Wellness

Massage Clients Help

Massage Clients Help

 

 

Massage therapists are in a position of being of help to their clients. The purpose of this post is not to go into the benefits of massage – but to consider, or at least be open to, how your massage clients help you.  Massage clients help me in many ways: 1) by being clients upon whom I can practice my skills, 2) by allowing me to  practice my art on them, 3) – and of course they’re the source of income for Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole which is why, really, we’re all doing this in the first place.

But most of all massage clients help me by helping me tune into the body of another – which takes full concentration and focus. To massage another person is to perform a type of meditation. Some people (like me) find it hard to find time to simply meditate for even a short session at home – therefore if I can find it while I’m at work, then that’s a great bonus for me, it helps me help my massage clients – and it’s how my massage clients help me.

massage clients help 2

So, if after skiing those wonderful ski slopes at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, you feel like having a nice deep relaxation massage – come on in and get some help – and while you’re at it, you can help me. Come to think of it – it’s a symbiotic relationship – and why not? – that’s the way a business relationship should be, especially in the world of body and mind work. A massage can be especially beneficial if both client and therapist get into the meditation zone together.

Be well,

Hamish and Rochelle.

in Blog / General / Jackson Hole / Massage / Uncategorized / Wellness  by 14 Jan 2015 0 comments

Listening Massage

Listening Massage

What on Earth is a listening massage?

 

When you go to your massage therapist for a massage, the entire session from intake to goodbye is about you – the client. You want,  and are paying for, your massage therapist’s full attention. This means not only the attentions of my physical massage upon your body – but also a listening ear. Therefore I mentally prepare myself to listen to words as well as what the body is telling me. I call it a Listening Massage. You may need more, you may need less. But whatever it is,  your massage therapist’s good listening ear will make your massage extra meaningful – and it’s a good business move for the massage therapist as it can make regular customers out of first-time clients. That’s what we try to do at Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole.

 

With the massage intake form filled out, it is of course normal and customary to review what you want from your massage – especially if  you are a first-time client with this therapist. Whilst the massage therapist will generally repeat the information on the intake form back to you, it is important, at this time, to ask questions and make comments where appropriate. This is where the Listenint Massage starts – not on the massage table. You should be doing most of the talking. If you have certain specific reasons for wanting a massage, you should find your massage therapist listening, empathizing, and showing understanding of what you are saying – but without saying too much.

If your massage therapist is listening to – you can tell by observing this advice to those in listening-type work fields or just for social reasons:

Listening Massage 3

And it’s not appropriate for the massage therapist to get caught up in too much small-talk or add to your points by adding examples of their own similar issues. Here’s me with my ‘Listening Massage’ hat on…

I had a client, a young lady, who warned me that she had badly bruised her Coccyx about three months previously – and that it still hurt. Well, that was very interesting to me as I had had that exact same injury earlier this summer. I asked her how it happened (MOI, Mechanism of Injury, could be important knowledge to the massage) and she told me that she had fallen on (not off) her bicycle – and landed on the rear wheel hub with her Coccyx. Well – my goodness – there’s an incredibly strange coincidence – that’s exactly how I suffered my own injury. So in fact there was quite a conversation I could have had with her. I could have gotten into the whole story of how this same thing had happened to me and all such other time-wasting small-talk. But the that would have been about me! – And how could this possibly have helped or contributed to the massage or the way I would give the massage? Not one little bit. I remembered to make this a Listening Massage. So of course I made empathizing noises, said ‘Ouch’ to show that I, as a massage professional, understood the nature of the pain of an injured Coccyx, and left it at that. Therefore she got to do 95% of the talking at the time of discussing the intake form, and I’m sure she felt satisfied that she had been listened to. And after all, what is it we’re after if it isn’t a satisfied customer?

But once you’re in the room with your massage therapist, in my view – this is where the chat stops and the listening massage becomes more about the massage therapist listening for breath and ‘listening’ by feel, to your body as the changes occur while the massage gets its rhythm. There will be more about that in later posts.

Be Well,

Hamish and Rochelle

in Blog / General / In-Home Massage / Massage / Wellness  by 12 Dec 2014 0 comments

Breathe

Breathe

Breathe 2

You hear it all too often…”Don’t forget to breathe.”  Zen masters and casual meditation practitioners will tell you that the breath is the very core of our being – it’s where we ‘go’ to meditate. Therefore it stands to reason that, when receiving a massage, you will be better off if your body and mind are receiving this massage from the inside out – and you can achieve this through the breath. And a good massage therapist will sense, and hopefully breathe in sympathy. Breathing costs nothing, has immense health benefits for you and allows you to become in a more harmonious – it’s a win-win situation.

