Hi, my name is Molly and I wanted to share my personal story about becoming a massage therapist and what excites me most about this profession. My path to massage therapy was far from clear and direct. I envy people that grow up knowing exactly what to do with their lives, so deeply in touch with their inner truth that their life’s purpose beams like a lightbulb on top of their head. However, I have no regrets for my journey, as gritty and dirty and hard as it’s been. My awakening to this healing work was like a slow and beautiful sunrise.
Early on, while I still trudged through an unfulfilling corporate job, things seemed dark and hopeless. I struggled to pay back college loans, afford rent, live up to some unrealistic lifestyle with material things and fake a smile in a joyless career. This seemed to bleed over into every aspect of my life including relationships with friends and family and mostly, myself. I was deeply lost and confused with only a small, infrequent glimmer of light peeking through – teaching yoga.
I was a yoga practitioner for 10 years before becoming a teacher in 2014. When I taught yoga, I transcended my emotional, mental and financial hardships and became a vessel of ancient wisdom that had been passed on to me. In my best classes, I hardly remembered what I taught and became this blank, ego-less slate that simply and effortlessly guide each unique student. One class about 4 years ago, a woman in her 70s whom I had never met and have yet to see again approached me with wide, startling eyes. She put her hand on my arm and said, “you do know that you’re a healer, right?” I felt what I can only describe as pure love tingle like goosebumps through my bones. I wasn’t sure what she meant or why she felt compelled to tell me but it resonated.
Of course, it took many more years of distraction, mistakes and wrong turns for me to finally find a seat at the Denver Integrative Massage School in Colorado. Even during the first week of classes, I doubted whether I was capable of healing at this level. But the magic of touch is a powerful thing and soon a new light on this path revealed itself. I wanted to work with women during pregnancy and postpartum.
To me, being in massage therapy goes far beyond adhesions in muscles and tissues. I believe a massage therapist touches souls. And I believe that if we can nurture and support mothers the right way, particularly through intentional bodywork, we can end cycles of despair and heal the future generations growing in their wombs.
During school, I have been fascinated by the anatomical changes that take place during pregnancy. The hormones like relaxin that are kicked in to soften the joints and prepare a woman’s body for birth. And how we as massage therapists need to be cautious of over stretching during this time. The risks of high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, and the symptoms associated with pregnancy-related conditions that we need to be cognizant of during our intake for a prenatal massage. Additionally, being aware of certain acupressure points around the ankles and neck to avoid a potential induction. Lastly, the positioning of a woman’s body to offer the greatest comfort and support during her massage, which likely means no lying on her belly without special prenatal pillows, no lying on her back to avoid compressing the vena cava vein unless she is propped with several cushions and really confident, secure draping.
For some, giving a massage during or just after pregnancy may be scary or overwhelming because there is a lot to consider in order to keep this mother safe and secure. For me, it is the most exciting and ideal client to have because there is actually so much we can offer in a prenatal experience. Here a few tools I love to use or recommend to mothers:
- Cupping. While we want to avoid cupping the abdomen or low back, it is perfectly safe to use everywhere else and can offer tremendous relief around the hips or thoracic spine region where baby maybe be pressing or kicking into those intercostal, erector or serratus muscles.
- Essential oils. I always check with moms about the scent because they can be extra sensitive to smells during pregnancy, but if it’s something they like it can support them going deeper into relaxation.
- Massage balls. This isn’t necessarily something I’d do during the massage, but rather demonstrate as part of an at-home treatment plan that maybe their partner can help with. Great myofascial tool for accessing the low back, glutes or piriformis to relieve sciatic pain.
I love that even after I receive my initial massage license, there is so much room to grow and learn in this field of work. As I specialize in perinatal massage, I hope to pursue continued education in Maya Abdominal Massage, fertility support and pelvic floor specialties. I am looking forward to integrating massage with my yoga classes and doula training to support entire families and diverse populations with this breadth of healing work.
For future massage students or those still yet to discover this path, I would remind you to stay open, stay sensitive and stay curious. As therapists, we are explorers with our hands and our hearts. We physically feel the body through our hands but there is a lot to understand about our clients through our intuition as well. Trust your abilities to heal even if the techniques seem foreign or uncomfortable at first. Humble yourself by being receptive to feedback. And practice your techniques, your anatomy and your inner wisdom so this remarkable healing practice will continue to evolve and flourish through our western cultures.
