description

   The Tree of Life on the cover of this book is bearing mandala fruits, each representing a chapter in the book. Mandala is a Sanskrit word for circle or wheel, or a beginning with no end. The systems of our bodies move in circles; the digestive, respiratory, blood, lymphatic and nervous systems share pathways with energy moving throughout the body. Focusing on the mandala’s midpoint while viewing or creating it can bring you to a state of physical and emotional equilibrium.

   You may achieve a similar result by following the self-care techniques described in this book, such as conscious breathing, exercise, and giving and receiving healing touch. From the center of our being, we can extend to include the larger spheres of family and community.

   In my practice, the most common complaints are headaches, arthritis, jaw (TMJ) pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, and insomnia. Other ailments include back, neck, and foot problems. A vast number of clients come to me because they endure chronic pain or are stressed and need to relax. Many are women who are facing the challenges of hormonal shifts and life changes, clients dealing with everyday stresses, who choose massage over a pill.

   One special area of my practice has been working with people who are disabled or challenged in unusually difficult ways. As a consultant for the mentally and emotionally challenged, I have come to know and work personally with people who suffer from depression (mild and severe), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, alcoholism and other addictions. Some clients have had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe mental retardation, Down’s syndrome, and autism.

   Bodywork, a term which refers to massage and other forms of hands-on healing such as polarity therapy, acupressure and yoga restores the natural energetic pathways that lead the body, and the whole human, back into equilibrium. Even when a person is disabled, chronically sick, or terminally ill, they can find balance and harmony within themselves through the gift of healing touch and the restorative poses of yoga.

   I believe healing touch is an overlooked modality for many people with these diseases. All those facing physical, mental and emotional challenges, and their caregivers, are the inspiration for this book. The vulnerability of these special clients, with their courage, warmth, wisdom and magnanimous spirit continues to inspire me.

   Those who are new to the field of bodywork will learn about the variety of paths they can follow. By using the techniques and reading the case histories and personal stories in this book, seasoned bodyworkers and movement instructors can expand their area of practice and discover the unexpected joy of working with these populations.

   This book can help all care givers, including psychotherapists, hospice workers, home health care workers, physicians, rescue workers, nurses, teachers and others to discover new ways to use touch and movement to help their clients as well as themselves. Now, perhaps more than ever before, we need simple ways to help each other in this troubled and increasingly complex world.
-Gwen Wendy Hammarstrom, BFA, LMT

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:  Early Motherhood, From Pregnancy to Childbirth. 12

Chapter 2:  Infants and Massage. 42

Vulnerable Babies in the NICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit)……… 58

Husbands, Fathers, Partners and the Extended Family………………. 66

Teen Touch. 68

Chapter 3:  Partner Massage and Stretching. 71

SECTION TWO:  Acquired Chronic Conditions:  Easing the Burden of Severe Illness and Trauma  95

My Father – The Old Bryn and the New Bryn. 96

Chapter 4:  Healing the Wounded: Working with Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome  102

Concussion. 111

Veterans of All Wars Also Need Hands-On Therapy to Help Heal their Wounds. 122

Chapter 5:  Massage, Yoga and Breathing for People with Cancer. 128

Chapter 6:  The Challenge of Addiction. 156

Class Routine:  Self-Massage, Partner Stretches, Exercises for Flexibility, Mobility, Balancing and Fun  158

Suggestions for an Outdoor Class. 184

Breathing and Visualization Exercises. 196

Chapter 7:  How We Can Help Stroke Victims. 201

Chapter 7A:  Hands On with Parkinson’s Disease:  Causes and case studies. 207

SECTION THREE: BODYWORK FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE. 213

CHAPTER 8:  WORKING WITH DISABLED INDIVIDUALS . 214

GENERAL PRINCIPLES ..214

Chapter 9:  Working with Challenged Individuals in an Institutional Setting. 222

Uncrossing Wires. 223

Poses that Ease the Students into the Movement Phase of Class. 225

Yoga Props. 236

Balancing Techniques for Self- Care. 240

Movements and Yoga Poses For Staff Working with Disabled Clients and Others: 241

Chapter 10:  Working One on One With Disabled Clients. 291

Section Four – Midlife and beyond. 313

Chapter 11:  Helping Women in Transition – Midlife Musings. 314

Bodywork for the Midlife Woman. 318

Aromatherapy. 328

Bodywork for the Endocrine System.. 329

Chakra Chart 332

Reflexology Chart 345

Chakra Yoga

What your Clients can do for Themselves:  Wisdom from Women Who Have Been Through It 346

Remember to Dance! 353

Chapter 12:  Aging with Grace at any Age. 366

Working and Living with Elders. 366

Massage and Healing Touch for Seniors. 367

Background – The Founding of Polarity Therapy by Dr. Randolph Stone. 429

The Squat 430

Working with Tourette’s & Torticollis. 432

Chapter 14:  Providing Love and Comfort to the Dying. 437

SECTION FIVE – Animal Massage for the Four-leggeds, Two leggeds and No leggeds. 449

