Guest Writer: Jacob Castle on Self Care and Hydrotherapy

Guest Writer: Jacob Castle on Self Care and Hydrotherapy

Guest Author
This year give yourself a new great way to practice Self Care: Hydrotherapy! Our Guest Writer for the January Newsletter on New Beginnings is Jacob Castle. Jacob is an LMT at Knot Springs fitness center and spa here in Portland. Knot Springs offers healing through hydrotherapy, massage, acupuncture, yoga, personal training, and social interaction and awareness to our Community. Read Jacob's article on Hydrotherapy and the many way it will benefit you below:

Self Care

We all need it! We all do it! But why not say it more often? SELF CARE! The words offer nourishment and recognition to the mind and body. To address the stressful days and/or events in life is affirming and a natural way to check in with your energy and the needs of your body. Saying and practicing self care can add a great significance to your overall health with maintaining a positive and realistic outlook on life. Self care is a marker for self reflection on aliments, moments, pain, triggers, goals, life, ideas, and all sorts of emotions and experiences we have on a day to day basis through out our whole lives. Hydrotherapy has many benefits and is a great practice or addition to self caring. Using water as a way to cleanse is nothing new. Our shower beholds our filth and gives us running clean water. Its a great way to wake up in the morning or after a long day. Water is refreshing and hydrates the body. Not just inside, but outside too! Your neighbors hot tub or that distant magical hot spring in the NW forest is one gold mine worth knowing! Water is wonderful because it offers the comfort and safety of movement that may not be achievable on the ground. We can often find great strength in lifting things in water because of the buoyancy. Water can also offer beneficial resistance to movement for strengthening and conditioning muscles. Using Cold water is wonderful for recent injuries or acute stress. Athletes will ice and use cold water baths to constrict the blood vessels and decrease inflammation. Heat on the other hand will dilate the blood vessels and increase blood flow. This is great for circulating the blood which helps bring fresh oxygen to the body. In addition, toxins, stagnant energy, and any unwanted stress can be unblocked and brought to the surface. Alternating the use of Hot and cold water can greatly maximize your self care regiment! Think of those knots of muscular and fascial adhesions in your back as ice cubes. Hop into 100+ degree water. Not to hot! but just hot enough to get those ice cubes to melt! After they are in a puddle, you can hop into the cold water and refreeze those ice cubes, except, now they will be more dispersed and closer to the surface as a flat frozen puddle rather than a block of ice! The same is true with toxins and other stagnant energy, water can help disperse and alleviate the problems as well as restoring and renewing energy. Water is very powerful and so very beautiful. We must respect our water and ourselves and understand the wonderful connection to it. Knot springs offers healing through hydrotherapy, massage, acupuncture, yoga, personal training and social interaction and awareness to the Portland community. Check out their website for a Knot springs ritual to hydrotherapy. http://knotsprings.com/spa-treatments/ http://knotsprings.com/fitness-class-schedule/
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