In the last article, we talked about how beautifully adaptable our bodies are—and how massage can provide new sensory information when we've gotten comfortable in patterns that may no longer be serving us.
But that curiosity doesn't have to stop when we get off the massage table.
Our everyday lives tend to ask us to repeat the same movements again and again. We sit. We stand. We walk forward. We reach for the same things. We stare at screens. We move through familiar patterns because they're familiar.
Now, my neighbors will tell you they see me walking backward through the neighborhood wearing a weighted vest. That's actually how some people recognize me. Grin.
Our bodies are capable of so much more than we sometimes give them credit for. Just as we vary the demands we place on our bodies when we're building strength, we can vary our movement—changing direction, position, range and even speed—to give our bodies different experiences.
We can rotate. Reach. Bend. Shift from side to side. Move forward and backward. Move slowly. Move with support. Combine movements in ways we may not have explored in years.
And you don't have to force any of it.
You can simply get curious.
What happens if I move this way?
Does it feel good?
Does it feel strange?
Is one direction easier than another?
Do I notice something I didn't notice before?
Maybe you love the movement. Maybe you don't.
That's information too.
We're not forcing the body to let go.
We're reminding it that it has choices.
Want to Explore?
That's exactly what we'll be doing in my Stretch & Relax class at That's the Rub.
While putting this class together, I had to teach myself how to squat deeply, sit in 90/90 and rotate my hips through a fuller range of motion.
At first, some of it was painful. I didn't force myself through the pain. I worked with where I was, practiced the fundamentals and gradually explored a wider range.
Now I can comfortably sit in a supported Seiza—something I thought I would never do after my ACL repair many years ago, I didn’t have the flexibility before my injury, at all. That was a lifetime ago.
Just because a movement hasn't been available to us for a long time doesn't necessarily mean it's gone forever. Sometimes we need to return to the fundamentals, work with the body we have today and give it time to discover what may still be possible.
This isn't about seeing how far you can stretch or forcing your body into positions it doesn't want to go. We can explore movement in different directions and slow things down enough to notice what we're experiencing.
Some movements may feel familiar. Others may feel completely new. You may discover an area that moves more freely than you thought—or one that's been quietly avoiding a particular direction for a very long time.
We're not looking for a right or wrong answer.
We're gathering information.
Stretch & Relax is limited to six people so there is room to explore, ask questions and receive individual attention.
If a group isn't your thing—or you have something specific you'd like to explore—I also offer one-on-one sessions where we can focus the movement around your body, your goals and your intentions.
And even if you never take the class or schedule a session, try something the next time you're moving:
Instead of asking how far you can go, ask what you notice. Then tell your massage therapist what you discovered.
You just gave us something new to explore together.
If you’ve been around That’s the Rub for very long, you’ve probably heard us talk about fascia.
And if you’ve worked with me, you’ve definitely heard me talk about it. Grin.
Fascia is connective tissue that creates a continuous network throughout the body. It surrounds and connects muscles, bones, organs and other structures. It helps transfer force, contributes to how we sense movement and position, and plays a role in how we experience what is happening within our bodies.
But what fascinates me most about fascia isn’t simply what it is.
It’s how beautifully adaptable it is.
Your body is constantly responding to the life you’re actually living.
Sit in the same position for hours every day? Your body gets really good at sitting there.
Move through the same handful of patterns? Your body learns those patterns.
Spend weeks clenching your jaw, lifting your shoulders or bracing your glutes because life has been...well, life?
Your body notices that too.
None of this means your body is doing something wrong.
It means your body is doing exactly what bodies do: adapting.
Our bodies are constantly working toward homeostasis—maintaining the internal conditions necessary to keep us functioning while adjusting to everything happening around us.
And maintaining function doesn't necessarily mean maintaining comfort.
Your body may recruit other muscles, change the way you stand or walk, restrict movement or create tension around an area that feels like it needs a little more protection.
Sometimes those adaptations become so familiar that we don't even notice them.
Until the hip hurts.
Or the shoulder doesn't move quite as freely.
Or the neck starts complaining every time you turn your head.
Instead of immediately asking, “What's wrong with me?” I think there's a much more interesting question:
What other options can we give your body?
Massage Can Change the Conversation
Massage is one way we can begin exploring that question.
Touch, pressure and movement provide sensory information to the nervous system while bringing our awareness to areas of the body we may not have been paying much attention to.
