November 4, 2024 • 27 mins
We discuss how to get the most out of your time on the massage table. We address some frequently asked questions, and go over resources I have available to continue learning about receiving and giving massage.
Intro to Partner Massage Course:
https://courses.massagefundamentals.com/
Sakalya Massage Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sakalyamassage/
Massage Website:
https://www.sakalyamassage.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm Kristen Russell, and this isThe Wholly Empowered Podcast,
where we dive into all thingsholistic healing and open our
minds, hearts, and paradigms tonew ideas so we can live our
most empowered, healthy, joyfullives.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome to Wholly Empowered.
I'm really, really excited aboutthis episode today because we're
(00:22):
talking about my specialty.
We're talking about massage.
This is something I think abouta lot.
I do a lot.
I have experienced a lot and I'mreally stoked to talk to you
guys.
This episode is going to beeverything that I want my
clients to know about receivinga massage and getting the most
(00:44):
benefit when you come in.
So we're going to cover a lot ofreally, really good stuff.
This is a very packed episodehere we go.
First of all, I wanted to, Justtalk about my background a
little bit and then we'll divein.
So I'm Kristen Russell and I'm alicensed massage therapist.
I have been practicing since2015.
(01:06):
I did an apprenticeship.
I was always kind of interestedin massage for a long time.
I ended up getting my bachelor'sin something else and I came
back to massage and it's beensuch a good fit.
But, At the time that I started,I did an apprenticeship and I
didn't know that was even anoption.
(01:27):
So, it's kind of a cool thing.
I think the state of Utah is,which is where I did mine, is
the last state or one of theonly states that does that
anymore.
So, It was just, it was great.
It's, we can, we can get intoall the, you know, pros and cons
of massage school versus anapprenticeship, but really
enjoyed my apprenticeship.
I learned a lot.
I learned under Sharon Muir, whowas on the board for a long
(01:51):
time.
She's great and that took alittle over a year and Then I
took the MBLEX, the exam, andpassed, and been practicing ever
since.
So, that's kind of my, just mybackground.
If you are interested inlearning massage, and you ever
want information about that,talk to me.
(02:12):
I would love, love, love to talkto you.
I just think that's fun.
Mentoring's kind of fun for me,and I'd love to connect you with
the right people and answer anyquestions you have.
So, feel free to send me anemail or send me a DM on
Instagram or something, butthat's a little bit about me and
my history, but I want to diveright in to.
(02:36):
All the things that are going tobenefit you when you're coming
in for a massage.
So, first thing I want to goover is things you can ask for.
I feel like a lot of timesclients are so worried about
bothering the massage therapist.
People will always ask me like,is it okay if I talk to you or
if I do this or if I do that?
Anyway, so, I just wanted to goover some things you can always
(02:58):
Always ask for it when you'regetting a massage.
So, more or less pressure.
Always okay to ask for more orless pressure.
And a nice way to put that is,I'd love more pressure if you're
able.
People are worried aboutphrasing sometimes, so, as long
as it sounds polite, like,you're good.
We just wanna know.
(03:19):
We just wanna know what youwant.
massage therapists are so, wespend, our life's work is making
sure that you are comfortableand happy in receiving what you
are paying us to receive, youknow, what you came in for.
So communication is like, welove it when you communicate and
tell us what you need and want.
(03:40):
You can always ask foradjustments to the table.
So that includes likebolstering.
So the pillows that we put underyour knees or under your ankles,
you can always ask foradjustments there if you need to
take one away or add more theface cradle.
So where would you put your facewhen you're face down?
You can always ask for that tobe adjusted.
Often, I feel like necks getcranked backward a little bit.
(04:02):
So tilting it forward can be amore comfortable position
sometimes, but you don't knowwhat you don't know.
Like If, if you're, sometimes itfeels uncomfortable, but you
don't even realize it'suncomfortable, or that it could
be better.
So, just something to be awareof.
How does your neck feel whenyou're in the face cradle?
It should just feel like a nicestraight line, and just really
(04:24):
comfy.
So, you can always ask for helpwith that, and heat on the
table.
The temperature.
If you're too hot or you're toocold, let us know.
I have a table warmer on mytable.
We can always add more blankets.
You can always turn the fan on.
We just want to make sure thatyou're comfy.
And you can always ask for aquiet massage with no talking.
(04:47):
That's totally acceptable.
If you need water, if you needtissues, you know, when you're
on the table, you can't reachthese things.
So, we're happy to just take apause, grab something for you if
you need it.
Totally fine.
Extra bolstering.
So, for example, if, this is alittle tip for you, if you have
low back pain when you're layingface down, ask for a bolster
(05:11):
under your hips.
And we can just give you alittle pillow, you can put it
right under your hips, and thatoften will relieve that low back
pain.
So if you feel uncomfortable orlike you need more support.
Support.
Let us know, cause we usuallyhave bolsters or pillows lying
around.
And we can use those to prop youor help you feel more
comfortable.
Whatever it is, whether it'slike under your neck or.
(05:33):
You need a little more.
Support here or there justdepending on positions you're in
or different bodies, we all justneed different things.
Something else that you can askfor is.
If your phone is going off oryou forgot to turn off the
ringer, you can ask me to.
Grab it for you, if you want.
I feel like people get reallylike, Agitated when their phone
starts going off.
(05:54):
And I think they're worried.
It's bothering me sometimes.
But it's really not botheringme.
I think it's.
Probably agitating you more thanit's ever going to bother me.
So I am happy to grab your phonefor ya or put it on silent or
whatever you need me to do.
