This week we are learning about aromatherapy. Vickie, our instructor is quite animated. She is having no trouble keeping our interest as she imparts her vast knowledge of essential oils and their benefits to health and wellness. Today our olfactory sense was bombarded by one tantalizing scent after another. Of course all this has a purpose. The course on aromatherapy is designed to give us the basics on custom designing our own massage oils and lotions to utilize in our own massage practices. After creating our own personal blends, we'll get to try them out on each other on the last day of class, by doing a bodywork exchange. This is all light hearted, albeit important learning, and just the course we need to end our fourteen month trek along the road to becoming massage therapists. For this is also our last week of school with graduation coming up on Saturday.

 

As I look back on the posts I've written over the course of the past year, I'm constantly reminded of the many events, some of them pretty prominent, that I neglected to write about. Not to mention other happenings that others in my class experienced and I didn't. I'm prone to wonder what moments of our journey would have been recorded, had all my classmates posted entries on this site. Certainly they would have chosen to spotlight any number of the events I omitted in place of the ones I wrote about. Thus, I am overcome with a sense of humility for having the privilege of representing my class during our sojourn here at CNW. Being just one among twenty-two students, it is plain to see why my anecdotes, as numerous as they are, only constitute a small fraction of the myriad of pieces that form the mosaic of the Part-Time Morning 08 (PTM08) class experience. So even though I could only provide a glimpse (my glimpse) of the picture that only we as a class can see, I hope it was enough to convey at least the spirit of who we are. Not only am I humbled, but I'm also deeply grateful to my classmates and to the instructors and staff of CNW for being the phenomenal group of people they are. I can truly say that because of them, each one of my journal entries was written with pride. In concluding my last journal entry, I'd like to express these thoughts to my PTM08 classmates: 

 

The love, trust and respect we've fostered over these past fourteen months, we now get to pack in our hearts and carry with us as we embark on our careers as LMT's. Each time my path crosses one of yours in the future, it will be cause to celebrate and feel comforted by the presense of a kindred spirit. I look forward to those times. May they be many. I am confident each of you will find the prosperity you aim to achieve. You are made of iron wills and tender hearts. Those are ingredients of a smell that Aromatherapy can't concoct; the Sweet Smell of Success!

 

Luv Ya Guys

 

Joe

 

Thursday was class picture day. And as is characteristic of our class, we took it on with gusto. The photo shoot was rife with whimsy as we followed the witty prompts of the photographer to get us to flash our pearly whites. Picture after picture we laughed and smiled and adjusted our pose, until finally the photographer was satisfied. Then we all trekked back to the classroom for our last class of Pathology II with Kirsten. But unbeknownst to us, one of my classmates was not with the rest of us during the photo session. Nobody noticed that she was elsewhere getting ready for the picture while it was being taken. Thank the Powers that be that the photographer had not yet left the premises. So we all trekked back outside to have even a better time during "class pic take two". Satisfied for real this time, the photographer bid us farewell. But that wasn't the end of picture taking that day. As it turned out, several of us, myself included, brought cameras to class that day. We had a photo frenzy, full of zaniness and plenty of hugs. The love juice was flowing that morning. But hey, that's us any day. We are a closely knit bunch. The love and support we share makes us picture perfect any way you look at us.

If you asked any of us in the PTMO8 class, I think you'd get a concensus that we are frazzled. Graduation is just around the corner, and most of us are scurrying to fnish with all of the requirements we need to graduate. Some of us have more to accomplish than others, but i think its safe to say none of us are breathing freely. The mounting excitement that comes with approaching graduation is tempered with the anxiety and frustrations that come with any last minute push to the finish line. I'm experiencing similar feelings as I get every year at Holiday time; so much to do and so little time. Rght now most of us are battling with pounding out our business plans for our Professional Development class. That and jointly planning our graduation ceremony are a real test of our nerves. Some of us still have lots of Clinic massages to do and yet others have makeup classes and finals to take. I'm giving us a pat on the back for holding up under the pressure. It helps to keep it all iin perspective, and remember that come April 4th, none of us will be remembering all this angst. We will only be feeling the pride of having completed the phenomenal journey to becoming massage therapists!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary since our arrival at school. It is also the day that the new part time morning class began school, officially making my class seniors. This means that our  inning in the game is soon to end. We have rounded third and are now getting ready to slide into home plate. In just 8 weeks our graduation will be upon us. Hard to believe actually. We have had a dynamic year. It's wild looking back and seeing the transformation that has taken place in us. We were like wide-eyed newborns a year ago. Now CNW is about to push us out of the nest with our freshly learned skills. Yet even with the teaching CNW has provided, we remain mere fledglings in the world of massage. Our real schooling will come from dealing with real clients, and from our own drive for excellence that we harbour within ourselves.

Welcome to CNW Part Time Morning Class 2009. Here's to a year of challenge, growth and excitement as you discover the wonders of healing touch. I would be remiss if I didn't reitererate a cherished CNW truism " Remember, everything you need to know is within you"

 

Later

Joe

Observation Day, the ominous event that all massage students dread, is tomorrow. This is an all day event when each student gets to massage a client in the presence of an instructor and 4 other students and be graded to boot. Our instructors say it's our time to shine. But anyone with an ounce of performance anxiety knows that it's a time of great angst, loaded with potential for ego delfating disaster. Even I, who have fared remarkably well in this school am not imune to the sympathetic responses known as jittery nerves, the pit in the stomach, sweats and rapid breathing. Some of my classmates are already in meltdown. I have managed to hold things together for now, but Im not sure I'm gonna have a good night's sleep. Funny thing is, as is typical of these situations, I already know that come Monday we will be looking back wondering what the big deal was.

