I wish that I had known that when I was in a major car accident nearly a decade ago . I think that massage would have really helped me recover from a painful neck injury. Instead of paying out of pocket when I was still suffering many years later, I could have received comprehensive treatment that would have been covered under my Personal Injury Protection (PIP).

Not all massage therapists do insurance billing because it involves a lot of paperwork that can be really confusing and overwhelming at first, but once you get past that hurdle, it’s a blessing for both the practitioner and the client. As a practitioner, I know that financial strain is the biggest barrier that prevents people from seeking treatment until they are really suffering. I’ve been there too. Sometimes, a person really needs treatment every week for awhile, but not many people can afford that, so their condition doesn’t improve as quickly as it could. From my perspective, it is so rewarding to work with someone who has insurance coverage, because I can design and follow an effective treatment plan and see rapid improvement in a person’s well-being and quality of life without draining their personal finances.

I just recently started doing auto insurance billing, and the paperwork is intimidating and tedious, but I’m so excited to be able to welcome more people into my office who really need the care that I can give them. Even minor accidents can be really scary; the whole body tenses, and it’s often not until the next day or a few days later that the pain really sets in. There’s nothing more rewarding than to see a client’s whole demeanor transform from that state of anxious discomfort to a state of ease. I love that my work is the part of someone’s day that they really look forward to.

If you or a family member has recently been in an auto accident, I encourage you to call your claim representative and find out if your auto insurance will cover massage therapy. It might just transform a stressful experience into a healing opportunity where you can learn more about your body and experience a greater sense of ease.

Every year around Mother’s Day I try to offer some kind of incentive for people to treat a mom in their life to the emotional, mental, & physical well-being that comes with receiving a massage. This year, I want to support an organization that also does good work in the world by supporting mothers in really concrete ways. That’s why I’m donating 25% of Mother’s Day gift certificate sales to MotherWoman. Here is the MotherWoman mission statement, according to their website:

MotherWoman supports and empowers mothers to create positive personal and social change through: powerful mothers groups, innovative programming to confront the feminist crisis of postpartum depression, and effective political action. Mothers face enormous challenges, including unrealistic expectations, isolation, depression and appalling family policy. By valuing and supporting mothers, everyone benefits.

The wonderful team at Cradle has decided to join me in this offer, so that means that you can purchase a gift certificate directly from me to be redeemed at my Greenfield office or you can purchase a gift certificate from Cradle in Northampton to be redeemed with any of the massage therapists there including myself. I hope that you’ll take this opportunity to offer a little more ease to a mom in your life and at the same time support this great organization.

That led me to thinking about how much of yoga in the west really is about spirituality? We’ve all seen countless images of models & Hollywood movie stars looking serene on the cover of a certain magazine that shall remain nameless. I’ve heard more than one roomful of frustrated yoginis disgustingly list the many examples of how yoga has been commercialized and reduced to simple exercise. But anyone who has probed deeper into the definition of yoga will profess that asana (the physical postures) is only a fraction of what it means to really practice yoga. The depth of yogic philosophy spans thousands of years with potentially millions of teachers & scholars who have each provided their own commentary & interpretation.

Many teachers will try to downplay the role of asana, but then why is it that most yoga students encounter very little yoga philosophy until they enroll in a teacher training? As a teacher, there is the practical challenge of how to squeeze in unfamiliar intellectual concepts into a 60-90 minute class when you know that most students are there because they want to move their bodies and relieve their stress. Then there is the insecurity of knowing that I’ve barely touched the surface on most of this philosophy myself, and I could spend years -even lifetimes- and still not grasp the intricacies of these concepts. But maybe it’s because of the very real concern of not wanting to scare anyone away.

As a teacher, you can play it safe by just sticking with the body. Everyone comes to a yoga class expecting to stretch their muscles, and no one is really offended if you start to talk to them about their hamstrings or introduce them to their psoas. I’ve gotten a few funny looks when I start telling students to press their thumbs into the outside of the right nostril, inhale through the left, etc., but they’re usually willing to give me the benefit of the doubt on that one. As we get to more unfamiliar territory, I’ve discovered that anything that is perceived as spiritual can strike a chord of disgust in someone who has deep disdain of religion. And someone who is devoutly religious can feel threatened by an unfamiliar practice.

This has actually become a hot topic in the media. Some Christian leaders profess that yoga is part of a false religion and caution their fellow Christians that it will lead them astray. If you’re curious about their perspective check out this segment from CNN \”Does God Approve of Yoga\”. In response, some Christians have developed their own “christian yoga” to ensure that they can practice calming their bodies and quieting their minds without threatening their faith. Check out some examples of this phenomenon:  Christian Yoga and Holy Yoga.

Of course, this brings up passionate responses from across the spectrum of the yoga community. My question is what does it bring up for you? Is yoga a spiritual practice or just another form of exercise in your life?  Where is the line between spirituality and religion? Where is the line between yoga & Hinduism? Is this Christian yoga a creative solution to relieving ethical discomfort, or is it a blasphemous perversion of the tradition of yoga? And for other yoga teachers how much “spirituality” makes its way into your classes? Does the fear of turning students off hold you back? Has teaching yoga affected the role that it plays in your life (positively, negatively, or both)?

So to start it off, I’d like to share this amazing video of the lungs. I think it really demonstrates the fluidity & grace of the breath. After you watch it, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Imagine your own lungs filling and emptying just the way that you saw. Feel how the lungs support the ribs, sternum, collar bones, and shoulder blades from the inside. Allow all of these bones float on the waves of your breath.

FYI, this video contains footage of an actual human cadaver, so if you’re feeling squeamish, you may not want to check it out. Since it has been flagged as “potentially inappropriate for some viewers,” you’ll need to sign in & verify that you’re 18 years old to view it. Although, I have to say, this video seems to me to be a lot less inappropriate than most of the movie trailers that are broadcast on TV without any warning at all.

Exquisite Lungs Breathing