Mg Cupping: heal what ails you

As the days grow colder and shorter, many of us notice the body beginning to draw inward. Less sunlight, cooler air, and the shift from daylight savings can leave us feeling tense, low on energy, or more susceptible to seasonal imbalances.

This is a perfect time to introduce cupping sessions as a means to improve circulation, release tension, and help the body adapt to the colder months with ease. Cupping draws stagnate blood to the surface so that energy and warmth can move more freely again, creating space to breathe, soften, and reset.

At TB, our Magnesium Cupping Sessions combine traditional cupping therapy with the transdermal benefits of magnesium, providing the body both decompression and nourishment. If you’ve been curious about cupping or magnesium therapy, here’s what to know before your first session.

Q: What happens during a cupping session?

Cupping uses gentle suction to lift the skin and connective tissue, creating space for fresh circulation and release. The light decompression helps relax tight muscles, ease tension, and support lymphatic flow. According to TCM, this process moves Qi and Blood, freeing areas where energy has become stagnant. Many people describe a soothing sensation of warmth and expansion as the cups work. The experience is deeply grounding, leaving the body lighter and more at ease.

Q: Why magnesium?

Magnesium is essential for overall health, yet most adults are deficient without realizing it. Low magnesium levels can contribute to muscle tightness, fatigue, restlessness, and poor sleep, symptoms that often surface during colder months.

Topical magnesium allows the body to absorb this vital mineral through the skin, bypassing digestion and going directly to the tissues that need it most. Our handcrafted Mg EASE formula combines highly absorbable magnesium with nutrient-rich, grass-fed tallow, a traditional ingredient known for its compatibility with the skin’s natural structure. Together, they deliver deep muscular relaxation and nervous system support while nourishing and softening the skin.

Q. What are the benefits of a Magnesium Cupping Session?

Cupping is incredibly effective at treating chronic pain, decreasing inflammation in the body, helping to release tension, accelerating the healing of respiratory conditions, lowering cortisol levels and promoting deep relaxation, enhancing circulation and supporting immune function and much more.

Q: Who is cupping for?

Cupping is for anyone who feels weighed down by tension or fatigue and wants to feel more at home in their body. It is especially supportive in the fall when the body naturally contracts and holds stress and better prepares the immune system for the winter months ahead. Cupping benefits those experiencing chronic tightness, sluggish circulation, or the subtle heaviness that often comes with seasonal change.

When paired with magnesium, cupping becomes an even more powerful reset for the muscles and nervous system. The combination helps move stagnation, warm the tissues, and restore balance from within.

Q: What happens after the cups come off?

When the cups are removed, the skin may appear pink, red, or purple depending on how much stagnation was present. In TCM, these marks are seen as indicators of blocked circulation finally moving again. They are not bruises and typically fade within a few days. With regular sessions, these areas often clear more quickly as the tissues regain balance.

After a cupping session, it’s common to feel lighter, calmer, and more open. The body continues to respond for hours, sometimes days, as circulation improves and the nervous system settles. Rest and hydration help extend the benefits of your treatment.

Q. Why a Mg Cupping Package?

While one cupping session will leave you feeling relaxed and replenished, the greatest benefits come with consistency. With regular sessions, ideally once a week at first, the body releases tension, circulation opens, and magnesium helps the body restore and reset. As balance returns, sessions can be spaced out, supporting that grounded, replenished feeling through the season.

For a limited time we are offering a Mg Cupping Package. Purchase a Package of FIVE Mg Cupping sessions and save $50. Normally $400, available now for $350. *Offered exclusively with Ella Feist.

Does Your Nervous System Need a Reset?

Modern life keeps us in Most of us move through our days in a constant state of “doing”. We think, plan, and respond, often without noticing how much we’re holding. Beneath the surface, our nervous system is quietly working to keep us balanced, deciding when to act, when to rest, and how to recover.

When our nervous system gets stuck in high alert, the body forgets how to come back down. Muscles tighten, breath shortens, and sleep, digestion, and mood can all begin to feel off balance. Over time, this constant state of activation can leave us feeling depleted or disconnected from ourselves and, more often than not, this dysregulated nervous system leads to dis-ease.

