If you’ve been shoveling snow, your back may need some extra care. Here are five things you can do to help:

1. Shake it out. Begin by making a small, side-to-side movement from the base of your back and let your back lengthen as you rock.
2. Imagine the spaces in between each vertebra and its neighbors lengthening.
3. If you have ginger available, brew some to drink, and dip a washcloth in some, too. Then, put the warm washcloth on whatever part of you hurts.
4. Rub some hypericum (a.k.a. Saint John’s wort, a.k.a. Saint Joan’s wort) oil into
   

   The redder Hypericum oil gets, the more powerful it is.

   whatever parts of you need extra love.

5. Make an appointment to see me. Shiatsu, qigong, and herbs can help a lot! We’ll come up with a custom formula for an herbal footbath and go over herbs to use directly on your back as well as ones to take internally, we’ll come up with a customized qigong program, and I’ll give you a shiatsu treatment. Or we’ll do whatever part of that you prefer and skip the parts you’d rather skip. It’s up to you.