It’s like our bodies are a soft machine. Parts. Systems. Functions. It’s like that. But we are so not a machine with parts, systems and functions.

We are more like an ecosystem, where every aspect is alive, interdependent, interactive.

They say we come from the ocean. That life emerged as watery cells from the ocean. And we are still fluid. A living, breathing sack of life, in the best of ways, where every part lives and thrives in the moist environment.

Just as we listen to the shell to hear the waves of the ocean, so too, if we listen to our living being we hear the waves of the ocean. Our very breath is the ocean. The waves. Rising and falling. The in breath, pulling back into the ocean, the out breath rushing onto the shore of the world.

While studying structural integration with brilliant bodywork pioneer Tom Myers, and receiving structural integration myself both in class and out of class, I woke up to an extraordinary experience where I felt so integrated, so unimpeded, that the movement of my diaphragm in breath felt like it was stretching my whole being. As my diaphragm stretched downward with the in breath, I felt my whole upper body stretching along with it, and as it released with the outbreath, I felt my whole lower body release with it.

I lay in awe while I experienced this integrity of breathing I’d never consciously known before – while the concepts of the class swam about my mind – and I coined the phrase “Oceanic Breath”. The date? Around 2006.

We freeze as humans, more than we know, ten times more than we know, a thousand times more. Mammals that we are, we have instinctive responses that have served to protect life, as simply, as protecting the ability to reproduce. Freezing in the face of apparent danger or threat is a core element of survival. Our humble and too often maligned possums demonstrate that with drama.

With humans, our freezing could look like being frozen into stone by Medusa, but more often it is a frozen layer – as if we were thousand layer cakes, or ten layer lasagna – one or more of our layers of being – skin, faschia, muscle – stiffens and stops, hardens like dried spaghetti, able to be softed by warmth and water.

We can smile, move, act as if we are fine, but inside a little part of us, and sometimes a big part of us has frozen – in some level of immobility.

The best, the primary, the most powerful and accessible resource we have to restore our vitality (and with it, our ease, flexibility, resourcefulness) is our breath, our oceanic breath. The quality of breath that rocks our being like in a cradle, that rises and falls like gentle ocean waves, unceasing. Our breath has the ability to touch, move, stretch and enliven every living element within our oceanic beings.

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A. McGaha, LMBT 5886 first studied massage and bodywork in 1977 in Northhampton, Massachusetts, with various teachers including Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. in 2005 she completed a one year training program in therapeutic massage from The Body Therapy Institute in central North Carolina.

Reserve your appointment today by calling 919-741-9449. We

Not all massages are created equal. When you want the best, call Apex Massage for Women.

Anora has studied with a few of the top bodywork practitioners in the world, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen of the School for Body Mind Centering, Tom Myers of KMI, and is a graduate of The Body Therapy Institute located in the country, south of Chapel Hill.

If you’re not getting the care you need from your massage therapist, give us a try. Anora is known to have a keen intuition in accessing and reducing pain and overall discomfort in your whole being.

If you'd like to feel more aligned, spacious and light, try a therapeutic massage at Apex Massage for Women.

At Apex Massage for Women, a private massage therapy studio between Beaver Creek Commons and Historic Downtown Apex, Anora brings her special gifts to every massage appointment.

Known for her relaxing, fully supportive, calm presence; her deep understanding of the stresses and pains that accompany us as we grow older; her attention to your responses and cues; and her highly sensitive and intuitive touch; Anora offers one of the finest in therapeutic massage in the area.

Clients have come to Apex Massage for Women for many reasons, some in unbearable pain, others just wanting to relax and get refreshed, yet others going through a life trauma or change. Whatever it is you bring to the table, Anora takes that into account in approaching the plan for your session.

After doing a health intake, she takes about 5 minutes to get connected while you’re getting settled under warm covers, feeling where the tension has gathered along your back and down your legs. Only then does she begin working on your skin.

Anora brings an unusual level of energetic sensitivity to her work, and an compassionate mindfulness which allows her to take in a lot about your state of being, giving her valuable insight on a kinesthetic level as she works.

Call Anora at 919-741-9449 to reserve one of only 5 appointments available each week.  She offers 90 minute appointments for $150 unless a special is going on. As several of her clients have told her in different words, “It’s worth every penny to receive massage therapy from you.”

Giving someone you love a chance to relax, take a break from the whirlwind and stress of daily life, is extraordinary.

Several times a year gift certificates for massage are in big demand.

Christmas, Hannukah, Kwaanza during December is the biggest demand for massage therapy gift certificates. You can shop for the certificates by searching for the words “massage therapy” and your town, and select from the sites that emerge that appeal to you.

Some sites allow you to immediately print a PDF (page) certificate to put in an envelope. Other sites invite you to come to their offices to pick up a colorful and numbered certificate, often with an attractive design, and sometimes customized with the recipient’s name.

The other times of the year and events when massage therapy gift certificates are most frequently purchased include:

1. Mother’s Day, the 2nd Sunday in May
2. Valentine’s Day in February
3. Birthdays
4. Pre-Wedding Day
5. Post Pregnancy

1. Father’s Day, the 3rd Sunday in June
2. Pre-surgery
3. After a stressful period
4. After a divorce
5. During a period of mourning or grieving

We have many choices around the Raleigh area of North Carolina. There are many massage schools and many graduates who stay in the area and work.

People choose massage therapists in a variety of ways:

• Location – convenient to work or home or the gym
• Low Price – if you’re on a tight budget, the lower the better
• High Price – if you’re looking for an exceptional massage, a higher price may indicate an better than most experience
• Training – pregnant women especially are looking for a pregnancy certified massage therapist. People with medical conditions or sports injuries may also prefer someone certified in medical massage or sports massage
• Experience – some people would find it important to find someone who has been practicing massage for a number of years
• Pre-screened – when possible, many people feel a personal referral from a friend helps ensure a quality massage therapist
• Website – reading the therapists or massage practice website may help you have a feel for the work they do, and help you decide who to call
• Office – for some, seeing a photo of the office says a lot. Some prefer a more natural looking setting, others a more formal clinical setting
• Photo – seeing the face of the massage therapist is helpful for some people; they can get a sense if this is a person they might feel comfortable around
• Voice – the sound of a person’s voice is important to some, whether the voice is gentle and smooth, or playful or serious can affect how we feel around them
• Touch – with a massage therapist, where touch is the therapeutic vehicle, experiencing the touch of a massage therapist at an open house or a chair massage event at a golf tournament can determine which massage therapist is a good match for you.