ZEN YOGA - A Massage Therapist’s Perspective
by Rita Lang, LMT
Zen Yoga is the perfect adjunct to Massage Therapy. It is a means of preparing each client to better understand the function of her own body, mind and spirit, and how to reside in the peaceful balance of all three.
Zen Yoga blends Tai Chi, Qigong, Shanti Yoga, and Mindful Meditation together to create a graceful combination of breathing, moving and stretching. It is both a spiritual art and a practical guide to relaxation and stress management.
In Zen Yoga, as happens within any great teaching process, no one is left unchanged. The practice of the massage therapist, while working with each client in this manner, expands to a new level of understanding as each movement is experienced. Movement and breath are never the same twice. Though the concepts of Zen Yoga are easy to learn, just as we never breathe the same breath more than once, each physical manifestation of simple movement breeds its own moment in time and a new “starting point” to build from. We grow as our clients grow, opening, moving, and breathing as we teach them to do so.
As massage therapists, we are accustomed to our clients looking to us for healing. Frequently, they do not realize their potential role in shaping the outcome of their own massage session. As each client learns how to maximize his breath, on and off the table, an awareness of his own ability to “let go” begins to unfold. This is the first step in actually working together with us as partners on the path to wellness. As both therapist and client utilize the breath to its fullest capacity, either through prompts or simple imitation, a deeply powerful massage session is shared. Each breath provides the therapist with great focus, clarity, and increased physical strength. Upon each exhalation the client releases more fully, sinking ever more deeply into the work.
At the close of a session using Zen Yoga, both therapist and client have realized to the fullest extent all possible benefits available to each. The calmness obtained through the breath oriented massage session creates a well grounded existence, which feeds our sense of purpose and direction as we return to our place in the world.
The physical movements of Zen Yoga with the whole body breathing along with the expansion and contraction of gentle stretching can be used before a massage session to prepare the client to better receive the work. Zen Yoga may also be booked as a separate session allowing more time for deeper stretching. There are many ways to incorporate this system of movement into Massage Therapy, as both modalities share a whole body approach to better health.
From a practical business viewpoint, another means of bringing Zen Yoga to the client is through the availability of the Zen Yoga Daily Warm-Up DVD. This twenty minute program can either serve to reinforce your Zen Yoga teachings in between private sessions, or can stand on its own to instill healthy lifestyle habits.
This DVD, as well as the Inner Sunrise relaxation CD, may be purchased at wholesale prices and distributed through your office with up to 50% profit to you as the providing therapist.
Zen Yoga Online Correspondence Course
The ZEN YOGA Program for Massage Therapists (4 CE Hours)
Participants will acquire the basic knowledge of Zen Yoga, including the underlying principles of breathing, moving, stretching, relaxation and meditation. Understanding the concept of holistic (body, mind, spirit) health and fitness training enables the practitioner to more fully explore their own practice. By learning deep breathing and relaxation methods, the practitioner will be able to facilitate a deeper experience for their clients both on the massage table and off.
Please contact us to schedule a Zen Yoga for Massage Therapists workshop
"Aaron Hoopes/ZEN YOGA is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider.”
Zen Yoga Connecticut - Instructor Training - Online Course
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