The beginnings...Swedish massage

Each day, I walked up the long road to the school, enjoying the view of the Red Rocks and the cool fresh air.  I had been in Mexico, near the ocean, where it was much warmer.  It was February, and the weather in Sedona was a bit cooler than I had been accustomed to.  I was enjoying, yet adjusting.  As a class, we started to learn about Swedish massage first, while simultaneously beginning the anatomy and physiology lessons.  


Below is a definition of Swedish Massage  (quoted from an unknown source):


"The term "Swedish Massage" refers to a variety of techniques specifically designed to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart. This form of massage was created at the turn of the century by Henry Peter Ling in Sweden. It involves the use of kneading, stroking, friction, tapping, and vibration and may provide relief from stiffness, numbness, pain, constipation, and other health problems. 

The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase the oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles. Other possible benefits include stimulation of circulation, an increase in muscle tone, and a balance of the musculo-skeletal systems. Swedish massage shortens recovery time from muscular strain by flushing the tissues of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. It increases circulation without increasing heart load.
The usual sequence in which a Swedish massage strokes are conducted are Effleurage, Petrissage, Friction, Vibration, Percussion, and finally passive and active movements (bending and stretching)."
                  
As a group, we were learning how to be respectful of touching people we hardly knew, and to make sure that in our learning we were being supportive of each other, our learning processes and differences.  Due to some class dynamics, the process was not always easy with personal situations interrupting the learning process.  It was all new, overwhelming and exciting, simultaneously.  I hadn't been a part of a group in this way for some time, so gauging how I wanted to participate and the depth of how much I wanted to share of myself was an ongoing process.  From the beginning, I realized that I needed to establish boundaries since we were all at different emotional levels, and with a small group such as this, it could be easy to return to some co-dependent tendencies.  I wanted to remain balanced and supportive, but not to get enmeshed in any dysfunction or personal issues that needed to remain outside of the classroom.

We were learning the different strokes, having plenty of opportunities to practice each of them, and eventually putting all of the strokes together to provide a flowing massage.  I can only speak for myself, but it was not as easy as it looked when the teacher did it.  I was a bit frustrated that I couldn't handle the body with such ease and fluidity as the instructor...however, I can be quite hard on myself if I don't perform well immediately....A personal lesson to be revisited many times in my life, yet, it felt good to be challenging myself with something new. I still can remember the day that it these strokes clicked and it was a relief.

After two weeks, we grasped the different strokes involved in Swedish massage, and were beginning to give quality feedback that would assist us in making adjustments to our strokes.  As we started to learn other modalities I realized the benefit of learning Swedish first - these were the basic strokes of many modalities and could be incorporated into other other techniques to actually make the massage experience more fluid.

To assist in my learning, I started to write 'massage recipes', which meant that I recorded all the strokes for each body part, which supported my learning process and memory, and, reduced my anxiety of having to remember everything for each modality.  We were using, Trail Guides to the Body for our anatomy text, which I studied relentlessly.  It is a great book which provides wonderful visuals which I needed since I am a visual learner.
  
After these two weeks, I felt like we had made progress as a group, getting to know each other, forming trust and friendships.  The Swedish massage instructor included opportunities for meditations and interpersonal growth, and times when we could share our feelings about what we were experiencing.  We had managed to get through the initial hands-on lessons of the massage program and we were to begin learning another modality, Trigger Point Therapy, also known as Neuromuscular Therapy.

Starting school

I arrived back in the States (from Mexico) with lots of mixed emotions and trepidation.  Although everything fell into place easily and rapidly, even an affordable place to live, in walking distance to the school since I was without a car, I was uncertain about returning to school.  I was concerned about my learning style, being a visual learner, and knowing that not all teachers recognize different learning styles in their approach.  And, I was doubting myself, that I could actually remember the content that was needed to become a bodyworker.  I struggled with my own imperfections and the need to perfect, when the reality of it was that I wanted to let go of that self-critic.  My focus was just to be me, in all my human-ness, including the imperfections.  Yet, despite my fears, I was excited to be in Sedona, and to be learning something new.  I had done the same thing for over 20 years and it was something that did not bring me the joy that comes with embarking on a new course.  I walked into the school with the determination to be authentic and to let things unfold, and to embrace the new.  And, I could feel the excitement throbbing throughout my body and spirit.
 

These were tough economic times and many people were not investing in education.  The school had reduced their tuition in order to accommodate the economic times, but still people were afraid to invest in something when they were struggling financially.  As a result, my class was quite small and intimate.  This had its pros and cons.