 

 

Now, of course, everybody breathes – otherwise we’d be dead! – I’m talking about a more conscious breathing on your part while on the massage table. It’s the kind of breathing that takes the mind into just itself and, as a massage therapist, I’m not shy about letting the client know I expect them to concentrate on their breathing. I also add in that they might like to try being aware of where my hands are, following them as they go and keeping track of where they’ve been. Breathing and setting the mind to keep track of where the hands are will create a profound meditation which helps me do my work.

The above applies mostly to relaxation Swedish Massage; although it also applies in sports massage and other types of massage where specific breathing  can be used in a very different kind of a way, for example, on exhalation to allow a certain range of motion to be reached. It’s quite simple – just breathe. The beginning of my Swedish relaxation massages usually involves quite a few minutes of ‘over-the-drapes’ work. There are several reasons for this which I will get into in a later blog post.  But during this time, after a brief ‘hand-walk’ up the body I’ll stand on one side of the table with my hands on the ‘other’ side of the body, and do some good compressions of the shoulders, rhomboids, erector spinae. Each time I compress I work with the client’s breath to make sure that I’m pushing down on the out-breath (therefore you have to be able to see the body moving with the breath if they’re quiet breathers). This results in a complete expulsion of all air from the lungs – something that the body rarely achieves – and something that my clients tell me feels absolutely wonderful. It’s a sort of ‘assisted breathing’ and you’ve been doing some of the work for them.

After a good spell of this on both sides of the body, I and the client are ready to have the sheets pulled back to expose the back and get some oiled Swedish massage started. The client’s body and mind are more than relaxed and ready to start with the massage that’s to come.

Be well,

Hamish and Rochelle,
Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole

 

 

 

 

in Blog / General / Uncategorized / Wellness  by 11 Dec 2014 0 comments

Teenagers Benefit from Massage

Yes, it’s true – teenagers benefit from massage. Massage has been shown to help different issues that occur during adolescence.We have all been through those sometimes dreaded (and just as often wonderful) years between childhood and adulthood. We go through massive changes hormonally and physically – and while regular doctors’ visits are recommended for the hard, medical aspects of this growing-up stage, massage can also be an important component of a teen’s health and wellness. Here are 3 areas where teenagers benefit from massage

 

1. Poor body image and eating disorders.

Depression, social pressures regarding appearance, and participation in sports where leanness is valued (such as gymnastics, wrestling, and diving), are all associated with the development of eating disorders. Needless to say, high school provides ample opportunity for all of these.

Studies done at the Touch Research Institute with women who struggle with either anorexia nervosa or bulimia showed that regular massage decreased anxiety levels, increased levels of the feel-good hormone dopamine, and reduced depression scores. Participants in the study also showed better scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory, indicating better body awareness. While counseling is obviously of paramount importance, massage therapy can be a powerful adjunct to other forms of treatment for eating disorders. It’s just another example of how teenagers benefit from massage.

Teenagers living in Jackson Hole, or those visiting the Tetons, are not exempt from these health and mental concerns, so regular massage therapy with companies like  Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole should be a part of life.

2. PMS and menstrual pain.

Teenagers benefit from massage 3

What’s worse than menstrual problems? Menstrual problems when you’re a teenager. Between the irregular cycles, the inexperience with managing symptoms, and the embarrassment about getting help, adolescence can be a rough time to have a uterus. Effective treatments like hormonal birth control can have negative social connotations, and require a pelvic exam to obtain, a procedure that most teen girls have yet to experience and may wish to avoid.

Yet once again it has been shown that female teenagers benefit from massage as it  has been shown to help with pain, anxiety, and feelings of depression related to PMS, as well as other symptoms like water retention. Girls can also benefit from learning self-massage techniques to use when experiencing menstrual cramps on a day-to-day basis.

3. Athletic injuries.

While high school athletes are injured at around the same rate as professional athletes, their growing bodies mean that they’re often injured in different ways. Since bones grow before muscles and tendons do, youth are more susceptible to muscle, tendon, and growth plate injuries. Sprains, strains, growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness  are among the most common injuries among young athletes. Boys are most likely to experience athletic injuries while playing ice hockey, rugby and soccer, while soccer, basketball and gymnastics lead to the most injuries in girls.

