Massage

Continuing Education: The Nerve Tour

Cadaver studies have never been my thing but working with the human body for the last 15+ years has apparently tempered my squeamishness into curiosity. What an amazing experience and such a gift getting to learn from people who have donated their bodies to science. The reverence Gil has for the people and their families is so heartening and gives me hope that the best of humanity is still out there waiting for us to find them.

Can I say that there was one particular thing I learned that will translate into my work that you’ll recognize as immediately different? No, maybe not yet, but it’s actually the most thorough exploration of the nerve bodies I’ve ever been exposed to. It was amazing how he was able to show the nerves where and how they presented physically inside the body and then tie them to movement, sensory, and even emotions. My explanation doesn’t even do justice to his presentation, you just have to experience it for yourself.

As far as layering this into my current work, it will be another body of information I have access to sift through when making decisions about appropriate treatment strategies. This class also gives me a reference point as to where to start looking with certain issues. Hello, sciatic nerve! And again, this is the most thorough education I’ve ever been through for the nervous system. It’s something I’ve been actively missing and trying to fill in for years. We’ll see how it manifests together.

For Bodyworkers

If you’re here looking for more information about Gil, he was everything I’d hoped for and probably more if I’m being honest. Warm, funny, witty, and of course so, so intelligent. This is not a class I’ll forget any time soon and to be honest, I’ll probably take it again when it’s available on the website. If you’re thinking of taking it, do it! No regrets!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Decision Fatigue From a Massage Therapist’s Perspective

Woman with decision fatigue holding one hand to her head and the other in a "stop" gesture

Have you heard of decision fatigue? Since I’ve heard of it, it seems to be around every corner and in some way part of every issue that keeps popping up. Maybe you’ve heard of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or some other high-profile individual wearing the same thing every day. Or maybe you’ve heard of capsule wardrobes or people who eat the same foods every day because it’s what works for them. All these odd habits are actually steps to combat decision fatigue.

The first time I became aware of decision fatigue was in January of 2019. I was in San Antonio, TX, for a Center for Barefoot Massage Instructor Training. It was very exciting, I was getting trained to teach Fijian Barefoot Massage, I was finally getting to meet almost all of the CBM instructor team, and I had never been to San Antonio or seen the Alamo and good golly, I was there for it! I was also getting a sinus infection.

I hope you can tell that while a lot of good things were happening to me, I was making a ton of decisions while learning in addition being in strange surrounds, and there was a lot of stress. As the training ended, one of our “tour guides” set up a float experience. And in true ‘Sharon knows she’ll have FOMO’ style, I was there for it. A new experience AND something I’d been wanting to try out for years. I tried it, the float was awesome, and while it didn’t cure my sinus infection, I’m pretty sure all that magnesium beat it back enough that I made it home before it got ‘go to the doctor’ bad. I look back now and think I wouldn’t have been allowed on the plane these days with that terrible case of the sniffles.

But goodness was I sick when I got home, and I stayed sick for a good, long time because I had overextended myself and now in addition to trying to get back to work, I was trying to heal and not giving myself the time or grace I needed and I ended up just trudging through a month or so of life not being able to do much of anything except get through it. And for those of you who know, that is not who I am and I expect if you’re still reading this, it’s not you either.

This experience really made me evaluate how I was organizing my life and what was causing a lot of hidden stress on a daily basis.

What is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue is a type of exhaustion that results from making too many decisions within a period of time. How much time? That’s unclear and I think probably depends on the individual. How many decisions are too many? Again, unclear and probably depends on the individual. Here is what research is starting to suss out though, when a person makes an excessive number of decisions (~35,000/day is “normal”), their ability to make further decisions becomes impaired. Impaired could look like procrastination, putting off making a decision, impulsive or seemingly irrational decisions, avoiding making a decision altogether, or indecision where you just can’t make up your mind.

