Beyond the Immune System: Making History with Massage Part 1
A Talk Presented by David Lauterstein at the first National Conference for Teachers of Massage and Bodywork, July 1993 To articulate the past historically does not mean to recognize it “the way it really was”. It means to seize hold of a memory as it flashes up at a moment of danger. Walter Benjamin…
Read MoreAnatomy Review: Levator Scapula, The Saga
Origin: C3-5 Insertion: Superior angle of the scapula Action: Lifts scapula and/or extends the neck (Excessive:“Knot” or upper scapula) Antagonist: Inferior fibers of trapezius The levator scapula is a cable-like muscle that is usually overworked by our tendency to hunch our shoulders up. In the life of the levator scapula, this means it’s constantly tugging on the superior angle…
Read MoreDavid Lauterstein: Massage Therapy Hall of Fame 2011
By David Lauterstein, as published the World Massage Festival, which David has been nominated as a 2011 Hall of Fame inductee. I am David Lauterstein, Co-founder of The Lauterstein-Conway Massage School in Austin. I have been a massage therapy teacher since 1982 and therapist since 1977. Here’s my story! I was raised in Chicago by…
Read MoreAnatomy Review: Latissimus Dorsi
by David Lauterstein Origin: sacrum, iliac crest, L5-T7, R 10-12, inferior angle of scapula, Insertion: Intertubercular grove of humerus, Action: Extension,medial rotation of humerus, adduction of humerus, depression of shoulder girdle, lower fibers depress ribcage, especially in coughing. Just as it may be said that we reach out from our guts –insofar as pectoralis major…
Read MoreMassage and the Impact of Touch: Inspiration
This beautiful passage was written by the French philosopher Jacques Lusseyran in his book, And There Was Light. At the age of seven, Professor Lusseyran lost his sight due to a childhood accident. This passage has become a classic in the understanding of the deeper impact of touch. Inspiration When I had eyes, my fingers…
Read MoreAnatomy Review: Lymphatic System
When I first heard of Manual Lymph Drainage, the product Liquid Plumber came to mind! And being a manual plumber was not appealing to me – I’m a holistic healer, not a mere lymph drainer! But the healer in me will find a way. And where does the word “lymph” come from? From the Latin “lympha” which…
Read MoreZero Balancing: Special Donkeys
By Zanna Heighton Zero Balancing has been my inspiration for over 25 years. There’s not much you can’t work out with the Zero Balancing principles that its originator, Dr. Fritz Smith, teaches alongside the manual skills. When I started looking at the principles closely, I came to the conclusion that they resonate with the…
Read MoreMassage in the Recording Studio
For years, I’ve enjoyed playing guitar to inspire students even more when they practice. My background and degree before massage was in music composition and improvisation. And for years people have asked me, “Do you have a recording”? I didn’t. I enjoy what gets spontaneously created in the moment in the classroom. But then I woke up one morning…
Read MoreAnatomy Article: Quadriceps
By David Lauterstein Origin:Rectus femoris: Anterior inferior iliac spine; Vastus lateralis and medialis: Linea aspera; Vastus Intermedius: Lateral and anterior surface of femur, Insertion:Tibial tuberosity (via patella ligament), Action:Rectus femoris: hip flexion, knee extension (Excessive: compression of hip) The“Vasti:” knee extension (Excessive: patellar subluxation), Antagonist: Hamstrings The quadriceps always have struck me as being rather…
Read MoreI Saw the Angel In The Marble And I Carved Until I Set Him Free
“I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo Each person has his or her own shadows and lights. Everyone has some chronic tension. Everyone is conditioned by familial and genetic challenges, and by recent stressors. We live in a restless culture, ever-changing and sometimes not for the better. …
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