Old Habits Die Hard...or do they?

I had my first latte when I was 21 years old (we bloomed late in my day) at Diedrich's Coffee in Mission Viejo California. I remember not liking it. I may never know what in the world prompted me to keep trying different offerings from the barrista until I finally found something I liked. I may just write it off as peer pressure. Coffee shops were kind of the in thing to do. I suppose I could have been into worse things, but my coffee habit grew and grew and grew. Last year I spent an estimated $1020 on store bought coffee drinks. That was $85 a month. Last time my husband and I tightened our financial belts I gave up going to the Chiropractor and kept my coffee habit. That's just plain crazy.

I recently gave up a whole bunch of things in the name of healthy living...coffee was one of them. I was dreading it, but it had to be done. I'm going on one month coffee free, and frankly, I'm shocked at how easy it was to give up. I really thought I'd have withdrawals, headaches, or at the very least some really strong cravings. I did not. I realized that the actual coffee wasn't missed, it was the habit of the action of going for coffee. If I arrived too early for an appointment, I'd think, "oh, I have time to grab a coffee!" or when making plans to spend time with a friend it was always, "let's meet for coffee!" I had to find replacements for those times. I have a book in my car now for when I'm out and have a little time to kill, and I make plans to go walking with friends or meet for coffee without having coffee. Yes, I've actually set foot in a Starbucks and not ordered coffee, did you know they GIVE you water...for FREE!?!?

So now I'm thinking, if I can give up coffee that easily...what else can I do? The sky is the limit.

Modality Road Test :: CranioSacral Therapy

Leanne Hardesty, CranioSacral Tharapist

Shortly after the birth of my daughter I realized something was wrong with my hip. It wasn't muscular pain, and typical massage techniques and chiropractic only helped it a little. It felt like a restriction in my ability to move my hip. I couldn't sit cross legged on the ground, and yoga was definitely out. Four years...I lived with it for four years...and then, in 60 minutes it was gone. Not just better, gone, and my PMS, which was turning me into a horrid monster 5 days a month, is now well within normal range.

I met Leanne Hardesty (http://www.fresnocst.com/) in a continuing education class. Instantly likable and easy to talk to, I would frequently ask her to do a quick anchor and stretch on my hip after class. I knew Leanne practiced CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and I had limited knowledge of the technique.

What is CST? In Leanne's words, "CST is a light touch therapy that works to release restrictions in the nervous system. Since the nervous system is the "central computer" to all other body systems, release of nervous system restrictions can produce beneficial results. The bodywork also works to release restrictions in the muscles and connective tissue. It's very relaxing and the results can be profound."

Very light touch. Just 5 ounces of pressure, that's the weight of a nickle. I had my doubts about how effective it could be. When our course was over I asked Leanne if she would want to trade sometime, massage for CST, and we set a date. Leanne also mentioned that maybe, during my session, we could talk about the trauma associated with my hip. Trauma? What trauma? I wasn't in a car accident, I had a healthy baby and an uneventful labor.

A few days later I met with Leanne for our session. She told me I would be fully dressed during the session and explained that she used an air mat on the table so she could move her hands under me. She started by feeling for my craniosacral rhythm, and then began asking me what I thought was wrong with my hip. I explained that I had read about women who have an epidural sometimes have issues with their pelvic bones not moving back into place. I assumed that was the problem. Many more gentle prompts to talk about my daughters birth later...and even some tears on my part...Leanne announced that she felt it release. Huh? My hip? Couldn't be, she was barely touching it. She also worked on my head with the same light touch, and mentioned the my sphenoid was wobbly...which may have accounted for my PMS.

I put my hip to the test. I got down on the floor, and crossed my legs with no pain. None. I was shocked, and still skeptical. I even waited several days to Facebook Leanne and tell her how much better I felt. I was sure the pain would come back. It did not. Two months now and it is still gone. I began to realize how much it had affected me, the way I sat, the way I walked down stairs, even how I slept at night. I had no idea how many parts of my life this pain had its tentacles wrapped around. As an added bonus, my PMS, which had me at my wits end, was vastly improved. I no longer felt wildly out of control and angry for 5 days a month. I still get a little crabby, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to what I had been living with.

Where to find Leanne:
http://www.fresnocst.com/

More info about CST:
http://upledger.com/content.asp?id=26