Apparently, our brains only have the capacity to make so many decisions each day and when you surpass that number of decisions it leads to what is called decision fatigue. Ever get tired of trying to figure out what’s for dinner? Could be decision fatigue. How about what to wear to work? Could be decision fatigue, especially if you’ve waited until bedtime to try to decide on tomorrow’s outfit. Trying to call in a prescription for your medicine, but just can’t dial the number? Could be decision fatigue and low-grade anxiety about the possibility of having to answer even more questions.

Decision fatigue is something that can lead to burnout. I have a theory that the stress of this ongoing global pandemic, changes in family structures, workplace changes, continuing losses of all kinds, and incomplete grieving, has led to an overall heightened sense of stress. More chronic stress leads us closer to burnout and we all know burnout makes even seemingly simple decisions more stressful and difficult. All of this points to decision fatigue for many people.

Why is decision fatigue a problem?

What if you’re a doctor or a lawyer or a meteorologist with a tornado bearing down on your community and it’s really important that you make the right decision? You can see pretty quickly where someone’s life could be at stake and you’re out of bandwidth because you’ve spent the last six hours making decision after decision and there’s no more decisions left in the tank. Most of us aren’t making life or death decisions every day, but most of us do drive somewhere every day. I’m betting money decision fatigue plays into your ability to deal with traffic and the laws. I know it does mine.

Streamline Your Life

So how do we protect ourselves from decision fatigue? The literature doesn’t have succinct answers for that other than to reduce the number of decisions you make daily. Makes sense, but how do you do that when you have so many responsibilities? I’ve put together a few suggestions for you:

Make important decisions first

Stack your day so that the most important things you must handle get done early.

Remove distractions

Turn down the noise, turn off ringers and notifications, give your brain a break from all the distractions while you’re trying to get things done. And when you’re off-duty, be off-duty. Don’t check email or answer the random text message, let calls go to voicemail and check them tomorrow. Figure out the biggest offenders and do what you can to mitigate them.

Take a break

This one is important. If you’re already in burnout and suffering from decision fatigue, then taking a vacation and really getting away from it all might be your best bet. If you can’t do that then it’s time to start scheduling shorter, regular breaks and adding in something that recharges you. Not there yet? Make sure you’re scheduling breaks, moving around in nature, and getting some type of mental enrichment regularly.

Capsule wardrobe

This is the one I was talking about earlier where you wear essentially the same thing every day. I’ve seen people who literally buy 5 of the same outfits and wear them every day to work so they never have to decide what to wear. I’ve read about people who only wear black slacks with a white shirt. The style of the slacks and the shirts can be different, but it’s always white over black. I’ve seen made for you capsule wardrobes where everything goes with everything else. It seems like a pretty versatile option for folks who don’t want to spend a lot of time scratching their head in the closet searching for something to wear while still allowing for individualism.

Leverage technology

Use GPS instead of struggling to figure out where you’re going, use alarms and reminders to free up the constant monitoring of the clock, use an app to make, order, and schedule grocery and supply deliveries/pick-ups. Use automatic bill pay. Leverage all the technology we have access to in order to make your life easier and cut down on constant and unnecessary decisions.

While scientists are still duking it out in the literature over whether decision fatigue actually exists (some think because they can’t figure out how to measure it or its consequences, it must not exist) I’ll be over here figuring out better ways to deal with it. I’ll update here occasionally as I discover ways to automate those niggling decisions of daily living that can easily be done without my attention.

More Info on Decision Fatigue:

Decision Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis – From the NIH National Library of Medicine
What doctors wish patients knew about decision fatigue – From the American Medical Association
Why do we make worse decisions at the end of the day – From The Decision Lab
Why Less is Always More: Things I Quit to Reignite Joy in My Life – Rooted by Carmen Luisa

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Let’s Talk About Skin

Skin coated with sunscreen with a heart drawn in the middle of it

Most people don’t think too much about skin when they think about massage. Usually they’re thinking about a sore muscle or how stressed out they are and are looking forward to just laying down on the table for a while to relax and feel better. But skin is one of the really important things we learn about in massage school. We learn to look at it, evaluate it, and determine whether it’s safe for us to touch, if it’s safe for you to receive massage, and whether you need to see a doctor.

