Massage Therapy is a universe all its own which encompasses a microcosm of beliefs, modalities, personalities, right brain, left brain, etc... I have this website to share thoughts and convey messages which may help people along their journey. Music was my first passion but starting in 1995, I found another source of love, expression and healing containing dimensions I'd never anticipated. We all walk a path and agreement on all topics is impossible.
I share the thought with those in my classes that I am not right, I only do what is right from my perspective or abilities and intuition. We all have our own paradigm and I am not about finding fault with others but finding what is correct for each individual. It is far too easy to tear down what you think is wrong, it is all around us. What fragments which exist are right? Are they all around us? Lets look at the positive and reinforce it. It is my prayer we enjoy our journey down the path and grow as we go, with love.
As an instructor, I have the opportunity to witness new passion stir in others. Many look to me for "Wisdom" (I love the phonetic yin/yang "wise/dumb"), my response is look for the wisdom to arise within yourself. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:
| ARE YOU TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF? |
| Are you doing this for money? |
| When working on a client are you checking the time or do you become lost in the body work? |
| Do you check your posture, how well do you use your legs and incorporate them into body work or is it too much effort? |
| Are you always changing your working surfaces and therefore becoming proficient with them for example fingers, knuckles, palm, pisiform, fore arm, elbow, knee? |
| Do you have a thirst for knowledge? |
| Do you exercise, eat well, get bodywork often, live within your beliefs, meditate? |
| Are you a Martyr? |
| Do you judge people or find yourself knocking others down while needing to justify yourself? |
| Do you like who you are? |
| Are you working on changing patterns or behaviors in yourself constructively (including understanding why you do them) which you prefer were not present? |
| Do all of these questions seem like too much effort, or should you just be? |
One of my favorite and influential instructors always said "learn from every client". I believe his meaning was whether the session was a success or a failure:
| Why did it go this way? |
| What did you do right, wrong, or could have changed? |
| Did you listen (listening with your hands, heart, intention, ears, spirit, love) to your client? |
| Are you looking for the subtle changes from one visit to the next and following them? |
| Does your client like the same massage every time or a different twist (individually tailored to that session)? |
I wish there was some sort of formal acknowledgment for teaching as a learning tool. I have heard many people say if you really want to learn something or find out how much you know, teach it to someone else, this exposes areas where more information is needed. Answering questions, many of which need research because you have no answer. Different learning styles demand diversity in perspective. The challenge of keeping the perspective: even though you understand a topic in-depth, it is necessary to maintain the basic steps so the introduction phase for others remains comprehendible. Save your advanced thoughts for advanced classes, they sometimes confuse the basics. If you want to determine when you have learned enough, check the size of your ego, if it is large and you are quite happy with it, you are there!