East West College of the Healing Arts2016-08-08T21:00:15-04:00August 8th, 2016|
Picture this: you’re getting ready to run a 5k, you see a massage table set up, and next to it the massage therapist offering a, what you say, a “free massage!?” But wait. There are no lines? How could this be?
As a massage therapist, one of my main goals is to support optimum performance for athletes. Often, I set up my massage table at local runs. One thing I’ve consistently noticed is that far fewer people take advantage of massage prior to the […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-07-30T20:41:55-04:00July 30th, 2015|
A literature review of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for children found that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly studied conditions, and that massage is one of the most commonly used CAM modalities (Snyder & Brown, 2012). According to the Mayo Clinic, ADHD “includes a combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that there are 4.9 million children with ADHD in American schools. According to Dr. V.A. Harpin’s review of ADHD impacts over the […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-07-09T20:40:04-04:00July 9th, 2015|
In our massage training school, we teach adults how to treat and heal patients of all ages. Like students in all west coast massage schools, East West College students typically begin their massage training after high school. However, the success of in-school programs across the globe suggests that primary students can enjoy many benefits from learning about and practicing massage. Schools around the world are using student-to-student massage programs to reduce bullying, improve peer relationships, and increase focus. Read on to learn how international organizations are bringing massage to schools.
Primary Massage Training: School Programs from Around the World
Massage in Schools
The Massage […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-06-25T20:29:57-04:00June 25th, 2015|
Quick: Picture students partaking in a class at a massage training school. You likely envision people using their thumbs, fingers, and elbows to press into muscles. Or perhaps, if you’ve ever experienced Thai Massage, you might see the therapists-in-training using their full bodies on clients, pulling and pressing while in yoga-like postures. For most massage modalities, this understanding of pressing into tissue to relieve pain and tension is correct. Cupping is an exception.
While most manual therapies use downward pressure to alleviate muscle adhesions, cupping uses suction to pull tissues up. As an analogy, think of a dirty rug. […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-06-11T20:27:07-04:00June 11th, 2015|
In our series on massage modalities, we’ve covered Thai massage, trigger point therapy, and Tui Na. Today we’re looking at a different form of massage: Structural Bodywork. At its crux, structural bodywork explores and offsets imbalances within the body.
The mother of structural bodywork is Ida Rolf. Ida Rolf was a biochemist, yoga teacher, manual therapist, and sensorimotor educator who had a holistic vision of health. Her focus as a healer was to improve overall biochemical functioning, rather than treating certain systems. Rolf’s creation, Structural Integration, improves health by improving the human body’s structure in relation to gravity.
Within this […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-05-14T20:20:57-04:00May 14th, 2015|
Massage careers can take practitioners all over the world, to all manner of settings. However, when envisioning a post-massage certification career path, the common image is that of a healthy middle-aged person receiving a basic Swedish massage. Reality is much larger in scope. In this series we will be discussing how to work with different client populations- in all ages and stages of life. We kick things off with a discussion of geriatric massage, including its challenges, effective techniques, and benefits.
Challenges Massaging Elderly Clients
Elderly clients can often be intimidating to massage, due to their unique health conditions and physical needs. Older […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-05-07T20:18:51-04:00May 7th, 2015|
Think back to when you were first dreaming of a career in massage. Perhaps you were contemplating getting a massage certificate, or eagerly flipping through pamphlets from massage schools in NYC or Oregon, dreaming of your future. One question that you may have asked yourself during this process—and a question massage therapists may ask throughout their career—is what constitutes the ideal massage? Is it the perfect shiatsu technique, or being up-to-date on the latest trends? The ideal massage is not merely about a certain technique; it is rather grounded in how you show up in the space when giving a massage.
The […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-04-24T22:49:06-04:00April 24th, 2015|
West coast massage schools including East West College offer instruction in a variety of massage modalities. To give our readers insight into different types of massage, we have written on trigger point therapy, cranio-sacral therapy, and Thai massage. Today we’re looking into Tui Na, a Chinese form of manipulative therapy.
Introducing Tui Na: Ancient Chinese Massage Therapy
Tui Na features some manual methods found Western massage styles, but adds acupressure to remove blockages in muscles and energy pathways (called Meridians in Chinese medicine). This massage approach dates back thousands of years to ancient China. It may be used in tandem with acupuncture and […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-04-17T22:46:38-04:00April 17th, 2015|
Anyone who has ever given or received a massage can appreciate the importance of hands in massage therapy. Those attending massage schools, in Portland or elsewhere, can easily recognize that hands are the massage therapist’s most useful tool to convey healing and connection to the client. Our hands can transmit a variety of emotions. They can be used to love and nurture, to heal, and much more.
Indeed, University of California Berkeley research conducted under Dr. Dacher Keltner has found that humans can convey emotions through touch alone more than half the time. Kelter’s experiment separated participants by […]
East West College of the Healing Arts2015-04-10T22:45:21-04:00April 10th, 2015|
Creating a clean and clear massage space might not be the first thing you learned in massage therapy training, but it is a vital aspect of your practice. Clients are subconsciously affected by your massage space. While they may not realize it, a clean, organized, peaceful room free of distractions goes a long way toward putting your clients in a relaxed state. Having a spotless treatment room should rank high on your list of priorities.
Feeling stuck on where to start? Add regular tidying to your appointment book, begin a quarterly deep cleaning practice, and follow these spring-cleaning tips!
De-clutter.
• Start in the […]
The fun, online quiz takes 3 minutes to complete and you’ll get a personalized report. Identify your strengths and social style plus the training and positions you’re best suited for.
Click Here to Get Your Massage Training Readiness Score Now!
