Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 1

well-known. They offer brilliant opportunities for the
transformation of pain, fear, and trauma.
Many of these modalities I have learned through
formal education, but I will also be tapping other
community resources to offer you a variety of
approaches for your healing practices. One of my
main resources will be the Mind & Body Connection,
a well-established massage and bodywork clinic
in Siouxland. They also have an affiliated massage
therapy school called the Bio-Chi Institute. All of
the professional massage therapists at this clinic,
including myself, also work as teachers for the school.
As a group of teachers and healers, we have a wide
variety of approaches to healing including effective
and outcome-based bodywork, medicinal herbs,
hydrotherapy, and martial arts.
One of these practices I will introduce to you is fire
cupping, a traditional Chinese medicine practice
that aims to remove stagnation in the blood and
tissues and also stimulate the flow of vital energy, or
Chi. This practice safely utilizes the heat from a flame
to create a vacuum between a glass cup and the skin
of the body. The consequent suction has more than a
few therapeutic benefits that are especially cleansing
and clearing. The practitioner can also make a
selection from a variety of cupping techniques, each
with unique restorative effects on the body.
Another unique healing modality is therapeutic
partner yoga. This practice involves one partner
holding the other in passive yoga postures. Its
purpose is to stretch and decompress the body.
Partner yoga is especially healing and toning for
relationships because the two individuals develop a
connection in each posture enabling them to function
as one unit while also practicing communication and
trust skills. We will also investigate specific types of
medicinal cleanses as they relate to seasonal shifts
and the organs of the body.
These are just a few of the many different alternative
healing methods we will explore together, all of
which are mediums I have explored and learned
to love, especially during these times when our
collective struggles seem to feel so magnified. I
whole-heartedly believe that, as we discover selfhealing
and care, we can meet these challenges as a
whole community. We can become impassioned by
transformations we have seen within ourselves and,
with a full cup, give the gift of healing to the people
around us in our community.
It is my hope the information I have to offer feels
both objective and creatively motivational. This way,
you have plenty of space to decide the compatibility
of each modality with your self-care practices but
also feel safe and excited to experiment. I am deeply
grateful and eager to take this voyage of wellness
opportunities with you and hope we can harness this
opportunity to grow and heal together.
Siouxland Magazine | Balance /45
Emily Larson
Emily is a licensed massage therapist and private
yoga instructor at the Mind & Body Connection in
Sioux City, Iowa. With a Bachelor of Science degree
from Briar Cliff University in Kinesiology and Human
Performance, Emily also co-teaches the Anatomy
section for massage therapy students at the Bio-Chi
Institute. Most importantly, Emily is a mother to her
eight-year-old son, Noah.
Photo Credit (left page) Aurora Adams IG:
@auroraphoto. Photo Credit (this page) Gabby
Weber IG: @graycephotoco.
Therapeutic Acro with Noah.