Vitality Massage! (828) 645-5228

Everything works on a balance between left and right, up and down, cold and hot, etc…  Think about your life.  Where are you out of balance?  What is missing or very slim?  What is just too much?  Do you work too much or are you not working enough and can’t pay the bills?  Do you need to tighten your budget or do you need to loosen up and spend more on yourself?  Are you too picky about choosing a partner or have you settled for someone that’s not right for you?  Life is not easy and part of the challenge is to achieve better balance. 

For me, life is about getting better at everything I do.  Isn’t that universal for us all?  Holistically, the balance is between mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of our being.  Remember that in holistic healing, if you get too far ahead in one aspect and behind in another you will get stuck.  In general, you will not be able to progress very well in your life.  For example, let’s say you are really smart (mentally advanced) and that you are working for a company that is developing a new hybrid automobile.  You are trying to create a new battery for this car.  Unfortunately, in your head, you're battling some issues with an incident that happened in your past that prevents you from thinking clearly.  For months you struggle with creating the battery because your mind is not functioning well.  So, even though you are mentally strong, you're emotional weakness drags on your progress. 

So, sometimes we have to stop and look within.  We have to communicate with the universe.  Do this regularly for good health.  Be honest with yourself.  Do the work to heal!  Find someone to help when needed.  Take the time to heal yourself.  MAKE the time to heal yourself.  Realize where you’re out of balance.  Come back to the center.  Move back to the core.  Ground into the earth.  Connect with the heavens.  Become ONE with all creation. 

Peace, knowledge and love,
Brett

To see my holistic page and some of my articles/videos and more go here:  http://www.vitalitymassage.net/holistichealing/holisticlifecoach.html 

Years ago I had friends that were my “party buddies”.  When I decided to start getting healthy it was inevitable that these people could no longer be a part of my life.  Sure, it was hard to let them go but there was really no choice.  I had to move on. 

This is the same with other smaller changes/adjustments I’ve made along the way.  I’ll notice as I make these changes/adjustments, that the people that were associated with my old attitude or the things I was doing… that I’m no longer doing, just magically… go away.  The way these changes happen is so varied it just blows my mind!  This world is so cool and complex!  I just go with it and know that it’s all for the best and that I need to just allow… 

It’s all good!  New people come right on in to fill the void.  As I improve my lifestyle, as I get healthier and stronger, I attract better and more beautiful people my way.  Because I’m in such a radical state of change all the time I’m really getting quite use to this!  Lol.  I look forward to having a deeper and deeper connection with all things good and great. 

So you see, everything you have, everything that has happened to you, everything you have done, everything you own, your health, your money, your family, your pets, your job…  you created it all!  You truly are the maker of your own everything!  Blame it all on you!  Credit it all to you!  Lololol!

Now, go out and make this an incredible day! 

Brett

Hey yall, 
I have this attitude toward life and then death that I would like to share with you… 

Figure out what you’re here for and then go do it - and do it well.  Take care of yourself so that you can do what you need to in order to fulfill your desires & commitment to creation.  Tap into creation with prayer and meditation to get the answers.  Use intuition and then fire up the power of intention to get the job done!  Don’t quit!  You can’t quit anyway!  Life doesn’t end!  Ever!  Don’t kiss anyone’s ass but be compassionate when appropriate.  When you get sick of doing one thing, find another thing to do and make the transition.  Don’t get stuck!  Don’t bitch about it for too long!  Just make the change and do your best!  Take breaks when you need to and then get back to your passions.  Keep getting better and better.  Learn more every day.  Dig deep and find the answers.  Write down a to do list and then pound out each task throughout your day.  Mostly, be in the now but think about the past and future so that you can optimize your every action.  When people challenge you, and they will, think about whether you are truly at fault or not.  If you are, make a change.  If not, blow them off instantly.  Listen to great music throughout your day and don’t forget about art too.  Listen to the signs.  Understand that everything is a clue.  Some are more obvious than others.  Start to recognize the easier ones and work your way up. - When you can get a great sign from a vagrant on the street, then you know you’re really listening to creation! 

Before you leave this world, give it all away! 
As you get closer and closer to death, start becoming a philanthropist with everything you own.  Give all your stuff to people and organizations that need and deserve it.  Seek out the ones that will use your stuff and money the best.  You can’t take anything with you anyway.  Why let someone else divvy it up after you’re gone?  Besides, it’s fun to give stuff away and you will gain major points with creation if you do!  Why give it to family members unless they are the ones that truly need and deserve it? Give them a photo album!   Also, when it comes to charitable organizations, use your head.  Do the research!  Don’t give money to charities that have CEOS making millions of dollars!   www.CharityNavigator.com is a great site that rates all charities. 