Sports massage has a long history, and can be especially effective when dealing with repetitive motion injuries like tennis elbow and runner’s knee. Massage therapists are now found at every kind of sporting event, from the Olympics all the way down to your local 10K. Given that teen athletes can be more vulnerable to injury and overuse than their adult counterparts, it makes sense to offer them the same opportunities for healing and pain relief.

Do you know a teen who could use a massage? Go to www.MassageProfessionalsJH.com today and book your massage online. Please see our weekly newsletter No.5 for more massage news.

in Blog / Massage / Uncategorized / Wellness  by 30 Oct 2014 0 comments

Fitness and Wellness

Fitness and Wellness

Let’s face it – the ultimate key to happiness is your level of fitness and wellness. Fitness is the essence of life, wellness allows you to get on with things.  There’s absolutely no point in having a lot of ‘stuff’ if you don’t have fitness and wellness. Money won’t buy you those things. Fit and well are kind of the same thing. You can’t really be one without the other.

 

Here are my thoughts on 3 Keys to Fitness and Wellness.  I consider myself to be fit and well – and always have. The three key areas to fitness are: 1) Aerobic exercise, 2) Careful, nutritious diet,  3) A mental vision of your fit and well self. My inspiration to write this post is that I have been unwell for a few weeks now – and it is highly unusual for me to be sick – ever. So there’s one other key I would add to the above – personal hygiene and cautions around others who are unwell. Oh – and living

 

schedule massage

Schedule Massage

Schedule a massage

in a place like Jackson Hole – or any other Rocky Mountain resort town goes a long way to fitness and wellness.  But, without being a Nazi about it (some fitness fanatics can be rather boring with their relentless fitness discipline and I believe it’s OK to not take yourself too seriously), if you get regular exercise (a good workout routine in a gymnasium is good or at least a long walk), it starts to become part of your expectations as an every-day event. Exercising regularly feels so good that you begin to crave it – and that’s a good thing – fitness is addictive. Similarly, eating well begins to feel so good that other foods lacking in nutritional quality really lose their appeal. I start to notice in a day or two if I haven’t had a good, fresh salad recently – and boy does it feel satisfying to munch into a good, fresh salad with crispy lettuce leaves and veggies. I feel ‘lucky’ to crave the habits of well-being and fitness – but luck has nothing to do with it – this is the way I have planned my life and as I get older I have less and less tolerance for poor diet and exercise. Oh – and did I mention chocolate? And cookies? And wine? Like I mentioned above – there’s no need to be a Nazi about it – I enjoy wine with dinner almost every evening and a piece of chocolate or two for dessert. And sometimes – just sometimes – it feels good to have a day of rest – especially if you’ve been ramping-up your exercise routines. Oh – and did I mention massage? Visit your friendly massage professional on a regular basis – and, heck, just becoming a massage

Holistic Health for Jackson Hole

therapist in Jackson Hole has completed the fitness and wellness circle for me even more.  The mental part of it follows naturally. You begin to feel GREAT!  Then you become that and it feels even better – and a cycle starts…you feel better because you eat well and keep up your fitness – so you do those things more – so your mental state gets better – and everything feeds everything else. It can be hard to get started. I’m not a nutritionist, but generally lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, uncooked and unprocessed foods are best. Low fat is crucial (but not ‘no’ fat) and I prefer not to eat meat for reasons that go beyond diet and involve factory farming.

When you keep fit, your body will crave certain nutrients – listen to your body and it will come to you what will be the ‘right’ thing to eat to make up those nutrients. Another thing…don’t overeat! Enough is enough. If you are satiated – don’t eat any more just because it tastes good or is on your plate. Eat what you need. It’s best to ‘graze’ slowly through the day than eat large meals. For breakfast, try a healthy multi-grain toast with natural peanut butter (contents: 100% peanuts) and slices of banana – with tea. Lunch is a great time to eat salad with lettuce, spinach, sliced, pickled beets, garbanzo beans (for protein), Sunflower seeds, raisins, broccoli florets, red pepper, avocado and sprinkled with goat cheese. A great dinner to finish off the day would be grilled salmon with lemon juice, lemon-pepper seasoning and butter. Accompany that with a baked sweet potato and some scalded asparagus spears….yum!

Be well, Hamish and Rochelle.

in Blog / Fitness / Inspiration / Massage / Wellness  by 25 Apr 2014 0 comments

Walking for Health

Walking for Health

Walking is the most beneficial, easily-achieved, low-impact activity you can do to improve and maintain your health. Being massage professionals in Jackson Hole, it is part of my goal as a blog-writer to give my opinions on health-related matters.

