Give the gift of relaxation to someone you love this holiday season. From now until December 21, 2009, when you buy a 60 or 90 minute gift certificate, you will receive a coupon for a Half-Price 60-minute massage and bodywork session just for you!

For the serious gift giver, if you purchase a 3-pack of sessions as a gift for someone, you will receive a FREE 60 minute massage and bodywork coupon! Purchase a 4-pack, and receive a FREE 90 minute massage and bodywork coupon!

Gift certificates are available for online purchase, or you may call 218-727-4156 to reserve yours. You may choose to have gifts sent to you via email (print them on your favorite holiday paper), or sent to you via postal mail (or pick them up at your next session!).

For more information and to purchase gift certificates, Click Here!

*Offer valid on Gift Certificates purchased by 12/21/2009. Gift Certificates do not expire. Promotional coupons have no cash value and expire 5/31/2010.

My father often jokes to me that I live in the “frozen north” whenever I speak of my life in Minnesota. Now that I’m in Duluth, he sometimes uses the phrase – “The Arctic Circle” – when referring to the Northland area of Minnesota.

All kidding aside, winter can be very stressful, and there are many more reasons to keep our body, mind, and spirit relaxed and nurtured. We stay inside.. a lot! Bacteria and viruses can thrive in closed-in spaces. We aren’t getting as much Vitamin D from the sun (a vital immune building element). Many of us load up on holiday feasts. Moreover, lots of us have varying degrees of seasonal affective disorder in winter, affecting our moods. Even our aches and pains that we could easily handle in spring or summer can have a greater effect on our well-being and immune systems in winter.

Me personally, I take some time out to receive a few more Reiki treatments in winter. Reiki is a hands-on energy healing technique that is gentle, non-invasive, and at the same time very profound. I liken it to a “massage for the inner organs and the soul” as warm, radiant energy surrounds the body and is channeled through the Reiki practitioner’s hands to vital energy systems of the body.

Reiki has been shown to enhance the immune system and can act as an compliment to the healing of nearly any physical or emotional ailment. For more information on the research conducted on Reiki and it’s healing benefits, visit The International Center for Reiki Studies page on the Healing Research that has been conducted.

If you are interested in trying Reiki, I offer a First Reiki Session discount, where you can enjoy a session for half price. It’s a great way to treat yourself at an affordable price, and treat your mind, body, and spirit to some internal healing. For more information, visit the Reiki Page at A Peaceful Touch Healing Arts.

I thought I’d share this very inspiring video from India. 14 friends set off on a learning journey on bicycles. The film is part of a film festival and project of Shikshantar: The People’s Institute for Rethinking Education and Development. I hope it inspires you to get on your bike and start an adventure – whatever it may be.

In honor of Earth Day (and the long awaited beautiful Minnesota weather!), for this week only – Earth Week – take an additional $5 off your appointment when you bike, bus, or walk!

Take advantage of this special by booking online, and enjoy a 60 minute session for only $35 – or if you prefer, a 90 minute session for just $55. Break out your bike (if you haven’t already), dust off those bus schedules, or take a great walk. Enjoy savings while your aches and pains are allowed to melt away.

My Minneapolis Uptown office is served by Metrotransit routes 6 (an easy ride from Downtown) and 23 (connects to the Light Rail from the 38th Street Station). As well, I am only six blocks from the Midtown Greenway.

Northfield residents may contact Northfield Transit for weekday curb to curb bus service!

This is my commitment to you – to continually be one of the most Earth-friendly, Earth-and-People conscious bodyworkers in the Twin Cities and Northfield areas! Do yourself and the Earth some good by biking, walking, or taking the bus! I’ll share in that abundance with you, by giving you a great rate!

I truly believe that I have some of the nicest clients and friends in the world! I’m always grateful and humbled when a new client comes to me because a friend recommended me!

Because I am so grateful for this praise, I am changing my discounts for referrals, in order to give back and further “Share in Abundance” with my clients.

