Taxes: Conquer your Fear of Massage Business Taxes

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger Massage therapists, have you done your 2010 taxes? Like all good citizens, I’ve made a start. I’ve collected a lot of stuff I think I need. I’ve also collected a lot of stuff I’m pretty sure I don’t need, but am keeping anyway “just in case.”…

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Bodywork: Finding what you didn’t even know was there

by Keith Vencill, LMT, CDMT Clients often reveal that the most intense areas discovered during the session are exactly that: unearthed, previously unknown tension and pain. Around this pain and because of it, compensatory movements and postures can grow.  These very pragmatic structural and energetic arrangements are temporary adaptations, but can linger long after they…

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Massage: The Essentials of Touch

by Tara White, LMT, MTI, Guest Blogger As a massage therapist, my life is pretty much immersed in touch. I have come to find that when I go on vacation, I begin to feel out of sorts after a few days of not working because the act of touching another person is so grounding to…

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An Argument for “Do It Yourself” Massage

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away, and the realization of the next Hallmark holiday is probably just at the fringes of your mind. Soon, you’ll be considering chocolates in line at the supermarket check out, making dinner reservations and chasing down the last dozen…

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Structural Bodywork: Getting the Upper Hand on Posture

by Marc Frazier, LMT, NASM, MTI The Influence of the Upper Limbs In the world of Structural Bodywork – and massage in general – much attention is given to the mechanical influence the lower limbs have on the pelvis and spine, and for good reason – the impact is profound. However, this has also led…

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Three Fresh Videos: Wrist Stretches for Massage Therapist

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger If you’re a massage therapist, you are probably acutely aware of the state of your wrists and forearms. If you didn’t learn how to take care of them in massage school, you probably figured it out pretty quickly along the way. Have you shared this wisdom…

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Self Care for Massage Therapists

by Gretchen Cole, LMT, MTI and Massage Instructor The Spiritual Warrior Retreats. When thinking about self-care and the need for our own nurturing, a quote from Lao Tzu comes to mind, “Timely retreat is the mark of the spiritual warrior.” I use it often to remind myself and my massage students of the need for…

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Self-care for Massage Therapists: You Know What To Do

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger It happened. I managed to stuff a massage client in the empty hour between working at my “real job” and a volunteer event in the evening, and I was thinking about Christmas shopping. And I did it. I caught myself slouching mid-effleurage. My very sweet, very…

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The Anatomy of Fight or Flight for Massage Therapists

By Jennifer Shaw, LMT, Guest Blogger Does this apply? Origin: Central Nervous System Insertion: Preganglionic Fibers Action: Fight or Flight When I told a friend of mine I was writing a blog article about the sympathetic nervous system, his response was, “Fight or flight. Rest and digest. The end.” If only the nervous system was…

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A Massage Therapist’s Research into the “Bodymind”

By Marsha Walker, PhD, RN, LMT I have had a massage practice in Austin for 33 years now, with many clients getting a massage every 2 weeks for 20 years.  I still love it and feel very honored to be trusted to help people in such an intimate way with their health.  No other health…

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