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The #1 Deep Tissue / Swedish Massage Therapist  Specialist in Santa Barbara, Ca

Get into the ZONE…the PARASYMPATHETIC Zone

Click this link for a diagram  that explains the parasympathetic nervous system

Before you continue PLEASE watch this video called " The Wounded Healer"....
.. fantastic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDLUR15Z9o8 Thanks to Michael Singer

My style of Deep Tissue Massage releases the body’s natural painkillers whereby it stimulates the release of endorphins, the morphine-like substances that the body manufactures into the brain and nervous system. Once that happens (your now in a parasympathetic state (This link is fabulous information for Dr. Randy H. the dentist) “rest and digest”) I then go to work on your sore or injured area to break up the damaged fibrous adhesion’s which are spread randomly though out a muscle’s tissue thus increasing blood flow, oxygen, strength, flexibility and tissue re-building. I use a variety of modalities to accomplish this:

Swedish: This is your basic massage modality which incorporates long gentle strokes to increase blood flow to and from the muscles.

Myofascial Release: This technique involves slower and deeper pressure into the muscle tissue to assist in breaking up adhesions and scar tissue in the muscle.

Neuromuscular Release, NMT, Neuromuscular Re-Education, Body Pattern Synchronization (Call it what you want… everybody gives it their own name but we are all trying to do the same thing): This technique is “point-specific” work which targets muscle adhesions, muscle spindles in the belly of the muscle, trigger points that restrict normal flow of the nervous system to the muscles. Once the adhesions are broken up the client usually experiences an increase in range of motion, strength, and speed.

Active Range of Motion: This technique is a stretching modality which takes the client through his or her normal range of motion to assist motor control and aids in the reduction of scar tissue and muscle adhesions.

Active Isolated Stretching: This technique involves stretching which incorporates a process called reciprocal inhibition to stretch the muscle as well as increase kinesthetic awareness of the body.

The key to “My STYLE” is an aggressive approach combined with sustained pressure ( increasing Ischemic blood supply) over time.

(This diagram link explains this process)

If you appreciate high quality EXTREME bodywork, if you are a serious athlete or a weekend warrior then you have finally found your deep tissue massage therapist.

Nicola Chris-topher Bandak (aka – Nick, Chris or Banduechy…so named by his handball buddies) is a California State Licensed and Insured CMP (Certified Massage Practitioner) Professional BODY WORKER, by APPOINTMENT ONLY, Last Minute Appointments are OK.

The beautiful flower arrangement below was done by Ti de L’ Arbre

Amazing “On the EDGE” Therapeutic DEEP TISSUE Healing Massages

5 ★★★★★ Ratings plus I offer senior discounts.

❶Nicola offers Amazing Deep Tissue,  Barefoot, Sports, Swedish, Reflexology, Chair Massage, Tui Na and Chi Nei Tsang Lymphatic Drainage bodywork. He also offers Healing Massage for Depression and Anxiety.

✔Intro. On-Line In-Call Special 1 1/4 hr $50.00     Click on this link to Print my  On-Line Coupon offer

Save Time and Download 1st Visit Intake Form HERE

Nicola is a practicing licensed and insured professional Certified Massage Practitioner ( State Certification # 7239 ) and freelance artist based in Santa Barbara, CA. Nicola has a wide range of female and male clients from athletes, artists, business people, educators, construction workers, house wives and tourists. He is very flexible in scheduling appointments either at his studio which is located in the San Roque area in Santa Barbara.  He can also make professional appointments at Holistic Centers in Santa Barbara, Buellton, Key2Fitness or can make home or out call visits in the Tri – Counties. He also works with other local area professional massage therapists and can schedule male and female therapists to come to your home for a couple’s massage. Maybe you own a business with a large group of people or have a large party of people.  Nicola can organize as many therapists as you need to accommodate your specific needs.

What does Riktr mean?

Derived from “Off the Richter Scale” meaning that something is excellent, very good, over the top, on the edge, awesome, cool, da bomb, fantastic, hot or amazing.

Nice Quotes:

The strongest of all warriors are these two: Time and Patience.– Leo Tolstoi

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.- Napolean Hill

If only we arrange our life according to that principle which counsels us that we must always hold to the difficult, then that which now still seems to us the most alien will become what we most trust and find most faithful. – Rilke (Rilke on love an other difficulties-translations and considerations of Rainer Maria Rilke by John J. L. Mood)

I tell you that I have a long way to go before I am –where one begins… – Rilke

Resolve to be always beginning—to be a beginner. -Rilke

” The harder you work, the luckier you get.” – Gary Player, golfer

“Nothing happens until something moves.” Albert Einstein

As Dr. Rolf said, “Put the tissue where it should be and then ask for movement.”

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion. – Buddha

Click here for: other nice quotes

FYI: Where does Riktr’s healing energy come from: These pictures say it all.

