This is our last evening together as Level 1 class. There will be no massages performed tonight. Instead we'll light candles, listen to music, share a meal and exchange presents. Each instructor prepared individual "goodie bags" for the students, to thank them for the trust and enthusiasm they brought with them every Thursday evening.
We sit in a circle, take pictures, eat, drink and talk. I couldn't be more proud of them, and yet I wish I didn't have to say "good bye". Of course, I will see them in the hallways, in my clinic and even on Facebook. I make sure they know they are welcome to contact me in any way they see fit, at any time, next week or next decade. We all need a strong support system in this profession, and I hope they make me part of theirs. It has been an interesting, fun and challenging semester, and I can't wait to meet my new Level 1 students, so we can do this all over again!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Week 19
The day I met the students for the first time, I told them that the semester was going to fly by. They didn't believe me then, preoccupied with the immediate challenge of having to find 20 extra hours in their weeks.
Tonight their daily efforts and successes crystallize in a massage session they give to one of the instructors. Starting next semester, they will work in our busy and popular student clinic, offering massage to general public. This is our chance to tell them what it feels like to be on their table, in their care and in their hands, literally.
This examination process is not about the numbers or scores. It is about the time we spend after the session, discussing our experience and offering feedback. Paying clients rarely take the time to discuss the details of their experience. They either come back or they don't, refer their friends or they don't, get better or they don't. Many of these things are not within our control, but there are always details we can improve upon in our work. That's the area of focus for the instructors and the students tonight.
Overall, the class does really well. A couple of students surprise us with truly magical, inspired performances, while two or three others do just well enough to pass. We understand - dress rehearsals often go better than opening nights. There will be many more performances to standing ovations. Tonight they all go home knowing they can create a client based massage session and execute it in a room full of people, on instructors who observe, discuss and grade their every move. 40 more weeks - and I will be proud to call them "colleagues".
Tonight their daily efforts and successes crystallize in a massage session they give to one of the instructors. Starting next semester, they will work in our busy and popular student clinic, offering massage to general public. This is our chance to tell them what it feels like to be on their table, in their care and in their hands, literally.
This examination process is not about the numbers or scores. It is about the time we spend after the session, discussing our experience and offering feedback. Paying clients rarely take the time to discuss the details of their experience. They either come back or they don't, refer their friends or they don't, get better or they don't. Many of these things are not within our control, but there are always details we can improve upon in our work. That's the area of focus for the instructors and the students tonight.
Overall, the class does really well. A couple of students surprise us with truly magical, inspired performances, while two or three others do just well enough to pass. We understand - dress rehearsals often go better than opening nights. There will be many more performances to standing ovations. Tonight they all go home knowing they can create a client based massage session and execute it in a room full of people, on instructors who observe, discuss and grade their every move. 40 more weeks - and I will be proud to call them "colleagues".
Week 18
It's time to put together everything we've worked on this semester. During the final exams, each student will be asked to conduct a health intake, create a session plan based on the information he/she gathers and work on the instructor for 40 minutes, focusing on either the front or the back of the body. None of this is a surprise, and the class is well prepared. Of course, it doesn't prevent them from looking nervous the moment I bring up the exam details in circle.
We talk about integrating Swedish and deep tissue techniques in a way that demonstrates their understanding of the concepts we have been working on. There are many ways to pass the final exam with flying colors, and tonight my goal is not to teach, but rather to empower and encourage.
Three instructors demonstrate their versions of a 40 minute session, working silently side by side. The point is to present a variety of styles and encourage creativity and individuality. The three of us went through the program at different times, with different teachers and mentors. Each of us has had an opportunity to work in a variety of settings, developing our personal "signature" moves, rhythms and habits. Tonight nothing is held back. We put it all out on the tables, pun intended, and hope that the magic finds its way into the room.
When the demo is over, the student volunteers look relaxed and slightly embarrassed by their "massage faces" as they slowly get dressed and answer questions. Their classmates look relieved. One student comments:"That looked easy and familiar. You didn't do anything I can't do!"
At this point in the semester, believe it or not, that sounds like a great compliment.
We talk about integrating Swedish and deep tissue techniques in a way that demonstrates their understanding of the concepts we have been working on. There are many ways to pass the final exam with flying colors, and tonight my goal is not to teach, but rather to empower and encourage.
Three instructors demonstrate their versions of a 40 minute session, working silently side by side. The point is to present a variety of styles and encourage creativity and individuality. The three of us went through the program at different times, with different teachers and mentors. Each of us has had an opportunity to work in a variety of settings, developing our personal "signature" moves, rhythms and habits. Tonight nothing is held back. We put it all out on the tables, pun intended, and hope that the magic finds its way into the room.
When the demo is over, the student volunteers look relaxed and slightly embarrassed by their "massage faces" as they slowly get dressed and answer questions. Their classmates look relieved. One student comments:"That looked easy and familiar. You didn't do anything I can't do!"
At this point in the semester, believe it or not, that sounds like a great compliment.
Week 17
Tonight we work on our palpation skills. The table in the back of the room is covered with pillows and folded blankets. There are small items of various shapes and textures hidden underneath. The students take turns feeling around, locating the peanuts, marbles, twisted pasta, grains of rice, pieces of rope, tennis balls, rocks and other seemingly random items, trying to guess not only what they are but also precisely where they are hidden in the folds and layers. They poke and tap the table until I ask them to pretend they are touching a person, looking for textural and anatomical landmarks in the muscle tissue. We practice different ways to locate "places of interest" while maintaining a meaningful, therapeutic connection.
After all the little "surprises" are located and identified, we have a demonstration of our last DT stroke - cross fiber friction. The order of strokes we teach is not random. Cross fiber friction is our most intense and precise technique, often performed with small and pointy tools like thumbs and elbows. We need palpation skills, patience and careful pressure control in order for it to be effective and pleasurable.
The students practice on each other, being fully aware of the power their hands posess at this point. We are just 3 weeks away from the final exams, and I, for one, can't wait.
After all the little "surprises" are located and identified, we have a demonstration of our last DT stroke - cross fiber friction. The order of strokes we teach is not random. Cross fiber friction is our most intense and precise technique, often performed with small and pointy tools like thumbs and elbows. We need palpation skills, patience and careful pressure control in order for it to be effective and pleasurable.
The students practice on each other, being fully aware of the power their hands posess at this point. We are just 3 weeks away from the final exams, and I, for one, can't wait.
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