I might have slightly greasyfingers.
I can wipe my hands off.
Do my best, not to.
(06:14):
Get grease on your phone and toget coconut oil on your phone.
But happy to do that.
That's.
Not a big deal.
so those are just some.
Some things that feel free, feelfree to ask.
This is your massage.
We're here to take care of you.
So, all right, I'm going to kindof get into the meat of this and
(06:35):
then I'll go over somequestions.
Anytime I do an episode onmassage, we'll probably go over
frequently asked questions.
I found over the years, over mynine years of doing this, that I
get asked the same questions alot.
And on my Instagram the otherday, I asked the followers on
there, what are some questionsyou're too embarrassed to ask
your massage therapist?
(06:55):
I got a lot of differentresponses.
So I'm going to go over a coupleof those that are applicable to
what we're talking about.
So we'll go over questions, butthis, this is what I, This is
what I really want you guys toknow.
So, when you come in for amassage, when you're on the
table, receiving, you just wantto be floppy.
for the most part, just letyourself be dead weight.
(07:19):
A lot of the time, I think wehave, and I do this too, when I
get a massage, where I don'teven realize I'm helping my
massage therapist, but we like,want to help them when they're
lifting our arm, or they'redoing something, or they're
like, moving our body around, ormoving our neck.
And, it's actually it's so mucheasier to work on someone who's
just dead weight.
The only exception to that, Iwould say, is the legs.
(07:40):
Like, I don't mind if someone isnot dead weight when I'm draping
their legs.
So when I take the sheet and Ikind of tuck it underneath the
leg, don't mind not, I really,you don't need to like do
anything other than just not bedead weight, but also it's fine
if you are, I'm just sayingthat's the only exception where
I'm like, I'll allow it I know,anyway, so just be floppy and I
(08:04):
want to talk about, so I want totalk about breath, you guys.
So your breathing is so helpful.
It's really key, honestly, togetting the most out of your
massage.
It's so helpful.
So when you're on the table andI'm working on you, sometimes
When we're getting a massage, wefind ourselves having a hard
(08:26):
time really relaxing and gettingthe most out of what we're being
given.
So if you're someone who justhas a hard time really just
relaxing, just receiving whenyou're on the table.
If you're feeling tense, ifyou've got a lot on your mind,
(08:46):
if maybe some people have alittle trauma and it's just hard
to let go.
We all struggle with this alittle bit.
Sometimes I have to consciouslylet go.
So taking slow, deep breaths.
And a good rule of thumb isinhale through your nose.
If you can, I know face down,that's hard.
Sometimes inhale through yournose, into your abdomen.
(09:08):
And then when you exhale throughyour mouth, make it twice as
long as your inhale.
That activates your vagus nerve,and your vagus nerve is
responsible for fight or flight,or rest and digest.
So when you do that kind of aninhale exhale, it puts you into
parasympathetic, aparasympathetic state, and
(09:29):
activates your rest and digest.
Gets you out of fight or flight.
So, If you just take thesereally slow, deep breaths while
I'm working on you, it will helpyour body naturally calm down.
It will also get oxygen into allof the muscles when we breathe.
it gets more oxygen into ourblood, therefore gets it into
(09:50):
our muscle tissue, which isreally good for your muscles.
And, so as far as breath goes,as, as I'm working on you you
can really feel the benefit ofthese deep breaths when I'm
working around your lungs or inbetween your shoulder blades or
on your neck, these areas thatare a little closer to your
lungs.
And it feels really good.
(10:11):
Like you can really breathethrough, especially when I am,
we're working through kind of agood hurt, you know, when it's
just like getting through a, atighter area and it's a little
bit un uncomfy or.
kind of have that good hurtfeeling going on.
Breathing through that is super,super helpful.
And you feel it a lot when it'sin those areas I just mentioned
(10:34):
that are kind of upper body.
And it's, it's very, it can bevery relieving, but even if I'm
working on your calf or your,you know, whatever, your hand or
something, if it's feeling likea good hurt, like we're really
getting in there and it's tight,Do some deep breathing.
Like it's, it helps throughoutthe whole massage.
(10:55):
So, just keep that in mind ifyou're someone who holds your
breath a lot or gets kind oftense, focus on your breathing
and also kind of along thatline, visualization, oh man, our
minds are so powerful and whatwe tell our bodies or what we
tell ourselves, our body willmanifest it.
(11:16):
It's.
crazy.
So as you're getting a massage,especially if you find it hard
to detach from your day or yourstresses, telling your body it's
safe is one thing you can do.
Sometimes our body's trying toprotect us and it holds onto
things and it, it thinks it hasto be in this like heightened
(11:41):
state to keep us safe.
And.
Honestly the threat is gone,whatever it was, it's gone.
In this moment, you're gettingyour massage, you're safe.
So sometimes I like to just say,oh like, thank my body, be like,
okay, thank you for taking suchgood care of me, you can let go
now it's safe to let go.
Sometimes I'll say that if Inotice I'm protecting a lot when
(12:01):
I'm getting a massage and I'mresisting what the massage
therapist is doing.
So, Telling, man, the words weuse are so important.
Your body really, reallyresponds.
So be mindful of that and justthinking calming thoughts and
just kind of like consciouslysaying, okay, we're, we're
choosing into letting go now.
(12:25):
But visualizing is superpowerful as well.
If you, you can kind of do thiswith your breath.
If you can visualize breathingin.
Whatever you need, positivity,light, whatever it is, peace and
then breathing out on yourexhale, the stresses, the things
(12:45):
that have been haunting you allday or whatever, you know, just
visualizing that or visualizingjust a relaxing scene or like
nature.
