Messages from Massage School • Week 1
- Hands on Healing
- Sep 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 17
My Dear Friend,
I've just finished my first week of classes at the Hands on Healing Institute. In a word, WOW. I’ve never simultaneously felt so chill and so engaged in an educational
setting. The cohort is small. Everyone is nice and eager to learn together. We can sit wherever we want, move whenever we want. There are no desks, just massage tables, chairs, and lots of cushions. The emphasis on maintaining autonomy is so refreshing for an educational space. It feels very different.
The material is fascinating and resonant. The combination of slow, conversational lectures with bodily practice of the knowledge is EVERYTHING. It keeps me from rushing through the text, just acing quizzes through memorization. It’s so much more than that. It feels like an active cultivation of the seeds I’ve been desperate to grow. After just three days of class, the overwhelming feeling I have is, "Holy cow, bodies are AMAZING."
I wanted to share with you a couple of my favorite lessons from the week.
Grounding & Centering
One of the very first things we were taught is the importance of our own state of mind and body. If we are feeling anxious or distracted, the client will feel it. So we practice the skills of grounding and centering to anchor us in the here and now. This facilitates co-regulation between the nervous systems of ourselves and our client, helping them feel relaxed and safe to release tension.
I'm sending you the handout we were given in class because I just love the way they walk you through how to use these tools.
Body Mechanics
To avoid burnout and injury, it's crucial that we learn to do our work in a way that doesn't punish our body. Practicing good body mechanics means using postures and movements with the least amount of effort and strain. (Work smarter, not harder!)
Here is our starter pack of guidelines:
Make sure your table is at the correct height for you to work comfortably.
Have a stool on hand for working while seated.
Depth and pressure comes from knee and hip bends, not spinal bends.
Your hips should be squared toward your work whenever possible.
Keep your chin up to reduce neck strain. Your eyes can jot down when needed.
Align & stack your joints when possible. Don't over-flex your wrists. You want long, clean lines of force coming from the center of your body.
Stay present and breathe!
Gosh, my mind is just exploding with thoughts. I want to tell you ALL the THINGS. I'm doing my best to avoid my habit of catastrophizing, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It almost feels too good to be true. But those worst-case-scenario thoughts are quieter than they used to be. And I’m more able to soothe their anxious tone.
Overall I am feeling grateful. To be able to use my time and energy for this effort right now feels like my Best Case Scenario. ❤️
With hope for the days ahead,
Your Friend, the Bodyworker-in-Training 🤓
