I'm often asked during sessions or when I'm out and about how I came to be a massage therapist.
Once a long while ago I received work from a young lady. She was younger than me at the time of our meeting. I found her to be so inspiring. The way she spoke - her light, her way of being. Each time I came home from a session with her I felt very different.
Her work rumbled something in me. It tugged at me. It massaged the idea of how this very non traditional type of work could invoke such happiness in another person. I could only imagine how it must have made the therapist feel.
I learned a lot about myself from my sessions.
I enrolled in classes at the Berkeley Psychic Institute. I learned to ground myself- how to disconnect from energy paths that my spirit found harmful and how to tap into my intuition. I learned about meditation, and chanting and how these practices help to feed your spirit. Soon there after I enrolled in massage school at the National Holistic Institute and put my foot down on a path of becoming a massage therapist and health educator.
Long before my meeting that therapist I had discovered aromatherapy . I used to practice it as a teenager carrying around a little lotion I concocted with peppermint, sage and lemon essential oils I would apply it on my temples if I had a headache or if I was overwhelmed with the stress of high school politics. This natural healing I discovered worked for me and I very reach for an aspirin when I had an ache or pain.
The marriage of these three non traditional pathways lead me to a career and gift I am so very proud of. Massage is my passion. I love it! I could not ever see myself doing anything else. When I'm not in the studio working I am often reading about body work. How to change a stroke up, experimenting with how to go deeper into a body and sometimes if the energy is right beyond that with energy work. Massage is not pampering, massage is medicine. One of the most ancient forms of it. In this country its very often overlooked as a luxury. I attempt to transcend that mindset when I work with clients.
Massage is a part of my everyday life. I love creating a space for people to come- relax and release. I love creating space in a persons body and in their spirit. I often hear the things that are troubling my clients. Most times they share but often it's felt in the energy that is exchanged while they are on the table. If they are sleeping well, if they are bogged down by bigger problems. Many times clients have broken down and cried over whatever issue is hurting them. I love being able to create a space and energy they can be vulnerable and feel what they need to feel in that moment of receiving... It's a powerful healing if you allow it to be.
I often hear -
Michelle, I don't even need to tell you where the tension is your hands just glide there.
Michelle, your work is so different it's a healing I receive when I'm here.
Michelle, I have been looking forward to seeing you all week.
Thank you. I do focus on intuitive work, it is healing it's not your basic cookie cutter massage.
Thank you. I love being the high light of so many people's day. That's a blessing to receive that type of gratitude, over and over again. Not everyone can say that about their job. My work is greeted with a smile.
All of these things and more of what I hear further reinforce that I am doing what I was meant to do. Massage is my gift. Combined with the other modalities I practice . This work always fills me up. I love what I do and that in its self is its very own gift as my passion, talent and gift is what I'm so appreciated for. Sharing my love for wellness and body work along with energy work and skin care makes me happy. I'm always pleased to greet a client and place my hands on them. Thank you for sharing yourself with me.