It’s getting warm here, the kids are out of school, and everyone is heading outdoors. That means we’re breaking out the shorts, tank tops, flip flops, and bathing suits and our skin is experiencing more of the environment than it has since last summer. And that is showing up in massage practices near you as sunburns, rashes, bumps, and bruises. So, I thought I’d take a minute and talk about a few skin issues we see and when it’s time to reschedule a massage before your therapist is walking you back out the door without receiving your much-anticipated massage.

Sunburn

Yikes! Even when you’re being careful, sunburns can happen. If you find yourself with a sunburn and a massage scheduled very soon, let your massage therapist know. You certainly don’t want to be trying to receive a massage if the burn is still sore. That wouldn’t be relaxing or any fun at all. If you’re to the peeling stage, that’s okay, just exfoliate and moisturize before your massage. Most massage therapists deal with peeling skin throughout the sunny, summer months. We appreciate when you try to minimize the peeling during your appointment.

Here’s an article I wrote a while back about Sun Safety. Check it out for tips and tricks on protecting yourself from the sun during this summer vacation. And if you’re looking to find safer, less toxic, more environmentally friendly sunscreens the AWG website is an excellent resource.

Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac Rash

Eeek! I am truly sorry if you suffer from rashes caused by poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. My very first case of poison ivy lasted about 6 weeks and covered a large portion of my body. I didn’t know what it was and didn’t know how to take care of myself. It was a big, miserable surprise and quite the learning experience. Most people won’t seek out massage in the early, blistered stages of a poison plant rash if it covers a large portion of the body.

Your massage therapist will surely send you home if you show up with a large, weeping rash. If your rash is localized and can be covered or easily avoided, then your therapist can choose to work depending on your individual circumstances. Please make sure you have completely cleansed your skin of any poison plant oils if you choose to seek massage while dealing with a poison plant rash. Please do not show up to your massage appointment directly from yard work without having showered. Your massage therapist can and will pick up and spread the urushiol oils everywhere they work and they can also contract a rash if you have these oils on your skin while the massage is in progress.

Stings & Bites

Ugh! No matter how careful you are outside (and sometimes inside), encounters with wildlife are inevitable. Hopefully it was nothing too serious. If your regularly scheduled massage appointment coincides with a bite or a sting, the important things to consider are whether the reaction to the sting or bite is localized and whether you’ve ever had a life-threatening reaction to a bite or sting. Sometimes if the reaction is localized and swelling is minimal, your therapist may feel comfortable working with you. If you’ve ever had an anaphylactic reaction to a wildlife encounter, please wait 72 hours after the injury or receiving emergency treatment before receiving massage. Bites from a larger animal may require antibiotics, please call your massage therapist if you’ve been prescribed antibiotics and the injury occurred within three days of your scheduled appointment.

Mystery Rash

Rashes can be caused by lots of things. Allergic reactions to environmental factors are common. Grass, plants, trees, wildlife, metal tools, lotion, sunscreen, something you ate, a fuzzy caterpillar, just about anything can cause a skin reaction if you’re sensitive to it. Mystery rashes with respect to massage get treated just like a poison ivy rash. If you can cover it, it’s probably okay to receive a massage. It’s up to your massage therapist and their discernment as to whether massage therapy is safe for you at the time.

Skin Cancers

Ah, skin cancer… this is a whole other article I need to write. Did you know massage therapists are taught to screen for skin cancer? It’s true! And while we can’t diagnose it, we can suggest you see a dermatologist for “this spot right here that I don’t like the looks of.” As far as it affecting your massage today, it won’t, but if you go have a biopsy you’ll need to coordinate scheduling your next massage around your dermatology visit. Please do not schedule a biopsy procedure and a massage on the same day without talking to your massage therapist ahead of time.