Anything that puts you at ease,a safe place somewhere that
like, I grew up going to theOregon coast and that's like,,
if I imagine I'm on the Oregoncoast, it's like, Oh, my body
goes, okay, we can, we're safe.
(13:07):
We can let go.
This is wonderful.
So putting scenes in your headlike that are, it's really,
really helpful to help you getthe most out of that massage.
So.
Moving on to questionsfrequently asked questions.
I had someone write, am Isupposed to communicate with you
(13:31):
while I'm getting the massage?
How can I tell you what I like?
Don't like yes, please, please,please communicate with us when
we're trying to give you amassage.
It's so helpful.
Feedback is so helpful.
Oh man.
Just, and I want to like talkabout communication as well as
we're answering this questionbecause it's so important and
(13:54):
it's so helpful.
Again, your massage therapistjust wants you to get everything
out of it that you can possiblyget.
When you're able to communicatewith us and we can communicate
with you, especially, andsometimes people come in and
they just want to relax and justspace out and that's what they
need.
And that's totally fine.
And if you come to me, you know,we have like a relaxation
(14:17):
massage option and a fix itmassage option.
So basically if you come to, mewith an issue that you
specifically want worked out.
That's when communication iscrucial.
If you just want to relax, I'llcheck in with you a little bit
and, make sure you're comfy andwe're doing good.
But if you really, if you wantto get the most out of fixing a
(14:40):
specific issue, and we don'talways have to talk a ton, but
sometimes it's really, reallyhelpful.
So, Definitely, please tell usif the pressure's too much, if
it's too little, if something'shurting, please tell us if it's
hurting or if it's uncomfortableor if you're triggered by
something.
(15:00):
That's the last thing we want todo is do something that makes
you feel unsafe oruncomfortable.
So that kind of defeats thepurpose of a massage.
You want to feel safe andcomfortable.
So, giving feedback like I said,as long as, I think as long as
it's just polite, which isn'thard to do, we're just so, we're
(15:27):
just happy to, happy to havesome feedback about how you're
feeling.
We want to know how your body isfeeling, What you're
experiencing during the massage.
And I don't want to put pressureon anyone to talk a bunch during
their massage.
But if you have thoughts about,well that, that wasn't quite
right.
Or that didn't feel like theright approach.
Ideally a massage is this reallybeautiful, synergistic, trusting
(15:50):
your own body, trusting yourmassage therapist.
And we're working as a teamwhere I can do the therapy.
You can let me know how that'sworking for you and I can adjust
and we can just make itsomething that's really, really
beautiful, honestly, reallyhealing and beautiful.
so I had a client last nightwhere we just had the best flowy
(16:12):
communicative massage and she, Ifeel like she got so much out of
that and walked away sosatisfied and feeling so much
better.
And we used a really gentletechnique that I don't always
use on everybody because youhave to kind of be in tune with
your body to feel that it'sworking and you have to be kind
of in a lot of pain to knowlike, Oh yeah, that worked I
(16:35):
could feel that adjustment, youknow, Adjustment quote unquote,
but Anyway, that's so ideal andit was so great to work with her
and just she's Spent a lot oftime getting to know her body
and how everything's feeling.
And so that helps, that justcomes with time and experience
getting to know gosh, like evenwhere your boundaries are with
(16:59):
that didn't feel right, or thatdidn't, that was too much or,
you know, it, it takes time.
So the first time you come in, Ifeel like I ask people how's
everything feeling?
They're like great.
I don't know.
And rightly so, you know, it's,it's hard to know how things are
supposed to feel on your first,your first session.
But she's taken a lot of time toreally get to know her body and,
(17:20):
and it's, it's so helpful for meto get that feedback from her.
And then I'm able to, Give herwhat she needs.
So that communication is thebest.
It's so great.
So, I really try to create anenvironment where you feel safe
talking to me.
(17:41):
And you also don't feel talkedat.
I try to let the client lead theconversation.
So, hopefully you're gettingthat, hopefully that if you're a
client of mine, that's how youfeel but.
I just always want it to beclear that it's, it's safe to
talk during your massage and,and voice how you're feeling or
what you, your needs are.
(18:02):
I wanted to touch on knowing ifit's too much or not.
And this is an interesting, it'san interesting balance when
you're giving a massage andreceiving knowing what's too
much, what's not enough.
I try to err on the side ofgoing gentle because when you're
getting a massage, we're tryingto teach your nervous system
(18:23):
that it's safe to calm down.
So even if we do really deep,structural work where it's
supposed to be a little painful,I want to ease in and start out
where it feels safe for yournervous system to let go., We're
trying to gain trust there.
So I try to err on the side ingeneral of just doing a little
(18:45):
bit more gentle work.
And it's such a intuitive, likewith each person, it's different
with each, each person hasdifferent, there's different
body types, there's differentpain tolerance, there's
different just preferences.
So it's just getting to knoweach of those.
And So, just know, it shouldnever hurt, like massage should
(19:07):
never hurt unless we are doingreally deep structural work and
we've talked about it, andyou're down.
If I am working on you and youfeel Like, it's too painful, or
it's too much, let me know so Ican adjust because we never
want, never want it to bepainful.
You don't want to be tighteningup because it's so deep.
(19:31):
So if it ever feels like yourbody's reacting, try to breathe
through it, but if you can'tbreathe through it, if it's too,
way too much, just tell me, I'llback off.
And if you're not sure and youwant to try to breathe through
it, try that.
