The 2014 AMTA National Convention in Denver was a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties, meetings, debates, dinners, and overall awesomeness (sorry, Roxanne)!
There was so much to it, I think it would just be best if I let you take your time with a picture gallery. Don’t miss the captions, they tell parts of the story too.
The advance party of the AMTA-AL Delegation being excited at the airport!
The Denver Convention Center ran different messages on the big screen all week long. I thought this one was appropriate.
The big blue bear at the convention center was really neat.
Here is my filling in for the AMTA-AL President selfie!
And here I am with the AMTA National President!
AMTA-AL Delegates getting ready for House of Delegates!
Opening Ceremonies with some of the Alabama Delegation.
CVOP 2014 Reunion. There were many more of us at convention, but it was a busy time.
And I found my Ashi instructors in the Exhibit Hall. There were 9 Ashi instructors there and I met all of them 🙂
And then I met Dr. Oz. It was an Ashi secret agent mission!
Me with Tina Allen founder of Liddle Kidz Foundation
Ready for the Dinner Dance!
After all the excitement a little hooping with the moose was in order! (I told you I was going to take my hoop!)
And in addition to all of that I managed to get myself on camera and they used part of my interview in both AMTA National Convention videos from this year!
Hope you enjoyed my little scrapbook of 2014 AMTA National Convention in Denver!
For more on the Denver convention and how all my Ashi instructors participated you can head on over to the Bodywork Buddy Blog.
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Ashiatsu Deepfeet Bar Therapist!
Many of you may remember that I took off for Ft. Worth last September to serve as an Alabama chapter delegate for American Massage Therapy Association. Well, those delegate positions are two year terms so I’m getting ready to run off to Denver next week.
I know you’re wondering why I do this. After all, I have to leave my lovely clients and the income that they so generously give to me. I do it because of the position statements that AMTA House of Delegates will be voting on this year.
Position statements can affect the entire profession of massage, massage education and consumers of massage. And I think this year’s crop of position statements run the gamut. We’ll be debating and voting on position statements that deal with portability of massage credentials across state lines, how massage affects health and wellness, and whether massage is helpful for the rehabilitation of burn scars.
One would assume that all these are good things and I would agree in principal, but when you’re representing not only a state chapter, but a national organization all the i’s must be dotted and t’s crossed. So these position statements may or may not be adopted. But never fear, there are lots of position statements that have already been adopted. If you’re interested, they’re over here. Leave a message if you have an opinion or observation about the position statements. I’d love to talk with you about them.
Anyway, last minute preparations are under way and I wanted to let you know that Harvest Moon Massage Therapy will close Friday, September 12th @ 3:30pm and will resume normal hours Friday, September 26th. Email and voicemail returns will be very slow during this time period. If you would like to schedule, please use online scheduling through StyleSeat.
Why so long? Because I’ve never been to Colorado before and I’m taking a few days after the convention ends to see the sights and have a walkabout in the mountains. I also hope to experience several sets of Ashi feet on my back while I’m there. Colorado being the home of Ruthie Hardee, the developer of the Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy method I practice, there should be lots of Ashi feet available.
It’s going to be an interesting trip and I’m taking the BIG suitcase this time. TSA may be very surprised when they see how I’m going to stuff a hula hoop and a yoga mat in there. I hope they don’t try to take anything out!
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Ashi-Thai Therapist!
In celebration of National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, I’ll be hauling out the portables and setting up at Pool Doctors in Decatur, AL.So if you’re curious about the barefoot massage thing come on out to see me on October 25th from 2pm – 5pm at the Pool Doctors (1207 Central Pkwy SW, Decatur, AL)
You can watch for a few minutes and then hop on the table for a free sample!
Hope to see you there!
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Barefoot Massage!
Every so often someone asks if Ashiatsu is safe. They have looked at some pictures or read a description and gotten the idea that experiencing Ashi may be akin to being trampled by a small elephant.
I’m here to assure you that is not so.
Many of my clients have taken to telling their friends and family and actually introducing me as the massage therapist who walks on people. I got tired of correcting folks, it’s a distinction really, so now I just smile and nod yes, that’s me, the lady who walks on people and calls it a funny name.