Bumps & Bruises

No problem as long as it’s a garden variety bump or bruise. Your therapist will avoid the area as to not cause any further pain or damage to the tissue as it goes about it’s healing process. If your massage therapist has training, experience, and confidence they may do a bit of lymphatic drainage to help expedite the healing process of the bruises. If your bruise is caused by a major accident, please make sure that you have seen a medical professional and you’re not in any danger of blood clotting. Clotting and massage therapy can be a dangerous combination.

Cuts & Scrapes

Cuts and scrapes abound when we’re outside playing or doing yard work. Just clean them up and cover them with a bandage before your massage. If you’ve visited the local emergency room and have stitches, please let your therapist know ahead of time, especially if they prescribed anti-biotics. We have guidelines regarding infection, anti-biotics, and the safety of massage therapy.

Tattoos

If you recently received some new ink, please plan to cover it during your massage. We need to treat this like a wound until it is fully healed. If it’s a large piece of artwork, consider talking with your massage therapist to see if it would be better to reschedule.

I hope this gives you a little more insight into skin and how your skin can affect your massage therapy experience. Stay well out there and enjoy your summer vacation!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Power of the Seed – A Book Review

A photo of the book Power of the Seed with a notebook, pen, and glasses

Power of the Seed: Your Guide to Oils for Health & Beauty by Susan M. Parker

I picked up this book because I was becoming interested in developing a few botanically infused oils specifically for massage and a CE course on integrating those oils into a massage practice. I had lots of questions about what properties of oils made them more or less nourishing to the skin, absorption rates, time frames that oils stay open long enough to be an effective massage medium, and more that I don’t really remember right now. Online resources kept pointing to the same oils over and over again without enough information as to the why. Eventually one of my social media platforms served up a free, online mini-class about oils for skincare by the author, Susan M. Parker. Of course, I signed up for it and after listening to her talk about so many oils and their corresponding properties, I had to buy the book. And boy am I glad I did. This book answers questions I didn’t even know I had about oils.

What Kinds of Oils?

Now, the first thing you need to know about this book is that it is NOT about essential oils. This book is about fixed oils, carrier oils, or non-volatile oils. Oils that you can cook with, eat, or use safely on your skin undiluted (unlike essential oils). Even though she mentions petroleum-based oil products, the focus of this book is firmly botanically-derived oils, butters, and waxes.

If you had high school chemistry and did okay in it, you’ll be able to get through the sections on the chemistry of fatty acids. Thankfully there won’t be an actual test on all this, but the chemical make-up of saturated versus unsaturated fats has changed the way I think about what I’m cooking with in the kitchen. It also makes it very clear how and why oils go rancid and become so damaging to our health when consumed.

Fatty Acids & Phytochemicals

I got a little lost in the sections that covered the different fatty acids and their properties as well as all the differing phytochemicals. There are a dizzying array, but the good news is this book can be used as a reference guide. So when you need to know which oils are highest in, say, Vitamin C, you can just go look that up.

I’ve read a few reviews from people much more experienced in chemistry than I am cautioning that some of the definitions aren’t completely accurate, but for my needs and I’m guessing the layperson interested in using oils for developing their own skincare products, this book delivered just enough technical explanation.

In addition to the chemistry, phytochemicals and the general make-up of oils, this book contains a section covering 90 different oils, butters, and waxes with information about their chemical constituency as well as uses in cooking and skincare, a section on working with oils, and directions and recipes on how to make different skincare products with these oils. The appendix is vast making up about a third of the book with sections on oils by use, properties, source, botanical families, saponification values, fatty acid families, fatty acid composition tables, an essential oil dilution table, a glossary, bibliography, and source list. My biggest complaint is that there’s no Index, but we will forgive that because this book is already so amazing I feel sure the next edition will feature one along with even more oils as they become available.