Your nervous system controls how you respond to stress, how well you sleep, and even how your body heals. When it’s balanced, you feel calm, focused, and resilient. But when the nervous system is stuck in “overdrive,” your body may stay tense and your mind restless. This constant state of activation can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, or disconnected Over time, this can leave us feeling depleted or disconnected from ourselves and, more often than not, this dysregulated nervous system leads to dis-ease..

Many people overlook the signs that their nervous system needs support, assuming that their symptoms are just “stress” or “burnout.” In reality, these signals are your body’s way of asking for a nervous system reset, a chance to break free from survival mode and return to balance.

At Therapeutic Bodywork, our overarching mission and the focus of each service, is to help reset your nervous system, bringing you back to a sate of balance. Whether you in for acupuncture, reflexology, massage, craniosacral or a facial, each treatment is designed to allow space for deep breaths and rest - exactly what the nervous system needs to reset.

One of the most powerful ways to communicate with the nervous system is through the breath. Each breath sends a signal, to heal, or to defend. Shallow, quick, or held breaths tell the body it is still in danger. Inflammation rises, and the body’s natural repair process slows down. When the breath deepens and slows, especially through the diaphragm, the vagus nerve is gently stimulated, inviting the body into its “rest and digest” state, the place where true healing begins. Each breath becomes a reminder that you are safe. When the breath is steady, everything else begins to find rhythm too: digestion, energy, hormones, and emotional balance.Outside of the treatment room, simple, mindful habits can help keep your nervous system balanced. Conscious breathing practices, nourishing meals, gentle movement, and small pauses throughout the day all send a message of safety to the nervous system.

To further support the nervous system, Vagus Synergy Support is a 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oil wellness blend. Formulated to ease stress, support digestion, boost energy and focus, and support cardiovascular function, it helps ground the nervous system and gently nurture the vagus nerve. Used consistently, it becomes a simple, supportive tool to reinforce balance and calm between treatments.

Every offering in our space works toward the same purpose: to help you feel grounded, clear, and at ease in your own skin. Through intentional care and consistent support, the body remembers what it feels like to move freely between effort and ease. Resilience grows, balance returns, and the healing that begins on the table continues to ripple outward, within you, and into the community we are proud to serve.

Breathe, Release, Renew in Autumn

Autumn carries a quiet rhythm you can feel in your body. We settle into routines, the beaches are less crowded, and leaves start falling one by one. Like the ebb and flow of the tides, each breath, each wave, and each falling leaf reminds us that letting go is part of the natural cycle.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Autumn corresponds to the Metal element, governed by the Lungs and Large Intestine. The Lungs draw in air and distribute Qi throughout the body; supporting vitality, immunity, and the skin. The Large Intestine receives and eliminates, working in tandem to maintain the body’s balance.

The Lungs, often called the “tender organ”, are easily affected by external factors like dryness and wind, as well as internal ones, like grief and loss.

When the Metal Element is balanced the skin is nourished and glowing, breath feels open and full, and immunity is resilient. There is a sense of ease in the body, steady energy throughout the day and a natural ability to release grief while staying grounded.

When the Metal Element is unbalanced we may feel fatigued, emotionally heavy, and more sensitive to seasonal changes. Our energy feels scattered, while everyday tasks can feel draining. Often times imbalance can present with symptoms such as dry skin, constipation, and difficulty processing emotions, especially grief.

Autumn invites us to align with it’s natural rhythm by breathing fully, hydrating generously, and practicing the art of letting go with steadiness and care. Find balance this season with these tips below:

Diet

• Moistening foods: Pears, apples, and sweet potatoes bring gentle hydration to balance autumn dryness. A drizzle of honey adds soothing sweetness to calm the throat and support the lungs.

• Warm, simple meals: Soups, roasted vegetables, and mineral-rich broths ground the body and support easy digestion. Garlic, ginger, and onion help move Lung Qi, open the sinuses, and keep circulation strong.