Later

Joe

This past week we've been in our Applied Techniques course, wihich kicked off with a class dedicated to a stretching technique known as active isolated stretching. Performing this technique correctly entails applying  the 3 I's to the muscle to be stretched; namely identify, isolate and intensify.  This is invalubale information for enhancing our skills as therapists. I didn't waste any time putting it into practice either. My very next clinic client presented with some hip pain. I went to work on her and she loved it. The rest of the classes  have dealt with techniques to alleviate low back pain. Dale, Brian, and Kelly are chuck full of experience to share with us. This is the meat of our schooling where all our training comes together. I definitely believe my self confidence and technical abiolity will both be boosted greatly by the time we aqe through. Gotta move along and find a victim to practice on before I lose what I've been taught!

Later

Joe

NMT, ( Nueromuscular Therapy) was of our focuses since our return from the holiday break. It was a short 3 day course that due to bad winter weather, we  were lucky to finish. Nevertheless, I consider it one of the most important courses we've taken so far due to the value of it's content. In a matter of 7 1/2 hours, we learned the particulars of relieving the ever notorious trigger points that plague members of human society, everyone including office dwellers, truck drivers, construction workers, athletes, musicians, homemakers, medical professionals, teachers, etc.... You name it, young and old alike, everyone knows all too well the "ouch" factor of those nasty sore spots known as trigger points. Seems there's no other way to get rid if them except by pressing on them. Not just any ol' pressure however, as that could be damaging to tissue. So we spent this morning practicing on each other a couple of the more accepted techniques. The fact that they work is great. I'm happy 'cuz this gives us powerful new tools for performing more effective massages. Not to mention  the fact that I spent quite a pain free day!

Catch you later

Joe

As I sit down tio write, it's dawning on me that ten days have gone by since my last post. How this happened without  my awareness really isn't surprising. My itinerary during the few weeks of class sandwiched between the two holiday breaks, was booked almost to the minute with activities. So it was very approproiate that in the past couple of weeks we had a five class introduction to Myofascial Release (MFR). MFR deals specifically with the fascial system; a three dimensional network of collagen and elastin fibers in a gooey matrix, that holds the entire body together right down to the cellular level.  Much like the weave of a sweater, the entire facsial system is affected when it gets pulled or bound up. We were taught some basic techniques to release adhered facsia, to help the body unwind and operate efficiently. We were very fortunate that Lisa, our instructor with over 20 years of experience in MFR studied directly under John Barnes, the founder of the discipline. We were assured good quality instruction. We were also reunited with Laura, our FOM instructor, who acted as assistant teacher. She too is very experienced. Yesterday we wrapped things up.

Today we turned our attention to Neurology. It continues to be a fast paced course, that has the lot of us in a tail spin. There is only one class left before the fnal. Just a few more days of cramming and it will be over. Thank heavens the holiday break starts right after, 'cuz my brain needs to unwind. Hey is there such a thing as MFR for the brain?

That's all for now. Catch you later.

Joe

One of the highlights of studying at CNW is being able to do community service. Required as it may be, most students are finding that providing massage to the underprivileged gentry of the community is a reward rather than an obligation. Although I haven't mentioned it, my elected site duing the past 4 Sundays was St Peter's Hospice. Yesterday,  two of my classmates and I finished our weekly 3 hour visits. We are turning over the reins to 3 other classmates who will carry on until mid January. Other classmates have elected other sites that fit better with their schedules. The patients at Hospice offered me an experience much richer than any amount of clinic hours could give me. Through the starkness of their decline, they have helped me understand that massage is much more than rubbing a body to make someone feel good. It'a all about being present. We've always been told that by our instructors, but I never really appreciated how important presence was, until I found myself at the side of a human beings who I couldn't massage in any conventional manner. Some people could hardly be massaged at all. So not being able to rely on my hands, I relied on my heart. One patient in particular, who was semiconscious only wanted to feel the grasp of my hand during the half hour I spent at his side. It really came as no surprise to realize that just being there with good intention was more than sufficient to make a connection.  Also it came as no surprise that my spirit found comfort and healing through those precious quiet moments in the presense of someone who could do nothing but grab my hand.  What a great lesson in the paradoxical dynamic of life. In his decline he imparted life to me.  So while reflecting on the past month, I feel nothing but gratitude to alll the wonderful patients, family members and staff at Hospice for massaging my soul.

That said I hope I don't spoil it by confessing that as enriching as the experience was, the night owl in me is a bit relieved I'll get to sleep in next week!

Later all

Joe

Did you know that some of our nerves are bipolar? It's true. But that's a good thing. Because without bipolar nerves, we wouldn't be able to see, hear or stand up straight. Of course these nerves aren't crazy as how bipolar is oft  to be construed. The term actually refers to the structure of the particular neurons found in our eyes and ears. Just a sampling of the barrage of info being thrown at us in Neurology.

