Happy New Year,

  If you’re reading this, I trust that you’ve made a safe landing here in 2018 and hope that you were kept from any harm caused by the fires.

 That was some roller coaster ride! I was fortunate, having experienced only mild inconveniences of the Thomas Fire-- the power going on and off, on and off, evacuation alerts sounding the phone throughout the night (some that were false), the eerie blockage of the sun for days, and ash falling to Santa Barbara’s beachy landscape like snow. I came away with a low-grade version of PTSD where when subjected to a phone ring, I’d jump or shriek. I can’t imagine what someone who has lost their home might be feeling. I truly hope I can be of service and to help with any Thomas induced stresses, big or small. With sharing that, the offer still stands (from last month’s newsletter (link here):  For anyone that has been displaced, there is a complimentary session waiting here for you on Tuesdays until February 15th. 

  Meanwhile, 5 decades ushers in my new age! I don’t know where the time went and how I got here so fast? Wasn’t it just yesterday that was a skateboarder, listening to The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, Depechmode and in art college? 

  Along the way I’ve spent some incredible landmark years. For instance, the day after turning 30, my world changed entirely. At that time, I was a seamstress for an interior designer, and after two people that met me for the first time shook my hand, both thought I was a massage therapist. I took heed to their perception of me and researched local massage schools in San Francisco where I was living at that time. The rest is history!

 My forties gave me the gift of movement and utilizing the movement arts such as hula hooping, poi spinning, ecstatic/conscious/free spirit dancing. These are moving meditations, medicine, and prayer for me. I still practice some form of dancing with consistency.

  And now at the big Five O!  When I had turned 10 and adults asked, “What’s it feel like to be 10?”, I couldn't really say. Maybe I felt a little different in my body and that I knew a bit more than the year before, but I really couldn’t tell a difference. Well, now at 50, I would say that's still the case: that I feel a little different in my body, (some days more than others. I won't lie, I suppose it's accrued overtime ;)) and that thankfully, I'm still learning, still drawn to knowledge!

  To celebrate, I’ll offer for the month of January, $50 off of the 50-minute session (offer will end 1/31). Come and join me, we’ll celebrate my fifth decade together!

  To conclude, I like to thank so many of you who opened your loving arms to me during the peak of the fire. Thank you for letting me stay in your homes and for the many rides that were offered because I don't have a car. I now know how supported I am. I was very cared for and my gratitude spills over. For many, this event may have caused emotional stress that sometimes goes undetected. It may have shown up as stress on relationship dynamics with friends, family or partners or even toward self as an overwhelming level of bewilderment. You are not alone.  I hope I can be of service in any way I can.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly, 
-Jada

"Just like there's always time for pain, there's always time for healing.” ― Jennifer Brown

From a heart heavy with concern and deep care for how you (in mind, body and spirit) are handling the recent fires (Southern Cal: Thomas, Rye, Creek Fires etc).
 
Within, I’ve added links to websites that offer some things that you can do to help mitigate the impact the smoke debris might have on your body, i.e., the lungs and the immune system.

If you know anyone who has been displaced by the recent fires (Southern and Northern), please send them my way on Tuesdays (TUT) for a complimentary post-trauma session to help ease their suffering while they navigate their way back. Valid until Tuesday, February 15th, 5PM.
 
Relevant information as written by a dear friend Laura Ash, owner of The Scarlet Sage Herb Co. 

“Stress and smoke have a major affect on our wellbeing. Breathing in particulate matter from smoke can exacerbate asthma and heart disease, and cause respiratory irritation and shortness of breath. Children, the elderly, and animals are particularly susceptible to smoke inhalation. Trauma can cause nervous instability, insomnia, and deep stress on your immune system and your flight/fight response (endocrine system).

Here are some key herbs and foods you can integrate into your routine during these difficult times. I'm going to start with some of the more available herbs that you may be able to find in any store (natural or corner market) and then move to the more specific and obscure herbs that are more difficult to find. 

