Here's the thing about my therapy:
It's YOUR therapy.
If that sounds a bit contradictory, I get it. But, it's completely true!
What I mean to say is, you can just request a cut-and-dry Swedish or Deep Tissue massage, and I can provide that for you. I can queue up the spa music, you can get on the table, and I can spend the time you're paying for doing that one modality at a quality that will be well-worth the money.
To be honest with you, though, there's much more I can offer you.
Working with me is more involved, especially during the first few sessions. We will be conversing about your body and the history that led you to the pain, discomfort, and inflexibility you currently possess. That's what exposes the repeated motions (swinging that tennis racket) or consistent positions (sitting at a desk) that may need to be changed or supported. You probably need an array of techniques that go beyond a single modality to truly work against the tension that has been building up for so long. It takes your participation to help me curate that perfect mix for you.
Below, I'm going to provide you with details about the modalities I have been educated in. You will understand their individual characteristics, benefits, and how I wield them. This empowers you with knowledge about massage therapy! You can use it to reflect on your physical discomfort, and tell me what you think will help you the best.
Swedish Massage is what most people think of when they think about Massage.
It uses oils or lotion to apply an array of strokes such as skin rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels, and increased senses of comfort and relaxation.
Swedish Massage techniques are very necessary to my therapy. For those who are new to receiving massage therapy, experience high degrees of somatic sensitivity, or are utilizing massage therapy as a mental or emotional tool, this is modality will be our foundation.
All of my therapy sessions begin with Swedish techniques, as they are the best for mobilizing the tissue and increasing blood flow to the areas that need it.
This one typically intimidates my clients. If you hear "Deep Tissue" and think of pointy elbows forcing searing pain to the core of your body in the name of healing, you are not alone.
That is not my version of Deep Tissue.
Deep Tissue is a focused and meditative technique that involves consistent, bearable pressure to highly tense areas of muscle tissue. This modality takes an esteemed and prominent seat in my therapy because it provides the results you want. Postural deviations (one shoulder sitting higher than another, for example) are resolved by releasing the muscles that have become rigid and inflexible.
Yes, this can feel uncomfortable during the session. A degree of pain is normal and, honestly, expected. But the whole "no pain, no gain" saying certainly has its bounds. I know this wisdom and I act on it consistently throughout every appointment I take.
Your voice is the most important one in my therapy. The communication exchanged between us throughout the duration of our session is what tips the scale of Deep Tissue's quality from harmful and resisted to valuable and desired.
Pregnancy Massage is a style of bodywork designed specifically for pregnant people. Pregnancy is a time when a person's body endures many physical changes and emotional shifts. The approach that I take to pregnancy massage starts with comfortable positioning that accommodates you and baby, while still making the areas that ache accessible to therapeutic touch. The benefits I've observed in the many pregnant people I have worked with took place rapidly. These include a feeling of increased emotional support, relief of joint pain due to extra weight and postural imbalance, and improved breathing and relaxation.
"Every step you take... every move you make..." fascia is critically involved!
Fascia is the connective tissue that encases the muscles and other tissues in the body, to include tendons, ligaments, organs, nerves, bones, veins and arteries. So you can imagine its importance in supporting the movement in our body! Tight, stuck fascia pulls harder on all of these tissues, which all move in relationship with each other all the time. Myofascial massage is a technique used to treat injuries and limited ranges of motion, and pain by targeting the fascia. Treating the body beyond the muscle is so important in my practice, and Myofascial massage techniques provide that extra step.
Myofascial tools have been developed to assist bodyworkers. With your permission, these tools may be introduced into our sessions.
Zen Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage therapy. The word Shiatsu comes from two Japanese words - \"shi\" (finger) and \"atsu\" (pressure). Zen Shiatsu involves direct stimulation of pressure points along the energy pathways of your body, which are called Meridian lines. Slow stretching techniques and gentle joint mobilization are also applied. Together, these integrate the pressure point work and encourage the flow of Qi (energy) throughout the body. Zen Shiatsu is a meditative approach to bodywork that honors the physical, mental, and emotional facets of Being.