1.  If you hurt yourself....ICE IT.  Heat may feel good, but if it's an actual sprain or injury, ICE is your friend!  Just hold ice over area for  5-10 minutes as soon as possible, it will cut down the inflammation.

2.  Stretch before and after a new activity.  Just a few simple stretches can save you the discomfort later!

3.  Drink plenty of water.  If you're thirsty, you are already dehydrated!  You should drink half your weight in ounces (64 ounces is a good compromise :-) but a minimum of 32 ounces twice a day if you're active and out in the sun!

4. Be a SHADE SEEKER.  It's great being active, but it's ok to duck into the shade of a tree every once in awhile.  If you have pets outside, make sure they have access to drinking water and shade.

5.  Keep a tennis ball in your car.  Incase you tweek something keep a tennis ball handy.  Wherever it hurts, place the tennis ball directly over the area and lean into it for 30 seconds or more (or lay on the ground if its a upper or lower back or hip twinge.)

6.  Or just call me and tell me where you hurt!  I deal with a lot of foot, hip, knee, upper and lower back issues in the summer.  Give me a call and lets see if we can decrease your discomfort.  

7.  Have a great summer, ENJOY!  

8.  Put this number in your phone, just in case!  Tracy Massage 701-261-57885

Reiki I class is scheduled from 9-5pm Monday, Feb. 15, 2021.  Please call Tracy at 701-261-5785 to Register. Cost is $250 due before class begins.  Due to Covid-19 class size is a max of 6 students.  You may also sign up for the virtual class for $125, Monday Feb. 15, 2021 9am-1pm.  You will receive the information but will not be certified in Reiki I until you have received your attunement and hands on training in person.  

Here is a brief summary of what you will learn:
*Brief History of Reiki
*Principles of how Reiki works
*Relationship of endocrine glands to Chakras
*Hand positions and treatment procedures for self-treatment, treating others in seated or prone position
*Three mudras for charging hands
*How to scan a person's electromagnetic field
*Ways to use Reiki in daily life (on friends, family, even pets!)
* Ways to use Reiki energy work on massage clients (for LMT's only)

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW
*Bring a pillow and small blanket
*Bring a notebook and pen/pencil
*You will receive a binder with all your teachings inside to take home with you
* You will receive a certificate of completion and be qualified to take Reiki II on March 22 (worth 8 CEU's if LMT in ND)

The attunement for Reiki I activates dormant energy centers in your head, heart, and hands allowing you to channel Reiki Energy by touching others. Some have experienced up to a 70% difference! 

There are no prerequisites for Reiki I training, but it is highly recommended that the student receive at least one Reiki treatment before the first attunement.

Reiki can promote health and healing of self and others.  The word healing is used in the sense of regaining harmony and wholeness...balance.  Usui Shiki Ryoho addresses the WHOLE person on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels and those we cannot identify at the present.

It has been defined as having four aspects: healing practice, personal development, spiritual discipline and mystic order.  It also includes the Nine Elements; Oral tradition, Spiritual Lineage, History, Initiation, Symbols, Treatment, Form of teaching, Monetary exchange, Precepts (awaken the questions inside the student in the process of becoming aware of whole, body and spirit)     

All are welcome, however, if you are a massage therapist, this class has also been approved by the North Dakota Board of Massage for 8 CEU's, $250 for certification or 4 CEU's for $125, if you take the class via ZOOM (4 hr. introduction class which covers the history and basic techniques- but DOES NOT CERIFY YOU IN REIKI I).  When you have completed the full 8 hours, you will receive a certificate of Certification in Reiki I and a binder with your name and all your teachings.

​Please do NOT share these materials with others.  This is a sacred tradition of integrity and reverence to be passed down from Reiki Master (Tracy Gilles) to Student.  If you choose to continue your studies, a Reiki II class will be available March 22nd (Completion of Reiki I is required in order to take Reiki II, cost is $250). 

Reiki is a call to be a healer, whether it is for others or a way to heal yourself.  Listen to your higher self and decide if this class is right for you.  Namaste. 

​Your Future Reiki Master,  Tracy

​

What a crazy time to be a massage therapist!  Below are the rules and regulations I found to reopen in North Dakota.  My home office, near Sabin, is still closed til May 18th (at least I THINK that's when I will be allowed to reopen).  Please educate yourself on the below information before making your appointment.  It will be so good to see you again!  