It's been 4 months since we've had a Science class. This week we started the "dreaded" Neurology course. Even though it's fast paced, I'm surprised to find myself welcoming the return to things factual. It helps that we are upstairs in the smaller carpetted classroom, which is a more comfortable environment. The danger of that room is that it can be a bit too comfortable. I might find myself fighting to stay awake! Today our instructor, Harout, broke up the class with a little exercise where we paired up, then went outside and took turns leading our partners around the school premises blindfolded. Afterward, we all were asked to write down what we experienced. Harout will compile our responses and likely share with us the similarities and differences among us next class. This is just to keep us aware of how the same experince or stimulus can result in different reactions; a good correlation to the nervous system and our work in massage therapy. Gotta run. Already have a ton of material to study for our first quiz. Can't afford to slack off in this class. Catch you Later

 

Joe

That's what it's about today. So long. Today our Polarity course ended with a final test and an hour massage exchange amonst ourselves. Polarity was an enlightening course that most of us really benefitted from. There were many hours of bodywork, which reaklly recharges our batteries. Best of all, though is that I think we all are leaving with a profound appreciation for the benefits that energy work can have on our practices by.

We are also saying goodbye to the Senior  full time class. Tomorrow will be their graduation, I'm sure emotions will be running high. But more than not, a deep sense of joy will pervade the atmosphere, as our friends depart to embark on their professional carreers as massage therapists.

And last but not least,  we are saying so long to the school for a week's vacation, as we all return to our own families and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, and usher in the holiday season. So SO LONG for now. Happy Turkey Day to one and all. See ya's when we get back in December.

Joe

 

Right now my mind is in overdrive as it attempts to assimilate the barrage of stimulating info that was crammed into it this morning, during our one and only Homeopathy class. The three and a half hours flew by. Today's instructor, Beth, a homoepath herself, explained a bit about homoepathy's history, how remedies are made, and how they work. I'll admit, that until now, I couldn't tell you what homeopathy was. I had a notion that it was synonymous with herbology. NOT! From what I gather, homoepathy consists of a complicated, almost infinite array of concoctions and elixers (i.e. remedies) that work to relieve symptoms of trauma and disease, prevent and cure some illness, and fortify one's constitution (physically, mentally and spiritually). I'll confess that images of peddlers atop soapboxes, and witches hunched over bubbling cauldrens get conjured in my head. But to be fair, Homeopathy is best categorized as a complimentary often alternative form of medicine. It's not hard to embrace the notion or fact that natural substances can have a profound effect on health and well being. It would be naive of me not to believe so. It's how remedies supposedly work that has me stumped. Homeopathy holds the premise that the weaker a remedy's concentration, the more potent it is. So if one were to take a drop of some tinture and dilute it one hundred times, it would be more effective than the undiluted tincture. Considering that a dilution of 30C (1/10 to the 60th power) is a common potency for homeopathic treatment, I can't understand the logic. It gets harder still when I'm told that a dilution of 200C (1/10 to the 400th power) is supposed to be even more potent and quicker to act. Now, I am the last person to debunk things that I don't understand. Part of the wonder of my CNW experience has been exposure to "new" ways of thinking and having my sense of reality put to the test. But we're talking about diluting a substance by up to 10 to the 400th power, then claiming it to be more potent than the undiluted substance. That's when my brain hits a hurdle. How could here be enough molecules of the original substance to be divided up so much? Seems to me it would be all washed out even before the 10th dilution. But I'm no Einstein. Tradition has shown Homeopathy to be quite effective. So why not give it a chance? I'm game. For posterity's sake, I'm embracing the oxymoron that "less is more". Hmm, now all I have to decide is which remedy to buy. Better yet, I can make my own. Just stop me if you see me reaching for the eye of newt!

Peace out.

Joe

The Shiatsu course came to an end today beginning with our final exam.  The rest of the class was spent sitting in circle. We had a toast for each other with juice and chocolates that the instructors provided. Then we reminisced a bit, sharing our impressions of the course, as well as our impressions of each other and the instructors. Jason and mary played guitar and sang for us. Then we sang "Your are my Sunshine" en masse .That was spontaneous. I don't know who started it but it caught on.  Anyone and everyone who had something to share did so. What really made today special though, was that the morning and Spring full time classes were able to spend some quality time bringing closure to our powerful journey together these past  9 months. The Spring full time group has only 6 school days left before graduation. It doesn't seem real for those of us remaining, that they will soon be gone. Yet that is the beauty of our journey; constant growth and change. Every ending opens to a new beginning. So all melancholy aside,  todays' sharing was more joyful than anything, which was never so evident as when al 50 something of us came together in a group hug.

Onward we go. Tomorrow we will begin the Polarity course. We had our intro to energy work on Friday, which was real cool. We got to experiment a little with feeling the energy field that surrounds our bodies. Plus we were introduced to the chakras. Then learned a technique to balance the chakras. That was extremely relaxing. Where we take it from there is yet to be discovered. Looking forward to this course a lot. Too bad it's only going to be 21 hours long.

Well, that's it for today.  Later.

