What advice do you have for other students that are about to begin a massage education program?

Massage school has taught me the practical skills and somatic knowledge necessary to be a successful bodywork practitioner, but beyond the coursework I have formed deep and genuine relationships with my local massage community. It is a community filled with compassionate, gregarious, loving people– people who direct their energy and time towards bettering the health of others. As such a person, it can be difficult to set boundaries and avoid taking on clients’ problems as your own. I have three main pieces of advice for students that are about to begin a massage education program: find your groove, know your intentions, and use the support of your community. In this way you can stay inspired and avoid physical and mental burnout.

Massage can be as relaxing for the massage therapist as for the client if you find your groove from the beginning of each session and develop a style suited to your body type and character. Though the client’s needs will determine the techniques you use and the body regions on which you focus during a session, listening to your own body as well as to your client’s can help you to find ease of movement and make for a better massage. I once had a client tell me that he could feel tension in my shoulders that transferred through my strokes– and he was right. When I shook out my arms and adjusted my body mechanics, I was able to palpate more efficiently, apply a more suitable pressure, and focus fully on the client rather than on my own discomfort. I now like to perform a body scan before starting a client intake, and then shake out or stretch the areas of tension that I find in my own body. Movement practices like Qigong and yoga can help massage therapists to increase their flexibility, prevent injuries, and become familiar with rhythmic movement in their own bodies. I have found Shiatsu-style rocking, rhythmic mobilizations, and jostling to be excellent techniques for relaxing a client’s body during a massage while simultaneously centering myself.

Throughout my time in massage school, I have accumulated several specific tips regarding body mechanics and am eager to share them. Use the fullest contact that you can; spreading your fingers can relax your hand and allow you to apply pressure more evenly over an area, avoiding the poking and prodding that often causes clients discomfort, and a full contact makes a client feel supported and cared for. Always support your thumbs, as they are important, overworked, and fairly fragile. I have found the ‘human stance’ preferable to the horse stance, as it allows for more movement in my own positioning. Try to give an entire massage without using your fingers and thumbs– you might be surprised by how effective your forearms, elbows, knees, and feet can be at palpating and massaging. Use the adjustable table height to your advantage, and do not be afraid to kneel or even stand on the massage table to deliver deeper, more direct pressure, as is customary in Shiatsu practices. I would recommend trying out various modalities to find those suited to your body type; Thai massage and barefoot Shiatsu are two modalities that I have found helpful as a small massage therapist, as they give the freedom to use many different body parts rather than just my hands and use gravity to my advantage. Lymphatic massage is gentle on the practitioner but can relax a client, decrease edema, and increase immune function. Do not discount the power of light touch; it can be just as healing as deep tissue work. If you are comfortable, you will give a better massage and save your body, and it is worth putting in the time to find a style that works for you and that you love.

If you are beginning a massage education program, you likely have the intention to help others feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you carry this intention with you as you practice, know that your work will be enough. Even simply laying hands on someone and providing therapeutic touch can improve their mood and relax their body. You will never fix a client’s life with a massage, so focus on doing your best in the moment with the information that you have. Develop rapport, listen carefully to a client’s words and body language, complete a comprehensive client intake interview, and do not be afraid to ask for feedback from your client during and after the massage. Even if you think that your frequent questions are annoying to the client, it is your responsibility to ensure the client’s comfort, and the more you learn early on in your massage education, the better massage you will eventually give. Once you become attuned to clients’ body language, you can decrease the frequency of questions about pressure in areas not sensitive to the client. It is helpful to get a feel for tissue, pressure, and depth on various body regions of classmates before working on paying clients.

Knowing your anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology well allows you to explore different techniques without worrying about hurting a massage recipient. Engage fully with each muscle as you learn it– think about the location of the muscle’s origin(s), insertion(s), and muscle fiber direction and try to figure out its actions before you look them up. Most actions make a lot of sense once you learn basic patterns, and if you can trust yourself to figure out actions logically you can save a lot of memory space. I often remember details better when I allow myself to have a reaction to factual information; if one of a muscle’s actions surprises me, it sticks in my mind more easily because I remember it as an outlier. Try out different massage techniques on each muscle as you learn it; you will rarely get the time to spend on each individual muscle in the future, and certain strokes and techniques are better suited to certain muscles. For example, I like to use muscle stripping on the peroneals but circular effleurage on the rhomboids. Learn reciprocal inhibition and post-isometric relaxation techniques well, as you can perform them on most muscles easily and astound your clients with their quick effectiveness. Many people come to massage with diverse backgrounds, and identifying previously-acquired skills that are helpful to your massage practice can keep you inspired and invested in learning. I worked as a writing consultant prior to starting massage school, and I found that confidential record-keeping, client intake and exit interviews, and establishing a flow came easily to me. This bolstered my confidence and allowed me to focus on the aspects of massage that were more difficult for me. You likely have many essential skills already– trust in yourself and your intentions and remember to enjoy your practice.

Having the support of the massage community can be extraordinarily helpful, both when you are head-over-heels in love with massage and when you think you may never want to give a massage again. Receiving regular massages yourself introduces you to new techniques that you might incorporate into your own practice, serves as valuable self-care, and provides you with a different perspective about massage as a discipline. I found exchanging massages with classmates to be valuable, not just for relaxing but for trying out new techniques, modalities, pacing, body positions, massage tools, table heights, etc. Try giving massages of different lengths early, so that you get a feel for how long it takes to work a set of body regions or a full body massage. If you are having trouble with timing, try making a playlist of a certain length and playing it in the background while you massage. The recipient might not even notice when it ends, but you will, and you can analyze your pacing and adjust as necessary. Above all, let the massage community remind you why you came to massage school in the first place. Bask in what you love about massage. Take care of yourself like you are your own client.