- Peppermint: Peppermint is easy to find in many forms, even the cheap boxes of tea can be used (use 3 or 4 bags to get a stronger dose). Herbs high in aromatic essential oils can help create barriers to decrease inflammation. This is wonderful for opening the bronchials, increasing lung capacity. These oils can help decrease muscle pain and spasm (you can use the oil externally for muscle pain support) and aids in digestion - it's been known for IBS. Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) is high in rosmarinic acid which is an anti-inflammatory. Please do not use peppermint in high doses if you have acid reflux or GERD.

 - Chamomile: Many children are affected by these fires, and chamomile is my favorite children's herb. You can make a strong tea of chamomile (again, cheap tea bags okay), to help them calm down. If you steep chamomile for a long time it is slightly bitter which will aid in digestions. A strong cup of tea added to a bath will help reduce stress, and the tiniest bit of essential oil in chamomile will help with wound washes and eye irritation in smokey air. * For an eye wash, make a cup of tea for yourself, take out the tea bag let cool down. Rub it gently over your eyes, squeezing a bit of the tea out into the eyes. This works in first aid situations and chronic eye care.” 

Continue Reading Here: 
https://scarletsage.com/blogs/news/fire-support-herbs-for-lungs-and-trauma
 
List of Trauma and PTSD therapists in SB:
https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php?profid=343052&ref=3&sid=1512748419.3829_21463&city=Goleta&county=Santa+Barbara+County&state=CA&spec=19&tr=ResultsRow.
More Information Listed Directly Below.

Sending you off from 2017 with love and a warm heart full of gratitude. Seek joy from within and see all the beauty that surrounds you in every moment. Life is constantly changing...

​❊ Thomas Fire Evacuation Shelter in Santa Barbara County

At the request from Ventura County, an additional evacuation shelter has been set up at:
University of California, Santa Barbara Multi Activity Center
516 Ocean Rd, Santa Barbara, 93106 
Evacuees should enter UCSB through the main east entrance, park in parking lot 16. Staff will guide you to the Center.

Directions to UCSB from NB Hwy 101:
Follow signs for US-101 North through Santa Barbara. At exit 104B, take ramp right for CA-217 toward Santa Barbara Airport /UCSB. Road name changes to CA-217 N / Ward Memorial Blvd (505 ft). At the roundabout, take the first right onto Mesa Road, then turn left on Ocean Rd. Lot 16 is on the left, across the street from the Rec Cen.

❊ Animal Evacuation Information

For assistance with an evacuation of large animals, livestock or small pets, please call Santa Barbara County Animal Services hotline at (805) 681-4332.
Santa Barbara Humane Society is accepting small domestic animals. Earl Warren Showgrounds is accepting large animals.
Emergency Alert System

It is critical that people in Santa Barbara County register to receive emergency alerts.
Sign up at: www.AwareAndPrepare.org. If we can't reach you, we can't alert you.

❊ Stay Connected

For ongoing updates, go to www.CountyofSB.org, follow @countyofsb on Twitter and Facebook, or call 211 from 805 area code, or 800-400-1572.

“The only way out is through” -Robert Frost 

Have you had the experience of leaving my office feeling moody (sad, angry frustrated)? Perhaps you were very tired, ravenous, sick with a fever or even had bouts or bows to the porcelain throne? Maybe even worse, the symptoms that you came to me to relieve became more pronounced after your session? 
 
These are all good signs that you’re moving in the right direction. Here's why: I like using the spine as the analogy of what’s taking place as explained by a chiropractic term called “retracing”.
 
The version of retracing that I share is this: When you go to see a specialist that works with postural alignment for curvature of the spine for instance, one may experience similar emotions or pain as the spine is finding its path back to a harmonious position and natural structure.
 
Here's an excerpt from Super CA Lynne: “What is Chiropractic Retracing?”
 
