Bodywork in the Pandemic Age
After over three months with my practice shut down, I have returned to work with joy and relief – which my clients seem to share. My...
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Emily Banner
- Oct 8, 2019
- 4 min
On Bicycles, Muscle Memory, and Making Changes that Last
I taught my son how to ride a bike last month, a week before his eleventh birthday. He got the hang of it quickly, perhaps because he...
22 views
Emily Banner
- May 28, 2019
- 3 min
No Apologies
A couple weeks ago, a client apologized to me for not having shaved her legs prior to her appointment. This sort of thing happens a lot —...
22 views
Emily Banner
- Aug 8, 2018
- 10 min
Spiritfire
Recently I had the opportunity to provide bodywork at Spiritfire, an annual four-day event that’s like a cross between a spiritual...
6 views
Emily Banner
- Jun 27, 2018
- 5 min
Even Here: On Learning Oncology Massage
In early June I went to Boston for a 4-day intensive course in oncology massage – that is, massage specially tuned to the particular...
7 views
Emily Banner
- Apr 25, 2018
- 3 min
A Sticky Situation (or, We Just Weren't Built for These Times, part two)
In my last essay, I posited that evolution shaped the human body and mind so that we are beautifully adapted to the world of 5000 years...
4 views
Emily Banner
- Mar 20, 2018
- 3 min
Too Much Information (or, We Just Weren't Built for These Times, part one)
We humans evolved over millions of years, via an almost unimaginably slow process. Anatomically modern humans have been around for...
3 views
Emily Banner
- Feb 23, 2018
- 3 min
Pathfinding
It’s February, and the media is full of headlines like, “Your New Year’s Resolution Didn’t Work, Now What?” The emphasis of these pieces...
3 views
Emily Banner
- Jan 18, 2018
- 4 min
What is Fascia?
I spend a lot of time these days talking about fascia. I study fascia, I work with fascia, I am a big ol’ fascia geek, and I could make...
11 views
Emily Banner
- Nov 3, 2017
- 2 min
From the Mouths of Babes
Not long ago, my nine-year-old son tried roller-blading for the first time, with some friends. He had a blast, and although he did fall...
3 views
Emily Banner
- Oct 24, 2017
- 4 min
Victims and Criminals: Decoding Chronic Pain
"Find the pain and look elsewhere for the cause." - John F. Barnes I’ll set the scene: a client comes to see me, complaining of chronic...
16 views
Emily Banner
- Sep 8, 2017
- 3 min
What's Normal?
One of the questions I hear most often from my clients is, “Is this normal?” They come to the question by many routes. Popular lead-ins...
3 views
Emily Banner
- Jul 12, 2017
- 3 min
Parasympathy (or, Self-Care in Interesting Times)
The term may not be familiar to you, but you already know about your sympathetic nervous system. At its most basic, it’s what causes your...
8 views
Emily Banner
- Mar 15, 2017
- 2 min
Why 'Embodywork'?
Well, to start with, I’ve always been a sucker for wordplay. But more importantly, that one (made-up) word encapsulates the journey I’ve...
41 views