The Ariana Institute’s Self Care for the Massage Therapist Manual is part of a series of massage manuals that are designed to help deepen the knowledge of current massage therapists and introduce new massage therapists to the world of massage and bodywork. The Self Care for the Massage Therapist Manual features topics that are also available as NCBTMB approved online CE courses through the Ariana Institute at www.arianainstitute.com/ce-online/, including:
- Self Care and Body Mechanics
- Stretching and Breathing
- Meditation as a Therapeutic Tool
- Mindfulness in a Therapeutic Setting
This manual incorporates detailed protocols, photos, links to online videos, marketing strategies, personal stories, and resources to encourage a comprehensive understanding of self care modalities beneficial for yourself and your massage practice.
Here’s a personal story about mindfulness featured in the Self Care for the Massage Therapist Manual.
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness came into my life as a focus when I began studying the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, scholar and author. I was introduced to his work by my friend, Paméla Overeyender. The primary focus of his teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment and through this focus we can help develop inner peace and worldwide peace. In the 60s, he taught Comparative Religion at Princeton University and Buddhism at Columbia University. He and his group of devotees at the Plum Village monasteries have set up Mindfulness Practice Centers throughout the world. His writings on mindfulness and his devotion to working for world peace have influenced me and encouraged me to become a more mindful person focused on present time awareness.
I have also been influenced by Dr. Dean Ornish, a physician, president and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, who is most well known for the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program he created to prevent and reverse chronic diseases with lifestyle changes and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The attention to mindfulness in regards to a person’s overall health has been steadily increasing in the medical community with the work that these two continue to produce. I have deep admiration and respect for the good work both of these physicians are doing in the mindfulness community on a national and international level.
I am happy to see how helpful practicing mindfulness has been to me throughout my career as a massage therapist and massage therapy educator. The practice of mindfulness has helped me be more focused in every moment and has led me to a deep sense of inner peace and calm. I feel that I am better able to be more empathetic and understanding in relationships with my clients and students as a result of studying mindfulness based techniques and incorporating them into my personal and professional life. What I’ve noticed the most about practicing mindfulness is that it helps me to live life more fully in the present moment and be more actively conscious of the world around me. Practicing mindfulness has enhanced my sensitivity in the present moment while reducing the effects of unnecessary worry that occurs when I take myself out of present-time awareness.
To quote the yoga master, Swami Satchidananda, “You can’t control the waves, but you can learn how to surf.” Mindfulness can give you tools to learn to surf amid the inevitable waves that come with life incarnate in human form.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – ARIANA VINCENT, LMT, MTI, BCTMB
Ariana Vincent was awarded the 2015 CE Provider of the Year Award by the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education. She is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapy Instructor whose classes are accepted throughout the United States. Ariana is also a Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Honoree and author of the Ariana Institute’s therapy manual series available on Amazon.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To read the foreword of the Self Care for the Massage Therapist Manual, visit https://arianainstitute.com/the-ariana-institutes-self-care-for-massage-therapists-manual-and-ce-courses/.
The Ariana Institute’s video introduction to the Self Care and Body Mechanics, Stretching and Breathing, Meditation as a Therapeutic Tool and Mindfulness in a Therapeutic Setting CE courses can be accessed on the Ariana Institute’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/ArianaInstitute.
To order your copies of the Ariana Institute’s Self Care for the Massage Therapist Manual, visit www.amazon.com/author/arianavincent.
For additional information about the Ariana Institute and to register for online continuing education and MTI courses visit www.arianainstitute.com/ce-online/.