Joe

This morning we changed things up a bit. Instead of our usual quiet time and reading at the beginning of class, our instructors had the students from all classes congregate in one classroom to let loose with an upbeat song and celebrate our unity as we focus at the prospect of new beginnings. Something inside me says this was a result of yesterday's presidential election. Any potential political motivation aside, we all jumped at the opportunity to let loose a litte and celebrate each other. Things got wild and crazy for a few minutes, hten it was back to class as usual. A good start to a good day. In Shiatsu class, we started our final bodywork evaluations. Half the class (myself included) preformed a full hour session on another classmate while being observed by an instructor. Tomorrow our partners will be doing bodywork on us. I love bodywork. I'm glad I got mine out of the way, so I can lie back and relax tomorrow. 

Gotta head on out. Catch ya later.

Joe

 

The act of letting-go is associated with the metal element in Chinese tradition. Grief is the emotion associated with it. Often grief and letting-go go hand-in-hand. Whatever the cause; the passing of a pet or a loved one, sending off a child to college, a failed realtionship, kicking an addiction, etc.. grief is a natural step in the process of putting to rest what was, accepting what is, and embracing what is to come. So it's a good thing. Hence this entry's title and hence the title of Mary's song which she sang for us on Wednesday morning, as an introduction to the metal element. And nowhere else did we experience how good grief really is than during Wednesday's and Thursday's classes. It is a well established tradition in CNW's Shiatsu course, to hold a letting-go ceremony at the start of the first metal class. Students are encouraged to bring and share with the group something they are willing to let go of; be it an item, a memory or a situation that is holding them back in some way. Things didn't go they were planned for our ceremony on Wednesday. After Mary's song, things progressed rapidly until the entire lot of students and instructors became engrossed in one of the most  powerful and beautiful exchanges I've ever experienced. We have always recognized that among the combined full-time and morning classes there exists a high degree of respect, friendship and compassion. But never has the magnitude of these qualities been so evident until that morning when student after student walked out on limbs to poignantly reveal intimate aspects of their lives that they wished to put behind them. Everyone was upheld and embraced. Eye poured tears and hugs provided comfort. In an unprecedented decision by the instructors, the academics for the class were set aside so the whole class could be dedicated to the "ceremony". When class ended that morning we were far from done, so the majority of Thursday was also dedicated for those who still wished to share. It's the event that I'm calling "The Great Catharsis". I'm thinking that CNW will have to raise tuition costs to pay for all the boxes of tissues that were used up those two days! We finally did get to reviewing the metal element BTW.

Yesterday and today, we in the morning class finished our Sports course. I liked Sports for all the new techniques that were taught; Pin & strech, cramp management, contract/relax, reciprocal inhibition, facilitated stretching (CRAC), and hydrotherapy. I feel so much more empowered to do massage because of them.

The week ahead is shaping up to be a busy one. Ours are due on Thursday. I have yet to begin mine. Haven't been able to find the time. Something tells me I'll be burning the mignight oil soon. Come to think of it, tonight we turn back the clocks. I should probably take advantage of the extra hour and have a go at it.

Gotta run, Have clocks to change.

Joe

Hey, it's been a week already since my last post. How did time get away from me so quickly? It was a good week. After a couple weeks away from clinic, I got my hands back to massaging clients last Thursday. Time is flying by in clinic too. I get the image of Barbara eden of "I Dream of Genie" folding her arms and with a quick blink of an eye, POOF!, I find myself over a third of the way thourgh my clinic rotation. How is this possible? I mean I just started, didn't I? Next thing I know it will be time to graduate. It's a bit too soon to be focusing on that date. that will surely make time grind to a halt.

Sports class last Friday was pretty entertaining. We learned the very useful techniques of "pin and stretch" and "cramp management". Our instructor Jen, had us practice on each other of course. She kicked it up a notch by cueing those of us who were recieving to surprise our therapists by feiigning a sudden cramp during our post event massage. The unwitting therapists had to act quickly to manage the cramp. It was fun, yet a bit nerve racking at the same time, because no one knew where the cramps would occur.

On Saturday, our assistant Sports instructor, Brian, took four of us to the YMCA in Troy, to provide massage at a 5k run. Although 5k isn't a very long race, we at least got to massage real athletes, who despite the short distance,  had come in from a rainy run and were greatful  for the relaxation. Our sports routines were put to good use, even if noone presented with any sudden cramps.

Today in Shiatsu we greeted the new week by learning about the Earth element. It was a long 3 1/2 hour class consisting of lecture. I'm telling you I wasn't on my game, having nearly nodded off a few times. Tomorrow will make up for today as almost all of class will be dedicated to doing the bodywork part of Earth, ie the stomach and sleen meridians. Performing a Shiatsu routine can be a bit baffling, I'll admit, but there's nothing like how it feels being the recipient. Can't wait for tomorrow. I'll be leaving school in a nice relaxed state.