But if you're still just kind oftensing up or holding your
breath or something and it'stoo, it's just too much, let me
(19:52):
know.
Because when you get so muchpressure that you are tensing,
that kind of defeats thepurpose.
Except in certain situations,but for most people, that kind
of defeats the purpose.
And it's hard for me to tell,because sometimes I can tell if
you're tensing up.
But some people have really highpain tolerance, and it's really
(20:13):
painful.
But they're like,, seem likethey're fine.
And so it just shouldn't, in myopinion, it just shouldn't be
painful.
99 percent of the time.
So Oh, I wanted to touch onsomething else really quick and
then we'll wrap up.
So somebody asked me as well,they were like underwear or not.
And then another person askedwhat if, what if I don't want to
(20:36):
be naked?
What if I'm embarrassed orsomething?
Again, the whole point is thatyou're comfortable.
So, This is my opinion as far asmassage goes.
the type of massage I give, I'musing oil on your skin.
So the more skin you haveavailable, the better.
I think the better, especiallyif we're working on your hips or
(20:58):
low back or anywhere from, youknow, the leg, upper leg to the
low back.
It's better to not wearunderwear, like just to be
completely undressed under thesheet.
You're always covered, right?
But, if you're uncomfortable,You're not going to be able to
relax, you know?
So totally fine.
(21:20):
And a lot of my clients wearunderwear and it's totally fine.
Like I don't even, you don'teven think about it.
So sometimes it feels like a bigdeal, especially when you're
going in for the first time orthe first few times, like, Oh,
are they going to think that'sweird or, is this not okay or is
being naked, you know, not okay.
I don't know.
(21:40):
So.
Most of my clients aren't,they're just completely
undressed under the sheet.
Some of them are not, and that'sgreat.
Like, totally up to you.
So I feel like you do get aslightly, slightly more out of
your massage if you have moreskin available.
But, you got to make thatjudgment for yourself if you're
(22:01):
not gonna be able to relax.
Totally wear something and youcan bring whatever you need to
your massage.
So, a lot of my clients they'llbring compression shorts or, you
know, whatever, whatever theyneed.
So, that's just another areawhere there's no black or white
answer exactly.
(22:23):
So it just depends on you andwhat you're comfortable with.
And I just have to say, if youare self-conscious about your
body.
know, that your massagetherapist has seen every scar,
every dimple.
Everybody type.
We've seen it all as far as.
Perceived imperfections or justdifferences in bodies.
(22:46):
And they're not really a bigdeal.
We're not focused on that whenwe're massaging you.
We're not really looking at itor.
Caring.
About how anybody looks.
So we're more focused on themuscles and.
Strategizing and how things areworking together and how you're
feeling.
(23:07):
And.
It's not even really a thought.
So.
So, you know that you're notshocking.
You're not an inconvenience andwe've worked on all kinds of
body types.
And.
It's just not a big deal.
And.
Like you're.
Okay.
So just to have to throw thatout there.
(23:29):
Okay.
And I, as far as the receiving amassage and getting more
experience with touch, like itcomes, it comes with time.
The more massages you get, themore You just get better at
receiving, which is kind ofcool.
But also I have a course that Icreated and it's called intro to
(23:50):
partner massage.
And my goal with creating thiscourse was to give people who
don't have a license in massageor any training the basics
around how to give a reallyquality intuitive massage where
you're tuned in to the personyou're working with And teaches
you how to give and how toreceive because those are
(24:11):
obviously two different skillsthat you have to hone In order
to Give a really good massageand Again, the more you practice
that, like, the more youreceive, the better you're going
to be at giving.
So I wanted to create somethingwhere people can learn from
home.
(24:32):
You don't have to have a massagetable.
It's fully clothed.
It's partner massage for areason.
I didn't make it couples becauseI just wanted it to be very
inclusive of if your grandma hasa problem and you want to help
her like this, the course toget, or if you have a roommate
or, you know, it doesn't have tobe like a romantic partner or
something.
It's very it's very accessible.
(24:54):
We just use a chair and pillowsand a mattress on the floor,
whatever you have, you cantotally do this if you have a
massage table, but you won't seea massage table in its course.
It's just geared toward peoplewho just want to learn and they
have some pillows at home and acouch or, you know, something.
So I just feel reallypassionately that Everyone
(25:17):
should be able to take care oftheir body and the bodies of
those around them.
You know, like we should all beable to take care of ourselves.
And when I went to massageschool, I had so many eyeopening
moments where I was like, Oh, weall have a body.
We all have to take care of it.
And there's so much that most ofus don't think about or aren't
(25:38):
aware of, or it just wasn't partof our education.
And.
It's so important just knowing afew basic things can really help
you feel empowered about takingcare of yourself and helping the
people that you love.
So, I just go over a lot ofbasics, it's basically kind of a
full body massage, just throughthe clothes.
(25:59):
I think it's pretty uh, userfriendly.
I have anatomy included in it, Ireally want to explain things
well, but I go in deeper intothe receiving and the giving and
everything and I just think it'sa great tool if you're into
that.
So, that's something that I'llput, I'll put a link, it's the
(26:24):
website's courses.
massagefundamentals.
com, I'll put a link to that andmaybe my Instagram, if you're
wanting to follow me there,we'll put a link for that.
I give tips on there and ifsomebody cancels, I'll put it on
there.
So we'll probably just end itthere, but hopefully this was
helpful for you and next timeyou come in for a massage,
(26:47):
you'll be feeling super readyand ready to relax and get the
most out of it.
So anyway.