Practitioner Preparedness-
Hygiene protocols remain standard and customary. The CDC recommends you take steps to ensure everyone adheres to respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette, and hand hygiene. Provide supplies for respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, including alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) with 60%–95% alcohol, tissues, and no-touch receptacles for trash disposal.
Have your mask on and adjusted before your client arrives. To further protect yourself and clients, consider wearing clothing that can be changed out between clients. Keep hair up and away from your face. All other practitioner hygienic protocols apply—no long nails, jewelry, open-toe shoes, flip flops, or sandals.
Practitioners should take their own temperature before each work day begins to ensure they are not presenting with any corona virus symptoms.
Avoid shaking hands with clients or hugging. Consider sharing with clients that you'll eliminate casual conversation and remain in minimal necessary in-session conversation mode through the duration of the session.
Treatment table setup will look largely the same, but linens/bedding will be turned over completely for each client. Use products with non-permeable barriers, like mattress pads, to cover your table, table warmers, etc. On top of that barrier you can layer your washable fleece pads, sheet sets, blankets, etc. Put similar non-permeable coverings on bolsters and pillows. Apply a ready-made disposable face-cradle cover to your face cradle, and top it with a pillowcase, leaving a large hammock-type pocket underneath that could catch client aerosols when they are prone. Each client will receive a completely new table setup.
Consider opening treatment room windows if feasible. If using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier, make sure it is on before your client arrives.
Client Arrival and Intake
Assume Standard Precautions for all client care: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html.
     Use a no-contact thermometer to take the client’s temperature upon arrival; ask the client to reschedule if their temperature is 100°F or higher. If the client is not wearing a mask as you requested during the reminder phone call, offer them a cloth mask at this time before continuing.
Initiate doorway screening checklist questions:
Have you had a fever in the last 24 hours of 100°F or above?
Do you now, or have you recently had, any respiratory or flu symptoms, sore throat, or shortness of breath?
Have you been in contact with anyone in the last 14 days who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has coronavirus-type symptoms?
     We will leave time for proper health history overview with new clients and updates with existing clients.
After the health history overview, discuss with the client their comfort in wearing a face covering during the session. Remember that face masks, including the homemade variety, protect other people from getting sick from you; but unless the client is also wearing a face mask, the practitioner is not protected. If the client is unable to wear a mask for health or comfort reasons, consider using an N95 medical mask for yourself once they return to the marketplace in sufficient supplies.  I will ask you to lay face down during the total massage if you decide you do not want to wear a mask.
     Ask clients to use hand sanitizer (per CDC, at least 60% alcohol) before going to the treatment room and ensure that it’s applied liberally and properly, Give instruction on how to proceed with the session, including new direction on where to place clothing, the availability of hand sanitizer in the room, and the cleaning protocols you want to share to put clients at ease. Explain to clients that the room has been fully sanitized, but to put them fully at ease, they are also welcome to wipe down any surfaces again.
Facial massage—Confirm with the client that they are comfortable with you applying hands-on work to their face; working through their face covering as needed to address sinuses, muscles around the temporomandibular joints, or lymph nodes in this area (if doing lymphatic drainage work), consider using gloves for this part of the treatment. Or, prior to the session, include this type of massage among the work you will not conduct during this time.
     Deliver customary pre-massage instructions to clients before leaving them to disrobe to their level of comfort. Wash hands thoroughly, up to the elbows, using WHO guidelines for best practices before returning.
During the Session
Prone positions could be uncomfortable for clients who are wearing face coverings. Consider topping your face cradle and face cradle cover with a cotton pillowcase. Drape it so that it creates a contained hammock under the face cradle that could semi-effectively capture aerosols expelled by a client who is unable to comfortably wear a face covering during face-down positioning. When switching from prone to supine position with this client, ask them to put their face covering on before they turn over into the supine position.
Noting the potential discomfort clients may have wearing a mask in prone position, consider using side-lying positioning to address the lateral and posterior aspects of the body.
Hand massage—Leave any hand work for the final part of your treatment protocol.
Before leaving the treatment room, remove gloves (if applicable), apply a generous amount of hand sanitizer per CDC application guidelines (at least 60% alcohol), and use a previously readied paper towel to open and close the treatment room door while leaving the room.