“Chiropractic patients occasionally experience the phenomenon of retracing. Retracing is the re-experiencing or re-awakening of pain or other symptoms, including memories or even emotions that seem suddenly to erupt to the surface. It appears to be a part of the healing process. Some examples may make this more understandable:“. Read the entire article here: http://www.planetc1.com/search/what-is-chiropractic-retracing-.html
 
Here are a list things you could experience after your session:
- Hiccups
- Belching
- Extreme fatigue 
- Energy rush/es 
- Swelling
- Rashes
- Headaches 
- Positive mindset (a sense of freedom, open, forgiving, gratitude/reverence)
- Moodiness (grumpy/angry, sadness/grief) 
- Purging (both ends)
- Pain (in the joints, the area worked, or possibly in the area of complaint even if I did not address the area. When the body awakens, it miraculously begins to correct/adjust things on its own.
 
Things you can do to relieve the symptoms of retracing are, drinking more water (room temperature to warm), water will help flush the body of things that might have dislodged from the abdominal cavity during the treatment. Self-massage to continue moving things along. Trust your hands and what they want to do once you’ve placed your hands upon yourself. And lastly, if during your session we used dialogue and you sent messages to your body, you can continue to send in those same messages; they were from you after all! :)
 
Hope you had a wonderful summer and that your entrance into the Late/Indian Summer has been a smooth transition.
 
With gratitude,
 
Jada

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.”― Albert Einstein
​
Happy Solstice, 
 
Thank you all for the emails expressing your care and concern when I sent last month’s newsletter. So many of you comforted me during a very stressful time. At the end of May, I lost my grandmother Ethel Comer. She was much like a mother to me. I lived with her off and on as a child and again as a teenager through my early 20s. Fortunately, I was able to go to Columbus Ohio to see her when she was still fully alert at 97, just days before her health declined. She was immersed in love.

Having this experience of animated versus the non-animated lead me to this month’s topic of the meridians and other energy systems of the human anatomy that science is just now wrapping its head around (this seems to be an ongoing theme for me this year, reference the Mesentery newsletter here). It’s interesting that the meridians weren’t considered valid until fairly recently because scientists were not able to "locate" them when a corpse was dissected. Although it is true that we cannot see the soul/spirit when we perform a surgery or autopsy, we trust it's the thing that gives life to matter and that it's the thing that leaves when life comes to an end. I’ve collected some interesting articles to read on the study of the meridians as scientists have now been able to use a dye and a combination of imaging techniques and CT scans to observe these channels (images with links below). I'll keep you informed in future newsletters of what I discover in my research!

Well, I may not know all of my meridians, but I sure can feel/sense them. I know blocked energy and I know how to help move it! With or without scientific proof, I am here to support you in keeping your meridians in flow and your life force brilliant. Thank goodness that these ancient modalities* have withstood the test of time, because not all things last: not records, not floppy disks and not even CDs or even life itself. But we can make things more harmonious and healthy while it is our time to shine.

Now some wonderful things to share are about the summer and perhaps indefinitely. Mondays are now available to schedule regular 30/50 sessions. You may schedule in the new scheduling system I’m using (MassageBook). For those who have been using this new booking system, thank you for your patience while I become familiar with it. It’s been quite a learning curve as this system is unique and resembles nothing of the other two systems I’ve used in the past. I have some openings this week so feel free to try it out and schedule yourself in!

And finally, Tune Up Tuesday (TUT) is becoming the dream I thought it would be when I came up with the idea in 2014. The initial concept was to have many practitioners form a collective to offer a taste of treatment, or an abbreviation of the services they provide to the community. I wanted it to have the flair of First Thursdays, Santa Barbara’s art walk but for healing. Although many talked about joining, it never got off the ground, until now. TUT introduces Dr. Kori Mortenson, Doctor of Chiropractic medicine. Dr. Kori, as he's called by nearly everyone, is also in the Balboa Building on the 4th floor (Suite 431), only an elevator ride away! If you’re a doctor or practitioner of a healing art, and you’d like to join us for Tune Up Tuesday, please reach out to Jada, we’d love to have you on board!
Yours Respectfully,
 
Jada

​
"Scientists injected a special staining dye which coloured the meridians." (The CT scans revealed clear distinctions between the non-acupuncture point and acupuncture point anatomical structures).