Thanks so much, and we'll talkto you next time.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you are enjoying whollyempowered, share it with that
friend or on your socials, youcan also hit the follow button.
(27:10):
If you want to keep up with thelatest episodes until next time,
stay empowered.
I'm Kristen Russell, and this isThe Wholly Empowered Podcast,
where we dive into all thingsholistic healing and open our
minds, hearts, and paradigms tonew ideas so we can live our
most empowered, healthy, joyfullives.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome to Wholly Empowered.
I'm really, really excited aboutthis episode today because we're
(00:22):
talking about my specialty.
We're talking about massage.
This is something I think abouta lot.
I do a lot.
I have experienced a lot and I'mreally stoked to talk to you
guys.
This episode is going to beeverything that I want my
clients to know about receivinga massage and getting the most
(00:44):
benefit when you come in.
So we're going to cover a lot ofreally, really good stuff.
This is a very packed episodehere we go.
First of all, I wanted to, Justtalk about my background a
little bit and then we'll divein.
So I'm Kristen Russell and I'm alicensed massage therapist.
I have been practicing since2015.
(01:06):
I did an apprenticeship.
I was always kind of interestedin massage for a long time.
I ended up getting my bachelor'sin something else and I came
back to massage and it's beensuch a good fit.
But, At the time that I started,I did an apprenticeship and I
didn't know that was even anoption.
(01:27):
So, it's kind of a cool thing.
I think the state of Utah is,which is where I did mine, is
the last state or one of theonly states that does that
anymore.
So, It was just, it was great.
It's, we can, we can get intoall the, you know, pros and cons
of massage school versus anapprenticeship, but really
enjoyed my apprenticeship.
I learned a lot.
I learned under Sharon Muir, whowas on the board for a long
(01:51):
time.
She's great and that took alittle over a year and Then I
took the MBLEX, the exam, andpassed, and been practicing ever
since.
So, that's kind of my, just mybackground.
If you are interested inlearning massage, and you ever
want information about that,talk to me.
(02:12):
I would love, love, love to talkto you.
I just think that's fun.
Mentoring's kind of fun for me,and I'd love to connect you with
the right people and answer anyquestions you have.
So, feel free to send me anemail or send me a DM on
Instagram or something, butthat's a little bit about me and
my history, but I want to diveright in to.
(02:36):
All the things that are going tobenefit you when you're coming
in for a massage.
So, first thing I want to goover is things you can ask for.
I feel like a lot of timesclients are so worried about
bothering the massage therapist.
People will always ask me like,is it okay if I talk to you or
if I do this or if I do that?
Anyway, so, I just wanted to goover some things you can always
(02:58):
Always ask for it when you'regetting a massage.
So, more or less pressure.
Always okay to ask for more orless pressure.
And a nice way to put that is,I'd love more pressure if you're
able.
People are worried aboutphrasing sometimes, so, as long
as it sounds polite, like,you're good.
We just wanna know.
(03:19):
We just wanna know what youwant.
massage therapists are so, wespend, our life's work is making
sure that you are comfortableand happy in receiving what you
are paying us to receive, youknow, what you came in for.
So communication is like, welove it when you communicate and
tell us what you need and want.
(03:40):
You can always ask foradjustments to the table.
So that includes likebolstering.
So the pillows that we put underyour knees or under your ankles,
you can always ask foradjustments there if you need to
take one away or add more theface cradle.
So where would you put your facewhen you're face down?
You can always ask for that tobe adjusted.
Often, I feel like necks getcranked backward a little bit.
(04:02):
So tilting it forward can be amore comfortable position
sometimes, but you don't knowwhat you don't know.
Like If, if you're, sometimes itfeels uncomfortable, but you
don't even realize it'suncomfortable, or that it could
be better.
So, just something to be awareof.
How does your neck feel whenyou're in the face cradle?
It should just feel like a nicestraight line, and just really
(04:24):
comfy.
So, you can always ask for helpwith that, and heat on the
table.
The temperature.
If you're too hot or you're toocold, let us know.
I have a table warmer on mytable.
We can always add more blankets.
You can always turn the fan on.
We just want to make sure thatyou're comfy.
And you can always ask for aquiet massage with no talking.
(04:47):
That's totally acceptable.
If you need water, if you needtissues, you know, when you're
on the table, you can't reachthese things.
So, we're happy to just take apause, grab something for you if
you need it.
Totally fine.
Extra bolstering.
So, for example, if, this is alittle tip for you, if you have
low back pain when you're layingface down, ask for a bolster
(05:11):
under your hips.
And we can just give you alittle pillow, you can put it
right under your hips, and thatoften will relieve that low back
pain.
So if you feel uncomfortable orlike you need more support.
Support.
Let us know, cause we usuallyhave bolsters or pillows lying
around.
And we can use those to prop youor help you feel more
comfortable.
Whatever it is, whether it'slike under your neck or.
(05:33):
You need a little more.
Support here or there justdepending on positions you're in
or different bodies, we all justneed different things.
Something else that you can askfor is.
If your phone is going off oryou forgot to turn off the
ringer, you can ask me to.
Grab it for you, if you want.
I feel like people get reallylike, Agitated when their phone
starts going off.
(05:54):
And I think they're worried.
It's bothering me sometimes.
But it's really not botheringme.
I think it's.
Probably agitating you more thanit's ever going to bother me.
So I am happy to grab your phonefor ya or put it on silent or
whatever you need me to do.
I might have slightly greasyfingers.
I can wipe my hands off.
Do my best, not to.
(06:14):
Get grease on your phone and toget coconut oil on your phone.
But happy to do that.
