Where have I been...

Where have I been? A while back I mentioned returning to school for Massage Therapy…I have just completed week 3 of instruction! My, what a challenge it has been. I attend class M-Th, 6 to 9 or 10 pm. Week 1, I was sleep deprived, not eating well, not drinking enough water, etc., just trying to adapt to the new routine. This past week has been much better, and although I am still not sleeping enough, and not eating as I should, I am hoping to plan better. There are 14 women, and 3 men in class. One male attended week 1 and hasn’t been seen since!

Monday’s class is Body Mechanics, self care, massage therapy as a viable modality in the wellness industry. The health care world hasn’t fully embraced MT to complement traditional treatment…its getting there…just very slowly. Then, of course, there is the notion that massage is a sexual offering. Check out Craigslist.com in your area, and you will see that there are a few bad apples that can taint the industry...just as in any profession.

Tuesday’s class is pretty much hands-on. The more bodies you touch, the better you will be. We are also strongly encouraged to practice, practice, practice outside of class. So far, we’ve learned several strokes, put them together to create a massage recipe, developing our own style. We have learned to drape and massage the posterior: back, arms, glutes; anterior: legs, arms – last night we did the abdomen focusing on proper draping technique for that area. State laws vary, but in AZ, draping is absolutely required of the genital area, breast (men, too), and gluteus. Even if the client doesn’t want to be draped, it is a requirement. In Europe…no draping is required! Draping is a sheet over the body, which acts as a boundary for the practitioner and client. The practitioner cannot extend hands or fingers past the drape, and the client knowing that, can feel safe that the boundary is understood. It is not as easy as it sounds! The practitioner is so focused on good body mechanics, each stroke with the minimal amount of exertion, that’s not to say that even in a Swedish massage, deep work isn’t required, but if you move your body, from the legs, with the stroke, it will prevent injury to the practitioner and prolong their career. Focusing on which stroke you will do next, while listening to your body, the client’s body (how much pressure the muscles will take), and breathing (important, I hear)…can be overwhelming, and not crossing any draping boundary! Oh, and the client is undressed to their level of comfort, which means that some people will leave some article of clothing on. That being the case (their level of comfort), as the practitioner, we work with what we have. It is optimal to have the body sans clothes, however, that will not always be so. I paired up with one of the (mature) ladies in class on Monday night. She is from the south, and appears to be quite modest (culture, generational). We were working the back, undraping to the sacroiliac crest (the dimpled area on each side of the lower back area), and she left her sweat pants on…to the waist! How was I to work the back muscles with not much exposed area?? That was my first thought (ego), then realizing this was her level of comfort, I just had to do the best I could. My strokes were not perfect, rather truncated, but this was my slate…work with it. The Monday night instructor has been massaging her mom for over 6 years now, and her mom still leaves her bra and panties on…and its her mom!!

Wednesday’s class is anatomy! The instructor is very dry, besides, the subject matter is intense!! After working 8 hours, a 4 hour anatomy class is taxing on the brain and body. We’ve already had a quiz on the skeletal system (not graded yet), and will be moving to joints, muscles and cardiovascular, very soon according to the syllabus. Oy vey.

There is also a Professional Ethics and Communication class taken online on your own time, but must be completed every week. Try fitting this in with all of the above and see what you get?? A tired girl for sure, yet excited at what I’ve learned so far!

I finished reading the second book in the trilogy by Pamela Aidan on Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman. It is along the lines of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This series focuses more on Mr. Darcy, just who is the man who would woo Ms. Elizabeth Bennett?? Bound by honor to the Darcy name, Elizabeth is quite beneath his station, yet he cannot shake her from his mind, comparing all women he meets with her, and none quite matching up with her wit and intelligence. Aidan’s books are not as “hither and yon” as Ms. Austen’s style of writing, however, the period language is still dominant. With that being said…I just started Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen! I don’t know how I even have time to read, though it is an escape I enjoy. I'm such a sucker for romance...

Other than that…life goes on. Work has been kind of slow mostly, with sporadic spurts of projects and deadlines. Kiddos are doing good, folks are ok (hey, they go to doctor appointments and breakfast a couple of times a week – not a bad life!). Weather here has been extremely HOT! Triple digit temps since June, at least…dry heat. We are hoping the monsoon flow will return soon for some much needed rain. We are still quite behind the normal precipitation for the year. I know…I’ll wash my car and it’ll rain for sure!

Talk soon…