LEVEL I: FUNDAMENTALS OF DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE AND MYOFASCIAL RELEASE
- 40 Hours

This five day class covers all aspects of Deep Tissue and Myofascial Release work with nuts and bolts emphasis upon broad understanding and cultivating your touch and body mechanics. Although we don’t offer as detailed strategies as in Level II, countless strategies for the entire body are presented. The material is designed to be appropriate for a wide range of therapeutic experience. Newly certified massage therapist, but also advanced bodyworkers including Physical therapists and chiropractors have commented on how beneficial the knowledge is and how it has transformed the way they work.

This program is a prerequisite for Level II and most individual workshops, but some students feel it gives enough information that they prefer to work with what they learn in this level before immediately moving to Level II.

• Saving your thumbs and fingers
• Body mechanics
• Tools of Deep Tissue Massage-- Proper use of fingers, knuckles, fist, forearm, and elbow
• Introduction to spinal mechanics--Understanding boney articulations and spinal mechanics to work for better joint function
• Massage strokes and techniques
  • Lengthening tissue
  • Anchor and stretch strokes
  • Freeing adhesions
  • Releasing holding patterns
• Positioning of clients to increase effectiveness of your work

 

• The side-lying position
• Countless strategies for the entire body

Prerequisite: At least an entry level massage certificate with recommendation that students have some experience working in a practice with clients

 

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LEVEL II: ADVANCED STRATEGIES FOR TREATMENT
- 40 hours

This five day series expands the initial skills taught in level I and offers a step by step movement up the entire body, offering more specific information, anatomy and strategies. First priority for space in class is for students taking the entire series, but if space is available, classes may be taken individually.

  DAY #1: THE FEET AND LEGS

• Balancing the ankle and foot
  • Increasing mobility of the bones for freer movement
  • Normalizing imbalances in weight distribution for balanced foot plant
• The anterior and posterior lower leg
• Working with the knee for mobility and to free restrictions
• The upper leg—Quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, abductors
  • Creating anterior/posterior and lateral/medial balance and releasing torsional patterns of strain

  DAY #2:  THE PELVIS AND HIPS

• Hips--Improving flexion/extension/rotation
• The pelvis—
  • Deep rotators
  • sacrum and coccyx
  • Anterior pelvis
   - Psoas
   - Iliacus
• Abdomen

  DAY #3:  THE BACK AND CHEST

• Major muscles of the back--Quadratus lumborum, erectors, latissimus, rhomboids, and small muscles of vertebral motion
• Spinal mechanics and mobilization of vertebrae and ribs
• Freeing scapular movement
  

• Side-lying work and rotational strategies for the back
• The chest--Pectoral area, clavicle, diaphram

  DAY #4: SHOULDER GIRDLE AND ARMS

• Shoulder girdle—Freeing the scapula, rotator cuff, chest, and first rib
• The arms—hand/wrist, forearm, elbow, and upper arm
• Thoracic outlet

  DAY #5: THE NECK AND HEAD

• Transition between upper body and neck
• Working with the cervical spine
  • Working with cervical mobility with vertebrae
  • Anterior neck work
  • Posterior neck work--prone and supine
  • Transition from cervicals to skull
• Working with the skull
  

• Superficial jaw work

Prerequisite for Level II:  Level I Deep Tissue/Myofascial release
             
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