It’s been a while since my last newsletter. Summer got busy and before I knew it, leaves were changing and now a gentle rain is expediting the process of seasonal change. We had our first frosts of the season this week, and Halloween celebrations have already begun.

I will keep this one short, as the holidays are fast approaching and it seems we are all in some form of transition. Many of us are getting our homes ready for colder weather - chopping and stacking wood, deep cleaning and clearing out clutter, shoring up where our homes need to be better protected from the cold, and getting a head start on the raking. Days are getting shorter and nights darker. Sleep patterns are leaning longer into the morning hours. Curling up with a book in front of the fire is sounding (and feeling!) better and better all the time.

If you have been taking care of aforementioned chores in the cooler, drier air, you may be feeling it in the back, shoulders, hips and/or knees. As my kitchen gets cooler in the mornings, I remind myself to give my body a good jiggling and get moving first thing, as I make breakfast, remembering how like butter my connective tissue is, and inviting it to melt and move with ease, especially around my joint spaces, into the day. Check out this video about “fuzz” by Gil Hedley, who is an amazing teacher of Anatomy and other things (and just an entertaining guy to watch and listen to).

He is also a philosopher and poet (like so many of my favorite people and teachers), and you can see more about him here: www.gilhedley.com. Later in the day I try to make time for a little stretching to keep limber, and I add a little coconut oil to my bath to keep my skin rom succumbing to the drier air.

Deane Juhan teaching at last April's workhop

I am looking forward to returning to Gainesville, FL the first weekend in December to study, once again, with Deane Juhan (www.jobsbody.com), who teaches the resistance/release work many of you have experienced. One of the things I love about Deane is that he is always learning, himself, so each time I have the good fortune to be in the classroom with him, he is teaching something that is brand new to him along with the incredible foundation of his many years doing the work and also his long years of learning from Dr. Milton Trager. Deane is always playing with new ways of inviting ease into the body and outside of this work is also just an amazing thinker. I encourage you to explore his website, where you can hear interviews with him, read his poetry and explore his blog.

As always, I am honored to be part of your healing and wholeness process. It is such a joy to know you all and to have the opportunity to work with you. Many thanks, and keep it easy,

Honor Woodard, BFA, LMT
GA MT 008365
NC LMBT 13263

Wow, Summer has come and gone...

Wow, Summer is ending this weekend. Feels like it went by so fast, and almost didn’t feel like Summer. There was so much rain and then pleasant, cool weather, and now we’re sliding into Autumn without much contrast. Today we are getting a gentle soaking rain which is much needed. And soon the leaves will put on their show and drift toward the earth to become fertilizer for the Winter.

I don’t know about you, but I (and many folks I know) have been feeling this change of season in my body. Seems like wherever there’s a little arthritis it feels like more right about now. I am always taken aback how something as subtle as the change of season, with the shifting slant of the sun, the absence of birdsong - save for more crows and woodpeckers, and cooler, drier air has such a not-so-subtle effect in my body. But I think a little more about getting the most of the season’s harvest of produce into my diet, remind myself to keep drinking water and start going to bed a little earlier now that the days are getting shorter.

Anyway, it was a great Summer. I really enjoyed meeting some wonderful folks up in Highlands, NC where I have been filling half of my schedule, and I have seen quite a few new faces down here in Lakemont as my local practice continues to grow. I made it out into the woods and to the river just enough - still letting my bare feet touch the trails and soaking in all the sensations (yes, even the unpleasant sensation of stubbing the heck out of a root stump). One day I came remarkably (yes, dangerously, too) close to this copperhead, and maybe because I wasn't wearing clunky shoes, s/he refrained from biting me. It really has done wonders for my knees and I must say it has a deeply grounding effect on my spirit, too.

photo of copperhead ©Kevin Croom


I am just finishing my second year of practice (seems like more than that) and I continue to be humbled and inspired by this wonderful work and by all of you. I have learned so much from you all and from my continuing studies with Deane Juhan (you can check him out at www.jobsbody.com) into his Restance/Release work and the world of Trager. I am looking forward to the next workshop with Deane coming up in early December, and I have made such progress using his techniques with some of you that I intend to study with him as much as I can into the future. It is such a gift to be able to study with a master. I am so grateful to my teacher, Frank Merillat, for bringing him out from California to Florida School of Massage each year.