Brief is life...  
 
Though the month has gotten off to a rocky start with family emergencies, I wanted to touch base with you. I’m trying to stay grounded as my head is spinning with the recent turn of events. As you are reading this, I'm in route to Columbus, Ohio to be with family. I'm sorry to be so brief in this newsletter but I'll make up for it next month. I promise.
 
Meanwhile, I'll leave you for now with this very important video. Its message is imperative for me at this time as I'll soon be spending an abundance of time with my relatives over the next few days. Send me strength, team!
 V i d e o: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCNojZaSNbM&app=desktop

Now on to Chocolate! The survey taken last month was quite helpful and has given me incredible insight as to what you want! Thank you to those who took the three minutes to share your thoughts. As promised, your chocolate will await you Tuesday, May 23 and 30 for pick up. It won't last much longer than that in my office, so please be kind and don’t leave me alone with all this chocolate!  It's Lulu’s organic, raw, fair trade, no gluten, soy, dairy or refined sugar from the Bay Area. If you don't know it, please make the acquaintance. You'll be happy you did. It’s practically my significant other. :)
 
Thank you and if you have a moment, send love and support. It, and you will be greatly appreciated. See you next month! 
 
Yours,
 
Jada

The power of your name...
​
Have you ever wondered about the meaning of your first (given) name? Whether searching for family ties to Queen Victoria, Madonna, Plato, Cleopatra, or Prince, most of us research our surname but don’t give much thought to our first names. Well, I know I hadn't, other than to say, very slowly, “Jay-da” when asked how it’s pronounced.  My father created my name from the Beatles “Hey Jude” by switching out the “u” and “e” and added the two “a”s.  I thought it was awesome to be named after a Beatles’ song, but I didn’t think I’d find many other Jadas out there. And for many years there weren’t. Any search would often dead end on Jada Pinkett Smith. It was about this time last year when two friends of mine and I were looking up names on Google, the ones used most commonly, such as Michael, Mary and so on. We thought to look up my name.  As my friend began reading, I began to smile because it resonated so! As she continued to read, I found myself in total disbelief and yelled,  “No way.  Are you making this up?” She laughed and I rudely reached over and grabbed the device from her. In short, it said: “Since Jada is predominately a female given name, it could also be a fanciful spelling of the gemstone name Jade, thought to protect against intestinal or stomach complaints (the Spanish origin of the name translates to ‘stone of the bowels’)." -Ohbabynames.com   Since last year Ohbabynames.com has added more information about “Jada” with origins in Hebrew also. Although it’s for a male, this version also fascinates me as it translates to “Wise one,” or “Knowing one.”  It’s thought that the Seinfeld mantra “yadda, yadda, yadda” is a derivation of Jada, meant to communicate, “I know, I know, I know,”  or, “You know the rest.” 
Predestined to do this work? Perhaps, because of the many Jada’s that I know, I’m the only one doing Jada-mojo! Now I’m curious to hear from you. Search yours here: http://www.ohbabynames.com/

