Tag: COVID massage

Planksgiving & the 12 days of Fitness; Personal training; CST; & more!

ambermoon

10/24/22

Planksgiving, CST, Awesome Arms, 12 Days of Fitness, handcrafted

Planksgiving. I oopsed the registration link somehow. So here’s the correct one. I’ve just recorded the first 3 – please keep in mind I’m teaching the movements as we go, so feel free to pause, repeat/hold the movement to your satisfaction. Then let it run again. Feel free to repeat them. Workout will be progressed each week, so Week 1 is building a foundation. Want a refresh on what this entails?

In December, I’m going to take another twist on the holidays – 3 rounds of the 12 days of Fitness. Like Planksgiving, it is free. It’ll run thru the holidays, and end in January. Lot of things will be included – cardio, YouTube videos of various formats, and accountability. Planksgiving is the lead in, so this program will have prizes for those that complete everything. For those that show improvement. More info to come.

Awesome Arms videos will be included in 12 days, and then resume in its updated form in January 2023.

Personal training now an option, specifically for those not interested in movement from the Pilates or Yoga points of view. Some weights, the TRX, bands & bodyweight exercises will be utilized to handcraft your session.

For Craniosacral Therapy sessions, I’ve increased the price to more in line with industry standard. If you want to give it a try, use discount code CST2022 before 12/31/2022 for 15% off. Good for Austin, Taylor and virtual sessions. For those already scheduled, you have the previous price thru the end of the year. Remember, this is a great time to try it, as I’ll be able to do this much more easily while I’m healing from knee replacement. I’ll need to limit standing on my surgery leg as much as possible so it heals faster.

Studio hours update & openings for the next 2 weeks

Back to the idea of working when I can, I’m extending Wednesday hours in Austin to be 1:15p – 630p, through 1/30/23. I’ll have to see how well I do after surgery. Three months after knee #1 gets done, I can do #2.

Also remember that I’ll be more open over the holidays, taking off only Thanksgiving day, and Christmas Day (it’s a Sunday, and I’m off Monday anyway).

Be consistent. Get your workout in. Be awesome.

Taylor openings

  • Tues, 10/25, 315 or 330p
  • Thurs, 10/27, 330p
  • Thurs, 11/3, 330p

Austin openings

Subject to change, but nothing open thru November at the moment. Please check in on the scheduler or with me if you’re wanting a session there.

Class schedule update

Holding steady with this schedule for now – all virtual until further notice. Just gonna be easier on me than trying to move the equipment with a wanky knee.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

EOY class special

Now thru EOY, pay for a 1h class, get a 30 min class free. Good for packages and drop ins, but you’ll need to buy the package just for these specials. Will run thru end of year. Why? I want you to try new things!

Links for the following EOY Specials (drop in rate – give it a try!) – $18 for 2 classes. These packages good for 2 weeks from date of purchase.

Links for packages are here, and I’ll add the equivalent 30 min class package to your account. These packages good thru EOY.

  • Decide if you want Tier 1 or 2 (differences in price & how long you have to use them)
  • Decide if you want 4 or 8 Livestream classes
  • Your account will have an equal number of 30 min classes added

A September to Remember: Inspiration & Gratitude during these COVID times

ambermoon

In the midst of #TheseCOVIDtimes, I’ve got so much gratitude, so much inspiration…as we embark on this 7th month, I’m taking the time to reflect. Join me on my journey!

Day 3: Crafty friends & the long game

It’s my birth month tradition. I plan new things to do with friends. That particular year, I wanted to learn to make bar soap. And then things got out of hand.

Several of my friends are quite crafty – Kim made soap, Gina made foaming hand soap, Karen wanted to try bath truffles (aka bath bombs), and Vicki made lotion. I started making my own laundry soap off a recipe from #cousinJim. That year, maybe 2015, started this.

Kim had mastered the art of soap making, and I had seen a post in Facebook somewhere for “Citrus Brine Soap” – that scent is right up my alley. Florals, not my thing, but citrus – it’s so…. Sunshine! It makes me happy. We made this first, and then decided we should make soaps as Christmas presents. We’d make a batch, and split the results. She’d make some one her own – scents I didn’t do well with – as would I. We’d trade. I gifted mine to regular clients, friends & family. Something homemade, from the heart, and little #AmberMoonMagic mixed in (I’m an energy worker, Reiki Master – I can do that).


Four of us braved the attempt at bath truffles, and, well, they… fizzled… and fizzed, but sank like a rock. Then Karen did more research, found a different recipe, and just she & I tried it. It worked. Lots of learning in that session as well, but we had room to play, explore & be more curious. Again, I gave these away, or at least the ones I didn’t use, as gifts. This tradition has continued, although it’s a little bit more time intensive than soap making.

The foaming hand soap came along somewhere after that. Very easy to make, very cost-effective, and again the scents that I want. As much as I wash my hands as a massage therapist, I was also able to make it much richer so it dried my hands out less. Oh, wait, it didn’t dry my hands. It even moisturized them. Thank you Gina!

Laundry soap happened about this time too. I got tired of paying almost $20 for your 96 load bottle, fragrance free. I figured if I can make all this other stuff, I can make this too! #cousinJim provided the recipe, it makes 5 gallons, unscented, and works. As much laundry as I do with massage therapy – it’s a BIG savings. And I feel good as I know what exactly goes inside.

