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Self-care in a stressed-out world

Nov 23, 2020 11:25AM ● By Linnea Lundgren

People who want a deeper massage should try the unique ashiatsu massage in which the practitioner uses their clean feet to help relieve tight muscles. (Photo by Meili Dayton)

By Linnea Lundgren | [email protected]

In this age of selfies and self-indulgence, the idea of self-care—the practice of taking action to improve one’s health—is often overlooked. 

Luckily, a mother and daughter have designed their Draper business, Cradle Your Soul, around self-care and, in these stress-filled times, offer ways to take action to help reduce stress, be kind to oneself, and thrive. Everything they do is about self-care, from offering a variety of massage modalities and yoga classes to creating a community where people feel they belong. 

“Self-care is self-love [in the best sense],” said Carly Warner, the mom and the creative force behind the business. Daughter Mekayla, 25, whose background is in management, handles the business side. Their philosophy is, “the more that you take care of your physical body, your emotional body, your mental body, your spiritual body, the more wholehearted you will live.” 

Going into their fourth year, Cradle Your Soul started when Carly, a massage therapist, developed a runner’s injury, that despite doctors’ treatments, didn’t improve, except for when she started practicing yoga. 

“I fell in love with yoga. Not just how it helped my body feel better, but how it helped me inside,” she said. She recalled having a strong sense to start a yoga and massage business, and it helped that Draper didn’t have many. “This [business is] literally my two passions—yoga and massage—in one place,” she said.

Mekayla spent months begging her mom to consider her for a job managing the business, which she finally got. 

“It has turned out better than I could have ever imagined,” Carly said. “There is no way I could do this without her. She brings passion and dedication.” They joke that the only issue has been discussing business while on family outings, which they try their best not to do.  

When pandemic restrictions shut down their business this past spring, they adjusted by putting yoga classes online with the user-friendly MindBody app (and now offer classes in-studio with physical distancing protocols in place). As for their massage therapies, as soon as restrictions lifted, massage bookings “exploded.” 

That’s no surprise to Carly. “As human beings, we are supposed to have contact with each other,” she said. “With one-on-one touch, having that nurturing care, that physical relaxation has been so beneficial for our clients.” 

Cradle Your Soul offers a variety of massage therapies, including ones that are not often found at corporate-owned massage therapy businesses. 

There’s ashiatsu in which the client rests on a low table and the therapist uses their (clean) feet to massage. “The foot is a broader space, so they use a broader surface to massage out the tension, there is no specific point of pressure,” Carly said. Weightlifters and athletes especially like the broader, deeper pressure. 

Another massage modality is aromatouch, a light-touch treatment that helps detox through the use of eight different essential oils. For moms-to-be, the pregnancy massage uses special bolsters that have open space for the pregnant belly and the chest. Thai body massage is done fully clothed. “It is more of a therapist moving to stretch you and then use compression to help relieve your tight muscles,” Mekayla said. A popular wintertime massage for skiers and boarders is the hot stone massage, which uses smooth heated stones to warm muscles and promote blood circulation. 

“Massage isn’t just to release muscle tension,” Carly said. “There are so many benefits to it: focusing on [calming the] the nervous system, lowering cortisol levels, and stimulating the lymphatic system.” Many clients leave a massage “with the feeling that everything will be OK,” Carly said. 

The Warners believe that part of what makes their business unique is that all therapists and yoga instructors are independent contractors. “We let them do their own thing,” Carly said and added that they emphasize continuing education for all practitioners. This combination lends creativity and variety to their menu. 

What has been most difficult about operating in the pandemic for Carly has been the inability to shake hands with or hug the people who walk through the door. “Our bodies thrive when there is human touch,” she said. 

“We already have stressful lives. Then this pandemic came and we have created more stress, more fear,” Carly said. “It has been a satisfying experience [for us] to help people flow out of that stress and that fear. Calm their nervous systems. Bring back a little bit of bliss, a little bit of happiness.” 

Cradle Your Soul is at 196 W. 12300 South, #105 in Draper. 801-557-9888 or cradleyoursoulym.com