Blog - Page 16 of 31 - Harvest Moon Massage Therapy

2013 AMTA-AL Spring Convention – Refresh Your Career

Business & Marketing for Massage / April 24, 2013

Many of you may already know that I am heavily involved with AMTA-Alabama Chapter. So it won’t be any surprise when I tell you that I’m going to the spring convention next weekend.

I’m nervous about it. Not the drive or meeting new people, I’m nervous about the class I’m teaching.

I’ve hinted at it a couple of times, but here it is for all the world, I’m going to be teaching a class called “Using Facebook to Promote Your Massage Business”. It’s all about marketing yourself on Facebook by using a Facebook Page.

I shouldn’t be nervous, I’ve done the research and made some charts for folks to look at. I know what I’m going to present, but still, I’m nervous. A little of it is the whole public speaking thing, but I’m always a little nervous when I have to do that and I usually get over that part of it as soon as class starts. I think the biggest part of it is that it’s massage. And I so love massage and respect the people who teach it that I don’t want to be crappy at it.

And then there’s the whole control freak part of me that keeps repeating, “What if they don’t bring their laptops? What you going to do then?” Eeek!

Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on myself, surely someone wouldn’t sign up for a Facebook class without bringing their computer especially when the registration form says, “Bring a laptop”.

Anyway, I’m going to try to relax a little. The charts are inches away from being done. I plan on finalizing them tomorrow and getting the copies made. I wonder how many people have signed up?

Now if Facebook would just stop changing things. They would have to roll out changes as soon as I got all my graphics fixed. But I have a solution for that too, teaching moment! Plus I’m too lazy (and don’t have time) to re-do them all.

Here’s some info on the Convention if you’d like to go!

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Rossiter System pain relief techniques!

2013 AMTA-AL Spring Convention – Refresh Your Career Read More »

Comfort Touch

2 Comments / Massage / April 10, 2013

Dementia - The size of the challenge — Dementia – The size of the challenge (Photo credit: The Prime Minister’s Office)

I’ll be attending the Alzheimer’s Support Group at the Morgan County (Alabama) Mental Health Association this next Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7 pm.

Ms. Lynn Easterwood of Hospice of North Alabama will be demonstrating techniques to relax and assist in reducing the pain of elderly or ill persons.

The flier I received in the mail says she’ll be presenting the Comfort Touch system. I don’t know much about it, but it’s supposed to be a massage modality suited for people with dementia, pain, illness or simply the elder folk.

Anyway, come join us if you are local and interested. It’s free and nurses and social workers get CE hours. I’m working on finding out whether Massage Therapists can also get credit. Regardless I think it’s something good to know as we all have elders in our families.

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy Massage

Comfort Touch Read More »

Headed to the Ozarks!

Business & Marketing for Massage / March 22, 2013

Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology will be closed for some much needed rest and relaxation.

I’ll be back the first week of April. If you need an appointment, call and leave a message and I’ll get to you as soon as possible!

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai Massage

Headed to the Ozarks! Read More »

What is Rossiter Bodywork?

Rossiter / March 14, 2013

Boiled down to its simplest form, Rossiter is a method to reduce pain.

Did you know that most people schedule their very first massage to reduce pain? They take a leap of faith and hope that the therapist they chose randomly from the phone book or Google search will know all the right moves to make their pain go away. This is why I do Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy. It’s my go-to method for getting into the areas that need to get loose in order to relieve pain.

Sometimes it doesn’t work though which, frankly, terrifies me. I hold myself to a terribly high standard when it comes to my clients. Even if I can’t eradicate all vestiges of pain, I at least want you to feel much better when you get off my table. The good news is that I’ve ever only had one client (to date) who got off my table unhappy. Of course, they got on the table with the expectation that I wouldn’t be able to help so, obviously, I didn’t. It was heartbreaking to me, but that is another story altogether.

The bad news is that I have some clients suffering from chronic pain who I have been able to help in the short-run, but after a couple of weeks or a month or two months, they’re hurting again. And while I love each and every one of my clients and I love to see them and I especially love giving them the Ashi goodness, I want to be able to make a more significant difference in their pain. I think Rossiter might be the answer. After spending a weekend learning how to do this technique and practicing on friends, family, and select clientele. I feel ready to start offering a few techniques to my clients and the public.

