A River Between

I’ve not posted in a while. My bad.

But, I thought I’d share some success that happened this past October! After moving to Duluth, MN, I realized that I needed to apply for a city license to practice massage therapy. The City of Duluth has a requirement of 500 hours of massage and bodywork related education, as well as a criminal background check, in order to obtain this license.

The background check was easy, but the 500 hour requirement was a bit of a challenge. Since the State of Minnesota does not license massage therapists, I have been practicing for the last nine years without having to worry about these things. I practice under the Minnesota Unlicensed Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Law, which gives provides freedom of access to choose one’s own practitioner, as well as gives the right of any traditional healer to practice his or her trade within as state regulation. However, cities and other local government agencies are free to license massage therapists as they choose.

I have never “graduated” from a massage therapy program of 500 hours or more. However, I have taken many courses in massage therapy and related business, communication, ethics, and holistic healing methods from massage schools, workshops, and other independent study.

So, I gathered all of my transcripts from the two massage therapy schools I attended, as well as other training certificates, continuing education courses, transcripts from self-designed classes while in graduate school, and information about the conversion of semester hours to in-class “clock” hours from a national certifying group for massage, and made the case for myself that I had obtained the equivalent of 545 hours of massage, bodywork, and related education and training.

And within 3-4 weeks my license came in the mail!!

I believe that this is a huge success, and an example of the legitimacy of Portfolios of Learning as EQUAL to degrees and certifications. You can read my portfolio request for massage therapy licensure here (PDF), or click the PDF document image above.

I just finished the 4-day workshop on Core Zero Balancing in Madison, WI. It was a wonderful weekend of learning, unfolding, releasing, and structural and energetic “shifts” for me.

I’m going to let things settle in me for a time before I decide if I want to embark on the next Core ZB class. The work was quite profound though.

If you go to A Peaceful Touch, you can read more about Zero Balancing, watch a video about it, and read about my experiences and reflections from the class.

Last May, I was in a minor car accident where I was rear-ended. I suffered some mild-moderate whiplash, and for six months I went 20 or more times EACH to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and massage therapist. The experience of healing was wonderful. Of all the things I did, acupuncture provided me the best relaxation results for my neck.

I stopped my claim with my auto insurance about two months ago, and at times I still feel neck stiffness and the “aches and pains” after this accident. But more recently, I’ve been working with meditation and self-guided breathwork and imagery.

Last week I went three times to the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center’s evening meditation from 5:30pm - 6pm. I’ve now begun to REALLY feel a difference in my neck, and how I can now clear my mind to allow my neck muscles to relax. The best part is that it is FREE (you can donate money too)!

Seriously though, I’m glad to have found a new tool to help my body through some of its troubles. I realize how much during the day that I am just “doing” something, and I never give myself time to just sit and “not do.” I’m learning to really enjoy the silent spaces around activities more, as then they stick out as individual moments, and they have a lot more meaning.

I have a feeling that meditation is going to become a frequent activity. Just typing about it has my neck feeling more “airy” and light. I just thought I would share.

So, if you haven’t tried it, find a meditation center near you, get some relaxation tapes, etc. Take some time from “doing” and just BE.

My friend Marcea Frasier recently started her own small business making handcrafted soaps, lotions, creams, and makeup. Using all natural, organic, and non-toxic ingredients, she makes masterpieces! I’d given some of her soaps as gifts over the holidays, but most recently, I have begun selling her soap out of my Uptown Minneapolis massage office.

Check out my posting on A Peaceful Touch about Marcea’s soap!

This weekend I am in Madison, WI, where I attended the 2nd annual Unschooling Conference, sponsored by H.O.M.E. All I can say is “What a conference!” Coming to meet so many wonderful people has been a great re-charge of my spirit. Unschooling has many forms, but can generally be characterized as the development of complete autodidactic, or self-directed learning. Unschoolers reject “schools” and imposed curriculum and structures, to allow students and people to learn from their own interests, goals, and passions.

The Village School of Northfield was an “unschool” where children were free to study what they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted. Here’s a link to a previous posting about The Village School.

At the Unschooling Conference I was able to meet some very wonderfully creative and passionate people - many of whom were parents who unschool their own children.

Here is a general summary of my experience:
Continue Reading »

Back in September I took a 4-day workshop on Shamanic Earth Healing at Starwalkers, and I know a few folks commented that they would like to read about my experiences at the workshop and some of my practices after it.

I’ve put together a paper of my Shamanic Journeys and Counterpractice that you may download and read if you so choose!

http://www.holisticgeek.com/resources/pdf/ShamanPractice.pdf”

The workshop I attended was facilitated by Ana Larramendi. You may read more about her at www.thehollowbone.com.
Enjoy!