That's.
Not a big deal.
so those are just some.
Some things that feel free, feelfree to ask.
This is your massage.
We're here to take care of you.
So, all right, I'm going to kindof get into the meat of this and
(06:35):
then I'll go over somequestions.
Anytime I do an episode onmassage, we'll probably go over
frequently asked questions.
I found over the years, over mynine years of doing this, that I
get asked the same questions alot.
And on my Instagram the otherday, I asked the followers on
there, what are some questionsyou're too embarrassed to ask
your massage therapist?
(06:55):
I got a lot of differentresponses.
So I'm going to go over a coupleof those that are applicable to
what we're talking about.
So we'll go over questions, butthis, this is what I, This is
what I really want you guys toknow.
So, when you come in for amassage, when you're on the
table, receiving, you just wantto be floppy.
for the most part, just letyourself be dead weight.
(07:19):
A lot of the time, I think wehave, and I do this too, when I
get a massage, where I don'teven realize I'm helping my
massage therapist, but we like,want to help them when they're
lifting our arm, or they'redoing something, or they're
like, moving our body around, ormoving our neck.
And, it's actually it's so mucheasier to work on someone who's
just dead weight.
The only exception to that, Iwould say, is the legs.
(07:40):
Like, I don't mind if someone isnot dead weight when I'm draping
their legs.
So when I take the sheet and Ikind of tuck it underneath the
leg, don't mind not, I really,you don't need to like do
anything other than just not bedead weight, but also it's fine
if you are, I'm just sayingthat's the only exception where
I'm like, I'll allow it I know,anyway, so just be floppy and I
(08:04):
want to talk about, so I want totalk about breath, you guys.
So your breathing is so helpful.
It's really key, honestly, togetting the most out of your
massage.
It's so helpful.
So when you're on the table andI'm working on you, sometimes
When we're getting a massage, wefind ourselves having a hard
(08:26):
time really relaxing and gettingthe most out of what we're being
given.
So if you're someone who justhas a hard time really just
relaxing, just receiving whenyou're on the table.
If you're feeling tense, ifyou've got a lot on your mind,
(08:46):
if maybe some people have alittle trauma and it's just hard
to let go.
We all struggle with this alittle bit.
Sometimes I have to consciouslylet go.
So taking slow, deep breaths.
And a good rule of thumb isinhale through your nose.
If you can, I know face down,that's hard.
Sometimes inhale through yournose, into your abdomen.
(09:08):
And then when you exhale throughyour mouth, make it twice as
long as your inhale.
That activates your vagus nerve,and your vagus nerve is
responsible for fight or flight,or rest and digest.
So when you do that kind of aninhale exhale, it puts you into
parasympathetic, aparasympathetic state, and
(09:29):
activates your rest and digest.
Gets you out of fight or flight.
So, If you just take thesereally slow, deep breaths while
I'm working on you, it will helpyour body naturally calm down.
It will also get oxygen into allof the muscles when we breathe.
it gets more oxygen into ourblood, therefore gets it into
(09:50):
our muscle tissue, which isreally good for your muscles.
And, so as far as breath goes,as, as I'm working on you you
can really feel the benefit ofthese deep breaths when I'm
working around your lungs or inbetween your shoulder blades or
on your neck, these areas thatare a little closer to your
lungs.
And it feels really good.
(10:11):
Like you can really breathethrough, especially when I am,
we're working through kind of agood hurt, you know, when it's
just like getting through a, atighter area and it's a little
bit un uncomfy or.
kind of have that good hurtfeeling going on.
Breathing through that is super,super helpful.
And you feel it a lot when it'sin those areas I just mentioned
(10:34):
that are kind of upper body.
And it's, it's very, it can bevery relieving, but even if I'm
working on your calf or your,you know, whatever, your hand or
something, if it's feeling likea good hurt, like we're really
getting in there and it's tight,Do some deep breathing.
Like it's, it helps throughoutthe whole massage.
(10:55):
So, just keep that in mind ifyou're someone who holds your
breath a lot or gets kind oftense, focus on your breathing
and also kind of along thatline, visualization, oh man, our
minds are so powerful and whatwe tell our bodies or what we
tell ourselves, our body willmanifest it.
(11:16):
It's.
crazy.
So as you're getting a massage,especially if you find it hard
to detach from your day or yourstresses, telling your body it's
safe is one thing you can do.
Sometimes our body's trying toprotect us and it holds onto
things and it, it thinks it hasto be in this like heightened
(11:41):
state to keep us safe.
And.
Honestly the threat is gone,whatever it was, it's gone.
In this moment, you're gettingyour massage, you're safe.
So sometimes I like to just say,oh like, thank my body, be like,
okay, thank you for taking suchgood care of me, you can let go
now it's safe to let go.
Sometimes I'll say that if Inotice I'm protecting a lot when
(12:01):
I'm getting a massage and I'mresisting what the massage
therapist is doing.
So, Telling, man, the words weuse are so important.
Your body really, reallyresponds.
So be mindful of that and justthinking calming thoughts and
just kind of like consciouslysaying, okay, we're, we're
choosing into letting go now.
(12:25):
But visualizing is superpowerful as well.
If you, you can kind of do thiswith your breath.
If you can visualize breathingin.
Whatever you need, positivity,light, whatever it is, peace and
then breathing out on yourexhale, the stresses, the things
(12:45):
that have been haunting you allday or whatever, you know, just
visualizing that or visualizingjust a relaxing scene or like
nature.