Sometimes that creates a really interesting experience.
My hip hurts occasionally. I'll mention it during my intake and tell my therapist where I've been feeling it. Then I get on the table, and they begin working, moving and exploring the area to see what we find.
And sometimes...nothing.
No pain.
No tender spot.
Nothing somewhere else that makes me say, “THERE IT IS!”
The hip that was definitely hurting before the massage simply isn't hurting anymore.
I'd love to tell you that happens every time. It doesn't.
But when it does, I'm reminded of something I tell my clients all the time:
Sometimes the body gets caught up in its own stories and forgets to let go.
That's not meant as a literal scientific explanation. It's the language I use to describe something we see in the treatment room all the time.
Our nervous systems are constantly gathering information and making decisions about movement, tension, comfort and protection. Protection is important. Keeping us alive is, after all, pretty high on the body's priority list.
But sometimes the information changes.
Massage gives us an opportunity to offer different input through touch, pressure, movement, increased circulation and awareness.
Maybe nothing changes.
Maybe something does.
Either way, we're paying attention.
If your body has been getting your attention lately, schedule a massage and give us something to explore together.
And join me in the next article, where we'll take this conversation off the massage table and explore how movement can give your body even more options.
September has a funny way of reminding us that change is happening all around us. The butterflies are becoming fewer, the flowers are beginning to fade, and the air is—blissfully—starting to chill out.
This perimenopause lady is grateful for the cooler weather. Grin.
The days have begun to shift. Schedules settle into new rhythms. We start thinking a little more about what we need, what we’ve been putting off, and where we might want a little more care, connection, or ease.
Around That’s the Rub, there are plenty of ways to find some of that this month. Our facials are back, with Maya and Ryn offering relaxing, customized experiences designed around what your skin—and the rest of you—needs that day. If your idea of self-care includes warm towels, soothing touch, refreshed skin, and a chance to simply be still for a while, this may be exactly the invitation you’ve been waiting for.
You can even schedule a facial and a massage and make it a spa day. We have robes and tea for just such an occasion.
We also have some great massage openings throughout the week.
Tuesdays are a wonderful opportunity to get on the schedule with Mike or Chris. Wednesdays bring some usually harder-to-find openings with Kevin or Terence, and Thursdays you may find time available with Mack or Noemi.
If you’ve been saying, “I really need to schedule a massage,” consider this your gentle reminder. And while we’re talking about connection, I’d love to invite you into another part of my world.
If you missed Bloomington’s First Friday Gallery Walk, my show, Articles of Connection: Between Shadow and Light, is still hanging at Gather through September 29.
Seeing the collection together is part of the experience. Each piece explores connection in a different way—the connection between body and emotion, between one experience and the next, between what we know about ourselves and what we are only beginning to notice.
When I stood back and looked at the collection as a whole, even I was moved by what I saw. I had never seen the pieces hung together before.
The work spans multiple series painted over the course of two years, yet somehow they all speak to each other. Together, they tell the story of my life in ways I didn’t fully see until they were all in the same room.
I found myself making new connections between their stories, seeing familiar pieces with fresh eyes. If you enjoy art, story, and noticing the connections that exist all around us, I think there is something there for you too. If you have a chance, stop in and spend some time with the collection before the show comes down at the end of September. I would love to hear about your experience. And if looking at art makes you wonder what might happen if you picked up the paintbrush yourself, there’s an opportunity for that too. My next Wellbeing Through Art 5-Week Journey begins Sunday, October 4. Register here: www.lisakeplingerwellbeing.com We’ll meet Sundays from 3–5 PM through November 1. You can participate in person—which is my favorite way to experience this work—or join us online. No art experience is necessary…really. You don’t need to know how to paint. You don’t need to consider yourself creative. And you definitely don’t need to make something pretty. We use art as a way to slow down, notice what’s happening inside us, work with places where we may feel stuck, see ourselves from a different perspective, and sometimes discover that throwing paint onto a canvas is simply ridiculously fun. All supplies are provided for in-person participants, and the groups are intentionally kept small so there is room for each person and whatever shows up along the way. Maybe that is the thread running through all of these things. Massage. Facials. Art. Community. It’s what That’s the Rub has always been about. Different ways of coming back into relationship with ourselves and with each other. Because healing, joy, curiosity, and sometimes a whole lot of laughter can happen when we give ourselves space to slow down and connect. And I don’t know about you, but I need a whole lot of that right now. Connection, as I’ve been learning again and again, changes things. That’s the Rub, Lisa
There’s always something happening around here, and this fall we have a few things we’re pretty excited to share.