A Summary

Power of the Seed is a beautiful book. I appreciate the artwork and the size of the book. It’s easily handled, not too big, not too small, just right! The rounded corners are something you don’t see often in publications and seem to make the book even easier to interact with. Also, the fact that the cover is easy to wipe down and doesn’t readily uptake oil is a plus since you’ll probably be using it around, oh, oils!

This book was a pleasure and I’ll be returning to it often as I continue my herbal healing adventures!

More information about the author can be found at the author’s website: Susan M. Parker

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Gift Certificate Changes

A dark colored gift box with a bright blue ribbon

In order to continue serving my existing and waitlist clientele in the most sustainable manner possible, beginning March 10, 2022, I will no longer be selling online gift certificates.

Moving Forward

  • Gift certificates will only be sold for current clients or those I have seen within the past calendar year
  • If you wish to purchase a gift certificate you must contact me directly
  • Credit will be applied to the recipient’s account, no physical or electronic gift cards will be provided
  • For those holding unexpired gift certificates, please contact me to get on the schedule

The new Gift Certificate Policy and Gift Certificate Cancellation Policy is now available for review.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Sharing Social Media Content

Part 1: How to Ethically Share Someone’s Social Media Content on Instagram

I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, maybe you’ve even been a victim of someone sharing a cool piece of content you created for your business or organization and never linking back to you. It doesn’t feel great, so I thought I’d share some thoughts here on how to ethically go about sharing someone else’s content on Instagram.

Early on, as I was learning about Instagram, I’m sure I shared something along the way that wasn’t correctly credited back to the creator. I didn’t know any better, but as I’ve learned, I’ve done better and I want to help you do better too.

Now that I know better, I do better.

Maya Angelou

The first thing you’ll need is an app that allows you to share content from Instagram. It’s not hard to find, you can Google “apps to share content on Instagram” or search that term inside your device’s App Store. The results will give you plenty of options to choose from. Each of them are different, many of them have free options and you’ll need to evaluate each one to see if it fits your needs.

If you’re just starting out in business or using a personal account, one of the free options will probably do. If you’re into scheduling posts out ahead of time you might want to look into some paid options. Google will be your friend here in determining which paid option is best for you.

Sharing Other Creator’s Content on Instagram

In order to be successful at ethically sharing, you need to know what I’m talking about when I say “content”. Content is anything someone creates whether it be a photograph, an altered photograph, an image created for advertising, a meme, and any caption (text) that goes along with it.

So now that we know what content is and we have an app whose job it is to reshare that content, here are things to keep in mind when sharing content from other creators.

Most apps do this automatically when you select the option to preserve the caption. I recommend you let the app do its thing here cause it gives your account visibility through the app’s fans, the creator’s fans as well as possibly a hashtag the app creator’s use to tag their work.

Preserving the original creator’s captions

I asked a bunch of folks what their feeling was on this and here is what came out of those conversations:

  • Sometimes the app malfunctions if Instagram has changed something and needs a minute to catch up so you might not be able to preserve the original caption. I actually use two different apps in case one hasn’t caught up yet. If you don’t have the bandwidth for learning two apps, in this case you need to manually make sure the link back to the creator’s account happens some way in your caption or by tagging the image.
  • Sometimes you may want to add to the caption or refine the caption’s message. In this case, add to the caption, but make sure the reader knows where the original caption stops and a new contribution begins.
  • Sometimes it’s all about the image or graphic the original creator shared. Ethically, just share it, tag it with the creator, and preserve the caption. Just sharing the image as your own work is unethical. Don’t do that…make sure that somehow the creator is credited for their work.
  • Always make sure your app tags the image in some way. The creator’s IG handle should appear directly on the photo, if it doesn’t, explore in your app to turn that option on. Most of them have options for placement and whether they appear dark or light.

How to know what you’re looking at…

The following graphics explain what a shared post looks like, who shared it, who created it, how to figure out the tags, and what is different from the original caption.

