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Scoliosis, Can Massage Help? – Part 2

In a true scoliosis the shoulder girdle will be obviously lower on one side than the other. The best observation point to this reference are the clavicles. If they are slanting, but in line with each other it is due to a scoliosis. If only one side is inclined, it can be from other factors like carrying a bag, some former trauma, etc. The ribs will be fixed open where there is convexity of the curvature, that is where the gibbus will be noticed. The ribs are closer together on the concave side. You should notice the scapula being pulled medially by the rhomboids. As the scapula is sliding laterally on the convex side, the serratus anterior and the muscles between the arm will shorten. There will also be a compensatory pattern in the cervical vertebrae at the AO joint with a notable compression.

I think its important to realize there are some degrees of scoliosis and age factors that will only allow a client to feel more comfortable from our work. Once the bones have changed their structure due to the forces paced upon them over long periods of time, there is only so much that we can do.

So the question begs, what can we accomplish as therapists? First of all it depends on the degree of the pattern. It’s a core issue and we must never lose sight of this fact, nor the need to integrate our work throughout the body. There is value to working with the client lying down, sitting and standing as well.
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Scoliosis, Can Massage Help? – Part 1

Helping Our Clients with Scoliosis

If you have being involved in bodywork for any length of time you have had your hands on more than a few clients who were scoliotic and offered you quite a challenge!
In my training at the Rolf Institute there was one axiom that I was taught that made the work very simple to understand. Our work is involved in the lengthening process. It is the only way you can straighten a body.

So, if we can lengthen the body, we can give support to our clients whose scoliosis creates often constant painful conditions in their bodies. Given enough time, we can assist in making some wonderful changes in this idiopathic condition (a condition of unknown origin). You will definitely need to sharpen your body reading skills, and allow yourself enough time to make these changes in your client’s body.
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What Is the Difference Between The Mechanical and The Biodynamic Models of Craniosacral Therapy?

I am often asked by students, what is Craniosacral Biodynamics and how does it differ from the “mechanical” approach? My answer is that one is the path of the Shaman, and the other is that of the mechanic. Both are very rewarding and effective, but the Biodynamic model will change who you are as a human being and how you walk on this water planet.

I know because I practiced the mechanical approach for ten years, and then the Biodynamic aproach for the last 13. Of all the disciplines whose knowledge I have drunk from, including my start at the Rolf Institute in 1989, the Biodynamic model of craniosacral therapy has been the greatest gift and the most transformative and magical of all the disciplines I have learned.
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Building a Massage & Bodywork Practice: Part 2

Well, I hope you have gained a wee bit of insight into building an ongoing practice that fulfills your expectation and needs from the first part of this blog post. I left you with the idea of referrals, or as I call it “planting of the seeds“ for a bountiful bodywork practice. It doesn’t matter what discipline you practice. I am a Rolfer and and Cranial Sacral therapist, but it doesn’t matter what you practice. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are a member of a local gym where you regularly take care of the most important aspect of your health. Now, in the one I was recently a member of, every discipline that you can imagine is represented. I’m talking yoga, Pilates, weight training, swimming, running, tennis etc. Pick one or all and have a very simple attitude, what I do is of benefit to each and every one of you! Do you think that your work would have a benefit on every one of those disciplines? Of course it would!

Your Work as Its Own Advertising

Now you can spend your money on print advertising. I have done this, but have gained very limited benefit from my efforts. What I have found a much more successful strategy is to simply give services away with a smile knowing that your “advertising” efforts will continue to reap you benefits well beyond the initial “costs”! Its very much like creating residual income. Your consistent efforts sharing what you do in a hands on way is much more powerful than language used to describe its benefits. [Read more…]

Building a Massage & Bodywork Practice: Part 1

So, you have your newly acquired Certificate from an accredited massage school and its time to fill the coffers with the steady flow of economic support that you dreamed of when you first decided to embark on the bodyworker’s journey. Or you have been at it for awhile and things aren’t going quite like you expected and you are wondering why? There is no “how to” blueprint that will apply to everyone and all their needs. There are obviously too many variants in goals and desires for that to be accomplished in one template.

So let’s explore the one question that was posed to me as a teacher of deep tissue massage and cranial work in the three schools where I taught. “How do I get my practice built?” And for the seasoned players, “How do I turn up the heat a little bit on my my tepid practice?” There are many underlying thoughts flying under the “conscious radar” which I believe need to be addressed.
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