Facials Are Back!
Beginning September 1, facials are returning to the menu at That’s the Rub.
We now have two people in-house offering facial services, which means you can once again give your skin — and yourself — a little extra attention.
As we move toward fall and eventually into the colder, drier months, it’s a great time to check in with your skin and give it a little pick-me-up.
And while healthier looking, refreshed skin is certainly part of the appeal, there’s another reason we love a good facial around here:
It feels really good.
There is something wonderfully relaxing about lying down and letting someone massage your face and scalp while you do absolutely nothing for a while. You leave knowing you’ve taken time to care for yourself — and you’ve had another trained set of eyes looking at your skin and noticing anything you may want to pay a little more attention to.
Facials will be available beginning September 1.
Call us or book online to schedule yours.
Curious About Craniosacral Therapy? This Is a Great Time to Try It.
Some of our therapists are currently studying their Craniosacral Therapy skills, which means we have Craniosacral Practice Sessions available at reduced pricing while they continue their training.
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle form of clothed bodywork. Rather than the pressure and movement you might associate with a traditional massage, sessions use gentle hands-on techniques and can be deeply relaxing.
People seek Craniosacral Therapy for many reasons, including stress reduction, chronic pain, headaches and migraines, TMJ-related discomfort, or simply because they want a quieter, gentler approach to bodywork and they can leave their cloths on.
Research is also beginning to support what Craniosacral Therapy practitioners and clients have experienced in the treatment room. Studies have found benefits for people living with chronic pain, including improvements in pain and physical function. Research specifically involving people with migraine has reported reductions in pain, frequency of migraine episodes, disability and medication use following Craniosacral Therapy.¹ ²
Of course, everybody and every session is different. Craniosacral Therapy isn’t about forcing change. It’s gentle, clothed bodywork that gives the body an opportunity to settle, soften and respond in its own time.
In our practice, we also recognize that bodies sometimes hold the effects of difficult or traumatic experiences. Craniosacral work offers a quiet, supportive environment in which the body can soften and release tension when it is ready.
If you’ve been curious about Craniosacral Therapy but haven’t tried it, these lower-cost practice sessions are an easy opportunity to experience the work while supporting our therapists as they expand their skills.
Call That’s the Rub for availability and practice-session pricing. 812-333-3393
And One More Thing...
I’ve been spending some of my time away from the massage table with a paintbrush in my hand.
On Friday, September 4, I’ll be sharing my body of work for the first time, Articles of Connection: Between Shadow and Light, during Gallery Walk at Gather in downtown Bloomington.
This series has grown over time into a visual journey exploring connection, change and what happens in the space between shadow and light. I’ll also have pieces that I painted prior to this exhibit so you can see how far I’ve come.
If you’re downtown that evening, I’d love for you to stop in, see the work and say hello.
Gallery Walk — September 4, 5–8 PM Gather, Downtown Bloomington
Facials. Craniosacral Therapy. Art.
Like we said, there’s always something happening around here.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Research & Further Reading
1. Haller H, Lauche R, Sundberg T, Dobos G, Cramer H. Craniosacral therapy for chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2020;21:1. The review included 10 randomized controlled trials involving 681 participants and found significant improvements in pain intensity and functional disability following Craniosacral Therapy.
2. Muñoz-Gómez E, et al. Effect of a Craniosacral Therapy Protocol in People with Migraine: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022;11(3):759. Participants receiving Craniosacral Therapy showed improvements in pain, migraine frequency, disability and medication use compared with sham treatment.
Once I could hear my body say no, I got curious about what else it had to say.
So, the conversations began.
I didn't start with the big stuff.
I started with eggs. How many eggs do I want for breakfast?
Do I even want eggs? Yes/No.
Pancakes? Yes/No.
Am I hungry yet? Yes/No.
It seems almost ridiculously simple, doesn't it?
I had spent a lot of my life listening to all the voices outside of me. The people who knew the best way to eat. The best time to exercise. The perfect morning routine. The habits successful people follow. The things I should be doing if I want to feel better, live better, be better.