I hope you like my writing and do something with it. 
Happy day, 
Brett

Ok, I’m going to put 20 years of holistic healing into a nutshell. 
 
First I quit smoking.  That took me two years and about 20 times quitting.  22 years ago. 
 
Then I learned about macrobiotics.  Went to a macrobiotic counselor.  Totally mesmerized and intrigued!  So cool!  Read the Book of Macrobiotics. 
 
I went to an allergist and learned that I was allergic and/or sensitive to lots of foods.  Baffled me.  Blew me away.  Didn’t believe it.  Wondered why, where, what?!
 
I started to shop at the health food store and cut out processed foods, chemicals and preservatives.  Started eating organic.  All organic.  Didn’t make sense to eat pesticides. 
 
I spent 8 years ousting wheat and dairy.  (Thank God I got through that!  Those two foods are the most addictive, clogging and deficiency causing foods.  Had to own my own goat for a while too!  Lol.) 
 
I started getting all the mercury amalgam fillings out of my mouth.  (Just about killed me.) 
 
Started getting massage therapy after experiencing reflexology.  I knew this was really healing me big time.  (Thanks God for Kim Nickerson and Joleen Cullens.) 
 
I finally got to where I was ready to heal in regards to my alcoholic father.  Went to Alonon meetings for four years.  Cried for hundreds of hours.  10 years ago. 
 
Kept reducing the amount of meat consumption through this entire process.  (All 20 years.)  Sometimes I’d go for weeks without any beef, chicken, or fish. 
 
2002.  Started to go to various spiritual gatherings.  Found the Inner Light Center in Salt Lake City.  Yea, not the Mormons!  Went to the Course in Miracles meetings. 
 
Read books by Wayne Dyer and Caroline Myss.  Opened up to new thinking...new ideas. 
 
Started learning about God medicine (herbs) rather than man made - greed oriented medicine. 
 
Decided to become a massage therapist.  2003.  My mom said that it just wasn’t for me!  Lol.  Don’t always listen to your mother or anyone else!  Listen to your heart, mind and soul! 
 
Moved away from Utah after getting nationally certified.  Never went back since 2004.  Breathed a sigh of relief after crossing the state line into Colorado! 
 
Kept cleansing my entire being for the last 7 years.  Still at it. 
 
Finally made it to a vegan diet.  Took 19 years of meat reduction and cleansing….  Holistic healing.  Won’t ever go back!  No more alcohol either.  Not even a glass of wine!  Don’t need it any more now than when I was 10 years old!  Alcohol is just a social ploy/tool that I no longer require. 
 
Got a chance to teach at the Leaf Fest last fall…  Loved it. 
 
Decided to become a massage continuing ed teacher.  Doing that now. 
 
No fear!  No limits.  Never give up!  Toward the one!  You can heal too.  Seek out the natural ways. 
 
Peace and love,
Brett

Today I’m going to teach you another technique that is huge for your health.  Did you know that you can massage out your wrinkles and at the same time release stress?  You can!  Have you ever noticed that you catch yourself squinting your eyes or forehead or clenching your jaw?  When you are doing this you are subconsciously holding tension in your head!  The more tension you have in your head, the more you have mental dis-ease!  Of course, all of us are mentally challenged to one degree or another.  One way to release tension in your head is to massage it.  THE PLACES WHERE YOU HAVE WRINKLES ARE WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT OF TENSION.  Can you see how this makes sense?  Many of our wrinkles are a direct result of stress! 

So, now that you know this, you can be grateful to your wrinkles for showing you where to rub, tap and scratch!   First tap.  Tap on the areas that have wrinkles.  You will probably find that these areas are more sensitive than others.  Tap diligently all over your face and head and familiarize yourself with how it feels.  Find the most sensitive areas and really tap them well.  (Tapping sends shock waves directly into the brain causing chemical/mental changes and better balance.  This is a form of massage & acupressure that releases pent up energy in the meridians of the brain that you can do on your own every day.  I have found that so many people need as much therapy as they can get and that self- treatment is the only way it’s going to happen!)  Now rub them out.  Use the pads of the fingers.  Use your palms.  Work it all from the center line out.  Shake the hands to release “stuck energy”.  Now rub those tight jaw muscles.  Find the belly of the Masseter Muscle (The big muscle used to chew.)  Also, remember that when you rub out a knot, there is a potential to release toxicity from it.  (This is why you’re clenching it in the first place.)  Please educate yourself on how to detox your body.  Rubbing moves the blood, acids, lymph and yes, chemicals out of the tissue.  Now scratch and maybe brush your head.  This is the feel good part that allows you to relax and come back to center. 