• Drink for balance and immunity: Warm teas or hot water with lemon hydrate and restore. Fire Tonic: The Lungs and Rowe Casa’s Antioxidant Infusion provide an added layer of seasonal protection for the immune and respiratory systems.

Lifestyle

• Embrace daily rhythms: Consistent sleep, meal times, and gentle routines conserve energy as the days grow shorter.

• Protect against dryness & wind: Cozy scarves shield the chest and neck, while Nasya Oil nourishes nasal passages. Daily use of Environ’s A, C & E Body Oil locks in moisture, keeping skin soft and hydrated through the dry months.

• Breathe and release: Slow, deep breathing practices like Box Breathing calm the nervous system and strengthen lung function. Its steady rhythm mirrors the natural ebb and flow of the season, guiding the body to receive fully and let go naturally.

Activity

• Strengthen Lung Qi with Acupuncture: Treatments enhance immunity, open the respiratory system, and support grief relief while protecting the lungs during the dry, cooler season.

• Support release with Manual Lymphatic Drainage: Gentle, rhythmic techniques encourage the body’s natural detox pathways, reduce stagnation, and mirror autumn’s call to let go, creating space for renewal and bringing lightness to the mind, body, and spirit.

• Step into renewal with Mg EASE Reflexology: Focused on lung and digestive reflex points, this magnesium-infused session helps the body release stagnation and supports autumn’s natural rhythm of release as well as physical and emotional renewal.

• Replenish skin and calm the nervous system: Hydrating Facials restore moisture and radiance, while CranioSacral Therapy calms the nervous system offering grounding, clarity, and a gentle sense of letting go.

Autumn reminds us that letting go is part of transformation. Like the tide receding to make space for the next wave, or leaves falling to nourish the soil, release is an essential rhythm of renewal.

Late Summer Blues? Support Your Earth Element

Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes this time of year (late August - late September) as the 5th season, the Late Summer season. While the shortest in length of the five seasons, Late Summer is significant in terms of the profound shifts we feel. As we move away from the hot, long days of summer and yang energy, we start to feel the subtle shift towards cooler days of fall and the reintroduction of yin (quiet, slow) energy. This transitional period can bring up feelings of melancholy and sadness as the summer winds down. If you’ve always felt a little sad this time of year, you’re not alone.

Late Summer season is associated with the Earth element and the Spleen and Stomach, which are responsible for processing not only food but also emotions and experiences. When your Earth element is imbalanced, you may have more feelings of worry or feel more anxious. Additionally, when the Spleen is weakened, it will lead to overthinking and melancholy.

Supporting yourself with these simple tips below can help improve your mental and emotional well being over these next several weeks:

Get Grounded: Simply walking barefoot on the earth, or sitting outside in nature will help balance our Earth element and bring you back to your center, creating a feeling of being grounded.

Sing: Singing isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the Spleen. Sing in the shower, belt out your favorite tune in the car and you’ll move stagnate energy in the body and help harmonize your Spleen.

Warm it Up: Keep your Spleen in balance by limiting cold, raw foods. Think less salads and smoothies and more warm, cooked foods. Moving towards warmer foods this time of year will better support your Spleen and in turn help your emotional well being.

Deep Breaths: Grounding back in to your body after a season of go, go go, will help support anxiety or worry. Take a few minutes daily for some deep belly breathing. Or get on any one of our tables to balance your Earth element and reconnect with yourself.

Acupressure: Stimulating Stomach 36 can lift feelings of heaviness or depression. Help ease digestion and the combat the blues by working this area on the lateral side of your lower leg. Gentle pressure for 1-2 minutes daily can help harmonize your Earth element.

With a few simple rituals, you can better support your body and therefore your emotional well being through this profoundly transitional season of Late Summer. As always, we are here at Therapeutic Bodywork to support you through it all.

