Education Destinations

How many of us have clients with upper back pain, stiffness, or fatigue? All of us, ourselves included! Become the “go-to” massage therapist by improving your quality of touch and observation. In this workshop, we’ll address:

• The role of poor posture and stress.
• Postural assessment and correction.
• Specific muscles, including trapezius, rhomboids, levator scapulae and many of the small but important muscles found here.
• Much of the workshop will be hands-on, utilizing fascia and trigger point therapies.
• What to bring: Massage table with bolster, table linens & blanket, face rest and cover, three pillows with cases, and lotion/oil.

Do your clients ever have these complaints?

• “Wow, I really have a nasty headache.”
• “My neck is stiff this morning. Feels like I slept wrong.”
• “Lately, my jaw feels sore and tight.”
• “Things have been so intense on my work project. My head needs some relaxation!”

Set yourself apart by going beyond the usual quick scalp and neck rub, and become the expert in
alleviating these conditions. We’ll carefully explore the anatomical structures of the head and neck,
focusing on trigger point patterns and fascial lines of tension. These techniques will help you develop an
intuitive touch, enabling you to “see” with your fingertips.

Additionally, we’ll review some of the causes of head and neck pain, and how to educate our clients to
minimize recurrence.

What to bring: Massage table with bolster, table linens & blanket, face rest & cover, 3 pillows & cases,
lotion/oil, pen and paper.

Many people suffer from low back pain, but did you know that recent studies indicate:

• Almost 80% of Americans will have back problems sometime in their adult lives.
• 54% of people who suffer from low back pain spend most of their workdays sitting.
• Nearly 30% of Americans experienced low back pain in the last 3 months.

Build your skills to be a low back expert! Your current and future clients need your help. Knowing where and how to work will result in better client outcomes.

In this hands-on workshop, we will:

• Approach low back conditions with myofascial, deep tissue, and trigger point techniques
• Position clients in supine, prone, and sidelying positions to maximize the effectiveness of your techniques and improve client comfort
• Use simple tests to identify stressed muscles and postural imbalances
• Determine when to proceed with massage and when to refer to medical professionals
• Sharpen up your body mechanics so YOU won’t become a low back pain sufferer!

Join us and help your clients feel better faster.

So many of our daily activities require us to lean forward with our arms and hands out front: computer work, driving, gaming, and giving massage. All of this forward-shifted activity results in shortened, tight muscles in our anterior chest, shoulders and neck, and stretched, fatigued muscles in our upper back and posterior neck. By releasing and lengthening these shortened muscles, we can more effectively alleviate our clients’ back and neck discomfort and create better postural balance.

In this workshop we will practice a variety of myofascial, deep tissue and stretching techniques with our clients in supine and side-lying positions. Muscles of focus include pectoralis major and minor, intercostals, serratus anterior, subclavius, sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalenes.

We all believe we provide great massage experiences for each of our clients, right? But do we really?
And how can we be sure? How do we know what our clients really want from each massage experience,
even if they can’t articulate it? In this hands-on workshop we will practice massage techniques and communication skills:

Listening and communicating, before, during, and after bodywork

• Can we help our clients express what they want?
• How do we eliminate barriers to an ideal massage?
• Are we providing a space and experience that promotes restoration and wellness?

Flexibly applying your skills, intuitively following client’s lead

• Move beyond your “one-size-fits-all” routine
• Learn to see and listen with your fingertips
• Adjust your pace and intensity for purposeful touch

Following these principles will help you connect more deeply with your clients, widen your client base,
and energize your approach.

What to bring: Massage table with face rest and bolster, linens, oil/lotion.