03/02/2025
"Why Cosmic Otter?" It's a question I get often and I'm always happy to answer it.
Once, a friend was telling me about a production facility where he used to work. There was a large industrial fan for venting and every afternoon several large birds, like hawks and vultures, would come and circle in the updraft. It tickled me because there would be no advantage for all the predators to gather in that particular place. There were no survival or hunting tactics involved--they were playing. They were just enjoying the fun of that current of air making their flying easy and leisurely.
We often think of animals as only being concerned with survival, only being practical and instinctual in nature. This story reminded me that, actually, animals are often finding joy in existence and making time for fun and play.
I started looking for evidence of that in the world around me. There are times when I see a bird flying in such a way that I am 100% sure it's just for the pleasure, or prairie dogs galavanting with such fun and humor that I know it's play. No animal exemplifies this like otters. At the zoo, the otters are always one of the first places I visit. I love to watch them swishing back and forth, back and forth in the water, and tumbling and cavorting with each other. They are so joyful and free and flexible in their movement.
That's what I want for my clients.
When I first started making massage a regular part of my self-care routine, I would notice small things, like the ease of squatting to get something out of the cupboard, or how easily my hips and ribs opened up for kipping pull ups at the gym. The longer I maintained the habit of regular massage, the more ease I felt in my movement and the less pain I had. It made moving really fun again.
I want my clients to feel the joy of movement. I want the activities they love to remain fun for as long as possible because it doesn't hurt to do them. I want them to feel better in all aspects of their lives because their bodies feel good and they're not in pain. I want them to feel out-of-this-world fun and free and easy in their bodies. That's why I chose the name Cosmic Otter Massage Therapy.
*Thank you to Charlie Brown Massage Therapy LLC. for being such an amazing massage therapist that he inspired me to pursue it for myself. He is just as amazing a mentor and teacher as he is a therapist.