Grounded in the Glow of Late Summer

We are all starting to feel it, the heat is still with us, but something in the air is shifting. The light has softened, the gardens are heavy with fruit, and the pace, though still warm and bright, begins to draw us gently inward. Yang begins to yield to Yin, bringing with it a lingering dampness. Late Summer season is that sweet in-between: a pause between the high energy of summer and the crisp newness of autumn.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is The Fifth Season - Late Summer - governed by the Earth element and anchored in the Spleen and Stomach. Earth energy invites us to center, nourish, and ground ourselves. It’s the season of ripening—when we “digest” not just food, but all we’ve taken in over the past months, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When Earth is balanced, we feel steady, clear, and supported. Digestion flows easily, our mind feels focused, and we move through life with a sense of satisfaction and stability.

When unbalanced, the Spleen’s emotion, thought, can tip into overthinking or worry. This often shows up as fatigue, anxiety, digestive upset, or even a lack of self-care and boundaries. The damp heat of this time of year can also show up as swelling, sluggishness, or skin congestion.

Late Summer is our opportunity to reset and realign, supporting the body’s center so we can move into autumn feeling calm, centered, strong, and grounded.

Ground in the glow of late summer and stay centered with these seasonal tips:

Diet

• Support Your Digestion – This is the season to favor cooked, warm, and easy-to-digest foods over icy drinks or heavy raw meals, which can burden the Spleen and Stomach.

• Embrace Seasonal Sweetness – In TCM, the “sweet” flavor (think naturally sweet, not refined sugar) nourishes Earth. Enjoy ripe peaches, melons, cherries, corn, and sweet potatoes in moderation.

• Damp-Draining & Balancing Foods – Incorporate mushrooms, celery, radish, zucchini, asparagus, spinach, and seaweed to help clear excess dampness from the body. Cooling proteins like turkey, white fish, clams and lentils support balance in late summer heat.

• Breakfast with Intention – Between 7–9 am, the Stomach’s energy is strongest. Start the day with a warm, substantial breakfast such as congee, oatmeal, or eggs with greens.

• Daily Digestive Allies – Fire Cider’s: The Digestive and Adrenal Support help strengthen the body’s resilience and keep digestion flowing during seasonal transitions.

Lifestyle

• Find Your Center – Earth energy thrives on routine. As summer’s spontaneity begins to shift, reestablish regular meal times, restful sleep, and daily routines that ground you.

• Mindful Intake—Beyond Food – The Spleen and Stomach also “digest” information and experiences. Too much thought or worry can drain this system. Reduce excess screen time, step back from draining news cycles, and choose content that uplifts and inspires. Take some time to sit in stillness. Try our Shower Affirmations Cards: Grounding for a simple way to weave stability into daily self-care.

• Nurture & Be Nurtured – Late Summer calls us to both give and receive care. Share meals with loved ones, visit your local farmers’ market, or spend slow, meaningful time with people who fill your cup.

• Calm the Nervous System – Charlotte’s Web: Calm Gummies and Loosely Teas: The Calm offer daily support for stress and anxiety, helping to quiet the mind, ease overthinking, and bring the body back to balance.

Activity

• Move in the Morning – Between 9–11 am, the Spleen’s energy is strongest, making this an ideal time for gentle but strengthening movement—yoga, Pilates, walking, or light resistance work to keep muscles and circulation vibrant.

• Seasonal Reset with Acupuncture – Late Summer is the perfect moment to support your Spleen and Stomach with Seasonal Acupuncture. These treatments ease worry and overthinking and anxiety, improve digestion, strengthen immunity, giving you a sense of calm and balance.

• Seasonal Skincare Reset – Sun and humidity can leave late summer skin dull or congested. Our Vibrance-C Brightening Facial is the perfect treatment to revive and brighten summer’s sun-kissed skin, leaving you looking and feeling firmer, more radiant, and refreshed.

• Replenish with Magnesium – Our locally made Mg EASE formula blends bio-available magnesium with nutrient-rich grass-fed tallow for deep absorption. Magnesium supports over 300 biochemical functions—including muscle recovery, sleep quality, and stress resilience—making it an ideal ally for the Earth season. Our Magnesium Series includes Magnesium Cupping, Mg EASE Reflexology & Mg EASE Massage.

Late Summer is Earth season: a time to pause, nourish, and strengthen your center. By supporting your Spleen and Stomach, you not only ease digestion but also calm worry, clarify thought, and reestablish the boundaries that help you thrive.