So What Is Rossiter Exactly?

The creator of this method prefers to call it a Rossiter Workout. And while you, the client or Person In Charge, will be expected to perform guided stretches, it’s not a workout in the classic sense of the word. There’s no running or jumping up and down. Nothing too strenuous really, just some stretches and afterward a bit of walking, but it winds up being hard work.

Rossiter Workouts are performed on the floor or in a chair. As the Person In Charge, you will remain fully clothed and will control all aspects of the workout. Many of the maneuvers demanded in the Rossiter Workout will be uncomfortable. And while I’m not about pain, sometimes you have to walk through the pain in order to get past it and leave it behind. As the therapist or Coach, I will ask you a lot of questions about your pain and customize a workout for you. Then I will teach you the movements we will be doing to relieve your pain. During the workout, I will use my foot or elbow to apply deep compression to the treatment area and guide you through a series of stretches. Periodically during the workout I will ask you to walk or perform some other movement-oriented task to assess the progress you have made in reducing your pain levels.

And that’s it in a nutshell, I help you unwind those pesky fascial restrictions and you regain the freedom of movement and freedom from pain that you crave.

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Rossiter Pain Relief Techniques

What is Rossiter Bodywork? Read More »

I Did It!

2 Comments / Business & Marketing for Massage / February 28, 2013

And there you have it, folks! 20 posts in 28 days. Woo hoo! You’ll understand that I’m going to be taking a short break from posting. Plan on something new mid-March unless I get spring fever or find something exciting to tell you.

Now I’m off to sleep…zzz…. right after I finish my March newsletter and that Thai class I was telling you about… zzz… okay, maybe just a short nap…

But before I go a big THANK YOU to Dawn & Kelli at the Business Blogging School!

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Bamboo-Fusion Massage

I Did It! Read More »

More Thai Training Canceled Due To Lack of Interest

Thai-Yoga Bodywork / February 27, 2013

So in addition to two weekend trainings, Mardi Gras weekend, 20 blog posts in February, a part-time job that pays the mortgage, a full load of clients, managing the AMTA-AL website and developing the retention plans for the membership committee, I decided the first weekend following the February madness absolutely had to be filled with more Thai training.

How could I pass it up? Mukti was coming to Birmingham. I had to go.

After Rossiter training last weekend, I’m exhausted and excited, but mostly exhausted. I’ve arranged to buy a set of stands so that I can begin offering Rossiter ASAP. Hopefully I’ll be picking those up in the next couple of weeks. The good news is the stands are really the only equipment needed for the level of training I have. I’ll be writing more on Rossiter and how I think it can help my clients in the very near future.

But back to the Thai training. You may remember that I’ve been working on making a Thai mat. The hurry was ultimately for this class. I wanted to use it for the Rossiter, but that class was so crowded they asked for a regular yoga mat instead. So the new mat will be getting a workout this weekend. I hope it goes well. It has to be better than the “thick blanket” that was requested as equipment for the class. I can’t imagine crawling around on my knees all weekend on no padding.

I am excited for the new knowledge and getting to practice and reinforce the techniques I learned back in December. And also to see Mukti again. I also understand there are going to be a few people in the training I know so it will be good to see friends and make a few new ones. And I’ll be staying with my cousin who I don’t get to see often enough.

There are so many positives to this whole weekend plan that I hate to even think about how tired I’m going to be when it’s all over. It will all be worth it, but I can tell you now that the plan for the next weekend is to lie about on the couch. And maybe eat a bon-bon.

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Thai-Yoga Bodywork

More Thai Training Canceled Due To Lack of Interest Read More »

Alzheimer’s / Dementia Caregiver Support

Massage PSAs / February 26, 2013

Recently I started attending an Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregiver Support group. Many of you already know that I help to care for an elder who has severe dementia. We spent several years struggling along by ourselves trying our best to provide the support she needs as her dementia continues to escalate.

Then last year a friend turned me on to these meetings at the Morgan County Mental Health Association. They are for caregivers and family members of people who suffer with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and I can’t say enough about how helpful this program and the people who run it have been. Whether you need advice on services available in the community to help you and your loved one cope with the frightening changes they’re experiencing or you just need a break and to sit and talk with someone who understands they seem to know and be available for you.

