My first client...

I did my first massage outside of class on Sunday! Since starting classes in July, we are strongly encouraged to do as many massages outside of class as possible so we can get used to different body types, practicing our strokes, palpating the muscles, their fiber direction, origin and insertion points, etc, all part of the learning process. Right now, for me, I can feel some of the differences in muscle bellies, their fibers…still learning their actions. Anyway, the massage I did was on a friend who completed an 80 mile bike ride on Saturday in 4:45! I did a 1-hour, full body Swedish massage with specific work on the legs, arms, upper/lower back muscles and some positional release stretches. Her hamstrings were pretty tight, so I didn’t overwork those muscles…after an 80 mile ride, I didn’t want to overwork them! I felt confident when I explained how the muscles work, and what I was doing as I went along. I’ve actually had this worked out in my head how I was going to set up my table, what supplies I would need…I even got a battery powered clock so that I could track time…it has an iPod player, however, it didn’t work (not sure why, maybe I need power for that function), which actually worked out ok because I set up the table in her living room and we had the front door open…the birds were chirping, the sun was shining…a more natural ambience than I could have created myself! When we go to someone’s home to do massage, we rely as little as possible on the client. We should be prepared and have everything with us. I did. Although I’ll have to make a checklist for appointments. I also created an intake form to get some health history so I have documentation.

As I drove home, I felt exhilarated…like this is where I am supposed to be. Truly, this whole experience, massage therapy school, has just fallen into place. I am having to work for it, don’t get me wrong…learning is hard work, however, I do believe this is my calling. I received a very nice note this afternoon from my client thanking me for taking my time to give her such a precious gift. Wow…we just never know how we affect other people…I was just practicing.

Talk soon...