Illustration of a shared piece of content on Instagram

The graphic above illustrates the content that was shared in one of my Instagram posts recently as well as identifies who is sharing the information and the tag back to the content creator.

Illustration of a shared content caption on Instagram

This graphic illustrates how some re-sharing apps tag and hashtag to attribute credit to the creators and themselves. This might seem weird that they would point to themselves, but their livelihoods also depend on views, just like so many of our businesses. This graphic also illustrates the original caption and the additional information added to the end of the caption.

What about Instagram Stories?

I didn’t address sharing to Stories on Instagram. Those are somewhat of a different beast. The Instagram app itself has some capability to share to Stories and takes care of attribution so I’m going to let you figure that one out on your own.

I hope this discussion on how to share social media content on Instagram has been helpful for you and helps you feel more confident when sharing other people’s content. Now get out there and socialize!

Part 2: How to Ethically Share Someone’s Social Media Content on Facebook coming soon!

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Ayurvedic Head Massage for Beginners – A Book Review

It's a picture of Sharon reading a book

Press Here! Ayurvedic Head Massage For Beginners: A Practice for Overall Health and Wellness by Hillary Arrieta

I should start this review by disclosing that my knowledge about head massage before reading this book consisted of watching a few videos on YouTube of a guy in India doing Indian Head Massage. It looks violent, but the receivers seem to enjoy it very much so perhaps vigorous is a better description. After reading this book I would definitely have to go with it’s all in the hands of the practitioner. I will definitely try it someday.

I should also probably disclose that the author is a friend of mine.

About the Author

Hillary Arrieta is a massage therapist, massage educator, aromatherapist, and overall badass. She owns Gaia Bodywork, LLC in Dallas, TX, and teaches barefoot massage with Texas Barefoot Massage Training.

About the Book

This book covers everything: the what of Indian Head Massage, basic principles of doshas, chakras, and marmas, different aspects of preparing for the massage, recipes to prepare your own hair oils to use during the massage, and instructions and illustrations for performing eight different Indian Head Massage rituals for working with clients as well as self-care.

Overall, I found this book unassuming and very accessible. It seems comprehensive for a beginner technique book without becoming a tome. It is easy to read and use with a handy index that makes it quick to find exactly what I’m looking for. I appreciate that the author took the time to illustrate both the self-care technique for each ritual as well as the client-care techniques. And the illustrations being inclusive just points to how much thought and consideration was put into this work.

If you’re interested in learning more about this technique without sinking a ton of money into a continuing education class, this would be a great place to start.

Find the Author

You can learn more about Hillary Arrieta and her book at her website.

Happy Reading!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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2022 Barefoot Massage Training Schedule!

I really don’t know how I’ve neglected to drop the 2022 Alabama Barefoot Massage Training Center schedule here. It’s been busy is all I can say. And seems like every time I thought I had everything straightened out, something else would change.

Regardless of future changes, right now this is where we stand.

In addition to the entry-level myofascial Ashiatsu Fundamentals and Fijian Barefoot Massage classes, I’ll be teaching a couple of Intermediate Ashiatsu classes this year. Did I neglect to tell you I finally finished my Intermediate Instructor Certification? Yes? No? Refer to above where I said it had been sorta busy. That instructor certification was not the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

I’m Taking Fijian on the Road!

I’ll be traveling to Kentucky and Georgia to teach Fijian in March and September respectively. Palpation Prep School of Massage in Benton, KY, tried to host Fijian in 2020, but COVID-19 messed that up so we’re trying again. If you’re in western KY or anywhere surrounding that area, come join us!

The Georgia Fijian class will be hosted at Terramar Wellness Center in Carrollton, GA, and I am so excited to visit this location. I’ve been following TerraMar Wellness since I first taught one of the owners when I was still in my Fundamentals Instructor Training. Also, they have a float tank and I absolutely cannot wait to make a reservation for that. I might float every single day I’m over there!