Well that's all for now. Time to call it a day

Today we returned from a week's vacation. It flew by quickly, as vacations want to do. And although it was relaxing, my psyche never wandered far from school as my break was punctuated with school related activities. The first weekend I spent taking reiki classes. Reiki's affect on Autism is going to be my theme for my Pathology project. My 10 y/o son has autism. since he has difficulty tolerating the physical stimulus of massage, I figured that reiki might be an alternative way to affect him through touch. And I was right. He love it. But thats another topic for another day. later in the week I practiced a little Siatsu on a coworker, and did a full body Swedish massage on my kids Teakwondo instructor. Then on Saturday  a group of us from class met up at Sienna College to do pre and post event sports massages on the participants of the Fiddlers Walk for Wildwood. The event was a benefit for the disabled and many of the participants themselves were disabled. It was heartening to interact with them through massage. I wouldn't say that it was a rigorous event that gave us good sports experience (even though there were a couple of sore and tired individuals) but the experience was invaluble nonetheless. If anything, because it was so cold, we served to warm up quite a few people.  This coming Saturday there is a YMCA run that will afford any of us doing a better sports experionce.

Today's Shiatsu class went well as it always does. We were presented with the four meridians of the fire element. It all sounds confusing and a bit much to absorb right now. Yet like the previous meridians, with time, the info will start to sink in. How long it will stick is another matter! As usual we ended the morning by crawling all over each other. That's my favorite part. It gets everyones juices flowing.

That's about all for now. Catch y'all later.

Joe

 

This morning we had our second Sports class. So far I'm liking it. Jen and Brian are keeping us hopping with learning routines. We get to do a lot of bodywork on each other which is always a plus! Basically Sports massage is a variant of Swedish masage, just done at a quick tempo. Routines can be tailored to invigorate an athlete before an event or to relax their weary bodies after an event. I like the fact that bodywork can be done w/o sheets, lotions and through clothes. There are two sporting events coming up in the community in the next two weeks. Some of us will be attending one or both of them. So it won't be long before we get to try out for real our fledgling skills. I'm excitied. Working on clients at community events has proven to be delicious food for the soul. At least that has been my experience at the couple of chair massage events I have attended. It's hard to imagine these outings will be any different. Perhaps it's the lack of structure, relative to clinic. that lends events outside school their unique quality. Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that the experience gained will be invaluble.

Well we are officially on vacation again.  Next week there are no classes. Every couple of months a week of vacation is programmed along to give our weary minds and bodies a chance to return to the existences from whence we came. It's catch up time. Have lots of projects around the house that need to get done. Also I want to remind my wife and kids that Dad is still a part of the family. I wonder sometimes if they remember I exist. it seems to me I heard tell of a memorial service being held in my name!

Catch you after I'm resurrected!

Yesterday afternoon was interesting and fun in our final Eastern Pathology class. We got to try our hand at the ancient practice of cupping. For those who don't know what cupping is, it's a technique to break up adhesions (commonly called knots) in the muscles and connective tissues by creating a suction in a glass cup that is placed upsidedown on the skin. The suction is created by lifting the cup on edge, quickly inserting a flaming cottonball inside it to suck up all the O2, then quickly the lowering the rim of the cup back onto the skin as the cottonball is removed. The skin beneath the cup gets drawn up into the vacuum, forming quite a colorful bulge. On well lubed skin, the cup can be used for energy treatment by sliding it along meridian lines on broad areas of the body (usually the back).  It'a a cool feeling, and it really did a number on my tight shoulders.  The down side is that that it leaves a pronounced hickey on the skin. I was left with a huge black and blue patch behind my right shoulder. My hickey is nothing compared to some others. We were wowed so much by one classmate's marks, that we took pictures of it!.

Today was another cool day in Shiatsu. We worked on the wood element routine for the front of the body. Shiatsu continues to be a bit taxing on my right shoulder when I'm acting as therapist. But when it's my turn to receive, there's nothing like it. Every day I leave school feeling energized and relaxed. Even though I'm lacking a Wetern scientific explanation for how Shiatsu works, I'm convinced of it's effectiveness. The class is zipping by fast, but I'm glad to be getting a taste of this vast field of knowledge. It's helping me open my mind to new possibilities for my future practice. Gee, if I just had a couple thousand years more to learn, I'd be all set!

Over and out,

Joe

Been feeling kinda schizoid at school lately. After about two weeks of immersion in Eastern thought and traditional Chinese medicine, I find it more and more taxing to adjust my thinking back to a Western frame of mind. For days now my mind has been bombarded with terms like Dao, chi, yin/yang, the five natural elements, meridians, tsubos, hara. kyo, jitsu, the creation cycle, the ko cycle. Classes have consisted of meditations, stretches, mako hos, you name it. Heck, the other day we were crawling all over each other on the floor, as we learned our first Shiatsu routine! Yesterday, I had my first jarring experience. We had just spent a fascinating morning learning about Qi Gong, practicing self energizing stretches, and watching video on the powerful effects of Qi (chi) as empolyed by doctors and other masters of energy in China. Then just like that, class was over and I had to switch gears for clinic. It seemed like I had run up against a road block as my mind struggled to shift from spiritual thinking to what seemed like the dogmatic mindset of Swedish massage. That feeling was reinforced again today as we took our final exam in Pathology 1. One of my classmates remarked how odd he felt with the sudden interjection of a Western style class; a remark that was quickly followed by nods and confirming comments of many others in the class. Just goes to show you how absorbed in our education we get without realizing it. This place has some kind of magic about it. That's all for now. Catch you later.