And while I technically do not walk on people, I do a pretty good impression.
Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy or DeepFeet Bar Therapy was created to deliver deep pressure to the client safely.
So I can say it’s safe all day long, but what do I do to make it safe?
Don’t walk on people
I really do NOT walk on you. I use my foot or feet to glide over and compress the muscles. It’s different from walking because even with two feet my weight is rarely ever fully on the client and I never shift weight from one foot to the other while working.
Use the right tool for the right job
Sometimes it’s not safe to receive Ashi. If you’re pregnant, if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or uncontrolled diabetes or problems with circulation or recent surgeries, you should not have Ashi. That’s why I ask so many seemingly invasive questions when we first meet.
Also, Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy massage and Ashi-Thai moves are designed to be performed in a certain way. If I’m using the wrong foot to do a particular move, at best, I’m going to get stuck and have to make clumsy adjustments. At worst, I might hurt my client. So there’s a right foot and a wrong foot to use for each move.
No free-stylin’
I use only one foot at a time when working with clients who weight less than 40 lbs. more than I do. No, I’m not going to ask you how much you weigh unless you really need two feet, and you’re really close to the me+40 limit.
Regardless of whether it’s with one foot or two feet, I only perform moves I learned to do the safe way in training.
No goofing around on the table, EVER
This is probably the most dangerous thing an Ashi therapist can do. Goofing around and / or not paying attention to what they are doing is going to result in falling off the table and / or on the client. Neither of which is good for everyone involved.
We are trained specifically on how to move and navigate while on the table with a client. It may look simple and fluid, but it’s not all that intuitive and our instructors spend a lot of time trying to ingrain safe on-the-table habits.
Always be gentle and considerate
I try to never touch or cross the spine while working. Since the pressure is deep by the nature of Ashi, getting too close to the spine could cause a lot of pain or even injury. Also, stepping on or pinching the client’s skin is bad form. As is getting your toes tangled up in their hair. Not good… Oh, and I wash my feet obsessively between clients.
So that’s what I do to keep Ashi safe. I hope these answer your questions about Ashi Safety. If not, please leave a comment and I’ll write about it.
***I should point out that what he’s doing isn’t really perfect in that he’s unsupported. His form is pretty good and his balance is great, but as an adult I would never attempt this because frankly, someone could get killed.
I won’t tell you not to let your kid walk on your back. I think it’s a right of passage myself, but do be aware of the receiver’s physical limitations and the weight of the child. My nephew and I had a good weight difference when this picture was taken, probably about 90 lbs. difference.
But he’s growing and I’m growing older and I can almost guarantee we won’t do this again because our weights will be too close for it to be safe. Not to mention even in this photo, at these weights, one wobble the wrong way could have sent him crashing down into me and there’s at least one of us injured if not both.
But… it was fun anyway and a great memory that we will both have for posterity. I’m glad we got it in electrons 🙂
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai Massage!
Jordan Ben getting sassy on the portable bar system
Recently one of my Ashi sisters called wanting to rent my portable bars for an event. Turns out she got a gig at a “Girls Day Out”. She kept saying it was about swimming and eating and massage and pedicures while the guys were out hunting or fishing or doing whatever they do when they’re not around on the weekend.
This is one of the many pictures that came out of the event. I love that they were outside. The tent the host provided was huge and had curtains for privacy if the client wanted them. She was set up on grass and at first I thought that might be a problem, but apparently the portable bars handle grass alright.
I love the Garden Party aspect of this event that she did. I wish I could have gone with her, but now that we know, anyone? Ashi at your Garden Party? Family Reunion? Random outdoor event?
I’d love to bring the portables and do massage for your friends and family!
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy!
I recently had an experience that opened my eyes about work and environment.
It’s rare that I do massage anywhere but my office. Occasionally in the floor at home or on location, but it’s rare. Sometimes someone will hire me to come to their location and do a massage, that is even more rare. Regardless, I recently visited away from home and did an Ashi massage on someone else’s setup.