Anything that puts you at ease,a safe place somewhere that
like, I grew up going to theOregon coast and that's like,,
if I imagine I'm on the Oregoncoast, it's like, Oh, my body
goes, okay, we can, we're safe.
(13:07):
We can let go.
This is wonderful.
So putting scenes in your headlike that are, it's really,
really helpful to help you getthe most out of that massage.
So.
Moving on to questionsfrequently asked questions.
I had someone write, am Isupposed to communicate with you
(13:31):
while I'm getting the massage?
How can I tell you what I like?
Don't like yes, please, please,please communicate with us when
we're trying to give you amassage.
It's so helpful.
Feedback is so helpful.
Oh man.
Just, and I want to like talkabout communication as well as
we're answering this questionbecause it's so important and
(13:54):
it's so helpful.
Again, your massage therapistjust wants you to get everything
out of it that you can possiblyget.
When you're able to communicatewith us and we can communicate
with you, especially, andsometimes people come in and
they just want to relax and justspace out and that's what they
need.
And that's totally fine.
And if you come to me, you know,we have like a relaxation
(14:17):
massage option and a fix itmassage option.
So basically if you come to, mewith an issue that you
specifically want worked out.
That's when communication iscrucial.
If you just want to relax, I'llcheck in with you a little bit
and, make sure you're comfy andwe're doing good.
But if you really, if you wantto get the most out of fixing a
(14:40):
specific issue, and we don'talways have to talk a ton, but
sometimes it's really, reallyhelpful.
So, Definitely, please tell usif the pressure's too much, if
it's too little, if something'shurting, please tell us if it's
hurting or if it's uncomfortableor if you're triggered by
something.
(15:00):
That's the last thing we want todo is do something that makes
you feel unsafe oruncomfortable.
So that kind of defeats thepurpose of a massage.
You want to feel safe andcomfortable.
So, giving feedback like I said,as long as, I think as long as
it's just polite, which isn'thard to do, we're just so, we're
(15:27):
just happy to, happy to havesome feedback about how you're
feeling.
We want to know how your body isfeeling, What you're
experiencing during the massage.
And I don't want to put pressureon anyone to talk a bunch during
their massage.
But if you have thoughts about,well that, that wasn't quite
right.
Or that didn't feel like theright approach.
Ideally a massage is this reallybeautiful, synergistic, trusting
(15:50):
your own body, trusting yourmassage therapist.
And we're working as a teamwhere I can do the therapy.
You can let me know how that'sworking for you and I can adjust
and we can just make itsomething that's really, really
beautiful, honestly, reallyhealing and beautiful.
so I had a client last nightwhere we just had the best flowy
(16:12):
communicative massage and she, Ifeel like she got so much out of
that and walked away sosatisfied and feeling so much
better.
And we used a really gentletechnique that I don't always
use on everybody because youhave to kind of be in tune with
your body to feel that it'sworking and you have to be kind
of in a lot of pain to knowlike, Oh yeah, that worked I
(16:35):
could feel that adjustment, youknow, Adjustment quote unquote,
but Anyway, that's so ideal andit was so great to work with her
and just she's Spent a lot oftime getting to know her body
and how everything's feeling.
And so that helps, that justcomes with time and experience
getting to know gosh, like evenwhere your boundaries are with
(16:59):
that didn't feel right, or thatdidn't, that was too much or,
you know, it, it takes time.
So the first time you come in, Ifeel like I ask people how's
everything feeling?
They're like great.
I don't know.
And rightly so, you know, it's,it's hard to know how things are
supposed to feel on your first,your first session.
But she's taken a lot of time toreally get to know her body and,
(17:20):
and it's, it's so helpful for meto get that feedback from her.
And then I'm able to, Give herwhat she needs.
So that communication is thebest.
It's so great.
So, I really try to create anenvironment where you feel safe
talking to me.
(17:41):
And you also don't feel talkedat.
I try to let the client lead theconversation.
So, hopefully you're gettingthat, hopefully that if you're a
client of mine, that's how youfeel but.
I just always want it to beclear that it's, it's safe to
talk during your massage and,and voice how you're feeling or
what you, your needs are.
(18:02):
I wanted to touch on knowing ifit's too much or not.
And this is an interesting, it'san interesting balance when
you're giving a massage andreceiving knowing what's too
much, what's not enough.
I try to err on the side ofgoing gentle because when you're
getting a massage, we're tryingto teach your nervous system
(18:23):
that it's safe to calm down.
So even if we do really deep,structural work where it's
supposed to be a little painful,I want to ease in and start out
where it feels safe for yournervous system to let go., We're
trying to gain trust there.
So I try to err on the side ingeneral of just doing a little
(18:45):
bit more gentle work.
And it's such a intuitive, likewith each person, it's different
with each, each person hasdifferent, there's different
body types, there's differentpain tolerance, there's
different just preferences.
So it's just getting to knoweach of those.
And So, just know, it shouldnever hurt, like massage should
(19:07):
never hurt unless we are doingreally deep structural work and
we've talked about it, andyou're down.
If I am working on you and youfeel Like, it's too painful, or
it's too much, let me know so Ican adjust because we never
want, never want it to bepainful.
You don't want to be tighteningup because it's so deep.
(19:31):
So if it ever feels like yourbody's reacting, try to breathe
through it, but if you can'tbreathe through it, if it's too,
way too much, just tell me, I'llback off.
And if you're not sure and youwant to try to breathe through
it, try that.
But if you're still just kind oftensing up or holding your
breath or something and it'stoo, it's just too much, let me
(19:52):
know.
Because when you get so muchpressure that you are tensing,
that kind of defeats thepurpose.
