Cosmic Otter Massage Therapy

10/06/2025

Just your friendly office otter. 😆

09/28/2025

Happy Sunday! Sunday is my complete rest day. I sleep more than usual, nourish my body really well, and spend time in quiet reflection and contemplation. I also set myself up for a smooth week by ensuring all my ducks are in a row (like having clean laundry, looking ahead at my schedule, discussing upcoming events with my husband and kiddos, etc.). Basically, I am as good to myself as I possibly can be so that my capacity to love and serve others in the coming week is ensured.

How are you being good to yourself today?

🌱🚿

09/25/2025

This is the best ever. I think I might have to start sharing these otter cartoons every week! 😆

09/23/2025

I love Phase Six Fitness. Their videos for decompressing joints after workouts are my favorite. I love thanking my body for working so hard during a workout by making sure to take good care of her. This is a great playlist for anyone wanting to be good to their bodies after movement.

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

09/18/2025

There's a lot going on in the world right now. Be good to yourself.

09/17/2025

I love this so much! Taking care of ourselves expands our capacity to take care of others. ❤️

06/25/2025

When I was in massage therapy school, we were trying to remember the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is your "fight or flight" response and the parasympathetic is your "rest and digest" response. I came up with a silly little saying: Para better take care-a yourself!

One of my favorite effects of massage is the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This activation leads to a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, promoting a sense of calm and well-being. It can also reduce cortisol (a stress hormone) and increase serotonin and dopamine, which are associated with mood regulation and happiness.

I love the idea of my clients leaving our time together with bodies that actually feel better and a greater sense of well-being. I like knowing that really good things are happening during a massage! Take care-a yourself. 🌿

03/10/2025

I've always loved taking care of people in really practical ways: cooking nutritious meals, cleaning up around the house, even changing out empty toilet paper rolls makes me happy. 😆 It feels good to be able to offer the practical benefits of massage therapy to my clients.

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.

02/11/2025

Treat yo'self.

12/03/2024

During the holidays, it's easy to put self-care on the back burner. Money and time often feel in short supply at this time of year. I wanted to offer a fast and inexpensive way to get out of survival mode and allow for some much needed replenishment for my busy clients. Come let me pamper you for 25 minutes: Scalp (or neck, if you don't want me to mess up your hair 😆), hands, and feet. Just a quick pick-me-up before you head back into your day. When you are taken care of, it's so much more enjoyable to pour into others.

10/31/2024

It was probably a really good massage. 🤣