More on the seemingly simple - Body Talk

Recently I had the opportunity to have a session in Body Talk. This is a discipline I have heard about over the last few years and neglected to look into until now. A new friend is a practitioner and offered a session which I gladly took. Afterward, I looked a little further into it and viewed the above website. In one of the video snippets on facets of the practice, John Veltheim the founder of the Body Talk System, explains the benefits and purpose of it. I would encourage you to take some time and view some of the video modules explaining the approach and ranges of benefits. I would have put more links in this text but they are arranged according the type of modem and computer system you are using.

One of the points he makes is that the system is very simply administered and often amazes people that such a simple system can have such profound effects on the body/mind. This doesn't surprise me at all and is one of the things I am always looking for in any health care system. I think much of our healthcare crisis will eventually be resolved only if we find the wisdom of "simple" healing modalities that rely on enhancing the self healing mechanisms of the human body (and all other living systems). I just read an article about a tour on economics by the US comptroller general where he is sounding the alarm on the brewing fiscal crisis facing the US. He points out that the demographic shift underway whereby baby boomers will begin to retire and start drawing down the SS funds, Medicare funds and the like will dramatically imperil our fiscal house. A lot of this has to do with the fact that our health care costs continue to sky rocket. You might ask are we healthier as a result of this and the answer is a big fat NO! We may be living longer but we are not necessarily healthier. But this is a digression. The main thing I want to stress and impresses me with Body Talk, and other systems I tend to be drawn toward, are those that have a basically simple premise and application. In other posts I have mentioned things of this sort - the role of hydration, deep breathing and meditative techniques, sound and simple nutritional practices (eat the freshest, non processed foods possible, with lots of seasonal veggies etc.), varied forms of movement and exercise and so on.

So a few things about the Body Talk session I would like to share. I think the first thing about a discipline like this is that you should feel an immediate comfort level with the practitioner. I won't make a big deal out of this but I think all forms of body work seem to go better when you feel a comfortable bond with the person administering the practice. This should be an almost instant feeling of ease with that person. I definitely felt this in my case. The Body Talk
practitioner in my case also did a good job of taking a history, observing my body and demeanor and even determining with me what might be the focus of the session. A part of the ingredients of the session involves the intention of the practitioner and client but I think the session ranges quite beyond that as the session unfolds.

I was on a comfortable table and the BT person was at my side. Since she is a chiropractor she used different sorts of muscle and joint testing at the outset to determine different parameters of my body. Once the session got underway it was off to the races! The session is a fantastic interplay of the different forms energy exchange between the client and the practitioner. My first take was that it was zeroing in on my nervous system but in talking further with the therapist she pointed out that we are dealing with resonances and vibrations of different sorts. It is an ongoing and multifaceted dialogue between the two individuals. The BT protocol is seeking to resolve any discord that emerges in the various systems of the body. The sense I get is that many unresolved issues and traumas that are stored in the body can be released through a simple system of tapping the head and parts of the torso (especially over the heart). I think we are all walking around with tons of unnecessary stuff weighing us down. Whether it be physical and/or emotional trauma this stuff can run interference in the systems of the body and the ability of the body to internally communicate. There are some really provocative comments in some of the video modules that explain BT on their website regarding autoimmune diseases. These are increasingly rampant problems I run into with people where the body in one form or another starts "misreading" information in the body and begins to attack it.

One of the feelings I came out of the session was an unusual sense of self confidence. Some of the things that came up in the session involved my own work and it seemed to resolve some sense of troubling issues. Also there is a real sense of mental clarity coming out of the session and even a heightened sense of mental and physical interaction that is hard to define. In days following there was also a fair amount of awareness of different personal issues coming to the forefront of my mind that seemed to pop out of nowhere.

If you have any kind of physical trouble going on or even some sort of unresolved trauma that keeps getting in the way I would encourage looking into Body Talk. The website has a list of practitioners in different cities and parts of the world. Again it is a non-intrusive way to get your body to internally communicate with itself and more fully enable self healing along with higher integration of mind, body and spirit.

Farm Aid Newsletter

My brother Rick sent me a note that included excerpts from the Farm Aid organization. It is of course the movement noted for the concerts that bring awareness of the thousands of struggling to make it on their family farms. Check out the Farm Aid news letter. I have said in earlier posts that the whole movement toward relocalization of farming toward the urban areas is an important issue as is making family farming viable. Many more people are starting to long for the connection as a food consumer to the actual people raising the food.

Article on Egoscue in San Antonio Express News

It has been a while since the last post and much is going on these days. One of the things I have been working on in the last period is to get a bit more recognition of the Egoscue Method in the local community. Last year I did a number of talks to people who in most cases were brand new to the concepts of Egoscue. Over the last couple of years I have noticed that probably the majority of people that have prior knowledge have come across the book Pain Free by Pete Egoscue. It is available locally at The Twig and other outlets as well as online.

Lately as another part of getting the word out and offering a means for bit more in depth exposure to the essential philosophy and approach of the therapy I have been offering 3 hour workshops. The next one is on Saturday Nov. 4 from 9am-12noon at Body Focus - 8318 Jones Maltsberger Suite 111 in San Antoinio. The fee is $35. The format includes explanation of the basic features of Egoscue and also a lot of practical use of the exercises that address common misalignment problems. Though it won't afford individualized therapy it will give people a sense of what the therapy entails.

But the most recent occurrence of getting the word out was the publication of an article on the Egoscue Method in SA in the Wednesday Neighbors section Oct 18. In the article they interview me and a client who did a great job of expressing her views on the therapy. OK, so much for all this self promotion business.

San Antonio Accordian Fest Oct 13-15

If you live in the SA area and have never attended the San Antonio International Accordian Festival you are missing one of the more unique events for the area. Most of it is free. This year it seems opening night is a $5 entrance fee. Look on the above website and pick out some of the artists to check out. The range of influences and countries represented is always surprising. It is especially fun to see the stuff at the Arneson Theatre right on the Riverwalk. Last year I remember seeing some fancy dancers tangoing right on the walkway. Don't miss it!

Oil Pulling Method of Oral Health and Detoxing

You learn something new every day! I received an email this morning from my friend Carolyn (welovebamboo) about the Ayurvedic practice of Oil Pulling. It is essentially the practice of swishing and swilling a tablespoon of Sesame oil or Sunflower oil in the mouth for ten to fifteen minutes. It is best done on an empty stomach and definitely avoid swallowing the swill. The Dr. explains the method, cautions, and benefits to this simple practice, click link above. Please check it out and try for yourself. Though the proposed immediate benefit is to oral health (gums and teeth), it has a deeper more subtle detoxing effect for the entire body, by stimulating the release of metabolic and other toxins via the saliva. I do know that oral and heart health are closely related now I can explore this ancient practice and see what other benefits it might hold. There is actually a fair amount on this topic if you keyword it on the web. Have fun swishing and swilling.

Hawks in Flight

Hey, know this is off the usual topic for Jeff's Blog but go check out the hawk migration in Corpus Christi. This is of course an annual natural event so if you miss this year, then maybe next year you can catch it. I am doing a massage event (the MS Valero 150) next weekend in Beeville so I might go down to Corpus from there and check it out. Some really cool people that come into where I work, the Cantrell's, told me about it this past friday. The link with more info about the times and location for best viewing is a the following location, birding in Corpus.

So just click on the above link, make plans and have fun!