And then there was The Lotion. A rich, creamy, preservative-free lotion. This came from my client-friend Vicki, who makes her own cuz of her really dry skin. I now travel with this lotion, and ran out on one vacation – my hands and feet were very very very unhappy with me. They just drink it in. Now, both #cousinAmy and I carry some with us on our travels. Lesson learned. 

Can I tell you how nice it is to make your own lotion, your own scent, and have it be so good that people ask for it? I have just made two batches as I’ve been working on this post. I have given away as samples the friends for feedback. Scent: Lemon Basil. Yep. It’s awesome.

“This product is AMAZING! It is like a hydrating treatment and super emollient. I give this lotion 5 stars.” – Melissa.

 “It’s so nice! I love that so little goes so far. I’m having to get used to that. And my skin feels wonderful after I apply it, and it stays feeling good all day! 😍 It really moisturizes.” – Gayle

“Love it! Light crisp scent, very hydrating and emollient. My hands and feet are loving it. My hubby’s feet are loving it too!” – Valerie

So this brings me to the diversity of what I am able to bring an income during these challenging & invigorating times. Because I’ve been in fitness & wellness for almost 30 years now, and have diversified what I do, I’ve been able to stay open (virtually), and enabling myself to work the long game. What I do is very physically demanding, and we know that being on the computer is also not my thing. Blogging, writing, even this – it’s a challenge. I voice type as much as I can, but I still need to edit. 

So if I can start selling this stuff, this Homemade Goodness, it allows me a new income stream. If I didn’t have my friends that were already into making stuff at home, and been doing it for several years on my own now, I would not even have thought of this. Getting this up and running will take a little bit of time, but that’s what the long game is about.

Thank you, my friends & cousins, for your inspiration.

Everything Under the Moon, 7/22/2020

ambermoon

I have managed to already get Mondays completely off from seeing clients and being online, and I’m loving it. Those of you that shifted to let this happen – thank you! And on to the good stuff…

Yoga Saves Lives

Do YOU want to save lives? Do YOU like flat faced & fluffy tailed cats? Yes? Yes! Join us for a Viniyoga class benefitting South Texas Persian Rescue.

This is for the rescue where I adopted my current 5 cats. Beth & Lori are like family, and Persians, I can tell you from having been owned by 8 of them, are high maintenance. The more money they raise, they more fluffys they can help. So, Yoga Saves Lives. You save lives.

Want to see what viniyoga is, and see my fluffys? I’ve uploaded classes I’ve taught where parts of my herd showed up.

Join us Friday, 7/31, at 12n via Zoom. Registration is $20 and 100% of the profits goes to South Texas Persian Rescue.

Have YOU signed up yet? Help the fluffys! Do some Viniyoga! Share this with your friends!

Massage: The Driveway Series

If you’ve been wondering what it’s like to get a massage on the driveway… here ya go, from an client:

Last night I received my first driveway deep tissue massage and it was great! I haven’t seen Sharon since March and I was really in need of some work! She makes the driveway very comfortable by having lots of plants to help block the view from the street along with your own car parked in the driveway. She also had the fan going to keep me cool! I appreciate Sharon thinking outside of the box for her clients! Thank you!

Note: I’ve also got several mosquito repelling plants near where I set up. While this client was on the table, I didn’t get a single bite. And skeeters looooooooove me.

Ready to book yours? Options are Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings; Wednesday & Thursday at 630a (1 slot). Need something outside those times? Ask 🙂

A little of everything else

I have had 2 Amber Moon Eatery, “Amber Eats” posts so far. I’m including the link I’ll be posting tomorrow – the page is already up!

  • Dessert, anyone?

I’m also about to upload these to Patreon, Facebook and Instagram. I’ve started an Athlete Education blog, and that will be uploaded to the athlete option for Patreon. Still working on getting more stuff uploaded, free content (YouTube & Patreon), so give me a little bit. My neck is still misbehaving gently and I’m still being mindful of how much computer work I do, when I’m rotating my neck in class, and when how it feels when I’m playing. 

I posted what I thought was a very interesting article on air circulation & massage on my Facebook page – a review, complete with reference links. It was interesting that they said turn ceiling fans off during massage, and open the space up for fresh air after. Yes HVAC is great if you have the right filters, but you still need tobring in fresh (outside) air after in-person sessions. 

And AMTA (American Massage Therapist Association) strongly suggests we avoid working right now, if we can. I think the Driveway series is a nice compromise.

I’m very sad I had to cancel all of my September trip – the race had been canceled previously but we had held onto hope that my immunologist would say it was okay to travel. She did not. My next big event that I have coming up is the Mesa Marathon (Arizona) in February. But with what the immunologist said, it looks like my option to travel there is not good either.

Online classes

Current schedule, as of 7/20/2020. Please register in advance.

Tuesdays

  • 11a, Pilates
  • 1215p, Viniyoga in service of Meditation (Viniyoga>>Meditation)

Wednesdays

  • 1030a, Viniyoga
  • 1145a, DIY Reformer

Thursdays

  • 11a, Pilates

Fridays

  • 1030a, Viniyoga