✺ Let’s Talk Healing ✺
I’m Cara Spangler (they/she). My mission is to help you meet your body in the moment with curiosity and compassion. I work with the physical and energetic bodies to bring you to a state of balance so you can step more fully into your spirit.
I know from my own healing journey that showing up for the body is not always pleasant. Our bodies hold stories, and sometimes those stories are hard to face alone. My work is to hold space for the unraveling and revealing of the body to make room for growth and expansion.
I have over 500 hours of training from McKinnon Body Therapy Center in Oakland. I’m also currently an instructor of shiatsu and acupressure at McKinnon.
CAMTC #76342.
✺Why ‘expansive’ bodywork?✺
My goal as a human is to be in a constant state of curiosity about myself and the world. When we open with loving awareness to the body as it is in the moment, we can start to unpack suffering and pain and expand into our liberated selves using the wisdom of the body. I offer a wide variety of healing modalities because the body, in its infinite wisdom, has different needs day to day.
✺What type of bodywork is right for me?✺
Shiatsu is performed on a mat on the ground fully clothed. It’s great for anyone who has muscle tightness and tension from desk-sitting, athletics, and repetitive movement tasks. Shiatsu also works on an energetic level and is comforting for those with emotional stress, anxiety, depression, feelings of loss, overwhelm, and abandonment. Shiatsu is not right for you if you have neck tension that impedes your range of motion or have a specific injury that needs special attention.
Acupressure, performed on a table, involves both active and energetic touch. While this modality might not be as muscularly deep as Shiatsu, the energetic work feels deep on other levels. This is a great modality for those with high stress lives, muscle tension, joint pain, injuries, sleep issues, emotional imbalances, headaches, reproductive issues, those looking to feel more connected and aligned. If you are looking to focus on muscle tension, Cupping can be incorporated into this practice. Cups are tools that loosen tight muscle tissue, sometimes leaving little circular “bruises.”
Lymphatic drainage is a type of medical massage done on the table. If you are recovering from surgery or have swelling anywhere in the body, this modality speeds the healing process. This can also be a helpful massage for those with chronic conditions, acute injuries, immune issues, digestive issues, allergies, detox needs, and migraines. This is not a massage for people wanting deeper, more active muscular work.
Comforting Touch Massage is a type of massage geared toward emotional and spiritual needs: comfort, co-regulating, and soothing touch. In times of grief, depression, and isolation, a space for holding, physically and emotionally, can be a great way to unwind and release. Quality of touch is slow and nurturing, done on a table if you like warming oil, or on a mat if you want a more grounding experience.
Reiki is performed fully clothed on the table. This is a modality for those wanting healing and connection on a spiritual and emotional level. This modality can be helpful for physical conditions but is not for those wanting deep, muscular work.