Body - Centric
In this physical linear world, our body is our center. For the majority of my life, I have been focused on the human body through dance, art and profession. I was taught when learning how to dance that you move every part of the body when dancing. When painting a body on canvas the contours and shadows of musculature gave a defined look to the picture. As a massage therapist combining my knowledge of dance and anatomy has given me an understanding of how best to achieve results.
I have a unique perspective because I experience massage from both sides. Client and therapist. As a client I get to experience how massage feels, techniques that are effective, mood of the room and compatibility with the therapist. As the therapist I get to implement all of my knowledge and experience.
We all have our perspectives, and I thought it would be helpful and fun to give you a glimpse into my perspective of my massage. I will start with music selection. I don't play spa music. I will if the client really wants that, but it has been my experience that people are appreciative of my eclectic taste in music. I have been asked multiple times for my playlist. I set a mood with a good beat and since I mainly do deep tissue, it works. It suits my personality and style of massage.
Next up, is my style of massage. We are not static. So, I do not massage you in a static position. Every movement we make, we use a multitude of muscles just for that one action. Some muscles are synergistic, and others are antagonistic. I move you around to access all of it. I believe that massaging everything is the only way to restore range of motion and mobility. Because of this approach (being very specific and thorough), time is a problem. People who get an hour or an hour and a half must be worked on in multiple and consistent sessions. Two hours is needed for a full body, sometimes I feel like I could do two and a half to three lol. But I don't offer that...yet.
Now on to me as a person and as a therapist, ever since I was young, I always had the capacity to help others. Whether it was being an excellent listener; an advice giver; or a body fixer people just came to me. In my early 20's and 30's I described myself as a fixer. It took me many harsh lessons to learn that you can't fix people, they must fix themselves. But I can "fix" their bodies, or at least put them on the path to better wellness. Ultimately, it still resides in their hands, albeit them making the appointments to come see me, doing their stretching, being conscious of their posture and correcting it, doing necessary exercise etc.
I let go of that version of my persona and decided that the body is where I draw the line. If a physical transformation helps with other aspects, awesome. Pain is a crazy thing as it can really affect so many areas of your life, maybe even be a root cause for some problems. Anyway, I love what I do and I love being able to make a difference in someone's life. It may be selfish to say, but I get a tremendous amount of joy out of that.