The bars were fine, configured a little short for my taste, but nothing unmanageable. While working, I kept getting lost. I would find myself wondering how many Warriors have I done? Was that Mortisha’s Rack #2 or #3? I hope it’s not #4. Eek!
Anyway, I started really having to pay attention to what I was doing and feeling and it took a while, but I finally realized the difficulty was the room. There was no window and it was dark by design. There were lots of sparkly bits scattered about, a silvered shawl thrown over the frame of a mirror, a bowl full of glass ornaments, a jar of lights. Shadow and light everywhere made the place even darker and deeper than it actually was and gave the room the feeling of being very small and very full. It was all so interesting my brain kept getting lost exploring the shadowed nooks.
After I finished the massage and headed home I kept thinking about how the style was so very different from mine. I’ve always been a bit self-conscious about my sense of style. So much so that I will gladly tell you I am doing well to dress myself in the morning. If my clothes are cute, it’s probably an accident. Therefore, when it came time to decorate my massage office I was practically catatonic.
I knew even before I went to massage school that I wanted to have a light theme. I didn’t want a dark office. I find nothing wrong with the dark, rich decor usually found in massage treatment rooms, I just knew it wasn’t me and I probably wouldn’t be happy with it.
I was lucky in that I found an affordable space that was large and had a window. Somehow I decided on a color, painted, moved the furniture and equipment in and decided what to put on the shelves. Since then I’ve  slowly added art to the walls, hooks for hanging clothes, and made a curtain for the big window. There are more things that need to be done that will affect the aesthetic of the room, but it is a process finding and creating the things I need.
And in driving home last week, thinking about the massage I’d just finished in someone else’s lovely office surrounded by their lovely things that help them through the day, I realized how much I love my office and all the things that I’ve collected that help me through.
When decorating my office I tried to make sure everything had a purpose, the dark, swirly bowl to hold jewelry, three flower-shaped metal hooks for hanging clothing, chairs from the old Decatur High library that were to be tossed out for seating. In the crush of practicality and need I somehow managed to pick out beautiful, meaningful things that I love.
For me, this is new. Not just the realization that I shouldn’t be so self-conscious about my style, my clients seem to love my office, but also the awareness that workspace and the things in it effect my mood and job performance. I know these things about my home, what took me so long to connect the dots at work? I suppose I’m finally realizing that, like everything else, it’s a journey.
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy Massage!
Photo Courtesy of Julie Ankrom, AOBT Extraordinaire
Yes it’s a verb, Mardi Gras, it’s something we do anyway. Fat Tuesday in translation or Tuesday Fat if you want to get super specific. I’m just here for the good time so I don’t care what you call it. But let’s get to it, shall we.
The reason I’m writing about Mardi Gras here on the 2nd of February is because I want to invite you to a parade! Now if you’re wondering what parades and massages have in common, not a lot unless you slap a massage table and a set of portable bars on a float and have your therapist do a bit of Ashi as you stream past thousands of possibly drunk and definitely jealous individuals. Maybe not such a grand recipe for personal safety.
Of course, after the parade, that’s when massage comes in. All those folks dancing and prancing their way down 2nd to Bank and on to Church, they’re going to be needing a massage. I should hand out cards.
Anyway, on to the invitation.
When: February 9th @ 6pm
Where: Decatur, Alabama beginning at 2nd and Gordon and traveling to Bank and Church
Why: Because it’s tons of fun, lots of throws and I’m going to be on Krewe O’ Ye Crooked Goat again this year. Check out the Carnegie Carnival website for more details on all the activities and beneficiaries of our event!
And because I’m shamelessly promoting myself today. If you make a spectacle of yourself and I catch you doing it, I’ll give you a gift on the spot. I haven’t actually decided what the gift will be, but I guarantee it will have something to do with massage and that you will like it. I probably need to decide on a code word so I don’t just walk up to random folks who are celebrating a bit too rambunctiously. How about, “Are you my massage therapist?” Yes, that will do. Ask me if I’m your massage therapist at the Mardi Gras parade and you receive a gift.
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai 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
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.
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. Â 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.
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage
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