Reflection of health...​
​
Welcome to spring! Hope yours is the sunny version bringing flowers bursting with color and fragrance, and not the snowstorms that are bringing parts of the country to a halt. 
Speaking of bursting, I’ve noticed more acne breakouts on my clients and myself as of late. They plague me so often that I haven’t thought to look into it, but when I noticed my regulars coming to sessions with blemishes, I decided to see what this is all about. The research has fascinated me to say the least! 
Years ago, I studied with an acupuncturist named Carol Fong (now retired). She believed that the face is a map or guide into one’s underlying issues. I’ve also heard it expressed as “The window to your health.”  Dr. Fong showed me a very old book that illustrated the areas on the face and what they represent, piquing my curiosity. This ancient practice is enjoying a resurgence, judging by the many books and videos that are now available. Last year I began studying my clients’ faces again after reading several books on facial diagnosis. There are several different perspectives on how to remedy an ailment by face reading. And while I do not have the expertise to treat exclusively based on face reading, I can use the face as a map to guide me to the struggling organ. 
Here's a short, informative video about face reading to understand for yourself. 
In seeing my areas of outbreaks, I’ve concluded it's time for a good old cleanse. And what perfect timing—spring!  As the kidneys give way to the liver (see chart below).   
Although this newsletter comes days after 3/14, Pi day, I can’t resist celebrating it ‘cause I just love Pi (Pie, that is)!  So, until April 14th, sessions for 30/50 and the package series of Transformational Abdominal Massage will be discounted by $31.40 (I know, I know, it’s inexact, but you get my intent).
Small print: this rate can’t be used with any previous discounts or on an outstanding payment. Packages must be used within two months of purchase date. 
That’s it for now. I see a juicy slice of pie waiting for me! ;) 

"Self-love is the source of all our other loves."
-Pierre Corneille

​Thank you for making last month’s newsletter my most popular newsletter to date! I see that you share the same enthusiasm about the Mesentery as I do. I got so many responses it was hard to keep up and I’m sorry if you haven’t heard back from me! Missed it? Here's the link: goo.gl/gtoH45

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m hoping your biggest gift of love will be toward yourself. Because in the past few months, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible power of self-care. For the first time in my 19 years of practice, it really hit home. When clients give back to themselves, something magically inspired and incredible begins to happen. I've been in awe with some clients’ transformative stories. A couple months back, some of these clients came in for sessions with low energy, and as I worked on them, I could see that they were primarily needing some good “ME” time. I shared this idea with many of them and some of them took me up on it. Self-care. When applied, this task alone goes far beyond what I can give, or even what any other person could give you for that matter.

One client who decided to carve out more time for self-care is a busy mother. She recently told me that she now has more physical and mental energy for her own kids, and is even volunteering and giving back to the community. Some people have reported feeling better in their work environment. They say they’re feeling more settled and confident, less nervous. To me, this is very important because a lot of people are at the office for up to 8 hours a day. Sometimes people even spend more time with co-workers than they do with family/friends on a given work day. What a gift to be able to settle in, relax and enjoy that time more!

So what things could you do to support giving yourself self- care/love/maintenance?

Below, I’m posting links to articles that can help you to achieve the healthful you that you’re seeking. Those of you that I know -- I know that you’re instrumental to your community/family. In a selfish way, I’d like to see more of you taking better care of yourself because having you well means more of you to offer.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the brain is paired with the organs Liver and Gallbladder. When in a healthy state, the Liver, called the "root of resistance to fatigue", is self explanatory. Here are some ways to care for the Liver (liver also assist: eyes, nails, tendons, ligaments and planning): https://goo.gl/qH5QSW

How can you glean wisdom from the Spleen? In TCM, if the Spleen is in a weakened state, it shows up emotionally as ‘pensive/anxious/worried’. The spleen is responsible for the muscles and four limbs, as well as controlling blood. It ‘opens into the mouth and manifests on the lips’, meaning it has a lot to do with digestion, transformation, and transportation. Read more here: https://goo.gl/ljghSS

This is only a snippet of 2 of the 5 elements presented in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you feel moved, I encourage you to read on.

Thank you,  for the growth and all of the learning. The lessons with you are invaluable and I’m grateful. Happy Valentines Day!

Jada

The part of you, you never knew!

