Notes from the Nest - December 2012

A Grateful "Lucky Duck" Lands
With New January Infant Massage Courses
in Dobbs Ferry and Scarsdale,
In Family Homes around Westchester... and Connected on Facebook

(... and shares guilt-free, stress-busting "touch treats" for all ages.)

Gabrielle Mason - Lucky Duck Infant Massage

Launching my practice, I felt the pressure to make a big splash... only to be reminded that starting small can make all the difference.

Though lasting world peace may take some time, I believe empowered parenting and lovingly-connected kids are within reach of every mom's and dad's capable, caring hands.

I found this lovely gift from a client, mom of a six-week-old, in my "Lucky Duck" inbox this weekend: [We] had a good massage day. He happily let me massage his legs, feet and belly and gave me a few coos throughout. He was fussy before the massage with some tummy aches and unable to wind down. After the massage he was asleep in 5 minutes!

I couldn’t stop smiling all night after reading that email, thinking of this tiny guy so soothed by his mother's touch… it continues to blow my mind how something so seemingly small can have such power.

Though we live in a culture that often falls short on compassionate support for parents of new babies, the wonderful art – and science – of infant massage can help fill that gap. The Lucky Duck Infant Massage learning community offers "a little help from our friends" and I am so very grateful to play a supporting role.

In creating a new family, we create our own little world.
May yours be full of great joy and growing peace.

Gabrielle Mason, CEIM/CIMI
(& infant-massage mom since 2002)

Join us in January

* Scarsdale at Over the Moon Music & More Mondays at 1 (five weeks, beginning 1/7)
Sunday eves at 6 (five weeks, beginning 1/6)

* Dobbs Ferry at Rivertown Mamas
Fridays at 1 (five weeks, beginning 1/11)

Private/In-Home & Small Group Learning Available

Seeking an unforgettable new-baby gift that keeps on giving?

Lucky Duck Infant Massage Gift Certificates are now available for savvy-proud grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends, relatives, and parent partners.

Enjoy guilt-free, stress-busting "touch treats" for all ages.

If a high five or an equivalent can in fact enhance performance, on the field or in the office, that may be because it reduces stress. A warm touch seems to set off the release of oxytocin, a hormone that helps create a sensation of trust, and to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. [Areas in the brain] can relax, freeing them for another of their primary purposes: problem solving. In effect, the body interprets a supportive touch as "I’ll share the load."
From Evidence That Little Touches Do Mean So Much in The New York Times

And see #1 and #2 in Surprising Stress Fixes from Good Housekeeping:
More good news from the annals of affection: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently found that holding hands and hugging can measurably reduce stress.

▪ Like us on Facebook: Lucky Duck Infant Massage
▪ Forward to a Friend: Click here
▪ Subscribe: Click here
▪ Phone 917.494.5371
▪ Learn More at LuckyDuckInfantMassage.com