Joe

The Hara is the abdomen, and in Shiatsu central headquarters for all the elements. It's here that one can assess the state of energy flow in the body and procede to diagnose and treat imbalances. Today we had our first body work class, whereby we got the opportunity to poke around in each others abdomens to get a feel of the differences in Chi as manifested by the organs of the body. Sound confusing?. It is of sorts. I'm not the only one feeling my brain cells stretching to accomodate the myriad of non Western concepts that we are encountering in Shiatsu. Don't get me wrong. It is quite entertaining. And who can complian about spending a class lying on the floor with the lights turned while receiving or giving bodywork? Lets face it I bet a million college students would give an arm and a leg to escape their lecture halls right now to be able to do that! I guess my point is that Shiatsu, as fun as it is, is not going to be a cake course. It is pretty involved and will require a lot of attention to grasp and master (I use that term lightly) its methods. I'm coming to realize that the full pace ahead style of this school is still in affect. I'm gonna have to dig deep and muster a lot of energy to forge ahead. But it's all good in the end. Without a good effort, nothing wothwile can be learned. And Shiatsu is worthwile, like every couse I've had so far.  Gotta run. Have some reading to catch up on.

Later

Joe

This morning's class was focused on introducing us to the community service work that is part of our curriculum. Each of us is required to do 12 hours of work in a locale where massage is benefitial and needed, but where the cflients don't have access to a clinic (i.e. nursing homes, hospitals, etc.) My choice was to work at St. Peter's Hospice. WE all met with the site coordinators to get the scoop on logistics and schedules for our chosen sites. Then we spent the remaining part of class with Lee elevating our awareness about illness, wellness, and how we might be affected by working with the infirm. Also we got good insight about how to project our presence in the most appropriate way to our clients. It was the first time my morning group had a class alone with Lee. It felt good to have her in our corner for a little while. The intimacy of our class really shined today. We spent  our time with lots of zaniiness, and laughter, but at the same time the comfortability of the group lent itself to some real meaningful sharing, which gave each one of us some good insight. No doubt we all left class today feeling excited to get started. I'm sure as we start doing our shifts, there will be lots of warmhearted and maybe even some sad stories to share. All I can say is there's no doubt  that our group has what it takes to touch many peoples lives. We are ready, so watch out here we come!

Later

Joe

On break right now in Shiatsu class. We finally got through all the introductions and course descriptions. Mary and Dagney are tremendous animators, exuding tons of passion for the art of Shiatsu. We are about to leave the world of Western thought behind us and embark opon what I'm sure is going to be an exciting, revealing, and fun way of approaching bodywork, and life in general. Beginning with  Ki, Yin/Yang and the five natural elements and how they trancend our lives and bodies according to Eastern thought, we will endeavor to become proficient in assessing and proving full body treatments to clients (ourselves) by the time the course ends next month. From what I've read in the text so far, there is a lot to adjust to. This is going to be a test of my willingness to let go and let the energy flow, without relying on the satisfaction of concrete scientific answers to all my questions. I'm expecting to have a great time!

Gotta run. Catch you later

Tomorrow the morning class will reunite with the full time Spring class once again to embark upon yet another adventure;  the marvals of Shiatsu!  That may seem facetious, but there's truth behind those words for two reasons. First we get to mingle with our friends from the other class. After a month of separation, we miss them. Secondly, Shiatsu is is an Eastern modality of massage. Being introduced to this modality will open up a whole new world of technique and philosophy. hopefully. Granted, with only a month of instruction, we will only be getting our feet wet. But hopefully we will all gain a good appreciation for Shiatsu and find a good foundation for further growth as therapists. I'm excited about being able to integrate even the basics with my Swedish techniques. Gonna be able to  "kick it up a notch"  Sort of makes me feel like Emeril Lagasse! I'm writing this late at night, so I'm gonna sign off.  Also have clinic tomorrow. need to get my rest. it will be a long day. Later

Joe

 

Today was our one-Saturday-a-month school day. which is unique to the part-time morning class. We were supposed to spend one half of the day outdoors, doing the body work portion of our chair massage course, that started yesterday and ended this afternoon; only three classes in all. But the moisture from Tropical Storm Hanna kept us confined to the classroom.  Still, it was a fun couple of days spent with two helpful and talented instructors, Lou and Sjhon, who taught the basics of chair massage. They meshed well with our group, which made learning quite enjoyable. We got lots of hands-on practice, especially this afternoon, when Lou challenged us with musical chair massage. Chairs were set up in a circle in the classroom. Lou put on Reggae music to set the mood.  While half of us posed as clients, the other half acted as therapists, who had to do a verbal intake and a chair routine in 10 minutes flat. At the end of the 10 minutes all the therapists had to shift to the next client on their left and begin the process all over. After about four massages, Lou cut the time in half, so the routines had to be compressed into five minute sessions. The pressure was on. It might sound overwhelming, but it wasn't. We were having too much fun. We all swithed roles after a while so evryone could experience giving and recieving. The whole point of the exercise was to show us how quickly we can have an impact on a client. That and getting us to pay close attention to the extreme body mechanics necessary to perform a good chair massage. 

Tomorrow I will be returning to CNW for a Sunday workshop for which I volunteered to receive bodywork. To tell you the truth, I was so excited by the prospect of receoving massage, that I can't even remember what the workshop is about! I was so caught up with doing musical chair massage this afternoon when they asked for volunteers, that I simply said I'm in. So tomorrow might come as a bit of a surprise. It will be exciting nevertheless.