Except in certain situations,but for most people, that kind
of defeats the purpose.
And it's hard for me to tell,because sometimes I can tell if
you're tensing up.
But some people have really highpain tolerance, and it's really
(20:13):
painful.
But they're like,, seem likethey're fine.
And so it just shouldn't, in myopinion, it just shouldn't be
painful.
99 percent of the time.
So Oh, I wanted to touch onsomething else really quick and
then we'll wrap up.
So somebody asked me as well,they were like underwear or not.
And then another person askedwhat if, what if I don't want to
(20:36):
be naked?
What if I'm embarrassed orsomething?
Again, the whole point is thatyou're comfortable.
So, This is my opinion as far asmassage goes.
the type of massage I give, I'musing oil on your skin.
So the more skin you haveavailable, the better.
I think the better, especiallyif we're working on your hips or
(20:58):
low back or anywhere from, youknow, the leg, upper leg to the
low back.
It's better to not wearunderwear, like just to be
completely undressed under thesheet.
You're always covered, right?
But, if you're uncomfortable,You're not going to be able to
relax, you know?
So totally fine.
(21:20):
And a lot of my clients wearunderwear and it's totally fine.
Like I don't even, you don'teven think about it.
So sometimes it feels like a bigdeal, especially when you're
going in for the first time orthe first few times, like, Oh,
are they going to think that'sweird or, is this not okay or is
being naked, you know, not okay.
I don't know.
(21:40):
So.
Most of my clients aren't,they're just completely
undressed under the sheet.
Some of them are not, and that'sgreat.
Like, totally up to you.
So I feel like you do get aslightly, slightly more out of
your massage if you have moreskin available.
But, you got to make thatjudgment for yourself if you're
(22:01):
not gonna be able to relax.
Totally wear something and youcan bring whatever you need to
your massage.
So, a lot of my clients they'llbring compression shorts or, you
know, whatever, whatever theyneed.
So, that's just another areawhere there's no black or white
answer exactly.
(22:23):
So it just depends on you andwhat you're comfortable with.
And I just have to say, if youare self-conscious about your
body.
know, that your massagetherapist has seen every scar,
every dimple.
Everybody type.
We've seen it all as far as.
Perceived imperfections or justdifferences in bodies.
(22:46):
And they're not really a bigdeal.
We're not focused on that whenwe're massaging you.
We're not really looking at itor.
Caring.
About how anybody looks.
So we're more focused on themuscles and.
Strategizing and how things areworking together and how you're
feeling.
(23:07):
And.
It's not even really a thought.
So.
So, you know that you're notshocking.
You're not an inconvenience andwe've worked on all kinds of
body types.
And.
It's just not a big deal.
And.
Like you're.
Okay.
So just to have to throw thatout there.
(23:29):
Okay.
And I, as far as the receiving amassage and getting more
experience with touch, like itcomes, it comes with time.
The more massages you get, themore You just get better at
receiving, which is kind ofcool.
But also I have a course that Icreated and it's called intro to
(23:50):
partner massage.
And my goal with creating thiscourse was to give people who
don't have a license in massageor any training the basics
around how to give a reallyquality intuitive massage where
you're tuned in to the personyou're working with And teaches
you how to give and how toreceive because those are
(24:11):
obviously two different skillsthat you have to hone In order
to Give a really good massageand Again, the more you practice
that, like, the more youreceive, the better you're going
to be at giving.
So I wanted to create somethingwhere people can learn from
home.
(24:32):
You don't have to have a massagetable.
It's fully clothed.
It's partner massage for areason.
I didn't make it couples becauseI just wanted it to be very
inclusive of if your grandma hasa problem and you want to help
her like this, the course toget, or if you have a roommate
or, you know, it doesn't have tobe like a romantic partner or
something.
It's very it's very accessible.
(24:54):
We just use a chair and pillowsand a mattress on the floor,
whatever you have, you cantotally do this if you have a
massage table, but you won't seea massage table in its course.
It's just geared toward peoplewho just want to learn and they
have some pillows at home and acouch or, you know, something.
So I just feel reallypassionately that Everyone
(25:17):
should be able to take care oftheir body and the bodies of
those around them.
You know, like we should all beable to take care of ourselves.
And when I went to massageschool, I had so many eyeopening
moments where I was like, Oh, weall have a body.
We all have to take care of it.
And there's so much that most ofus don't think about or aren't
(25:38):
aware of, or it just wasn't partof our education.
And.
It's so important just knowing afew basic things can really help
you feel empowered about takingcare of yourself and helping the
people that you love.
So, I just go over a lot ofbasics, it's basically kind of a
full body massage, just throughthe clothes.
(25:59):
I think it's pretty uh, userfriendly.
I have anatomy included in it, Ireally want to explain things
well, but I go in deeper intothe receiving and the giving and
everything and I just think it'sa great tool if you're into
that.
So, that's something that I'llput, I'll put a link, it's the
(26:24):
website's courses.
massagefundamentals.
com, I'll put a link to that andmaybe my Instagram, if you're
wanting to follow me there,we'll put a link for that.
I give tips on there and ifsomebody cancels, I'll put it on
there.
So we'll probably just end itthere, but hopefully this was
helpful for you and next timeyou come in for a massage,
(26:47):
you'll be feeling super readyand ready to relax and get the
most out of it.
So anyway.
Thanks so much, and we'll talkto you next time.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you are enjoying whollyempowered, share it with that
friend or on your socials, youcan also hit the follow button.
(27:10):
If you want to keep up with thelatest episodes until next time,
stay empowered.
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