SECTION SIX – SELF CARE, TAKING CARE OF THE CAREGIVER479

APPENDIX. 503

Yoga for Specific Conditions

Poses and Holds, Chapter by Chapter 503

Where to Find the Yoga Poses and Exercises in the Book. 516

Forms for Use in Your Professional Practice. 517

Assessing your Inner Motivations as a Practitioner 529

Developing your Awareness through Practice and Attention. 531

Resources for the Practitioner 532

Schools and Systems of Bodywork. 536

Bodywork and Holistic Organizations. 537

Bodywork and Holistic Publications. 538

Resources for Specific Chapters and Clients. 538

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Reviews:

A Really Practical Handbook

   As a veterinarian and qualified human massage therapist (whose mother taught Hatha Yoga until she was 95 years-old!) I applaud Wendy Hammarstrom’s book Circles of Healing: The Complete Guide to Healing With Massage and Yoga.

   It is a scintillatingly easy read, yet encyclopedic, well referenced and researched, and very practical instruction manual for practitioners, care givers ( especially of the handicapped and elderly), and for students and clients. Those seeking to take charge of their own health care maintenance and recovery from all the stresses and dis-ease of these times, Gwen’s book will become a dog-eared companion.

   The short section on “Massage for Our Animals” broadens the scope of this book by adding an important dimension to discovering and applying our healing powers beyond drugs to all creatures great and small.

   At the price being asked for this 550 pages of valuable information and instructive illustrations, this book is more than a bargain: It is a gift, and a light post of inspiration.
-Michael W. Fox

A Valuable Source of Inspiration and Information

   As a Yoga Teacher, I have found "Circles of Healing" to be an valuable source of inspiration and information as I work with a variety of students. It supports my main goal of treating each person as an individual so I can design a yoga practice that best fits their current situation and goals. The six sections cover all stages of life, aging with grace, special populations such as cancer and stroke patients, post traumatic stress sufferers, just to list a few. The index is extensive and provides easy access to the many ideas presented. "Circles of Healing" is an important reference for anyone working in the field of health, for both prevention and treatment.
-Lynne Graham

   This is a great book for anyone who wants to know more about the healing process. Wendy not only knows intellectually about massage, she is a great masseuse. Following my recent surgery, the pain was tough but her massage helped more than any pain medication the doctors prescribed. If you want to learn from a master about massage and yoga, read this book!
-L. Nicholson

Excellent

   I enjoyed reading Circles of Healing by Wendy Hammarstrom. As a pediatrician I see the importance of caring touch for children of all ages and especially appreciated the attention she gave to NICU babies. Her chapter on caring for mothers who care for infants is excellent. Robert Bissell, MD
-Robert Bissell

The Bible of Massage and Self-Care

   This exhaustive work is a keeper! It is the Bible of Massage and Self-Care and it has earned a place on my bookshelf next to "Our Bodies Ourselves," Dr. Christopher's "School of natural healing" and Dr. Jensen's "The Science and Practice of Iridology."

   There are over 600 photos, mandalas, numerous resources, many grass roots stories and quotes.

    It is the type of book which I will reference for ever more, and will to my daughter to keep on her bookshelf!

    If you are looking for a resource book filled with authentic self-care material compiled by a true blue therapist, this is it!

 -Jill McCubbin-Clare, Lic. Ac., Dipl. Ac.,M.T.O.M.,M.A. Psych.,Teacher of Yoga

   Gwen Wendy Hammarstrom has been practicing and teaching massage and yoga for over thirty five years.  She received a BFA in Dance from Temple University and soon after began as Director of Innerworks Center, Classes for Bodyworkers and Healthcare Professionals, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  At the same time she was artistic director of Agape Dancers, a modern dance company that reached out to non-mainstream audiences using choreography that combined yoga, martial arts, and images from nature.

   She moved to California in 1992 with her husband, who was taking the role of hospital administrator for a facility in Southern California, along with their seven month old daughter, two dogs and three cats.   Gwen’s first clients and students in Long Beach were infants and parents.  She has come full circle with her in-home massages for the ill, the elderly and with hospice massage.

   In her bodywork practice Gwen offers her unique blend of acupressure, Trigger Point work, Polarity Therapy and massage therapy.  People who have benefited from Gwen’s massages include professionals, homemakers, athletes, truck drivers, people who work in offices and stores, people who work in the arts, yoga teachers and police officers.  Her clients include parents and infants, teenagers, the developmentally disabled, the medically fragile, hospice patients, animals, and all their caregivers.  She also teaches yoga classes in Murrieta and Escondido, CA.

   Gwen was a co-founder of the Inland Holistic Health Association in Southwest Riverside County, California.  She has written a column on health and wellness for the Californian newspaper for two years, as well as a bodywork column for Awareness Magazine and freelance writing for High Country Journal in southern California, The Murrieta Chronicle and Neighbor’s Newspaper.   Learn more at  http://wendyswellnessworld.wordpress.com and www.CirclesofHealingbook1.com

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HSP Publishing
Holbrook Street Press