Gonna sign out for now. Will catch you next week sometime.

Joe

This week marked the start of clinic for most of us in the part-time morning group. My debut was yesterday afternoon. As always I was a nervous wreck about encountering real clients. It turned out to be the normal  heebie-jeebies, and after I met my first very  accomodating client, I immediately relaxed and got riight down to the business of enjoying the experience. It was fun and time flew by. Gotta sing out now. I'm on break and class is reconvening. later all

Joe.

Today was our first day back from vacation. The school was suddenly alive with the presence of 40 odd students of the Fall full-time students who started today. They all sport the same bewildered, expectant, and somewhat apperhensive faces that my class sported just 7 months ago. Kind of puts things in perspective a bit. I feel like a chiseled veteran in comparison. I look at them and think how none of them really know  what's in store the next few months. The level of  intensity of their journey is something that none of them could really be anticipating. I wish them all well.

Today in Pathology I, we discussed HIV. Cindy invited a friend of hers, who is HIV positive to come speak. He shared a bit of his take on HIV and the spiritual journey he has taken. We also discussed the pertinence of HIV to massage; possibilities of transmission, how to address clients, side effect of meds a client may be experiencing, etc. Class went by quickly. It was a good first day back.

Catch you later.

Joe

Clinic test-ins are over. we all passed and are chomping at the bit to take on real clients now. We all have to hold our horses though, until we get back from vacation,  which is coming up next week.

What a difference a new week makes.  Everything is new. FOM, Myo, and Anatomy all behind us. They are by far the most intense and longest classes. What lies ahead is a series diverse and much shorter classes.  This week we started in ernest with Pathology 1.  It's only a 12 class course. It will be intermixed with other classes, such as Applied Techniques, Chair Massage, and Shiatsu, until it ends at the end of September.  And it's kinda weird to be separated from the full timers too. They stayed in the South classroon, while we got relocated upstairs. none of this is a complaint mind you. I guess I'm sort of surprised at how comfortable I was with the rythm of school during these first 6 months. Change is always good in my book though, so I embrace what is yet to come, keeping my heart and mind open as I go. Later

 

Anatomy and Physiology are oficially behaind us. This morning we all took the final exam. The general mood seemed a lot calmer than it was just before and after last week's Myology final.  Lee and Brian are doing a bang up job at getting our scores out by the end of the morning session. My hope is that few people had difficulty passing. Not too many students around sulking, although I have heard some people let out sighs of relief.

My time for taking a deep breath is still a few hours away, though. I have my Clinic test-in massage coming up at 1:30. Kelly will be my instructor/client. I know Kelly to be very professional and my impression is that she is a stickler for detail. I'm having only partial success at relaxing and staying focused. Sort of can't wait until it's all behind me. But first,  I'm gonna treat myself to Chinese for lunch, at the buffet across the street. Food always helps me calm down. Wish me luck!

Joe

Today was pretty uneventful. We spent the majority of the morning reviewing for the Anatomy final. Then Brian switched things up a bit by giving a draping demonstration and entertaining questions.

 

This week is Clinic test-in week for us in the morning class. Two of my classmates, who were scheduled to test-in today, are getting baptized immediately, as they will be subbing for a couple of other students who backed out of clinic tonight. How lucky for them, since our class doesn't ofiicially start cllinic until the first week in Sept. Thursday is my test-in day, right after the Anatomy final (What was I thinking?).  I'm kind of nervous because the test-in massage has to be done on an instructor. But I'm also excited at the prospect of working on real clients. Hmm, I wonder what the chances are of being asked to sub on Thursday.

 

That's all for now.

Well, we finished the final unit in A&P this morning, the urinary system. Lee, with her infinite compassion, knows that half uf us are still strung out from the Myo and FOM finals of this past week. She planned all along to give us an open book test, and let us wortk in groups. To compensate, she made the test longer and not so straight forward, requiring a bit of research on our part. But it really was a more comprehensive review exercise for the final. Everyone was guaranteed a 100%!    Now we have a week to review for the final.

Just got out of class. I wasn't aware of it until too late, but there was a pot luck lunch planned for today. Mostly the fulltimers knew about it from what I can tell. Someone's birthday is also being celebrated, which occurs more often than not around here. Since I didn't bring anything, however,  I'll just have to be content to smell the tempting aromas. and go home to eat.

That's all for now. Boy am I hungry.

Well, the FOM final was Saturday. I I'm pretty confident everyone made it through unscathed.  It was an emotional class; lots of tears were shed.  We spent a couple of hours sitting in circle, reflecting on our journey up 'til now, and more sadly, bidding adieu to Laura and Renee. It was a time of  continued bonding for the morning group. We all came away feeling very close to each other.

 

Now the focus has turned to tomorrow's Myo final. Today we finished by reviewing the lower extremity. Some of us played a twister game at the end designed to twist out bodies an a sheet of anatomical parts. That was fun, even for an old fart like me. Still in all, the tenion in the air is almost paplaple. There were quite a few absences for today's review class. Let's face it, Myo is a huge course to be getting out of the way. And one of the most difficult, if you ask me.  I feel well prepared for the test, but I know that others have procrastinated a bit and are rightfully concerned about passing. Others who have missed blocks of time due to illness or other cirtcumstances are still rushing to catch up with assignments and quizes, and I'm sure are feeling the crunch. My heart goes out to all my classmates and to all the fulltimers who are in a quandry right now. I'm sending  possitive energy their way. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a test. Certainly we will all emerge from school walking on two feet tomorrow.

