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84 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k s e p te m b e r/o c to b e r 2 0 2 3 essential skills | SAVVY SELF-CARE Every day, we sprinkle our lives with tiny infusions of self-care acts that deliver reliable moments of bliss. Sometimes, it's preparing a nutritious meal for the family, taking a yoga class, or walking the dog. Other times, it's going to happy hour with friends. Recently, we've enjoyed using silicone cups as part of mini-facials (more about that in a bit). After years of practicing (and occasionally forgetting), we now consistently fortify our days with kind and caring acts directed toward ourselves, and we notice the specific type of nourishment we require is ever-changing, as is the shape and expression of our self-care style. Self-care is less about getting things right—or even getting things done— and more about leaning into what brings you reliable doses of joy. What activities or relationships bring you powerful moments of bliss—small or mighty? DISCOVER YOUR JOY TRIGGERS Can you imagine giving yourself reliable doses of bliss every day? Or, if you already do, are you ready to add to your repertoire of joy triggers? Grab your favorite writing tool, your curiosity, and answer the following four questions. 1. Enjoy a generous breath as you begin to write or list out loud: What do I love? For 5 minutes, create a list of all the things you love without editing yourself. Examples can include freshly cut flowers, a hot cup of Earl Grey tea, or the smell of grapefruit essential oil. Give yourself time to reflect and build your repertoire of joy triggers. 2. Think back to your childhood and adolescence and ask yourself: What did I do for fun? What activities interested you? What games did you play? Trigger your joy with memories of play and fun that you may have forgotten and may enjoy doing again. 3. Move back into the present: What am I most curious about now? What would you like to know more about or try doing for the first time? Perhaps this can inspire new joy triggers you've yet to discover that you can add to your daily self-care style. A Dose of Bliss with Self-Cupping Mini-Facials By Heath and Nicole Reed 4. If time and money were no object: What would my dream day look like? Engage your imagination and, with as much detail as possible, envision yourself experiencing your dream day. Allow all your senses to awaken. What does the air smell like? What's the texture under your feet? What do you hear? Feel all the feelings to bring that day into felt reality. A DOSE OF BLISS WITH A MINI-FACIAL For us, facials trigger joy! They make us feel luxurious, beautiful, and they simply feel good. It's a way for us to bring an element of play, fun, and care into our morning—and sometimes evening—routines. Perhaps it's something you would like to integrate into your self- care practice, or maybe it can inspire you to refresh how you infuse a dose of bliss into every day. Our combined love of facials and cupping led us to ask: Why not merge the two to create a dose of bliss in our self-care styles? If you're unfamiliar, facial cupping is a technique that uses small, f lexible silicone cups specially designed for the face. With the help of face oils and lotions, you can slide and glide the cups across your face to lift tissue and stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph. It is a simple, quick, and easy way to give yourself a mini-facial