Massage Relief 2

On June 4 Infuse Yoga Spa will host an event called "A Minute For Diabetes". The event is to raise money for the the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Manuel Cruz, fellow therapist and friend will be offering Thai chair massage sessions for a $1 a minute. Feel good and do some good as well.


For more information click HERE.


Have a great holiday weekend!

Professional Development 3

Welcome to the third installment of professional development. This week we find meaningful and respectable work in massage therapy. I will share with you the ways and methods I have found very useful in finding massage work in the past.

My first resource is Craiglist. Under jobs there is a medical/health section and a salon/spa/fitness section as well. Under both sections there is usually work listed throughout the state you live in. Be careful with CL though. Only respond to jobs that list the company name, email, phone number and website. With the above information you can do some background research on the company. Listings with vague details please stay away from. If they can't take the time to do a thorough job posting they are not really worth much and can be more trouble in the end.

The second is AMTA. On the AMTA website they have a Job Bank, which is a resource for finding work in your respective city.

Monster.com also has massage jobs on their site. So give Monster a try as well.

Now if you are really hunger and serious about working in the massage field, you can look into doing chair massage. There are a lot of companies that focus on chair massage or on-site massage. These kinds of companies are great jumping off pads for those therapists that are looking to gain experience by working on a variety of people in different settings. Just Google chair massage companies and Boom! Some of these companies have been around quite awhile and are on a national level.

The chair massage companies work health fairs, corporate events, parties, sporting events, etc. You can meet all sorts of great people from around the country. There are unlimited potentials to massage therapy.

Talk to your friends, relatives anyone you know about massage. I am offered work all the time because someone dropped my name to someone else. Please have business cards on hand at all times. When you find work, make sure you work in different places (of course on different days). And I know this may sound redundant but work in different offices, spas, chair events, etc. All places and events have cycles and if you are only in one place you are at the total mercy of that locations cycles. But with many places you have a better chance to maintain a balanced income.

With some of your findings the company may only offer a position on a temp basis such as fill-in when the regular therapist is sick or on vacation. Do not turn down this work because this will give you the opportunity to do some of your best work and really show your skills. Who knows in time you may get offered a permanent position. It happened to me on many occasions.

As I have said in PD1, please stay ahead of the game by working on your skills and being the best you can be. Helping people is our goal and the more you know, the better able you are to help your clients. Every session should have purpose and be filled with meaning. Again only the skillful will survive in these times. There is always room to grow.

PD4 in two weeks!

Peace.

Desk Stress 2-Scalenes

The scalenes are a set of muscles, usually three that start on the transverse processes of the neck (side of the neck C2-C7) and attach to the fist and second rib. Constrictions in the scalenes can cause pain, numbness and other sensations in the chest, upper back, shoulder, arm and hand.

When the scalenes become dis-eased (trigger points), they tend to pull the first rib up against the collarbone. This holding pattern, squeezes the blood vessels and nerves that pass through the area on the way down the arm. Now the impeded blood flow and imbalance causes pain, swelling, numbness, tingling and burning in the arm and hand. The collection of symptoms is also called thoracic outlet syndrome.

For homework you can do a light stretch. This will help you throughout the day while at your computer or any time you wish. Make sure you proceed slowly into the stretch and only go as far as your body will allow. For the scalenes stretch click HERE.

As always this, blog and its' content are intended for informational purposes only.

Peace and good health.

Chair Thai Massage Class

On Sunday June 7, I will be hosting and the instructor for a Chair Thai massage class. The class is from 4-8pm. I will share my work experience with chair massage and give a demonstration in Thai massage session in a massage chair.

I will teach the class a Thai 10-20 minute routine for supine, prone and if we have time, side line. We will work lower and upper body. I will also feature will I call "Music Time" and how to have a very professional appearance from your clothes to your chair. Tuition for the class is $50.

This class is open to massage therapy students and professionals. For more info click HERE.

To register for the class please click HERE.

Professional Development 2

This week is the second article on developing your massage business. Now after massage school you must take the national exam to request a massage license. Believe me when I tell you that you would like to pass the first time. I will offer useful tips on exam preparation.

First off, take the test as soon as you can after you graduate from massage school. You want to do this while the information is still fresh in your head. To help with the questions, look into taking a class to help you prepare. Some massage schools offer two day classes for exam preparation. One such school is Cortiva, which has different locations across the country. These classes are open for all massage students not just Cortiva grads. For locations click HERE.

For those about to take the National Exam in Chicago there are some upcoming exam prep dates. Some massage schools in Illinois do not offer exams preparations as part of their curriculum so for some help click HERE.

Now be aware Cortiva and most exam preparation classes may not cover the Asian arts as part of their curriculum. So make sure you study Chinese medicine ( 14 meridians, yin/yang, 5 phase theory). Also have some general knowledge of the chakras. This will get you through the Asian arts related questions.

I hope this helps those ready to take the National Exam. Now next week, I will start the work process and guide you in finding meaningful work. As always this blog is about the times we live in now and how to grow and succeed in these times of change.

Next week PD3!

WHAT THE @$#%!

I was made aware of some information that you ALL need to know about. If you see a chiropractor, will see one or know someone who will, this information is for you. Please be informed.

For the info click HERE.

There is no Yang without Yin, so for the Yin side click HERE.

We are in the midst of change.

Chicago's Very Own

For those who may be unaware, Chicago has its very own massage warehouse. Located on the far north side in Rogers Park is the Best Massage Warehouse. Now this place has many things to get you going in your massage business and keep you going. Best Massage Warehouse has just about everything from oils, sheets, videos, tables, chairs, bolsters, etc. They even ship across the country.

One of the best things about this store are its frequent sales, to see what I mean click HERE.

So if you are ever on the far north side of Chicago check out Best Massage Warehouse. Tell them Nepa sent you.