My intention when I give a massage comes from my own personal experience receiving my first massage. The first massage I received was from a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Lama Lobsang Palden, in Chicago. I was in my twenties and dealing with depression, allergies, and body issues. I had just starting teaching Studio Art in an urban high school near downtown Chicago while simultaneously getting my MAT. I was very stressed as a new teacher and felt overwhelmed by meeting the needs of my 100 + students. To help deal with my stress, I started taking Tibetan yoga and attending talks on Buddhism at my local yoga studio. I did feel a little apprehensive about receiving a massage from a man – especially a monk who spoke very little English. That massage was a life changing experience. Because of the language barrier, he decided to sing to me in Tibetan, as if I were a child – and my mind and heart were immediately filled with ease. Early on in my massage practice I experienced the same feeling as I was giving a massage. As my hands touched my client I had, and still have, a profound feeling, a knowing that this is someone’s child, regardless of age. I need to be fully present, as if in meditation, so that I can move with intention and grace. I have been refining my massage practice for the last 10 years. I started my massage practice while completing my yoga teacher training and Ayurveda certification in 2006, in Albuquerque New Mexico. I was fortunate to be able to continue my studies of Ayurveda while attending school at the Ayurvedic Institute in Pune India in 2007. In Pune I was given the opportunity to apprentice Ayurvedic massage with one of the local practitioners. When I returned to the States, I immediately enrolled at the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics for their 800 hour massage program. My massages are a combination of Ayurvedic and Therapeutic Table Thai. Both schools have taught me to approach massage with the practice of Vipassana (moment to moment awareness) and Metta (loving kindness). In a addition to giving massages I also am available to give private yoga practices to my client and I also provide energy sessions with special attention to the chakras and matras. I have found that I am a natural healer, a good listener, intuitive and excited to get to the root of my clients’ needs through the various modalities I have picked up along the way, Many of my long standing clients say that they are drawn to me for my sensitivity and nurturing touch.
