Massage

Resolved

Massage /

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy anniversaryI’m not prone to making New Year’s Resolutions. Never have been really, I’m more the kind of person who just does what needs to be done when I see someone or something in need. That’s why it took me by surprise when, after Christmas, I started thinking some really deep thoughts about things I wanted to change during the New Year.

Thoughts along the lines of not being happy with the large amount of work I’m doing and the small amount of fun I’m having. Thoughts about how I’m allowing my work to suck all the creative juices out of me leaving behind a withered, papery husk by the end of each week. Thoughts about how much time (and life) I’m wasting on Facebook and Pinterest and, dare I say it aloud, WordPress.

Now don’t start thinking I’m going to quit bringing the massage goodness to Decatur, I’ll still be working. I’m just going to be doing more mano y mano and less online. There are, after all, bills to pay, dogs to feed and I am beginning understand why massage therapists don’t really retire, they just slowly wean down their clientele.

This doesn’t mean I won’t be blogging here, I will. It doesn’t mean you won’t ever see me on Facebook, I’ll be there, just less. Less sitting around hitting the refresh button waiting for someone to comment on my latest brilliant Facebook post. Less trolling Pinterest for the latest, neatest, yummiest whatever that promises to change my life. Less stressing and turtling over the long, long list of things that must absolutely be done, right now.

Less Vegging; More Being

More enjoying the moment, being present. More creating whether it be writing or cooking or scrapbooking or crafting something beautiful for the office or house. More music and dancing. More creative fuel. And hopefully more joy.

I’ve not completely figured out the end goal of all this. Perhaps there isn’t one. Perhaps it’s just that I need to learn to enjoy the journey more. That sounds good, Enjoy The Journey. Perhaps the best resolution of all.

Sharon BryantHarvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy and Ashi-Thai Massage

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My Fijian Experience

Fijian Barefoot Massage /

"Fijian Barefoot Massage"

So I’m sure if you follow along at all over on my Facebook page you already know that I’ve been in Nashville the last couple of days for a class. I had been considering and pondering and planning for quite a while about this class and then it just sort of fell into my lap.

I drove up Friday morning giving myself an extra hour of drive time which was a good thing. Have you ever driven in Nashville rush hour traffic? Yikes!

Fijian Barefoot Massage

The class was Fijian Barefoot Massage with Lolita Knight. I have been curious about this modality for a while. I wanted to try a different  kind of barefoot massage to see how it compares to Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy. And I have to say it was quite different. Similarities, of course, but interesting new ways to use the feet to get in there with the pressure.

And Fijian is similar to Ashi-Thai in that the client stays clothed, which is a plus if you’re working in public spaces. And it’s portable. Very easily portable. Essentially all you need is the floor (or ground if you’re outside). A thai-style mat would up the comfort level, but is not necessary if you’re in a real pinch.

I learned so much at this class and met so many interesting people that I’m still somewhat overwhelmed trying to process and integrate it all.

Meanwhile I have to tell you about the highlight of the entire trip because it is bizarre and surprising and made my day. We were mid-way to lunchtime and had been working for a while. I was chatting with my practice partner. Obviously I told her I was an AOBT and she was asking me some questions about it. Apparently she had been researching Ashi classes and was unsure of which organization to go with. Then she specifically asked about one of the copycat knock off providers and I was launching into my spiel about why she should choose Deepfeet.com when I heard a tiny voice from across the room say,  “I teach for them.”

It stopped me in my tracks. For a moment I wasn’t sure how to interpret that statement. You work for the knock off? You work for Ruthie at Deepfeet.com? I looked and there was this face that I recognized, but didn’t know and suddenly a name was flying out of my mouth and there was laughing and squealing and there across the room were two of my Ashi sisters. We all knew each other from our Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy Facebook Group, but didn’t know we were going to be in the same class. I spent the rest of the day hyper aware of where they were and what they were doing as we worked. Then we went to dinner together and had a fabulous time. That poor TGI Fridays in the Opry Mills Mall may never be the same.

Overall I had a great time learning Fijian and then later the luxury add-on Soft Touch Island Massage and getting to share it with my Ashi sisters made it all even better.

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage

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Mangia, Mangia!

Massage /

When I was in massage school my instructors told us over and over again that it was very important to take time out to have our bodywork done. Without it our tools (our body) would get worn out and eventually injury would set in possibly ending a career. Most massage therapists I know don’t have time to go get a massage. They are busy scheduling appointments, doing massage, managing paperwork and taxes and sometimes employees. Many have families at home to care for and like most folks in the caretaking business, we put ourselves last.

So I was very excited and proud of myself when I scheduled a massage before I was hurting so bad I couldn’t work. The day finally arrived and of course, I’d spent most of it giving massage and hadn’t scheduled myself a lunch break. So as I was driving to my appointment I was wondering what I could eat to tide myself over until dinner. Then I started debating whether or not it was smart to eat and then I started laughing at myself. My clients ask me this question all the time and here I was fretting over whether I should eat or wait.