​I'm thrilled to share with you that I’ve found great inspiration in the New Year! Why? (Insert cyber drum roll here)
On Monday, January 4th, my mother sent me an email with a subject that read: “Scientists discover new organ in human body. A fold of membrane located in the digestive system is actually its own continuous organ and not a series of fragmented parts. Purpose still unknown.” This “new” internal organ is called Mesentery.
To me, this is as exciting as when we discover new galaxies, even more ancient life forms, or that I’ve won a $2.5 million dollar lottery! I can only explain my enthusiasm as this: while science is still “discovering” our parts and organs and their functions, I’ve been privileged to work with them (the organs) for twenty years, without needing science to validate my work. I believe we often look to science as fact, but the truth is, it only becomes “fact” when something is discovered. For example, “an estimate that the observable universe contained about 200 billion galaxies. The new research shows that this estimate is at least 10 times too low.” Not planets but GALAXIES! They’ve been here all along. I’m reminded of another “discovery” when doctors thought that handwashing wasn’t necessary before going from one patient to the next with surgeries. A tragic story, but one we have certainly corrected now. “Dr. Semmelweis’ hypothesis, that there was only one cause, that all that mattered was cleanliness, was extreme at the time, and was largely ignored, rejected or ridiculed. He was dismissed from the hospital and harassed by the medical community in Vienna, which eventually forced him to move to Budapest.”
I love that I’ve been able to meet them all (the organs), claimed and unclaimed by science. I’ve held conversations with them, hearing their voice and meeting their requests, and sent the owner of those organs away with a better knowledge of self and the deep understanding that their being is a beautiful whole, not a separate set of entities.
I’ve read of shamans who divined the planets and DNA thousands of years before given a telescope or microscope. Although I am not a shaman, I love knowing that I knew what the Mesentery was, where it was located, it’s shape and color before ever seeing an image of this beautiful organ that resembles delicate fanned coral. We had already met. What a gift.
In closing, may you start this year caring more for your precious self and your whole being: the parts unknown and known, from your subtle energetic components down to the you that you can see and feel. I am here for you and have been caring for each beautiful part of you all along.
Jada, thank you for reading!

Much love,

Jada

What a month! Since I last wrote to you, with my “Keep calm and vote on” post, I’ve closed the chapter on working in San Francisco and launched myself into a flurry of activities to purge the woes of our world’s current affairs from my system: healing ceremonies, magnets on my head, massages, listening to frequencies, meditation, hula hooping and other modalities new to me, a few of which I’m sure would have you buckled over in laughter. Some things just require shucking my dignity! I literally feel I’ve grown a half inch taller. Could be that power hooping!
I’ve been working on this thing called “change”, the one thing within me that I’m able to control right now and the one thing I’ve found to be the hardest to do. Certain clients and family members have shared with me, at a certain point along their sessions with me, that “I can’t continue with any more healing. I won’t know how to manage my life if I continue on this path”, even though at the beginning of our sessions they'd stated, "I'll do anything to feel better again!"
I hear you. All too familiar with a few of my own “frozen” patterns, I can be a master-clinger! I confess I can feel like a nut case with a few of these, as I’ve been trying to shed them for over twenty years!
Here’s what I ask myself: How will I contribute to healing the world, offering my own micro efforts, if I can’t help myself? As I investigate and contemplate all that makes me stuck in this space, I came to a little epiphany: the thought that no one can love me like I can, therefore I won’t let anyone in to do so. Onto this though, I pile on my own survival myth: I must do this life on my own, alone, make my business work, make ends meet, and make history, just to prove Jada did it all on her own! Can you feel the fatigue in this? Well, I am over it!
Ultimately what has come out of this time of contemplation and exploration of healing modalities is that I’ve seen how my incremental changes have made a difference. I’ve experienced a richness in energetic shifts that have informed my technique. In turn, this has changed my clients’ interior atmosphere, and together, we’re experiencing what I call “the pace of grace.” So to all of you on the healing path, trust that you’re doing your part right now even if you’re lying on the sofa sobbing, or clinging to the face of Mt. Everest with icepicks!
I share this encouragement as we enter 2017 and leave 2016 behind. Know that the smallest acts of love and kindness are good for you and good for all.
Here’s a great article on 5 Reasons You Might Be Scared of Getting Better from someone who was really suffering:


Needing last minute Christmas gifts? Click here to print off an instant gift certificate for anyone you’ve been wanting to share my work with.


Happy Holidays Tanya, may they be full of light and love,

Jada