It's not that I have an aversion to the first session with a new client. I do enjoy getting to know new people. It's just that, of all the bodywork we will do together, it's my least favorite. I'll explain... During the first session, I am getting familiarized with a person's body, tuning in to their nervous systems for the first time, barely beginning to assess the situation. I am learning about their health history, [...]

Every now and then, a new client will come in and request a really deep massage for their session. Some of them tell me, I can't go hard enough. Let me preface that manual therapists work with a wide spectrum of pain thresholds. Some clients can only handle a very light, gentle touch. While others are on the other extreme - with a much higher tolerance for pain, often accompanied by a strong desire for a [...]

What most people who receive bodywork are wanting to achieve is therapeutic beneficial change. What they expect in exchange for their resources and time invested is to feel less stress, less tense, more relaxed and have less pain. With the primary intention being to feel noticeably better (to heal); how they achieve it might look different for each person. The aim remains the same. So what really can one expect from the therapies they participate [...]

Having even the slightest understanding of how the human body functions, as we discussed in #3 - Understand Basic Human Physiology and Nutrition) is super helpful in loving and protecting your body.  However, a person must also be able to walk into any health care practitioner’s office or pharmacy (heck, everywhere you go down to the gas station market) and make informed decisions. You will have to protect your body and protect your health. We must [...]

After six years of practicing massage, and two failed attempts before, my dream of creating a wellness center finally manifested. For years, I had entertained the idea of a coming together with a group of holistic health-care providers to form a one-stop-shop wellness community. I envisioned a single location where a person could experience high-quality, personalized, alternative care. Not only would a client be able to have a team of people supporting them on every level [...]