And Dawn’s Coming to Teach ROM!

I’m also really excited about hosting a ROM class here at the Decatur campus. That one is happening in May and Dawn Dotson from our Center for Barefoot Massage New York campus will be here to teach it. You may remember her from when I took ROM last September.

So, as you can see, there’s going to be a lot going on as far as barefoot massage training classes this year. And I’m really pumped about being able to road trip and take Fijian out into different communities as well as hosting other instructors locally.

Students, if you’re here for the barefoot massage training, register over here. Registration is open for everything you see here.
Alumni, if you have your eye on a particular class I don’t teach, let me know and I’ll see about getting one of our other instructors to come teach it here.
Clients, if you want to get scheduled in for a clinic appointment, text me and let me know!

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Massage is Weird – A Book Review

Massage is Weird: How to Beat Burnout and Kick Butt as a Massage Therapist by Ian Harvey

This book is actually very much a breath of fresh air in the massage industry. It’s a return to logic and common sense with a bit of social psychology thrown in and none of the usual social media mother-henning and overly emotional responses.

He addresses self-doubt, boundaries, educating clients, germs, creeps, trauma, business topics, client communication tactics, different causes of burn out, massage myths, and of course Ian’s specialty, massaging like a sloth! In short, anything that seems to professionally contribute to burnout, he’s covered it. And it’s all delivered in a coherent, gentle, and well thought out manner.

Overall I found this book very well organized. And while there’s nothing earth shattering or even new here, I would recommend this book for every new or struggling massage therapist because the information is succinct, applicable, and accessible. The layout is such that you can locate the topic of interest without having to read the whole book to find what you need. I do recommend reading the whole thing through at least once though. For those of us who have been around a while, I recommend reading it to support our industry cohort and to see the unique perspective his background offers to our work.

Happy Reading!

Ian Harvey’s Massage Sloth Website is here if you want to learn more about him and his Massage Sloth style.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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FasciAshi ROM: Stretch Therapy

A photo of Sharon performing a ROM stretch to the client's arm

What is ROM?

FasciAshi ROM is Range of Motion: Stretch Therapy and I’ve been waiting to take this class for over a year. Covid-19 really kicked the can down the road as far as marking goals off the list, but it finally happened.

Years ago, I’d taken a Thai-inspired barefoot massage class and I’ve used it for years, but this was totally different. Perhaps I’ve thrown a stretch or two into a session in the past, but I always found it difficult to integrate those moves because they were designed for the client to stay clothed. With these new ROM skills you’ll find more stretches during your current barefoot massages because they’re easier, not only on my body, but to just throw a stretch in here and there without having to worry about exposure.

One of the other things I found with this class is attention to the ‘Why’. Why would I use this particular stretch or compression? The attention to ‘Why’ makes it much easier to know when it’s appropriate to use these techniques. Got a Charley Horse? There’s a stretch that addresses gastrocs and soleus (the muscles that are typically involved in that kind of cramp). Hip flexors tight and sore after training and running that 5K? There’s a stretch for that, a few, actually. And then there’s those stretches that feel great but are sneaky effective in areas you wouldn’t expect. Fascia is amazing that way and ROM most certainly addresses the fascial system.

How Do I Get My ROM?

All that to say, ROM is definitely on the menu. You’ll find it under Stretch Therapy if you’re trying to book it yourself. Otherwise, just ask me next time we book your appointment if you’d like to try it. I can integrate it into your regular barefoot massage appointment, or we can go straight up Stretch Therapy with a blend of ROM, facilitated stretching, and some of that Thai-inspired barefoot massage.

Can I Learn FasciAshi ROM?

For those of you wanting to learn FasciAshi ROM, Dawn Dotson from our New York Campus will be here at Alabama Barefoot Massage Training Center in May! Register here. Class will be small, and yes, we will need clients for clinic. If you want to come experience the classroom version of ROM, let me know!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

FasciAshi ROM: Stretch Therapy Read More »