Should I Eat Before My Massage?

Yes, eat. Always eat and hydrate. Massage, especially deep tissue massage, can cause your blood sugar to drop so having something on board is a good idea. Don’t eat like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. That would be uncomfortable and you could possibly get sick. I use a lot of pressure, probably more than you realize, but your stomach will tell you about it if it’s overly full and I don’t want to clean up the mess. Also, your blood pressure can drop. It’s a side-effect of the relaxation process so hydration is important to keep the blood pressure from dropping too low.

So the takeaway, eat a small snack and drink lots of water before your next massage. Then afterwards go eat a healthy meal if you still feel like you need it.

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Falling Off The Table

Massage /

"Harvest Moon Massage"I suppose it’s a natural question. I get it from almost all of my clients, if not the first time we work together, eventually.

Have You Ever Fallen Off The Table?

The short answer is no, I’ve never fallen off the table. The longer answer is yes, sort of.

When you ask me if I’ve fallen off the table a movie in my brain starts playing wherein I fall off the table head-first onto the inadequately padded, concrete floor. There is a lot of blood in my movie and I end up horribly injured, disfigured, and paralyzed. This has never happened to me, but suffice to say the prospect of truly falling off the massage table from a standing position scares the stuffing out of me.

I have however stepped off the table thinking my step stool was underneath my foot and missed. This is sort of like falling and the aftermath is not comfortable. I have also stepped onto the step stool and had it promptly turn over as I’m dismounting the table. This is almost worse than falling because I think I’m home free and then suddenly there’s danger. I’ve also just stepped straight down off the table onto the floor (on purpose) and jammed up my hip.

Usually my clients never know when this happens unless they hear the step stool thunk a bit. I have been fortunate in that I have never injured myself severely enough to have to stop a massage.

How Do You Keep From Falling Off The Table?

Hold on to the bars is the obvious answer, but sometimes I have to let go to change the drape as I move through the massage or adjust the position of an arm or leg or get off the table altogether. That’s when the safety training takes over. If I did something stupid and/or dangerous while I was learning Ashi (AOBT) or Ashi-Thai, my instructors counseled me. And by counseling I mean I was gently corrected, became the butt of a snarky comment or was downright yelled at if I was about to hurt myself or someone else. I was counseled several times during training. I also learned from my friends’ counseling sessions.

Now that I don’t have the luxury of an instructor scrutinizing my work, if I have a misstep during a massage I flag it in my memory and later come back to analyze it.  My general philosophy on mistakes is that I should learn as much from them as possible so I never have to repeat them. Thus I try to learn from each misstep or mistake; then I design the massage around my equipment with an eye towards maximizing safety for me and for the client. That way it’s all fun and games and no one gets hurt. And by fun and games I mean the deepest, most luxurious massage on the planet.

Sharon BryantHarvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage

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Happy AOBT Anniversary To Me!

Ashiatsu /

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy anniversaryI just realized that today is my 3rd anniversary of being a fully certified Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy therapist.

I remember driving all the way to Cincinnati, OH by myself. Gulp! I was acting like a big girl, but felt a little like when I was in driver’s ed and the teacher told me it was time to drive my passenger side tires off the roadway. You want me to do what?!?!

I learned how to not freak out and jerk the wheel that day so long ago just like I made it safely (and on time) to Ohio. That trip was great, except for the getting lost part between Mary-Claire’s gorgeous training facility and the HoJo I was staying in. That only happened the first day and after that I was set.

It was a great training, physically very demanding, but so worth the effort. I will admit after the first day of DeepFeet2 class I was beginning to wonder whether my triceps would survive. I had lots of strength issues remaining even though I’d been practicing one-foot moves on clients for six months. The triceps survived, but I finished that class wondering if I would ever look as graceful as Mary-Claire while working.

I left Cincinnati stronger and more confident on so many fronts. I made a bunch of friends, discovered that I never wanted to travel alone again without a GPS, fended off a HoJo stalker (scary, but no harm done), and learned AOBT with two feet.

Ashi has defined my massage career. It has brought me so much joy and allowed me to bring comfort to so many of my clients. Here’s to many more years of bringing the Ashi love.

Thank you, Mary-Claire Fredette. I dream of being the Ashi goddess you are.

***Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage

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Portable Ashiatsu Massage

Ashiatsu /

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the portability of my Ashi massages. And I’m happy to say that, yes, I can come to your location. In early 2011 I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a set of Hardee-Ashiatsu Portable Bars.

I have the ability to travel with my portables for different events. To date I have had been able to use them at several outdoor 5Ks and occasionally I throw them up on my front porch just to play with them. I am always searching for more opportunities to travel with my bars. I enjoy introducing the public to Ashiatsu. The adult reactions range from sheer boredom to fascination. The kids are so much fun and will gather just to watch and wait for the opportunity to jump on the table. And yes, I work on kids, but mostly it’s just a simple stretch and they get a tickle if they want it. The adults are a little harder to get on the table, but once they do they are so glad they did.