You know the lists:
Get up early.
Meditate as soon as you wake up.
Get outside first thing in the morning.
Don't drink caffeine immediately.
Exercise this many times a week.
Eat this. Don't eat that.
And I'm not saying any of those things are bad advice. In fact, some of that has been wonderful advice for me.
It's great if it works for you.
But how do you know?
You can keep trying things until something sticks. That's certainly one way.
Is there another way to know? That question got interesting to me. So, I kept asking it.
What if, instead of trying to find the person with the perfect strategy for my life, I learned how to recognize what was right for me based on what they were showing?
I started asking my body little questions.
What kind of movement do I want today?
Do I want to walk? Yes, perpetually.
Lift something heavy? Yes, most definitely. Or sometimes, no.
Stretch? Yoga or just on my own?
Rest? Meditation? Or just lie there and stare at the ceiling? Yes, I do this.
Do I want music? Quiet?
People? Space?
And then I did the part that was much harder in the beginning…
I listened.
I followed.
Over time, the conversation became easier. I began to recognize the way my body communicates with me.
A tightening.
An opening.
Energy.
Heaviness.
Curiosity.
Resistance.
My body's own language.
These days, it's simply part of my everyday life. I wake up and say hello to my body.
Then I bring it with me into today.
Considering I've spent 26 years working with bodies, you'd think it wouldn't have taken me so long to wake up to my own.
It turns out, knowing a lot about the body and being in conversation with your own body are not the same thing. Who knew? grin
The more I listened to my own body, the more I thought about the way we listen to yours at That's the Rub.
And then I realized I've been asking a version of the same question for years.
What does this body need today?
Not what the last person with shoulder pain needed.
Not even necessarily what worked beautifully during your last massage.
What does your body need today?
Thus, what is your goal?
It's one of the reasons Advanced Therapeutic Massage came to be.
And, by the way, if you ever see a service called Advanced Therapeutic Massage somewhere else, please let me know.
I invented it.
So, they were trained by me. grin
After this many years as a massage therapist, I've learned so many modalities that I've probably forgotten the names of half of them.
I'm serious.
I didn't want to create a massage where I had to decide ahead of time that I was doing this modality or that technique.
I wanted the whole therapist to be allowed in the room.
Their education.
Their experience.
Their hands.
Their ability to listen and adapt.
So, I changed the traditional massage intake process just a little.
When you come into That's the Rub for any massage service, your therapist talks with you about what you want to achieve from your session.
They talk to you about how they work.
They describe their approach and the techniques that may be helpful.
And then, together, you customize the massage.
And I don't just mean spending a little longer on your shoulders.
We're really taking the time to consider what may be contributing to the issue and how we can address it in a way that supports the goal you came in with.
We may also offer suggestions about things happening in your everyday life that you haven't noticed.
The way you use your mouse.
How you sit at your desk.
The way you stand.
The things you do every single day without thinking about them because, well, you do them every single day.
Because your body is not a fixed thing.
A lot has happened to your body from the moment you were born until now. We take that into consideration while still meeting you exactly where you are today.
Adapting to stress and joy and illness and vacations and Tuesdays.
Your body may arrive with a completely different story than it had three weeks ago.
Our job is to listen to the story you're bringing in today.
We get curious.
We adapt.
We ask better questions.
We keep learning how your body navigates this world and support it as it adapts to what life is asking of it.
Maybe, with a little more ease in its own skin.
That's a pretty good way to spend a career if you ask me.
Maybe that's why I've become so fascinated with learning my own body's language.
I've spent 26 years teaching massage therapists to pay attention to the body in front of them.
Apparently, it was only a matter of time before I started having those conversations with my own body.
If you're looking for a partner in your healthcare—someone willing to listen, adapt, and work with you toward what you want to achieve—Team Rub is here with you every step of the way.
Bring the body you have today.
We'll start there.
That's the Rub,
Lisa
P.S. Save the date! I'm making my art debut in Bloomington.
Gallery Walk. Friday, September 4th, 5–8 p.m. at Gather.
Come see what I've been working on in the studio, grab an original art business card, and say hello.
Heck, you're even invited to buy my art if it resonates with you. grin
Every piece is an original. Only one person gets to call it their own.
You can see what else I've been up to at www.lisakeplingerwellbeing.com.