Starting now, for all of my existing and previous clients, whenever you refer someone new to me, I’ll send you a coupon for a HALF-PRICE one hour session (a $30 value!). This is my way of saying “thank you” to all of the folks who take the time to tell more people about A Peaceful Touch! I am truly grateful and humbled!

Walking Across the Mississippi

Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

Last weekend I had the chance to visit Lake Itasca State Park and the Mississippi Headwaters area. Although the temperature was a cool 38 degrees, much of the lake was still completely frozen.

So, after hiking across the frozen lake most of the way, I decided to walk across the Mississippi River at its very source. I also decided to go barefoot (which might have been the cause of my mid-week cold) upon the rocks to do this.

Over the last two years, I’ve been exploring the idea of “Nature as Healer” and “Nature as Teacher” in my healing studies. While it’s enlightening to take courses and learn from other teachers and practitioners, I have found that I am learning in profound ways through my interactions with nature herself.

I’ve taken over 60 pictures of my hands interacting with trees, stones, rivers, springs, lakes, plants, and objects in nature in the last two years. I’ve visited some amazing places. Dipping my hands in rivers and streams, walking on stone paths, building stone labyrinths, and learning in this deep and interactive way with nature has been a great source of healing in my own life.

Enjoy the photos from Lake Itasca and the Mississippi Headwaters. Visit if you get a chance!

At the Spring’s Opening
Me at Coldwater Spring, the “birthplace” of Minnesota
Summer 2007, Minneapolis

Now that the 4-day Core Zero Balancing I class is finished, I thought I’d take a little time to reflect, and to share parts of my experience. All in all, the class was WONDERFUL!

Like learning any new skill, there is a learning curve one goes through, from insecurity and uncertainty to points of clarity and focus. I experienced the most clarity after I received a full Zero Balancing session from the instructor in front of the class on the third day.

The lifting of points along my skeletal structure, especially in my sacrum (lower back hip area), lower back, and shoulders – and then the subtle waves of release in these areas – gave my body the ease to just “melt” onto the table. I felt like a pancake flattening out and settling into a more “evenly distributed” solid form. This work was also more grounding, kept me fully inside and aware of my own body, and helped me feel at ease within my own “body structure.”

However, the most profound statement, for me, was made after I stood up at the conclusion of the 40-minute session. The instructor said that I appeared to have the solid and expansive bodily form of an “operatic tenor.” No one in the class knew that indeed, I AM a classically trained tenor, and that my endeavors in vocal performance were what actually led me to bodywork as an endeavor. This was both an intuitive and structural moment of clarity for me personally. Not to mention, this statement affected me on a very deep and emotional level.

Shifts in my body – shifts emotionally. While I feel that both my bodywork practice, and my instrument as a vocalist, are in a very strong state at this point in my life, I know that I need to keep exploring my development as a vocalist as well. I need to more fully embody “who and what I am” – and to proceed without fear in doing so.

It’s all about integration, and “embodying who we are.” We all need to be comfortable in our own skin. We need to allow our “structural vessel” to sustain us in this embodiment.

Thank you all for accompanying me on this “learning journey” the last few days away from home – and for allowing me the space to share some more personal reflections. I look forward to coming back on Wednesday, and continuing to do what I feel so privileged to do – being present in others’ healing, unfolding, and further “embodiment.”

Note: This post is meant for the sharing of information of my experience. While I am learning this new protocol and may have opportunities to practice this technique with my existing clients, I do not hold myself out to be a Certified Zero Balancing practitioner. This title is reserved for those who have completed at least 100 hours of training and have undergone a formal certification process. (I’m simply a beginner, learning a great new skill).
Namaste!
-Scott

One of the great concepts I’m learning while taking the Core Zero Balancing class is that of “meeting the other person’s donkey” in a manner of speaking. This concept is taken from an image of two donkeys. Many times while at rest, donkeys will lean against one another, evenly distributing their weight to create a balanced lean together. This is one of the core concepts of Zero Balancing, one that can be applied to life.