Over the weekend, Michael and I went to his family’s cabin area near Sandstone, MN. This has been a great retreat for us this year, and every time we go there, the scenery changes. This time, when we arrived, Michael’s mother was busy creating a labyrinth.

This was a great culmination, since back in May, I went on a labyrinth tour as part of a conference. As well, just a few weeks ago, Michael and his mom went on their own labyrinth tour around the twin cities. This was enough to spark interest in building one at “the farm”. With everyone pitching in, we were able to complete this small, four-circuit labyrinth in one day.

I’ve posted photos and a little tutorial on “How to build a labyrinth” on my Flickr photo space. Enjoy!

Now that fall is here, and I’m not riding my bike as much, I thought it would be appropriate to catch people up on what’s happening in life in general.

About a month ago, I started sharing an office space with a couple other massage therapists in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. It was a bold move, but I have to say that it’s going well. I’m there on Wednesdays all day. I’ve also been seeing quite a few people in my space at home, as well as traveling out on occasion to give massages. One of the great ways I’ve found to find new clients is to post ads on Craig’s List. What I usually do is offer a small discount for times during the late morning and early afternoon, as those times are the toughest to fill for massage therapists, as many people want evening appointments. Plus, to get your name out and people to walk in your door, I think that you have to be creative, and you have to be willing to GIVE as well as receive. Not everyone can afford a massage all of the time. I’d rather find a way to keep a client coming back at an affordable price than to only insist that everyone pay me $60 or more an hour.

So what is my approach to massage and bodywork?

I get asked that question a lot, and I love to answer it! I’m seeing a lot of the massage industry leaning toward more medical and retail models, which doesn’t necessarily please me. I believe that you need to treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. People come as they are, and they shouldn’t encounter yet another person wishing to impose “treatment plans” or sell them the latest and greatest product. They should feel nurtured, and their relaxation should unfold naturally. It should never be forced. My approach to massage can probably be most correlated with that of Esalen Massage. I use long and integrating strokes, connecting the body as a whole, incorporating elements of Acupressure and Reiki (a hands on energy technique) throughout the massage. I can use deep or light pressure, and often do both when giving a massage.

To learn more, go to my massage website - A Peaceful Touch.

Michael and I attended an “Introduction to Buddhist Meditation” class at the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center Thursday night. We’ve both been interested in concepts of “creating your day”, consciousness, quieting the mind, etc. for a while. I think that a lot of times, those of us who spend our lives trying to be Peacemakers ™, often neglect the simple truth that peace has to also dwell within oneself. I’ll come back to that thought.

There were eleven of us sitting in a circle, learning good ways to sit, good ways to hold our hands, ways to quiet our mind or “dance” with the thoughts that come and go. The mind is a very busy place! We finally got to meditate and focus on only our breath for about five to seven minutes, which actually seemed to go very quickly. I remember focusing on a spot on the floor in our circle, and having an incredible visual experience where my breath would change my vision, and I would see shimmering color changes and light changes as I inhaled and exhaled. Not wanting to let my mind focus on the experience much more, I ended up closing my eyes once again. But it was just really cool!

I need to return to this place soon, as even afterward, I felt like life seemed to slow its pace and was quieter. I struggle, like many people in our culture, to be mindful as much as I can be. I so desire things like peace, joy, love, justice, and compassion, to come to the forefront in our world. I do think that peace has to come from within, from every one of us. I guess it all begins with me as well.

Namaste!
Peace be with you!

The day after Thanksgiving I went skiing for the first time in my life! Michael, his mom, and I did some cross-country skiing on the trail behind their house. I only fell once, and I think I got the hang of it after a few minutes! I don’t know why I waited this long to try it out. I do realize that it is probably because ski equipment is somewhat pricey. However, so are computers and other things I’ve spent money on, so I guess it was an oversight. I plan to do it again!

I’ve also gotten back into doing Yoga again. I still really enjoy doing the OM Yoga in a Box for beginners. I’m in no way an expert, but I’m seeing some good results as far as greater flexibility, feeling less stressed, and getting better sleep. It was doing yoga that allowed me to make some other good changes in life I’m thinking. I quit caffeine about five months ago, and recently through Michael’s influence, I’ve stopped eating meat. Four months of vegetarian food has exposed me to a whole new world of great tasting food as well!

Winter is here in Minnesota! I’m liking that I’m not letting the winter stop me! More to come on Vegetarian food and yoga (and hopefully skiing too!) in the next few posts!!