Really spend some time with this!  It’s your freaking head.  I’ll bet nobody ever taught you how to take care of your head!  Please teach others how to do this!  I’m channeling it to you from creation.   

No, I’m not a medical doctor!  Thank God!  If I were, I would probably not be teaching you something totally natural and free that you can do every day to heal yourself.  Most likely, I’d be writing you a prescription for Zoloft!  Lol! 

Peace, love and happy healing! 
Brett Rodgers

Hey dare everybody!  Most of you know this but I will remind you anyway…. 

If you want to find a “natural cure” or a “natural remedy” for something, all you have to do is look it up on the internet.  We have been blessed with this incredible thing called a computer that can empower us to learn anything we want to learn!  

Here’s an example:  Let’s say I want to learn how to cure my acne.  I could just go to Google or Youtube and  put natural cure for acne into the search bar.  Of course that’s not all that is involved.  Now you need good intuition and search abilities to find the best article or video for you.  Then you have to actually do what is recommended. 

Remember that natural remedies are not quick fixes!  You have to stick with the changes and make lifestyle adjustments in order to see results!  I have had to bend over backwards to heal myself and I still work hard every day.  20 years now…  Wow! 

If you want a quick fix, that is easy… if you have insurance and money.  Just look up “Asheville MD”  lol!  They will fill you full of prescription drugs that will treat your illness and possibly fix it quick.  Of course it’s not likely to last and it will probably destroy the rest of your body and mind in the process.  You see, by just popping pills you have not addressed the issue that caused the problem in the first place!  You’re simply postponing the problem and damaging your health.  (This is my opinion.  You do not have to listen to me and you can be removed from my email list if you want.)  You see, I am not here to kiss anyone’s behind.  I say what I feel is important and hopefully someone will benefit from it. 

Doctors prescribed dozens of drugs to my grandma and those same drugs contributed significantly to her death.  Unfortunately, she too was at fault for not seeing through their lies and idiocy and for not making the changes necessary to heal herself.  I too took prescription meds when I was very young.  Much of my health difficulties were/are a result of misinformation and poor lifestyle choices taught to me by my parents...taught to them by their parents and society etc….  

I have turned my life around.  I do not follow much of my parents or grandparents choices and lifestyle.  I don’t follow the mainstream thinking on many things.  You too have a choice!  You are your own person!  Listen to the voice within.  Educate yourself.  The more you know how to do things naturally, the less you have to revert to the quick fix, “just cut it off” mentality!  Lol.  You have to laugh!  A lot of people are really freaking stupid! 

If you are someone that benefits from my little articles please respond and boost my ego!  If you don’t like me then also please respond and I’ll remove you from this list. 

In love and resolve,
Brett

Everybody knows that massage is a valuable tool for good health right?  What about massaging the brain for mental health?  Over the years it has dawned upon me that the mind needs to be massaged just like the rest of the body.  (Yes, the organs also need massage.)

How to massage the brain…

Whenever we get an area of our body that becomes stagnated, our energy meridians (acupressure lines) do not flow well.  There are certain points along these lines that then become very sore (acupressure points).  Someone trained in acupressure can easily feel their own bad spots.  Even a novice can learn quickly. 

The brain, like many other parts of the body, is covered by bone (the skull).  Obviously you cannot just massage the brain like you can a muscle.   Not true…  With tapotement, one of the five Swedish massage “strokes”, you can massage the brain.  Tapotement or percussion is just that – tapping.  Use the tips of your fingers to tap on your head.  Start on the forehead.  Do you feel any areas that are more sore than others?  These are the acupoints that  need the most attention!  Keep tapping all over the head and learn where you have sore spots.  Also, you can tap as hard as you want to.  The harder you tap, the deeper and stronger  the vibration is that you are sending into the brain.   

It is my theory that this simple technique has the ability to help everyone to have better mental health.  There’s just one catch though.  You have to tap on your own head.  Nobody’s going to do it for you!  This is how life works.  You are in control of your entire existence!  So, there you have it!  Tap on your head on the sore spots and keep doing it every day for 10-20 minutes until the soreness is gone. 