In Zero Balancing, one “meets the donkey” of the other person. The energy of the practitioner meets the energy of the other person. Each has separate energy, but they meet together to equally lean against one another. While stretching and lifting “fulcrum points” our hands must meet at that energetic point – the “donkey”, and then lift in a way that is comfortable for the client.

Another concept beyond the “donkey” is that of being “in the box.” “Being in the box” means that the quality of touch, lift, or stretch within the fulcrums is within the tolerance level for the client. If you don’t “reach the box” your client feels very little lift, stretch, or benefit. If you go “beyond the box” you begin causing pain, discomfort, or possibly injury.

We experimented with these concepts today by leaning against one another, back to back in pairs to experience a “donkey lean” and practiced “getting in the box” with a partner while holding opposite sides of a rope. When the rope was pulled in a straight line, we were “meeting the donkey.” As we pulled more on the rope we felt the tightening “in the box” feeling, as well as the feeling of being overpowered “beyond the box.”

After these activities, I commented that these activities and concepts could also be wonderful metaphors for healthy communication and conflict resolution. How many times do we feel as if a person is not listening or communicating equally – meeting our “donkey”? How often do we feel overpowered within a conflict (going beyond “the box” of our comfort zones)? Who would have thought that donkeys and boxes would be so intriguing?

The Zero Balancing Society requires 100 hours of training as well as mentored practical experience to become a Certified Zero Balancing Practitioner. David, our instructor, has really been encouraging us to continue with our studies and become certified. I’ll admit that I’m somewhat resistant. I think that naturally, I’m an “integrator”, and that I find ways to meld my learning into a greater whole. I also feel that we as people and individuals aren’t very well served by certificates, diplomas, degrees, etc. In my opinion they separate us from one another. They create divisions. One person is the “expert” while another is “lesser.”

The work of Zero Balancing is intriguing to me, however. I am keeping an open mind regarding future classes and certification possibilities.

Things are going well for me in Madison as I take the Core Zero Balancing I class. I thought I’d share a video with you, made by Certified Zero Balancing Practitioner, Jenny Chapin.

According to this system, our bones are the most dense carriers of the body’s energy. A practitioner works by lifting up the body at “hinge points” and creating “fulcrums” which allow the body to release. I’m finding this technique to be both profound and simple, and a little bit of a departure from other bodywork methods I’ve learned. While working with the skeletal structure is new to me, I’m finding that a lot of the built up tensions that we all carry are also stored in our bony tissue. By allowing the bony tissue the ability to release, this tends to have a ripple effect on the rest of the body – muscles, tendons, ligaments – as well as the mind and spirit.

It snowed on Thursday evening in Madison too. Not much, but enough to see folks shoveling their walks once again. One person was adding snow from their walk to a 7-foot mountain pile! It may be cold in Minnesota, but Wisconsin certainly received it’s lot of snow!

I’m enjoying my time, and I’ll try to update you all once more before the end of the class!

I’ll be out of the office this week, as I’m traveling to Madison, WI for a workshop entitled Core Zero Balancing I. Zero Balancing*, according to the Zero Balancing Health Association, is a bodywork technique that facilitates the harmony of the body’s energy system with that of its structural system of muscle and bone. I’ve always been fascinated by the integration of these types of Eastern approaches to health and well-being. Learning about a modality that integrates “energy healing” with more structural touch seems to be a logical integration to the bodywork I am doing already.

There are also a few other things I’m hoping to do while in Madison. I’ll no doubt be hanging out at Motherfools Coffeehouse, one of my favorite places to go in the midwest. Plus, I’ve found a meditation center to go to and a Reiki sharing event!

I’m hoping that Madison’s “snow situation” doesn’t continue while I’m visiting. I’ve heard that they’ve experienced more than TWICE the average snowfall for a typical winter this year.

I may be blogging some of my experiences while in Madison, so stay tuned!

I will return on March 3rd! Send good energies for little or no snow!

*Zero Balancing is a registered trademark of the Zero Balancing Health Association. For more information about Zero Balancing, visit their website www.zerobalancing.com.