
Hello Everyone,
I hope you all had an enjoyable Summer and were able to take some much-earned “me time” for yourselves. Self-care is so essential. As we head into Fall, I wanted to share with you some exciting news.
I am expanding my practice into the arena of corporate and personal wellness with a new endeavor called Mobile Sanctuary.
Mobile Sanctuary is a means by which a personal haven is created in the three most important realms of life:
The Home Environment
The Work Environment
The On-The-Go Environment (while traveling)
What does “creating a personal haven” mean exactly? I will explain in more detail as I go along, so I hope you’ll keep reading.
I’m going to begin with Mobile Sanctuary for the Office as this is the first phase, so this blog will explain its parameters. But don’t worry - I will still be performing massage therapy sessions as usual at The Wellness Alliance from Fridays through Mondays!
If you’d like to book a regular massage session with me, click here.
Mobile Sanctuary for the Office isn’t your typical mobile massage enterprise which brings chair massage to companies around the Triangle. We bring an entirely new state of being and consciousness into the work environment!
Mobile Sanctuary transforms a room in your office space into a temporary sanctuary for a half-day or a full-day where employees can disengage from the hustle and bustle of the office for 10-20 minutes, decompress, receive a short, integrative bodywork session (fully-clothed), and then return to work feeling refreshed, re-centered, and energized.
Mobile Sanctuary for the Office

What Mobile Sanctuary Is
A quiet, comfortable space with ambient music, floor cushions for sitting or stretching out, and eye pillows to shut out the world for a bit.
A place that encourages stillness, rest, mind-body reconnection, silent meditation/prayer, breathwork, a quick power nap, and just general, short-term unwinding.
A place to step away from office hubbub, the media and the outside world in general in order to recharge, recenter, and then return to work feeling refreshed and energized.
A place to receive a calming yet invigorating integrative bodywork session with me for 15 minutes.

What Mobile Sanctuary Is NOT
An employee breakroom. No food or drink are allowed (except water).
A meeting place to hang out and talk with co-workers. Again, quiet contemplation, meditation, or a quick power nap are all encouraged.
A place to talk, text, or surf on your cell phone or other electronic devices. The idea is to still the mind and body in order to reset the nervous system.
An “escape room”. We will kick you out after 30 minutes, tops! :)
Get Comfy But Not Too Comfy!

According to research, 10-20 minutes of rest at regular intervals during the workday is the optimal length of time for a restorative, mind-body reboot (i.e. long enough to decompress the nervous system, but short enough to rejuvenate the body, refocus the mind, and then get back to work).
The benefits of restorative breaks in the workday include:
Encourages self-care in the work environment
Increases mental alertness, creativity, and motivation
Helps prevent burnout (pausing work rather than pushing through office fatigue actually boosts performance)
Reduces stress, brain fog, and muscle tension
Improves mood, memory, focus, immunity, and overall health
My bodywork method, Integrative Acupressure for Mind-Body Balance (IAMBB), compliments this kind of short-term recalibration perfectly, as it was specifically created to regulate the central nervous system. Particular emphasis is given to pressure points associated with groundedness, emotional regulation, alleviating fatigue, and boosting energy. In addition, acupressure stimulates the release of endorphins (i.e. the “feel good” chemical) which lowers stress, improves mood, and alleviates pain, thereby integrating the physical, mental, emotional, and energetic body systems.
My Vision

My vision entails a conscious shift in the whole concept of the workday break period. An upgrade, if you will, in format, style, content, and most importantly, intention.
Mobile Sanctuary brings a restorative aesthetic and vitality to the work environment. In essence, we create a sacred space for office workers to reintegrate the physical, mental, emotional, and energetic layers of the body.
Not only does it allow companies to show their employees how valuable they are, but it offers them a sense of agency over their own wellbeing as they move through their workday in the office environment.
A quick coffee break in the middle of the day doesn’t give the mind and body a true respite. The implication is that a person must push through office fatigue with a chemical enhancement like caffeine in order to keep going. Increasingly, statistics have shown that many people don’t take proper breaks and even tend to work through their lunch breaks. This, however, only taxes the body systems further.
Not losing the momentum of your work is important, but so is breathing!
What if you had the option to stop work entirely when you hit a tough spot in your day and enter a quiet, peaceful sanctuary where you could sit or lie down for 10-20 minutes and take some conscious deep breaths? Or lie on a massage table to receive a short bodywork session specifically designed to recalibrate your nervous system? And what if this place soothed your senses, lowered your stress, and gave you a bit more personal freedom?
Moving Forward

The worldwide changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have required us all to rethink how we deal with the stress and uncertainty in our lives. As we head into this election season, it’s even more imperative for us to be mindful, grounded, centered, and as positive as possible for the benefit of ourselves and the people around us.
Mobile Sanctuary for the Office provides a kind of holding space (i.e. a haven or safe space) for office workers to move into and maintain this grounded, mindful energy.
The next phase of Mobile Sanctuary involves helping others create a Sanctuary in their homes. Please stay tuned for more information about Mobile Sanctuary for the Home.
If you think your office would be a good match for Mobile Sanctuary, please contact me or have your office contact me for more information at:
Robin C. Duffy
email: robincduffy@gmail.com
cell phone: (718) 415-4610
I would love to create this kind of space for your office on a temporary, on-going, or permanent basis.
Let me know what you think of this idea by leaving a comment below. Feedback is always appreciated.
Until next time…
Have a wonderful Fall everyone! 🍁
“You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” -Rumi
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Sources:
Lyubykh, Zhanna and Gulseren Duygu Biricik. “How To Take Better Breaks At Work According To Research”. Harvard Business Review, May 31, 2023. https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-to-take-better-breaks-at-work-according-to-research
Cording, Jess. “New Survey Shows Many Workers Aren’t Taking A Lunch Break.” Forbes, December 12, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jesscording/2023/12/12/new-survey-shows-many-workers-arent-taking-a-lunch-break/
Piyush Mehta, Vishwas Dhapte, Shivajirao Kadam, Vividha Dhapte. “Contemporary acupressure therapy: Adroit cure for painless recovery of therapeutic ailments.” Elsevier Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. April 7, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388088/
Moore, James W. “What Is the Sense of Agency and Why Does It Matter?” Frontiers in Psychology. Published online August 29, 2016. National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5002400/
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