To prove that point, instead of wearing a normal company polo shirt, he walked in wearing a t-shirt that said... I'm A Massage Therapist, What's Your Superpower?   This immediately sent a message that he thinks out of the box, and that this was not going to be a normal talk.

Almost right away, he was met with "We know you, but we've never met you." from the students. Since the program there is 14 months long, these students had had the opportunity to be mixed in with others that had heard his talk the previous year. This meant that expectations were high.

Brian began with telling them a small bit about what he does. He then talked and gave a few demonstrations on Body Mechanics, something near and dear to his heart. He showed the students how they could be strong without having to be physically strong.

Then he went on and gave demonstrations of the two versions of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi that Caring Palms does, and the Esalen-inspired Freeform massage. Each of the students got to be on the table for these demonstrations. There were many ahhs and oohs as the work was shown as well as popping noises as vertebrae moved into place.

The students were truly amazed at the unique movements that were shown. Brian spent time to make sure they saw proper body mechanics and knew certain precautions should they try any of what was shown.

Brian said, "The students, as always, were a joy to talk with. They were all attentive and curious. They asked many good questions and enjoyed what I showed them."

Two weeks after the talk, Brian received an email from the instructor telling him that the "students had a blast."

Last month, Caring Palms was host to Master Herbalist, Cindy Whitley as she gave a class on herbalism. The students that attended learned a lot about various plants and herbs. They also got to mix up three concoctions to help them energize when they need to. And the beauty of this is that they were all natural compounds. Each of the students commented on how the class was money well spent.

Cindy will be hosting more classes at the studio in the future. Keep watching this newsletter and the Events page on the website for future announcements.

Some people have what they consider normal childhoods, but that begs the question... What is normal? What we considered normal even as little as 10 years ago is not normal today. Society is noticing things that it ignored before, and in some cases, it is going overboard on preventatives. In other cases, it is not doing enough.

But how 'normal' was yours? Were you the prom queen, the jock, the class clown, the wiz, the academic? Or did you struggle to get along? Did you fit in easily with everyone, or were you the outcast, the person that wanted to fit in, but just couldn't make it? Were you a bully? Or were you bullied?

Some memories have been popping up recently which has been prompting this article. As I think back on them, I wonder how I actually made it this far. How did I overcome what happened during those formative years? How did any of us? What did it do to us?

For myself, I could say I had normal childhood, but in those days, 'normal' was a broad topic. The jocks bullied people, and it was accepted as 'this is just what happens'. People were shunned if they weren't pretty and didn't fit into that 'in crowd' (of course, I'm not sure that is not all too different today, though we may be more aware of it).

I was a person that wanted to be in the 'in-crowd' but just didn't fit. After all, I really didn't care about sports, I was into science fiction. I read a lot (still do but not as much as I used to). Because of this, I was the one that was bullied, not only by classmates, but by teachers too. My memories of these things are still fairly vivid.

I remember my fourth grade class making paper bag costumes for Halloween to be judged by the class. We were each assigned a number for people to vote for. My number was zero as assigned by the teacher. Now what does that do for one's self esteem? I remember a gym teacher thinking I was talking in class, telling me that if I said another word that he would punch me in the stomach hard enough to make me throw up. (Had I known what I know today, I would have told him to 'make my day'.) And it was pointless to tell my parents because the teachers were always right, and you didn't argue. And no matter how many people punched me or hurt me, if I fought back, the punishment at home would be worse. Or if I told my folks, their response would be to tell a teacher, which of course would do nothing.

My desires were simple. I wanted to be someone that helped people, and I wanted to command starships. Those desires haven't changed much since I was a child. Today I am a person who helps people, but unlike my childhood vision, I don't wear a red cape and leap tall buildings at a single bound. And I still want to command starships, but that might have to wait for another lifetime. But how did I get from here to there? What came from all of that?

Perseverance? Possibly. Attitude adjustments? Definitely. I started to realize that I didn't care about the things others thought were important, I cared about what I thought was important. As I grew older, I learned that I really didn't care what others thought about me. I refused to let their judgment rule my life. I decided to be me, no matter what. But that took a lot of doing. My attitude was a big key. Looking at my earlier statement, I say that I may grow old, but never grow up. In that, my attitude shows that I do not care what people think as long as I can be me. I still like science fiction, and still don't care for sports. But I don't need to fit into a bucket with everyone else. I am comfortable standing alone. In fact, I feel sorry for those that think they still need to be in that bucket, to feel that if they are not in that crowd, they will have nothing. In truth, there are so many people on the outside that there are plenty to interact with.

