Free the Breath, Get Unstuck and Re-connect with your Massage Passion, by MeriJayd O’Connor, CST-D, LMT, MTI, CLC

What happens when you get in a rut and your sessions tend to follow the same routine or pattern? Being stuck can feel like a drag on your energy and livelihood.

Over a 20+ year massage therapy career, I have had these moments and teetered on the verge of burnout. Taking a class and diving in deep to explore an area of the body can help, allowing any massage therapist to form a new refreshed relationship with their work.

I created the 6-hour class Respiratory Diaphragm and Abdominal Massage: A Hands-on Exploration to give massage therapists an environment to slow down and explore an often neglected or missed area of the body. Pulling from my career as a Swedish massage instructor, Diplomate Certified CranioSacral Therapist, MELT Method instructor and creative movement and dance instructor, we will explore movement, therapeutic presence, and have fun working with this most important, sensitive and often vulnerable area of the body.

In this workshop, we will discover and work with:

• The structure and function of the respiratory diaphragm, its relationship to breathing and identify whole-body connections.
• Self-care treatments for enhancing breath as well as hands-on techniques to work with our clients.
• Identify key muscles and trigger points that often inhibit the diaphragm’s ability to move.
• Practice and improve communication and draping skills in preparation for abdominal massage.

Incorporating abdominal massage into massage sessions provides worthwhile opportunities to support a client’s ability to improve breathing, build body interoception as well as support the release of tension and pain in the neck and low-back. With mindful touch and a deep therapeutic presence, the massage therapist is able to facilitate the client’s parasympathetic activation and vagal tone.

I hope you will join us for a day of freeing the breath and connecting with this unique life-giving structure, the respiratory diaphragm.

All the Best,

MeriJayd

MeriJayd O’Connor, CST-D, LMT, MTI is a diplomate certified CranioSacral Therapist through the Upledger Institute. She has been a private practice massage therapist for over 24 years. Her teaching experience includes Swedish massage instructor for Texas massage therapists, creative movement and dance with Ballet Austin, and presenting for the Upledger Institute. She is also a certified Level 2 instructor of the MELT Method. MeriJayd creates CE classes for massage therapists that emphasize self-care, therapeutic presence and working mindfully to support longevity and health in thriving massage and bodywork practices.  She brings her passions for movement and dance, cultivating gardens, meditation, and the joy of motherhood to her work allowing for creativity and grounding to support her clients’ healing journeys. She can be reached at www.austincst.com