 

Peace out

Today in FOM we spent an hour reviewing for tomorow's final by playing a trivia game. Broke up into four groups to battle out which group could answer the most question. The members of the winning team won a free school t-shirt.  That's a nice prize considering we are required to wear one every day according to dress code. My team came in second, but no problem. As it happens,  2 shirts I had on back order happened to be waiting for me at the front desk this morning, so not winning another  was fine with me.

 

The majority of class was spent on some fun bodywork.  Laura had us pair up as usual, and gave us 45 minutes each to massage our partners bilndfolded.  It seemed like a big challenge at first.  But, aside for minor mishaps with draping and keeping track of lotion dispensers, most of us had no real problems at all. Working along the body by feel came pretty naturally. Just goes to show how much we rely on our sense of touch to do a massage. We think we use our eyes mostly to guide us, but in reality our sense of touch leads our hands just as effectively.  Really got to "listen" to my partner's body.  Pretty awsome!. 

 

Well, time to hit the books. Later

Had our Anatomy quiz  on the digestive system this morning. It was pretty straight forward. Had no reason not to do well. Everything on it was already in our text and in the handouts.  There are still 2 weeks to the final, so Lee is going to tackle the urinary systen really slowly, and throw in a lot of 'play time". Today we did the first half of a urinary analysis lab ( for want of a better term). Half the class had to pee in a cup. Then, using a pre treated dip stick, measured various properties of their urine. Then they all subjected themselves to a 45 min full body massage, which was administered by the other have of the class. After the massage they sampled their urine again to see how the fluid moving effects of massage caused any changes in their urine. Results varied and were inconclusive, but the massages were cool. I was a therapist today. Tomorrow, I'll be a client and do my analysis. Oh, and of course, subject myself to a full body session.  Gotta soak it up. FOM is over on Saturday. There won't be much more receiving for us soon. We will be tackling real clients in a couple of weeks. Will probably be looking back wondering what happened to the good ol' days of being pampered. I better get hooked up with another student to do trades.

Well, that about wraps it up. Over and out.

This place never ceases to amaze me. When I told my family that I played baseball in class this morning, they looked at me with mixed expressions; half way between ' What kind of shool are you going to?'  and ' How cool is that!'  Yep, baseball, right in the classroom. It was part of Myo review for the final. Mind you, we didn't play for the entire class, just the last half hour or so. We cleared out the tables and chairs, rolled our skeleton, Skully, out the back door, and went at it. Each player, before going to bat, had to choose the level of difficulty of a question which had to be answered with the help of his/her teammates. The options ranged from single through homerun. The level of difficulty also determined how far the player could advance no matter how good of a hit they got. That meant by choosing a double for example, a player had to stop at second even if the ball was misplayed and the player could have advanced. I picked a triple and had to name the 4 muscles in the posterior foreamr the form the common extensor tendon.  And although I got the question right, I barely tipped the ball. Still I made it to second, because of all the ball fumbling. Needless to say, we didn't keep accurate score. Game ended when each student had a turn at bat. It was fun.

The heat is on at school right now. Our original major classes are coming to an end in the next couple of weeks after almost 6 months of school; Myology & Kinesiology (Myo), Anatomy, and Fundamentals of Massage (FOM).

One would think that everyone would be glad to put the courses behind us and move on.  We are when it comes to the academics, but in reality it's bittersweet, since We have to part ways with our instructors. Laura and Renee are first. They taught us everything we need to know about the theory and mechanics of Swedish Massage. The final exam is next Saturday morning. Then it's on to putting our learning to practice in the Clinic.

Lee and Brian sure have livened up our lives. Learning anatomy has been a blast. Thursday we finished the digestive system. I had written a song  for my abdomen project in FOM back in May called "The Pathway to My Heart Runs Though My Belly". I sang it for my classmates in the the part time morning class. I was invited to play it in Anatomy so that the full timers could hear it. Even though I felt put on the spot, I played it, and gave everyone a good laugh. There's just one unit to go; the urinary system. Then the final and Wednesday and Thursday Mornings will never be the same again.

Last Tuesday we covered our last group of muscles in Myo. When we got to the last one, the class cheered. Wow I did it. We did it! I know I'm not the only one who is feeling a bit proud to have assimilated the vast quantity of information on muscles, their attachment points, their functions and their postural effects. I have to hand it to Cindy, who  religiously drilled the info into our noggins. Now all we have is a couple review classes and the final.

Before I came to this school, I never imagined that teachers could be so dedicated, not only to the subjects they teach, but to each and every student. They have thrown their hearts into their work and invested their hearts and souls in their students. They have nurtured a sense of family among the students for which I'm grateful. So now we are about to move on to other courses and meet other instructors. An exciting time of transition.

So that's where things stand right now, as I start these journal entries. I wrote a bit more than usual, to give a little perspective on my experience. I invite you to read along and see what happens in the next eight months, until April 4th, 2009, graduation day! But for now, it's time to get off my duff and get studying for the quiz tomorrow on the ten intrinsic foot muscles. Catch you later