What did all this do for me? It made me strong, not physically, but mentally, internally. It made me have faith in myself. And while I have faith in myself, and put myself out there for others to see, I like to think I am not pushy about it, gentle if you will (which is what makes me a bad salesperson). But while I am not pushing myself on others, I offer, and accept. I live on an edge of acceptance, and part of that is that I am accepted by different people than I wanted to be accepted by when I was younger.

I could have gone a totally different way. I could have been a person that went in and shot people that were bullying me. I could have committed suicide. I could have ended up in a padded cell. But I stuck with me. A few years ago, they tore down my high school and rebuilt it. Seeing the rubble, I joked that I used to imagine it looking just like that when I was attending classes. But instead of going dark, I turned toward the light.

But the journey to this point is never easy, and never short. We bounce from one thing to another. We learn lessons from each experience. But in what we do, we have to remind ourselves that we are strong. We have to adjust our priorities, our wants, our desires. We have to look at what we truly want, and not what we think we want. What truly is our dream? Then we need to walk away from things that will not help us get there. And we need to believe we can survive. It takes time, but the journey is worth it.

• July 12 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm Confirmed
• August 9 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm 
• September 13 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm 
• October 11 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm  
• November 8 (Saturday) 10am - 5pm  

The following is a list of currently scheduled classes.  This class is a two-day class worth 12 CE hours for massage therapists.  Each class (unless otherwise marked) currently has a status of 'Scheduled'.  This means that a date has been set, but no one has signed up for it yet.  Once a deposit has been received for a class, the status will be 'Confirmed'.  The current schedule is as follows:

• October 18 - October 19  (Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm)

All classes are scheduled to be held at the Caring Palms Studio.  Should the location change, that change will be on the website and students notified. 

Maximize your results with less effort. Utilize the science of martial arts and apply it to massage. Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques for Massage Therapists, is designed to reconnect the massage therapist with proper body mechanics and techniques while putting a new twist on things and showing how to get more pressure with little effort. While it does go over some basics, it takes body mechanics to a new level where every move involves the use of the therapist's entire body so they can work without hurting themselves. The class being part lecture, part hands-on practice takes positions, centering, and the proper use of body strength from Japanese martial arts and applies them to the art of massage therapy. It also shows how to focus one's energies to increase their strength with simple exercises meant to teach the student how to 'think' beyond where they are working so they can get deeper into the client and to channel their energies to the point of thought. The student will learn how to focus their energies and use their body to do deep work and not get hurt. This class will help anyone to work deeply with less effort no matter if one is 90 pounds or 250 pounds. This class is for both the seasoned therapist and the new therapist. It will show moves everyone does, but in a new light as well as moves many people may not have seen before. The idea is not to dictate how to practice, but to show better body mechanics which the therapist can adapt to what they do. This is true whether they adapt all of it or just part of it.

 
NCBTMB and Florida Board of Massage Approved for twelve (12) Continuing Education Hours (CEUs)
Class Cost: $300 Early Registration (at least 19 days before the class date)
                    $350 within 19 days of the class date

This class is for licensed massage therapists or anyone that regularly uses massage in their practice.  For those looking to learn basic massage for relaxation for their partner or friends, see the website on the Massage For Couples classes. 

To sign up for classes, go to the website and select Continuing Education, Advanced Body Mechanics and Techniques, and Class Schedule to see additions and changes or to sign up.

Caring Palms has two rooms for rent to a holistic arts practitioner.  This person could be a practitioner of accupuncture, reflexology, hypnosis, massage or any similar modality.  If you know anyone interested, please have them call Brian at Caring Palms.   

Caring Palms is looking to hire a part-time massage therapist for the new studio. This person would be working as an employee of Caring Palms and should be licensed in the state of Florida and have practitioner's insurance (or be willing to get it). Serious applicants will be expected to give a massage to be evaluated. They should also be willing to build a clientele rather than walk into one built by someone else.

We are looking for either one or more part time employees. If you know anyone interested, please have them call us.

At Caring Palms, we pledge to do the best work we can at every session.  We not only do this to continue to earn your business, but because we believe that you deserve the best care possible every time you are here.  This is true whether it is massage, or energy work, or classes. This is our promise.  This is what we will continue to do.