 

Walking at 89

I was speaking with my father recently – he’s 89 and still doing very well indeed – both mentally and physically. He attributes the physical part of it to walking on a daily basis – and we’re talking about three to four miles. Although he was both a boxer and a rugby player for Scotland’s University of Glasgow – he gave those sports up in his 30’s – and took to walking ever since. Having an active Labrador dog (her name was ‘Eilidh of Stuarton’ – Nell for short) was good reason to go walking every day. Even after the dog passed-away, my mother and father found themselves addicted to walking and have kept it up into their very old age.

 

And that has passed on down to me – and I take credit for passing it on to Rochelle. If I don’t get my work-out in the gym every day, or go skiing or cycling – I go for a walk. In fact, you’ll often find me walking after a good day of skiing just to unwind and relax my muscles. Besides, walking is a great way to catch up with your significant other, get some fresh air and aerobic activity together while you chat about things – or just keep quiet and enjoy the scenery.

 

The beauties of walking for health are: 1) It’s free – well – maybe it wears your shoes out -,  2) It requires no special skills – anyone can do it,  3) Initially, walking requires no pre-determined level of fitness – start out slow and short distances – and build on that,  4) It is easy on the body – unlike the jarring to the knees, hips and spine of, say, running, 5) It is sociable – chat while you walk along, 6) It gets you fresh air in your lungs, 7) It requires no special gear or equipment or specific place (like a golf course or a ski hill).

 

Often, the best time to get a massage, is after a walk – when, bodily and mentally, you are relaxed and your muscles easily receive the massage therapist’s work.

Be well,

 

Hamish and Rochelle

 

 

in Blog / Fitness / Uncategorized / Wellness  by 23 Apr 2014 0 comments

Organic is Organic

Organic Massage

Well, it would be a stretch to say that there is such a thing as Organic Massage, and there are of course organic massage oils such as Certified Organic Sunflower Oil, Certified Organic Safflower Oil, Certified Organic Olive Oil,Certified Jojoba Oil, and non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) Vitamin E,  but this is a column about organic eating and organic massage marketing.

 

In the last couple of years, more of our local Smith’s grocery Store in Jackson Hole has been given over to organic fruits and vegetables. This could be in direct response to therecent opening of a huge new Jackson Whole Grocer just up the street. Or it could be Safeway taking a genuine interest in their customers’ health and responding to market forces. But every time I go into a store and see the word ‘Organic’ I become the skeptic and remember the discussion in Michael Pollan’s book: ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. He says that far too many food companies are getting on the ‘organic’ bandwagon – just to increase profits (markups on anything that says ‘organic’ are  many more times than non-organic) – when in fact there isn’t really that much of an organic nature to these foods. It’s a bit like ‘green-washing’ – when a company that pours millions of gallons of toxic waste into our rivers gets a ‘green’ award because it recycles its office paper!

 

Then there’s another kind of organic – which is how we’re growing our business at Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole. So maybe we’re getting closer to Organic Massage.

There’s organic in the way Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole is gaining positioning in the search engine rankings, and there’s organic in the way we’re slowly increasing our customer base. That is: we’re not spending money on link farms, buying Facebook ‘Likes’ or Twitter followers and so on. Those things can bring in vast numbers but it’s not a good way to go and is detected by the search engine crawlers as ‘underhanded’ and will cost  more than money in the end. It will cost of massage business credibility. Search engine rankings are being increased in three ways: 1) Rochelle is working hard (she started with one to two hours every day) participating in lively SM correspondence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus.  2) Our new web site www.massageprofessionalsJacksonHole.com is totally dialed-in, with ‘responsive’ capabilities to show up on mobile devices, and  3) The blog – such as this post. It’s important to keep it rich in keyword phrases and content – although you won’t see the word ‘Massage’ or ‘Jackson Hole’ written up too much in this week’s post. Another way we’re doing it organically is simply by growing the business slowly. We recently turned down the opportunity to take over an established massage business in Jackson Hole. There are beautiful premises with four nicely decorated rooms, inexpensive rent, a customer base and a very advanced responsive web site. We turned it down because we’d rather grow into that kind of positioning than purchase it all. It just seemed like the better way to go. We’ll grow by reputation one customer at a time – and that’s organic. And then, who knows, maybe one day we’ll discover Organic Massage as well – but if we do, it will be slowly – and organically.

 

Be well,

Hamish and Rochelle

in Blog / Marketing / Massage / Uncategorized / Wellness  by 17 Oct 2013 0 comments