December, a month of jingle bells, gifts, and holiday parties, but also a time where stress and anxiety, too, linger in between glasses of eggnog and good cheer. As the New Year approaches, we find ourselves reminded of previous resolutions, ruminating over whether we have made progress on our lofty goals. The mental noise only intensifies and before you know it, you are laying in bed wide awake. We have all been there at some point.

I say we end this year and begin the next by taking a deep breath in and focusing on loving ourselves some more. Our thoughts and behaviors toward our environment and ourselves directly influence our physical, mental, and emotional state. The tensions we retain in certain parts of our body, from furrowed brows to low back pain, and everything in between are the results of nothing more than an imbalance. Our minds and bodies work best when in a state of harmony, enhancing our mood, our ability to make better decisions, and to feel at ease despite the day-to-day stress we encounter in our every day lives. There are a myriad of ways to initiate this journey towards balance, offering different personalities different practices and modalities to choose from.

Craniosacral therapy, a gentle hands-on healing modality, involves the brain, spinal cord, membranes, and the fluid that reside within it. Normally, physical trauma and/or anxiety-provoking incidents give rise to a relatively healthy emotional response. It becomes problematic when the physical injury has not fully healed or when emotions have not been expressed, but rather suppressed and internalized. These traumas wind up stored in the tissues of the body causing disruptions in the flow of fluid. The results are restrictions within the body’s membranes and connective tissue. Given the high-stress nature of the world we live in most of us can use a bit of Craniosacral Therapy to alleviate our disruptions. This non-invasive therapy is the perfect addition to ones journey towards self-love and certainly a great way to end one year and start the next!