Entries by Mary Bai

Muscle Rebalancing Meditation for Hamstrings and Quadriceps

Find a comfortable and safe place to lay face up, as flat as you can. This meditation is to encourage deep back muscles to stretch and relax in order to decrease pressure on the nerves along the sides of spinal segments. It is especially useful for people with balance issues and for those whose knees […]

Are Meridians Real?

After my very first week of massage school in April of 2003, it was obvious which half of the class was training for energy work and which was studying the science of anatomy for sports massage – I was in this second group. When the teacher announced that we would be spending eight hours on […]

The Nervous System: A Functional Perspective

I walked into the house and saw him. His hair was standing on end as if he’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. The chaotic electricity in his body had been causing tremors day and night for more than five years, but he’d noticed the chalk quivering in his hand at the board some […]

Neutral Balance Standing Meditation based on Tai Chi Principles

The angst of an imbalanced physical body can play a key role in stress and anxiety. The skeleton was designed to hold posture and form. Balance can be achieved by guiding the free floating upper body onto the solid foundation of the grounded lower body. Overworked muscles and anxious nerves feel supported by a calm, […]

The Hyoid Bone: Mechanics of Breath, Voice, and Swallowing

A mainline IV in the carotid artery of my neck delivered antibiotics and fentanyl. The fever was so high. I offered up my soul to God, begging for a reprieve from the heat that must have been coming directly from the fires of hell. High-flow oxygen into my nostrils didn’t work. The full nose and […]

Panic Attack

Subconscious Stress and the Autonomic Nervous System He said, “Hi,” and then laughed. What did he mean by that? That wasn’t a normal laugh. He whispered something to his friend. Why can’t I hear what he’s saying? The whooshing of ocean waves breaking on the rocks clogs my ears. I squint to see who he […]