Day 141 - Oxymoron: Body Mechanics

Giving massages is very physically demanding. For those who know me, you know that I am not very physical. Matter of fact, in my basic state, I am a slug. An even better description would be a lazy slug. So me being the person to give massages almost seems like a live version of an oxymoron.
I think I have mentioned before in my blog a time or two the importance of good body mechanics to the Massage Therapist. Tonight's class really focused on what that could mean and how bad body mechanics can impact our bodies.
We learned some tips for good posture, good movement, and all-around, good body mechanics. And not just for giving massages. We touched on good body mechanics for every day life, too. Such as driving and where to place our hands on the steering wheel for the least stress on the body while being the safest.
With so much good discussion, we didn't get a whole lot of time for bodywork, but there's always tomorrow - which just happens to be the final exam for this Core class.

Day 112 - Take Your Time, Don't Be Russian

I must also apologize for not reporting on Clinic, Day 2, so I'll give a brief run-down. Or maybe not so brief.
It went much more smoothly than the first day and I was a lot less nervous. I had two clients, both men and wanted deeper work, and two student exchanges in which I gave massage. Previously, I had been a bit aprehesive about giving my "all" in deep tissue work to women with small frames, but I think have at least gotten over some of that. At least I know that I won't break them now. I practiced that on both my student exchanges.
My first client actually asked what was the difference between regular massage and Russian massage, and I was quite excited to tell him a little about it and even practice a little bit on him, incorporating some of what I'd learned so far.
One of the things that is highly stressed in massage class is to make sure we have good body mechanics to preserve our bodies and give us longevity. It's particularly important to the back. A massage therapist with good body mechanics may have sore hamstring and gluteal muscles, but not a sore back. I'm proud to report that after I had driven home after clinic, it wasn't my back that was sore. It was my hamstrings and glutes that were a little more stiff!
Yay for me!
On to tonight's class. We learned the rest of the segments in Russian after effleurage, wringing and petrissage: friction, vibration, and percussion.
No, it has nothing to do with bongos, The Beach Boys, or cowbells, unfortunately.
After a brief demo, we got to practice a little bit with all of the segments in the order they are performed. Since we had more lecture tonight, we'll get to practice a lot more on Thursday in class.

Day 79 - Final Variations

We had our final exams tonight for Massage Variations. First, we had a written final. Then we had a nice little break and then the hands-on final, for which we were graded on beingness, body mechanics, technique, and some other stuff I can't seem to remember.
The important part is that on the written final, I got 100%, and on the hands-on, I got 95%. Yay!
On the way home from school, which is a 40 mile drive from the Baltimore beltway (I-695) to I-70, I got followed. It creeped me out -especially at 11:00 at night. WGH was with me, so I wasn't alone in the car, but it was still creepy.
I noticed the car pretty much tailgating me coming off the I-695 ramp onto I-70. I got over in the right lane so they would pass me, but they didn't pass, and instead go into my lane. I did a couple lane changes, all with the same effect: they got in the lane behind me, still tailgating me.
I started to exit off of the highway onto Rt 32, and they started following, so at the last second, I got back onto the highway (safely, of course). At that point, I knew I was being followed, so I dialed 9-1-1. The dispatcher transferred me to State Po-po, and their dispatcher instructed me to pull onto the shoulder to see if they followed. When I did that, they kept going and I finally got a look at the four-door white sedan (Mitsubishi Galant, I'm 99% sure), so I got back on the highway again and tried to get their license plate. They exited onto Rt 97 before I could get it.
Creepy. Just creepy.
Still excited about my final exam grades!

Day 76 - Cool It!

We here in Maryland have had a hot and dry summer. There were I think over 30 days in which temperatures were over 90 degrees. On my way to and from the J-O-B, I drive by a pond. I have watched this eighth of an acre pond go from something that looks like it could sustain life - as in fish - to something that needs to have its grass mowed. After a rain last week, it had a bit of water in it, maybe about 10 feet across. This afternoon - mow it.
In the beginning of summer, our central AC was blowing hot air, instead of the bone-chilling cold air it was supposed to. With the inside unit being over 20 years old, we knew it didn't need just a band-aid this time, it needed to be replaced. However, we just can't come up with that kind of money to get that sort of thing, so we have been using window units and a portable A/C unit lent to us by friends. We have them in the bedroom and the dining/living room. It's been bearable, but just barely.
That means that whenever I have had a guinea pig - uh - I mean, friend or family member, come over for one of my practice massages, it's been like a new spa treatment - The Sauna Massage! Coming soon to a spa near you! I have done them in 100 degree heat! That's just crazy!
By the time I get done these massages, I'm drenched in perspiration. Doing massages is very physical and making sure to have good body mechanics is essential to a lasting career. Just doing a regular massage is taxing enough while learning. Doing a Sauna Massage is downright masochistic and draining. Several Saturdays after working on a couple practice clients, I would not be able to do anything else the rest of the day.
For the big announcement: Tomorrow we're getting a new A/C unit installed! The first thing I'm going to do when I know it's working is put the temperature on 65 degrees. My guinea pigs practice clients will be very thrilled that it will not be a Sauna Massage any longer!
Oh...and yes, I had class tonight. Lecture. Bodywork. Talkative classmates. The usual.

Day 21 - New Class, New Teacher

Tonight, we started the next class - Core. It's basically like Swedish, but not exactly - the really nice stuff that everybody likes.

One of our new instructors for this section is Anthony, whom I'd actually met at the career fair at the booth he had set up for his business. He's definitely going to be a stickler for professionalism in class, which is a really good thing. It's good to learn these things now and not have to learn them the hard way, like when we're working. Professionalism includes the student dress code, attendance, hygeine, no electronics usage and that sort of thing. I've strived to be as professional as I can as a student, but I know sometimes I slip up, so it'll be good to keep it in the forefront of my mind. I definitely look forward to learning more from him. I just hope our class doesn't make him lose his head.
Also during the lecture, we learned more about Body Mechanics (taking care of our own bodies while working on somebody else) and about effleurage, which sounds like a bouquet of french flowers to me, but is actually a way of doing certain strokes during a Core-type (Swedish) massage. Since this was the first night of the class, I didn't think we'd be doing bodywork, but brought my supplies with me, just in case. Good thing. We did bodywork. And it was wonderful! We worked on the upper posterior body, which is the back in layman's terms.
Our final is on Thursday, and it's all practical and no written. Unfortunately, I won't have time, really, to practice on anybody outside of class before the final. Bummer.
Oh - and the other good news - my table is in and I'll pick it up tomorrow night!