Portables aren’t really appropriate for just one or two massages unless you’re willing to pay an outrageous set up fee. What they are appropriate for is events or conventions or office functions or anything really where people gather who would like a massage therapist on hand.

The following video features my lovely Ashi-Thai instructor, Jeni Spring, assembling a set of portable bars. I find it highly entertaining as she is really much taller in person than on the video. Her sense of style cracks me up and you can really see her personality coming through starting around minute 3:30 and continuing on until the end. Enjoy!

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Finally Bamboo-fusion Certified!

Bamboo-Fusion /

So if you follow along over on my Facebook page you already know that I spent last weekend in Nashville learning a new technique. It’s called Bamboo-fusion and it was created by the lovely Nathalie Cecilia.

All my friends are asking if I’ve gotten into caning. Bamboo-fusion can’t be any further from the punishing aspects of the Asian practice, unless of course you want me to whip those shoulders into line with a warmed bamboo tool. The warm tools come in various sizes and shapes and are used to melt the tension and trigger points away as well as releasing myofascial restrictions. Does that sound like a punishment?

I can tell you from experience it’s not! It is, in fact, a wonderfully relaxing and healing massage that is also therapeutic. My first experience with Bamboo-fusion was last spring when I had a massage from the lovely Melissa Millson in Gulf Shores, AL. At that time she managed to relieve my aching forearms and elbows with her warm bamboo in only one 1-hour treatment. Sweet relief!

Since my training and experiencing this modality while learning my shoulders and neck feel better than they have in quite a while. This even after I drove 2.5 hours home.

Below I am embedding a video of Nathalie Cecilia demonstrating Bamboo-fusion for chair massage. I certified in the table massage so it’s a little different. Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you not only a demonstration of the technique, but also her lovely French accent. Enjoy!

Oh, and don’t forget to call today to schedule your Bamboo-fusion massage with Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology. We are Decatur, Alabama’s only Bamboo-fusion provider!

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January Special – Let’s Get Our Ashi-Thai On!

Ashi-Thai /

So yesterday as I was working with a regular client we were talking about Ashi-Thai and how she wanted to try it. After she got dressed, I put her back on the table and did a few stretches on her hips. That’s when I discovered that it’s been so long since I had anyone in for Ashi-Thai that I had forgotten which foot to use for which move.

So I’ve decided that January is going to be Ashi-Thai month. Book and receive an hour of Ashi-Thai during the month of January and get $10 off the regular fee. That’s $50 for an hour of Ashi-Thai goodness.

Call soon and get on the schedule!

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World Massage Festival 2011 – Redux

1 Comment / Ashiatsu /

I want to start out by saying, “Wow!” World Massage Festival was fantastic. There were vendors hocking everything from CEUs to massage gadgets to music to essential oils. I don’t know what I was expecting, but whatever it was, I got it plus some!

I spent the weekend helping with the DeepFeet booth. I got to do a lot of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy massage on other therapists wanting to try it out. I got to watch Julie Marciniak, an AOBT instructor in North Carolina, and Ruthie Hardee, the founder of AOBT, both do AOBT massage on other therapists. It was very interesting and I learned a lot.

Apparently they were pleased with my help because Ruthie invited me to help with the booth at the American Massage Therapy Association National Convention in October over on the west coast in Portland, Oregon. I don’t know yet if I’ll be able to go what with the cost of a flight, hotel and ground transportation, but what an honor. I am so honored to even be asked.

I’m sending a big thank you out to Julie for teaching me a new move she created and I’m sure if you’re one of my clients you’ll want to send out a big thank you to her as well. I’ve already tested it out and it got two big thumbs up.

And speaking of clients, I know it’s been tough the last couple of weeks to get in if you’ve called at the last minute, but things should start opening up so call now to get on the schedule.

Something else I wanted to mention since a lot of folks have asked about it, Bamboo Fusion. The Bamboo Fusion class I wanted to take in June was cancelled and I’ve been looking for another one to schedule into. I made some contacts this weekend with a few therapists in Georgia who are going to try to host a class so I will let you know when and if that happens. If you’re a therapist looking to take a Bamboo Fusion class, let me know and I’ll get you information as I get it. And you can always hit the Massage CEU Central group on Facebook for developing CEU information, but be sure to let me know you’re interested. If we can get 8 commitments for North Alabama I can get someone to come to us.

So, what’s next? Well, I think I’m going to write a series of Burning Questions posts as I got a lot of the same questions over and over again at WMF this year. So stay tuned for answers to questions like, how I keep my feet so soft, how bad was DeepFeet 2 really, and can I feel with my feet like I do with my hands. And if you have any other questions about massage, barefoot or otherwise, leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer it.

Thanks for stopping by!

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