Massage Therapy can be supportive for a broad range of complaints and conditions All are welcome regardless of their age, health, issues, size, or identity.
Andrew works with clients as they are, and strives to help them achieve their goals. Time is allotted for taking a health history and determining the appropriateness of massage and how best to adapt the session for each client. Sessions can be done undressed and appropriately draped, or clothed. Areas included are based on client comfort and goals. Pressure, pace, and flow are just a few of the elements that are adapted throughout the session, as well as the use of hands, fingers, thumbs, forearms, and elbows. There are many different modalities marketed in massage therapy, such as Deep Tissue, Sports, Myofascial, Neuromuscular, etc. All involve different variations of interacting with the client and applying contact, and none have any evidence of being more effective than another. What does improve client outcomes is creating a safe environment of informed consent for the clients and the therapist, where knowledge and skill are used to work with the clients, listening to the clients and their bodies throughout the session.
Also important to outcomes is the experience and understanding in working with different populations of clients. Andrew can work with pregnant clients throughout all three trimesters and beyond. He can also work with oncology clients and clients with a history of cancer. Andrew has also studied Hospice Massage. Massage therapy can be adapted for almost everyone, regardless of their current condition. Andrew believes in bringing the benefits of skilled, compassionate touch to as many people as possible. Andrew has been teaching massage therapists and students since 1999. He shares his passion for learning in various subjects including: massage therapy, anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, pathology, sports massage, pregnancy massage, research literacy, and Zen Shiatsu.
03/31/2025
Transgender and non-binary individuals can often face confusion, misunderstanding, intolerance, and worse when seeking health and personal care services. As a licensed massage therapist, I can continue to expand my understanding of the lived experience of transgender and non-binary individuals, and of the common issues and concerns faced by these communities.
Seeing and accepting the humanity in others in all their diversity costs me nothing; being seen and accepted for who we are can be priceless.
12/07/2024
Friday's morning views
Being present in unstructured time becomes increasing rare in an imposed dominant world view of ROIs and schedules, social media scrolls and anxiety, and exhaustion from work necessary for one's survival.
A practice of pausing for a moment when we are able can be helpful. One breath, two breaths, or more.
What can we see, hear, and feel beyond our habitual seeing of tasks and judgements, or numbing and tuning out?
11/27/2024
This time of the year reminds me to be gentle with others and myself.
In the shortening days of the waning year, emotions can pass like clouds on a windy day; painful joy or sorrow for those we cannot be with, happiness at reuniting with those long missed, overwhelmed by social obligations, and sadness with the passing of another year, to name a few.
Seeing from the outside, we cannot know the inner struggles of another person. I will be kind and gentle in my merry wishes and not demand cheer or smiles from others.
May we be filled with loving-kindness
May we be safe from inner and outer dangers
May we be well in body and mind
May we be at ease and happy
🙏💜
08/22/2024
01/04/2024
View from my brisk walk between clients
12/11/2023
SATURATED
by Mark Nepo
Heavy drops, carrying more
than they can bear, fall from no-
where, bending leaves already
sagging, and one by one,
the leaves let go.
They drift to the earth,
each quiet as a master
juggler missing everything so
completely that he realizes
he is being juggled.
Surrender is like this.
Not giving up, but
missing and letting go.
(Pictured: Shiro Kasamatsu, Pine in Rain, 1938)
[I originally saw this poem and drawing in the magazine PARABOLA, Volume 38, No. 4]
11/23/2023
This time of the year reminds me to be gentle with others and myself. In the shortening days of the waning year, emotions can pass like clouds on a windy day; painful joy or sorrow for those we cannot be with, happiness at reuniting with those long missed, overwhelmed by social obligations, and sadness with the passing of another year, to name a few.
We cannot know the inner struggles of another seeing from the outside. I will be kind and gentle in my merry wishes and not demand cheer or smiles from others.
May we be filled with loving-kindness
May we be safe from inner and outer dangers
May we be well in body and mind
May we be at ease and happy
🙏💜
11/03/2023
Grateful for the continuing opportunity to serve the Massage Therapy Foundation
From the beginning of my journey as a massage therapist 28+ years ago, this foundation has been supporting me to become the massage therapist and educator that I am today
If skilled massage therapy has benefited and supported you or someone you know, please consider donating (see link below)
Join me and help make a difference, please give today. Join me in supporting real change. Let’s support good in the world and make a difference. Help us advance research foster massage therapy initiatives that serve populations in need promote research literacy and capacity in the profession...an....
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Massage Therapy can be supportive for a broad range of complaints and conditions, including injury recovery, chronic pain, pregnancy, mental health, and physical conditioning. It is not a replacement for medical diagnosis and treatment, nor a quick fix for an acute condition. For many clients, massage therapy is a helpful intervention during challenging times, recovery, or for helping to mange chronic conditions.
Andrew works with clients as they are, and strives to help them achieve their goals. All are welcome regardless of their age, health, issues, size, or identity. Time is allotted for taking a health history and determining the appropriateness of massage and how best to adapt the session for each client. Sessions can be done undressed and appropriately draped, or clothed. Areas included are based on client comfort and goals. Traditional Zen Shiatsu sessions performed on a futon on the floor are also available.
Pressure, pace, and flow are just a few of the elements that are adapted throughout the session, as well as the use of hands, fingers, thumbs, forearms, and elbows (and knees & feet for Zen Shiatsu). There are many different modalities marketed in massage therapy, such as Deep Tissue, Sports, Myofascial, Neuromuscular, etc. All involve different variations of interacting with the client and applying contact, and none have any evidence of being more effective than another. What does improve client outcomes is creating a safe environment of informed consent for the clients and the therapist, where knowledge and skill are used to work with the clients, listening to the clients and their bodies throughout the session.
Also important to outcomes is the experience and understanding in working with different populations of clients. Andrew can work with pregnant clients throughout all three trimesters and beyond. He can also work with oncology clients and clients with a history of cancer. Andrew has also studied Hospice Massage. Massage therapy can be adapted for almost everyone, regardless of their current condition. Andrew believes in bringing the benefits of skilled, compassionate touch to as many people as possible.
Andrew has been teaching massage therapists and students since 1999. He shares his passion for learning in various subjects including: massage therapy, anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, pathology, sports massage, pregnancy massage, research literacy, and Zen Shiatsu.
