Heart Of The Matter

February is the month of love, whether we want it to be or not. Sometime, somewhere the powers that be (or possibly card companies) shoved in an extra holiday to keep the masses going in the barren months between Christmas and spring. Or it sure does feel that way sometimes.

Even if we don’t subscribe to Valentine’s Day, it does make a person think about matters of the heart or the heart itself, for that matter. The heart is a muscle, which I don’t consider often enough. Not only is it a muscle, it’s one of the most hard working muscles there is, squeezing and contracting to make sure the vital fluids of the body get to where they need to go. It’s the reason why exercise is useful, all muscles need maintenance. 

Obviously it isn’t one we can directly massage, well, unless the heart is failing. Actually failing not figuratively, although anyone who has ever suffered through a broken heart knows the two pretty much feel interchangeable.  A broken heart is what led me to massage. I remember being told to treat heart break like an illness, advice I often pass on. That means, being kind to yourself and very gentle. Making sure you sleep enough, drink plenty of water, eat nutritious meals and indulge in some much needed TLC (my TLC was massage). Someone even told me that a broken heart could be helped along with a Vitamin E supplement, I’m not sure if I’ve believed them but I dutifully took it. I think when you’re that heart broken you are willing to try most things. 

Massage is what I found the most useful. Time to myself, being smooshed back into my body when I was used to feeling I was floating untethered from the earth. Many of my thoughts at the time were cruel and incredibly negative towards myself, booking a massage was an act of rebellion. It was a way of allowing someone to be kind towards my body when I couldn’t be. Hopefully, you aren’t reading this through a heart broken haze. If you are, take care of yourself, even if that has to be by pretending you are doing it on behalf of someone else. 

But back to the heart as a muscle, did you know that massage can help the heart perform it’s duties more effectively or at least help support it in its work? A number of research studies reveal that Massage Therapy releases contracted muscles, reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure and increases blood circulation - all of which eases strain on the heart. 

So February might be the month for Love, so lets make it self love - in all it’s guises, what ever it means to you. Massage and Heart Openers is the way I’d go but each to their own.