It's Never Too Late to Go Back To Basics

I had two experiences this week that reminded me that after almost 12 years in practice, it's good to get back to basics.

First, I had a new client who has experienced years of physical abuse. She came for massage as part of her efforts to maintain a healthy relationship with her body.

Yes, this scares me. I feel a little blind in these situations because I can't possibly know everything I want to know about how best to work with her. So I went back to basics:

* Work slowly and pay attention throughout the session to everything I'm doing.
* Maintain TWO hands on her at all times so she always knows where my hands are
* Drape with care and precision
* No talking during the session
* Get centered before the session and maintain that centering throughout the session

They are some of the first things I learned in school and they are what I went right back to. The client reported loving the session and asked for another appointment.

Second, my alma mater (Potomac Massage Training Institute) is offering a neat little continuing ed thing -- supervised practical exchanges. That is, once a month you can sign up to get and receive a massage. Instructors from the practical side will watch your work and help you with body mechanics, draping, or whatever else they see you needing help with (just like they did in school).

Now, I've been practicing for more than a decade so I should be just about perfect at this, right? Hah! I noticed during the session that I just wrote about that I was "catching" in my sacrum and really struggling with my alignment and body mechanics. I am looking forward to having someone check me on those again. I know I've picked up bad habits over the years and I'm grateful for someone to help me correct. those.

It's never too late to go back to the basics.