The smallness met my need to not be in a large traditional classroom.  I was much more comfortable in a smaller group.  There was a mix of ages, which shouldn't have made a difference, but it did.  I was relieved to have more mature classmates, assuming that these people who had walked through life a bit, had done some of their own emotional and spiritual work.  Due to this, from the beginning, I presumed that our intention would be similar - to be focused and committed to learning.  After the initial day, I felt that the younger students seemed to have a similar intention as well.  However, as time progressed, I was reminded that assumptions and first impressions aren't always accurate.  But, no matter what transpired, it provided opportunities of addressing our issues, going with the flow, and letting go those things that didn't resonate with us.

The school provided time for all of us to get acquainted before we jumped into the material, and before we had to touch each other during the massage lessons.  One of the get acquainted activities was a hike in the Red Rocks.  It was amazing!  Yet, I was challenged by my own self concern about my abilities of performing while being in a group.  I tended to do physical activities on my own, concerned by my inabilities or under performing compared to the group.  I realized that this school experience was going to give me unexpected opportunities to address some life-long issues, and to let them go.

Hiking became a daily ritual for me, whether it was with the class, a classmate, or by myself.  My meditative morning walks supported my shift to focusing on my body and my health, physically and emotionally.  As the program progressed, I realized that I was not only here for the schooling, but to become physically health, and to release some of the weight and the resistance I had around being disciplined in this area.

Even from the beginning, I knew that I was in the right place.  And, that I was following my dream of living fully and accepting who I was on all levels.

After those three days of orientation, we began the formal lessons, starting with anatomy and Swedish massage.  Once we started, I began to gain confidence that I could actually do this - be successful in the learning of it all.


Bell Rock   Cathedral Rock

A Trip to Remember ~ who you are! 
Sedona is magical and the energy is experienced differently for each individual. 
Wherever you are on your path, Sedona will lead you through many new doorways.
We are gathering as empowered souls, journeying to Self. 
Expect Miracles!!

Quotes of courage

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
- Raymond Lindquist

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.
- George Sheehan




Whatever you do, you need courage.
Whatever course you decide upon,
there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.
There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson



Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
- Helen Keller


One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
- Helen Keller




May you awaken to the light of your own true nature.
May you be healed.  
May you be a source of healing to all living things.


Today is your day to paint life in bold colors,
set today's rhythm with your heart-drum,
walk today's march with courage,
create today as your celebration of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Making the decision to change careers

I had been a teacher of the Deaf for 20 years when burnout set in.  I had decided that I no longer wanted to be a part of the educational system despite my love for Deaf children, the teaching process and American Sign Language.  I truly did enjoy the students and using ASL.  However,  I no longer was being rejuvenated by being in the classroom and all the dysfunction that was happening within the larger educational system.  It was draining my spirit.

I had taken a leave of absence to travel, which lead me to living a nomadic lifestyle for a year.  However, my savings were dwindling and I needed to find a way to earn money.  I did return to teaching in order to replenish my savings.  I had a wonderful two years in a different kind of classroom situation, different than my previous experience in the classroom.  However, I realized after those two years that I still did not want to be in the classroom as I had been before.  I still needed to take a break from being a full-time teacher.

During those two years, I was diligent with my commitment to save and not accrue any debt.  It was a commitment to be extremely frugal and buy only what I needed, with an occasional treat.  I was able to  return to my travels because of this commitment.  My travels initially brought me to Costa Rica and Panama, attending language school to learn Spanish.  I was ready to do something different and was feeling excited by being the student and not the teacher.  I found my way to an island in Mexico, Isla Mujeres.  I spent three amazing months there, studying Spanish and becoming part of the community and learning about the culture.  It was fantastic.

Then, I felt the need to do something more productive.  And, this living as a nomad was really about doing all those things that I had put on hold due to living in the traditional paradigm, where I had no time to do those things.  I had been a Reiki practitioner for several years now and if I wanted to have my own business I felt as though I needed more than Reiki to be successful.  I had been interested in learning other modalities to supplement the Reiki and the time felt right to do so.  Spontaneously, I found myself researching massage and bodywork schools online.  And, just as spontaneously, I applied to the Sedona School of Massage in Sedona, AZ.

The process was quick and easy.  I resonated with Sedona.  I had been there several years prior and energetically had an amazing experience.  I knew that this was an area that I could live and enjoy for 6 months.  The school's philosophy also resonated with me since I was an older adult, and I didn't want to return to a 'traditional' classroom with 20 year olds.   I was concerned by my age and not being able to learn things as easily as I did when I was younger.  However, my concerns were definitely alleviated when I spoke with the staff at the school, specifically Damian.

Within a week, I was flying back to the States and was at school, starting my career as a massage therapist & bodyworker.

It was as simple as that.  I was ready.  I knew this was the place for me, and, when it all flowed so easily I knew that the Universe was saying that this was the place for me.

I had started to invest in my second career.