Whether or not I have seen you lately, I would love to hear from you - you can email me at honorcatalyst@gmail.com or call me anytime at 904.315.2917 or 706.212.7924. I would love to hear from you how the work has affected your body, your life, your awareness. Your feedback helps me to improve my practice, and I rely on you to communicate to me anything that comes from this work together that can help us work together toward your balance of body, mind and spirit and that will ensure that we are inviting ease, grace and transformation where it is appropriate for you.

As we enter into the cooler, quieter time of year, I hope your dreams inspire you and your waking pursuits fulfill you, as you move easily and gracefully toward the holidays.

Honor Woodard, BFA, LMT
GA MT 008365
NC LMBT 13263

Everything is Greening!

I don’t know about you, but I get excited every morning when I wake up to the sounds of migrating birds at first light, and then again when I venture outside and see what new plants have sprung up or unfurled. It always amazes me how much it feels like a first time, each year.



It’s as if I am seeing the Solomon’s Seal emerge for the first time, the leaf of the Blood Root unfurl like never before, with bigger, brighter flowers than I remember. The wonderful chartreuse of new leaves on so many of the deciduous trees just thrills my liver. I want to soak it all in. And each year, maybe it seems different because some years there really is a different assortment of birds and plants, and sometimes it’s just because I am transformed, and seeing with new eyes.



No matter, it is the JOY of seeing and experiencing anew that so engages my spirit. This year I see and hear the Brown Thrasher (which I don’t remember being acquainted with before), first on top of Rabun Bald, proudly dancing and singing for a mate, and now in my hollow. The Hummingbirds are back, the Black Throated Green warblers, the squeaky Solitary Vireos, the Whippoorwills, the Trilliums, Mayapples... I could go on.

Through all of this, too, I feel movement inside. My body wants to move a little more, a little differently after this seemingly long winter. There is a feeling of wanting to stretch and reach out farther. A draw to inspire more fully, engaging the lungs and extending the front line to create more space through my gut. It feels so wonderful to feel my bare feet touch the earth. In fact I took a barefoot hike all the way down to Raven Rock and back. I wasn’t sure how it would be, but I was so glad I did. Although a couple of times I stepped on sharp broken roots or holly leaves, I came back more mellow and grounded than I ever remember feeling.



I had slowed down to a pace my feet could handle (it’s a steep hike), and took in so much more with my senses than other times. It was quieter and more spacious all around me, and even my sense of smell seemed more acute. I saw where the wild boar had explored with their snouts in the woods and their bare feet in the sand by the river. It was a wonderful way to welcome Spring, and I am inclined to explore with my bare feet more often, in appropriate places.

Can you think of any ways in which you might like to explore the world differently this Spring? Are you aware of any critters or plants that seem new to you? Perhaps a new melody on the breeze, or a brighter bloom on your azalea? Is your body talking to you in some new way, perhaps asking for a new practice, more movement - dance or yoga?

On another note, I had a rib out a week or so ago. This has only happened to me once or twice before. It always feels scary because it shows me just how connected everything is, by the sensation of all the muscles around my midsection being on the verge of spasm. Twisting was not an option and taking a deep breath was not comfortable at all. And it seemed like almost everyone I talked to that week was also experiencing similar back issues. This always impresses me - how so many of us seem to share these experiences around the same time. Anyway, I’m happy to say that with a little help from a couple of LMTs and time and moving carefully, I am just about back to normal.



Maybe it’s the change of seasons, rising temperatures and fluctuating humidity. I’ll choose that over age, anyway. In any case, a good massage can help so much with these kinds of things. Even when the instinct is to see a chiropractor or bone doc, it’s important to address the holding in the muscles, too. After all, the muscles are what hold the bones wherever they are.


Well, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season and that your winter was what it needed to be; that your seeds are planted and your plans for the warmer seasons are germinating well. If I haven’t seen you in a while, please let me know how you are doing. I am happy if you are feeling great and not needing to book a session, but I still love to hear from you and to know how you are and what you’re up to.