Check out this video called “Angelic Human Race”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDLUR15Z9o8

(See 101 Names of God)

Check out this video called “Healing the Hearts of Humanity”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aKcvgTvIMQ&feature=related

Check out this video called “The Awakening of The Cosmic Heart (The Core Rainbow)”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-YbHlBKtU&NR=1

Check out these links for Healing Sounds!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73J05gjmMgw

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=HEALING+SOUNDS&aq=f

MASSAGE IS

M—Message of caring
A—Aesthetics for the body
S—Sacred touch
S—Soothing of tension
A—Anthology for the body
G—General healing
E—Energy balanced

Massage Is a …

Healing time for regeneration.
Special time for individuation.
Quiet time for imagination.
Restful time for gratification.
Sacred time for reflection.
Sensational time with an exclamation!

by Joan Donato

CitySlick local ads and coupons. Find Health Care Deals Deals!

Ramdom Acts of Kindness –

Following are thirty inspirational quotations on kindness. Adding one each day to a calendar or to-do list will serve as a reminder to be kind; opportunities will be plentiful.

Inspiring Kindness Quotes

• Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain
• No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~Aesop
• For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. ~Audrey Hepburn
• Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless. ~Mother Teresa
• Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love. ~Gandhi
• It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahil Gibran
• Choose being kind over being right, and you’ll be right every time. ~Richard Carlson
• Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out. ~Frank A. Clark
• When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. ~Dalai Lama
• Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Philo
• Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. ~James Matthew Barrie
• How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it! ~George Elliston
• Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profundity. Kindness in giving creates love. ~Lao-Tse
• Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how. ~Author Unknown
• To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue… gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. ~Confucius
• I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. ~Maya Angelou
• All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others. ~Danny Thomas
• When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel. ~Harold Kushner
• Deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments. ~Talmud
• If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama
• Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. ~Og Mandino
• Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone: Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own. ~Adam Lindsay Gordon
• Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. ~Barbara De Angelis
• Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia
• Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~Scott Adams
• Kindness trumps greed: it asks for sharing. Kindness trumps fear: it calls forth gratefulness and love. Kindness trumps even stupidity, for with sharing and love, one learns. ~Marc Estrin
• So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox
• Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. ~Robert Brault
• If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope
• Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are. ~Author Unknown

from http://www.suite101.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvG1iVw8IjQ&feature=related

Nicola Bandak, Nick Bandak, CMP, Santa Barbara Licensed Massage Therapist Pictures, Images, Santa Barbara, Ca. Santa Barbara Massage. Massage Santa Barbara, Ca. Deep Tissue massage Santa Barbara. Swedish Massage Santa Barbara. Barefoot massage Santa Barbara. Sports massage Santa Barbara, Ca.

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Search AMAZON for what you need! Need a FOAM Roller?

Click on these links and search for anything on Amazon.

Foam Rollers

Your basic foam roller.

Click on this links to buy foam rollers.

A nice looking green marble foam roller.

Click on this links to buy foam rollers.

♫ Celtic Women – Some of the most beaufiful heart felt ♫ music on the planet!

Click on this link to take you to a selection of Celtic Woman Video’s

I offer discounted Massage for Veterans and PTSD

The reason I make this offer is that my grandfather was a veteran in WW 1 / WW 2 and was one of the nicest persons in the world and has had a great influence on me. I’m going to post his picture here as soon as I can find it. I found it.

I now offer discounted therapeutic massage to members of the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan or any part of the Armed Services. Proof of deployment or service required. $50.00 for a 1 1/2 HR. SAVE $55.00. Integrative Massage for Veterans. Call for details. Nicola, CMP, 805-637-7482

“Many studies indicate that more frequent and more intense involvement in combat operations increases the risk of developing chronic PTSD and associated mental health problems,” reads a statement on the Web site of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Initial evidence indicates that combat operations in Iraq are very intense. Soldiers in Iraq are at risk for being killed or wounded themselves, are likely to have witnessed the suffering of others, and may have participated in killing or wounding others as part of combat operations. All of these activities have a demonstrated association with the development of PTSD.”

The site (www.rehab.research.va.gov) contains numerous short articles on massage therapy and additional types of body therapies, as well as on chronic pain and PTSD. Topics include:

• Massage therapy as a nonpharmacological intervention for chronic pain;
• Massage and bodywork as complementary therapies for vets with HIV/AIDS;

Medical Massage for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Good links:

http://www.massagemag.com/Magazine/2007/issue135/OE_Vets.php

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Posttraumatic stress disorder

Healing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The Therapeutic Relationship in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

A growing awareness is emerging among massage therapists and other healthcare workers that traumatic experiences are widespread. It is very common for people who have been traumatized to develop medical and psychological symptoms associated with their experience. People that experience or witness life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents or violent personal assaults often re-live these experiences over and over again. This can occur through:

• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Difficulty sleeping
• Feelings of detachment or estrangement
• Development of physical pain from the mental/emotional impact of the event

see the rest of this article at: The Therapeutic Relationship in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Massage for Hepatitis C, HIV-positive massage clients

HIV and hepatitis C are most efficiently communicated through blood or sexual fluids. They do not occur in large enough amounts of saliva, sweat, urine, or other accessible fluids to be considered communicable in this form. Avoids open lesions (on the therapist and client) and wash your surfaces (table, linens, bottles, hands, clothing) carefully, there is zero risk of contracting or transmitting either HIV or hepatitis C to clients or family.  But is is always good to have the client get an written OK from an MD. Also have good hand washing techniques and clean off all surfaces and oil bottles before you treat the client.  For your sake: make sure to wash your hands well, and if your client has any pimples, boils, odd appearing marks on their body, let them know that they are present, and avoid them just in case they ooze out any body fluids.

Here’s some  great links: (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/RR/RR5011.pdf)

Hepatitis C: The Silent Epidemic

Hepatitis C

Massage Therapy for HIV/ Aids

Massaging HIV positive persons poses NO risk

What is Functional Dysphonia and why get massage for FD.

The voice condition Spasmodic Dysphonia is defined as momentary disruption of the voice caused by involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the larynx (or voice box). The term spasmodic dysphonia loosely means bad voice caused by spasms of the larynx. This description of the voice problem makes no assumptions about the cause.

The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and many doctors say there can be several causes of spasmodic dysphonia. The National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association, however, holds that spasmodic dysphonia by definition is a focal dystonia, an incureable neurologic disorder probably caused by a malfunction of the basal ganglia portion of the brain.

There is no diagnosic test for spasmodic dysphonia, regardless of the suspected cause. Based on how the voice sounds, doctors have described two types: adductor, where the vocal folds close too tightly, and abductor, where the vocal folds do not close completely. While much is written about the different types, both problems are an imbalance of airflow and vocal cord vibration. (see the rest of this article at: http://www.spasmodicdysphonia.us/

What is Dysphonia

With A Quick Throat Massage, A Voice Returns by Gretchen Cuda

PDF] MUSCLE TENSION DYSPHONIA

640 muscles of the human body

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Why get massage for TOS?

Definition:
The thoracic outlet is the area of the shoulder/neck where the nerves (brachial plexus) and blood vessels (subclavian vessels) pass from the cervical area toward the axilla.  Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) are a set of symptoms due to compression and/or irritation of these vessels and nerves.  There is much controversy among physicians and diagnosing this syndrome is very difficult.  It is often confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, brachial plexus syndrome, rotator cuff syndrome and bursitis. Always see your MD or a MD specialist for diagnosing this syndrome and getting the OK for deep tissue massage first.

Massage Treatment Goals: Release adhesion’s causing nerve entrapment, reduce muscle spasming or contractures causing nerve entrapment.

1. Work all muscles of the shoulder, neck and upper back; Scalenes, Trapezius, Sternocleidomastoid (SCM), Pectoralis major and minor, Subclavius, Rhomboids.  Use Trigger Point therapy.
2. Correct postural deviations.  Look at the whole body and see how the shoulders and neck are influenced by the lower body.
3. Re-educate and increase awareness of posture.

If there was one repetitive strain injury that was most dependent on good posture, then Thoracic Outlet Syndrome would be it.  It is important that you correct any posture imbalances that you may have, whether in a sitting posture or in a standing position. This provides a more open pathway for the passage of the brachial plexus and should significantly reduce your symptoms. It is almost impossible, however, to correct poor posture without also releasing adhesion’s that are affecting the muscles and interfering with their work.

Good links for information on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome:

1. http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/thoracic_outlet

2. http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/PatientEd/Materials/PDFDocs/exer-reh/physical/thoracic-2.pdf

3. thoracic outlet syndrome exercises

4. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Self Care Tips

5. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 1

6. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 2

7. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 3

7A. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 4

8. Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)

9. Brachial Plexus

Books: Read Eckhart Tolle

Amazon as a great selection of new and used books. Click the link:

Why get Massage for STRESS

Got STRESS?

Human beings need to be touched, beginning at birth and all throughout life. More than a luxury, Therapeutic Massage has become a vital part of living a healthier, less stressful, pain free life. Massage is one of the best antidotes for stress. Reducing stress leaves you with more energy, decreases the possibility of injury and illness, and improves your outlook on life.

Great information from The American Institute of Stress

Massage Therapy for Stress Relief and Much More

The Miracle of Massage

6 Lessons for Handling Stress

How Stress effects your Brain

Yale University article on Stress

Stress: Your brain and body

How Stress Affects Your Memory

How Does Stress Affect the Brain

Music and Your Body: How Music Affects Us and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health

Understanding Stress

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