Peace and good health…naturally…without drugs,
Brett 

For many years I've wanted to teach massage continuing education (massage CEUS).  Well, finally I got my wish!  I spent about a week or two working on my application not including the initiial emails sent to the NCBTMT to find out if they would consider my application.  I have had several classes to offer that I think are so very valuable and that I would really love to teach.

The first one, Ashiatsu Simple Barefoot Massage, is my favorite because it incorporates the tools that the other therapists don't use... the feet.  Anyone that is not using the feet to do massage is not reaching their highest potential in the profession.  The feet are your biggest and most powerful massage tools!  I am going to teach a whole lot of massage therapists...from Asheville and all over the world how to use the feet to do massage.  Please see my Ashiatsu massage page for more information!

The second class involves a new technique developed by me to do better massage on the neck.  It is called, "Neckwork Off the End of the Table".  This is actually a very simple concept and of course the simple things in life are just the best!  When you get your client's head, neck and shoulders off the end of the table, you have a much better ability to work on them!  I will show you how to create a platform with your lap so that you can rotate, tilt, traction and turn the head, neck and shoulders with one hand while working on the muscles and connective tissue with the other hand.  Awesome!!!!!!!

The third class is REQUIRED for everybody... therapists and home folks as well.  Self massage.  When you have the ability to work on your own body, anytime, anywhere, you have an ability to heal yourself!  No doctors required!  No drugs either!  You are your own massage therapist.  Come and learn "Self Massage for Therapists".  You will get to work on your own body for two days straight.  After you're done you will feel so much better.  Also, no doubt, you will get to learn and teach tricks and techniques to and from other therapists as well.  Sweet!

All Asheville massage therapists should come and learn these sweet CEU classes!  I'm ready to teach if you're ready to learn!  :)

Brett

Quote from Deepak Chopra…

 “There is a very important peptide found in the skin.  It is called Vaso-active Intestinal Polypeptide or V.I.P.  Very important peptide.  The reason it’s called V.I.P. is because originally it was found in the intestines but it is also found in the skin and also in the brain.  VIP happens to be the most vasodilator… known… biologically.  A vasodilator is something that opens up blood vessels and VIP particularly improves coronary blood flow.  There are very few studies on this but they are very exciting!  There is one study that shows if you give somebody a massage... with sesame oil… then the level of VIP increases about 3-5 fold in your blood and remains elevated for up to three weeks after a massage… and if you do a P.E.T. scan on someone… a PET scan is a positron emission tomography… of the heart immediately following an Ayurvedic Massage, then as the VIP goes up, the coronary blood flow also increases…about 15-25%...increase in blood flow to the heart after an Ayurvedic Massage.  Simultaneously the VIP level is going up.  Imagine if you had a drug like that and you didn’t use it after a heart attack – you would probably be sued for malpractice!” 

 

The value of health science is to prove beyond doubt... the benefits of natural therpies for good health. 
Be well,
Brett 

Many of us sit in front of the computer for hours every day.  Yuk!  You've got to do what you've got to do but still... you've got to take care of yourself right?  Shoulder pain from computer use is a common problem because most of us don't have very good posture.  This creates imbalance, tension and pain in our shoulders.  Here are some exercises I do every day to feel better: 

Stretch back the shoulders and tilt back the head.  People tend to slouch forward when sitting.  Doing this exercise will help you to get the body back where it should be.  Hold this position for a minute or two...take a break and then do it again.  While holding this position focus on the breath and relax...meditate.  Using the computer is strenuous work and these little breaks are crucial for good health.  Arch the low back too.  Squeeze the shoulder blades together and stretch the chest apart.  Massage the shoulders by reaching over the top of them and pulling and sliding the fingers forward.  Using a "theracane" (purchased online) is also an effective tool for this job.  Also squeeze the ropey neck muscles while flexing the neck back and forward to effectively stretch those muscles as well.

Lay on the floor and stretch the back on a millet hull or buckwheat hull back bolster.  I make these bolsters so please ask me about purchasing them.  Totally relax and allow the chest to open up.  Having the shoulders back is a healthy and natural position for people to have.  Slouching forward is terrible and is promoted by squishy couches and poor habits.  Don't do it!  Use one of my back and buttock supports and sit up right!  

Do yoga at home or at a yoga studio.  Make it a regular practice.  Back in Silver City, New Mexico, a small town I lived in, there is a yoga studio called "A Daily Practice".  This idea is no joke.  Doing yoga daily will allow you to remain in balance and flexible so that you do not experience these pain problems.  Take time to take care of yourself and you will prosper and do well in everything you do!