I didn’t get to attend the last meeting which is a shame because they hosted a local specialist on Elder Law. That would have been helpful. Maybe next month I can get a synopsis of what we should be doing and looking at.

Anyway, if you’re local to Morgan County, Alabama and struggling with Alzheimer’s and/or dementias in your family, this meeting is free and open to the community.

When: 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7 – 8:30 pm

Where: 207 Commerce Circle SW, Decatur, AL

More info: Morgan County Mental Health Association

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai Massage

Alzheimer’s / Dementia Caregiver Support Read More »

Wide Open Spaces

1 Comment / Massage PSAs / February 25, 2013

Friday, as I was desperately trying to pack a suitcase and figure out if I had everything I needed for the weekend Rossiter training in Atlanta, a large truck rumbled up the driveway. It was Habitat for Humanity. They had come to pick up the vestiges of my 20’s.

For a while we’d been discussing getting rid of some of the old furniture that I had been hoarding in the rec room upstairs. And after tentative agreement last week a pick up was scheduled. Their arrival was somewhat of a surprise and I don’t think I was supposed to be there when they came because I received the stink eye and was told to go get everything ready to move. A few minutes later and the big truck was loaded with my old couch and the dining room table that had become so loaded with scrapbook accessories I had forgotten what it actually looked like.

The guys were nice and said thank you for the donation. I said a quiet goodbye as the truck lumbered down the driveway and wished it all a nice home somewhere it’s used and appreciated. Now all that remains of that period of my life are mementos scattered around in random boxes, pictures and memories.

And though sentimental about the stuff that represented that period of my life, I can see the open places the stuff used to occupy. And there’s a lot of happiness in that. More room, more space, more possibilities.

I have finally learned that more things do not mean more happiness. In fact there is liberty in open space and not having so many things. Being happy with less is very freeing. Being okay with not having the latest, greatest whatever generates less stress. And having the space to consciously make decisions on what I really want, that’s the reward, I think.

Also, the extra money in my pocket doesn’t hurt either. The goal of paying that mortgage off early is actually seeing some action now that I’ve quit “needing” so much.

So for a while I’m going to enjoy less clutter in my home and the corresponding openness in my mind. Who knows what will come to fill it, but whatever it may be this time I’ll be consciously choosing to fill that space, physical or otherwise. I can’t wait to see what happens.

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Rossiter Pain Relief Techniques

Wide Open Spaces Read More »

Raiding a Bar With a Band of Pirates

1 Comment / Massage PSAs / February 23, 2013

Shortly after Mardi Gras and the big parade I was talking with a friend of mine who came to last year’s parade and hung around for the after-party. Last year there was no formal Krewe Party so we made it up as we went along and ended up in the bar side of a local Italian restaurant.

In the conversation he mentioned that he had a lot of fun, “Raiding a bar with a band of pirates,” and that night had fulfilled something that he didn’t even know was on his bucket list.

I started laughing because I had never actually considered one, that we were a “band of pirates” and two, that we “raided” places. But that’s exactly what happened that night. A gnarly-looking band of foul-mouthed pirates took over a bar and spent the evening drinking and carousing. Just what you would expect them to do.

Which is so far from what I do in my real life that it is shocking that I was even a part of it. But they say that clothes really do make the man and apparently putting on the coat and hat and sword really do make the pirate.

Since the conversation I have thought back to him saying that it fulfilled something he didn’t even know was on his bucket list. And after processing the superficial meaning of the conversation and continuing to come back to it, it has occurred to me that this is what life is about.

Being open to the things that you don’t even know are on your bucket list. Living life wide open and experiencing it as it happens and loving it. Good, bad, and ugly, just take it, live it, and love it.

I’ve been talking about fun stuff, but as I’m aging I’m also learning an appreciation for the tougher things, the painful things and learning to be thankful for all the times I’ve come through, good and bad. Because it gives me experience to draw from and confidence that next time perhaps it won’t be so hard or painful. And thankful for the practice of living life now so next time it gets bad I won’t despair.

I guess what I’m ultimately trying to say is that along with enjoying the journey, just be open to what life brings you. Or as those gnarly pirates might say, “Storm and plunder, baby!”

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai Massage

Raiding a Bar With a Band of Pirates Read More »