What Are Muscle Knots?

Muscle knots: more mysterious than you think!

Recipe: Mediterranean Summer Tomatoes

Ingredients
5 medium whole fresh tomatoes
5 each shallots, coarsely chopped
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 loaf French bread, for dipping

Directions
Core and slice the tomatoes and arrange them in a serving dish. Sprinkle the shallots over the tomatoes. Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together with a fork, then pour over the tomatoes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, or refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Eat with French bread and dip the bread in the marinade when finished with the tomatoes.

NEWS FLASH - We Survived the fires!

36 Oaks miraculously made it! We are a bit rough around the edges but, we are ok and will make this place beautiful again for all of you – my valued friends and clients. There are a few details and some clean up after the fires to attend to however, we will be back open very soon. Hope you are all safe and well.

By appointment only. 

707-447-8037

See you soon!

Ten Reasons Why We Need More Contact with Nature

 Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photograph: Graeme Robertson

By:Richard Louv 

It improves your memory, helps you recuperate and even makes your sense of smell more acute. So turn off your computer and get outside

• The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need

We have a human right to a meaningful connection to nature, and we have the responsibilities that come with that right. Many people today support the notion that every person, especially every young person, has a right to access the internet. How much more should every person have a right to access the natural world, because that connection is part of our humanity?

• Humans are hard-wired to love – and need – exposure to the natural world

Researchers have found that regardless of culture people gravitate to images of nature, especially the savannah. Our inborn affiliation for nature may explain why we prefer to live in houses with particular views of the natural world.

• We suffer when we withdraw from nature

Australian professor Glenn Albrecht, director of the Institute of Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University, has coined the term solastalgia. He combined the Latin word solacium (comfort — as in solace) and the Greek root – algia (pain) to form solastalgia, which he defines as “the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault.”

• Nature brings our senses alive

Scientists recently found that humans have the ability to track by scent alone. Some humans rival bats in echolocation or biosonar abilities. Military studies show that some soldiers in war zones see nuances others miss, and can spot hidden bombs; by and large, these individuals tend to be rural or inner city soldiers, who grew up more conscious of their surroundings.

• Individuals and businesses can become nature smart

Spending more time outdoors nurtures our “nature neurons” and our natural creativity. For example, at the University of Michigan, researchers demonstrated that, after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%. In workplaces designed with nature in mind, employees are more productive and take less sick time.

• Nature Heals

Pennsylvania researchers found that patients in rooms with tree views had shorter hospitalizations, less need for pain medications and fewer negative comments in the nurses’ notes, compared to patients with views of brick.

• Nature can reduce depression and improve psychological wellbeing

Researchers in Sweden have found joggers who exercise in a natural green setting feel more restored and less anxious, angry, or depressed than people who burn the same amount of calories jogging in a built urban setting.

• Nature builds community bonds

Levels of neurochemicals and hormones associated with social bonding are elevated during animal-human interactions. Researchers at the University of Rochester report that exposure to the natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow human beings, value community, and to be more generous with money.

• Nature bonds families and friends

New ways are emerging to make that bond, such as family nature clubs, through which multiple families go hiking, gardening or engage in other outdoor activities together. In the UK, families are forming “green gyms” to bring people of all ages together to do green exercise.

• The future is at stake

The natural world’s benefits to our cognition and health will be irrelevant if we continue to destroy the nature around us, but that destruction is assured without a human reconnection to nature.

Article Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/13/10-reasons-why-we-need-more-contact-with-nature

August Birthday Specials

August 2020 Birthdays

Wishing you health, well being and happiness.

Take some time for some birthday pampering - relax - unwind and rejuvenate. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Gift For You! $15.00 off any package OR $10.00 off an hour massage PLUS 25% off an additional service

*Valid the whole month of your birthday in 2020. (Special prices above not good with any other offers)

Mayo Clinic Minute: Living Near Nature Linked to Better Health

A new study says living near green space can help women live longer and improve their mental health.

"This was a large survey of nurses who were asked about where they live and how much green space nearby," explains Dr. Vandana Bhide, a Mayo Clinic internal medicine specialist, who was not part of the research. "Results suggest people who live in the greenest areas actually had a lower death rate."

Study authors believe the findings would be similar in men.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Bhide highlights more of the study's results and explains how they can inspire a healthier life. Jeff Olsen reports.

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August Birthday Specials

August 2020 Birthdays

Wishing you health, well being and happiness.

Take some time for some birthday pampering - relax - unwind and rejuvenate. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Gift For You! $15.00 off any package OR $10.00 off an hour massage PLUS 25% off an additional service

*Valid the whole month of your birthday in 2020. (Special prices above not good with any other offers)

Hidden Miracles of the Natural World | Louie Schwartzberg

We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras, time lapses, and microscopes. He shares highlights from his project, a 3D film titled "Mysteries of the Unseen World," which slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of nature.

Why Does Nature Make You Feel Better?

It’s not a huge surprise that nature is beneficial to our mental health. But why? Hosted by: Hank Green

Tiny Baby Deer Asks People to Rescue Her | The Dodo Wild Hearts

A tiny baby deer walked right up to people, crying for help. When it became clear that she lost her mom, they brought her to Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario. Watch her grow up and run back to the wild with her best friend!