time flies. change happens. you benefit.

The lake turned over. (If you don’t get that reference, click here ) The past year has been one of big change.

sometimes it’s foggy and hard to see the tracks in front of you

That was my personal life. A lot of breathing. Feeling. Breathing. Letting go. Breathing…

Professionally, I indicated that I was going to relocate my practice last August. And yet, as I’ve allowed everything to settle… I find this is still not the case. And I’m no longer sure it’s the right time. So for those who’ve been wondering, you can still find me at 3474 N. High Street, with no plans to leave anytime soon.

I love my office. The space, building-mates, location. It all fits well. I also love the All-Life Center for Integrative Well-Being, and look forward to offering workshops there, and perhaps individual sessions as well. But for today, the Clintonville location allows for me to be fully present and engaged in my priorities: self-care, relationships and learning. My clients and students continue to be my main focus, my biggest challenge, and my greatest joy.

On that note, I am inspired (in part due to Urban Acupuncture and their yummy community-based model) to follow through with something I have contemplated since massage school (yes, over a decade)…

~~~

Sunfisher Studios is pleased to offer therapeutic massage on a sliding scale $50-90 per hour session, depending on your needs and abilities. You decide what you pay, based on what you can afford. No proof of income is necessary.

You deserve it.

Every body deserves a massage.

Sunfisher Studios ~ Seeking & Sharing Light

Our mission is to help you~ be You

a more awake, more engaged, more creative You

a You who moves easier in the world, laughs louder, breathes deeper

Someone who desires to be inspired and to inspire

Dares to be True

You.

Blue skies, Diane

 

writing. more like reading

It’s 20 minutes to midnight on day 6. I’ve written 3 posts for the thirty-one day challenge, which means I’m 3 behind if I don’t start typing…

Blogging can be so challenging sometimes. Maybe because it’s called blogging, sounds soggy and weighty. Anyhoo, it’s not that I can’t think of topics. Even if I couldn’t, Allissa Haines, over at Writing a Blue Streak can help a girl out.

Nope, for me it has to primarily with two things.  Fear and squirrels. The first one is pretty obvious for most of us, so let’s skip to the second. (After a mention of  Orange Acorn’s Weblog and Beyond the Massage Table, our student blog. Both have recent posts about this very topic.) Anyhoo, back to squirrels… I have the attention span of a squirrel sometimes. And after a long (albeit delightful) day of Cognitive Coaching training and coordinating at KCCC Massage, that attention span is even shorter. The teacher in me says ‘finish prepping for class’, the entrepreneur/therapist in me says ‘write, damn it. just write’, and the student says ‘sleep? please!’  I’m opting for 2 & 3 in case you wondered. 😉

To prepare for tonight’s post, I read some of the blogs I follow, decided on a headline and then started writing. About the time I got to the fear and squirrel part, I went to look for “the perfect” picture to use in this post. After 10 minutes, I realized I was perhaps being a bit silly, and should consider the sleep factor.

I’m looking forward to day 5 of the seminar, and to reviewing with the seniors tomorrow night. And yowsa, here comes another long day. Guess my boss was right… I do live, breathe and eat this stuff. Hmmm…

Sweet dreams.

PS: 4 and counting

 

go within

Go within. Or…  shhhh 😉

Yes, I can be bossy.  Just try it. Come on.

Even if it’s for only five minutes a day, just be quiet with yourself. I know it can be difficult. Try it for one week. I know many of you don’t think you have time for that. I understand. I was raised in a poverty thinking household. But there are 86,400 seconds in every day. EVERY day. And if you just quiet your brain for 300 of those on a regular basis, I’m sure you’d notice a difference.

Sometimes it’s necessary to step back and let go of the outside world.  Be still. If you’re someone who’s near a panic attack at thought of this, then start with just one minute a day.

Here are a few ideas:

Set a timer for 1-5 minutes. That way you might not watch the clock. 😉

Pet your dog or cat.

Hold a rosary, prayer beads or seashell.

Watch a burning candle or bird feeder.

Slowly and softly rub your palms together, noticing what you feel and appreciating these fine tools of yours.

Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you, gently allowing these sounds to disappear into the background of your own breathing.

There is plenty of information about meditation on the web, including at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Like anything else, meditation and mindfulness get easier with practice.  Keep trying and find what works for you. And keep me posted!

Blue skies,

Diane

PS: This is #3 in the thirty-one day challenge. Yes, I noticed the theme is similar to post #1. Wasn’t intentional, just happen to both be important topics.

 

Chh chh changes…

There is a big river of change happening in my world right now! Some very exciting and delightful stuff! And yet, ‘bad’ or ‘good’, stress is stress… so my body is reacting in the expected ways…

elevated blood pressure

increased muscle tension

decreased digestive activity

…and more. However, all that aside. I can’t wait!

I am moving my practice. Again. Yes, turns out I’m one of those therapists who moves around. In counting them up, this will make #6 in 9 years, plus the few clients I had at two different homes, so technically it’s 8… I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that, and yet, so what. I have always had a small practice with both short- and long-term clients. Life has happened and I have made choices. And am continually amazed and honored with how far clients will travel to see me. To be clear, I always wanted a small practice. I enjoy only seeing 10-12 clients a week, it allows me to really focus on them. That’s one of things I’ve always loved about massage therapy, the ability to work a part-time flexible schedule and do other things. Turns out mostly what I’ve done is teach massage therapy. Not exactly what I envisioned or thought I wanted, and yet clearly where I’ve belonged.

Having admitted all that about the moves, my blood pressure is higher thinking about this post. Is it cocktail time?

In all of my forty-five years, the longest I’ve lived in one place is six years, the shortest, one night. So, I suppose I’m not really surprised my practice has moved around so much. As it gets slightly less painful to think about, I lean into this new relocation. A true blessing. A home for my business. My soul.

Worth the wait. A place where the land is peaceful and the air fresh. A place where community matters and collaboration count. Something I’ve dreamed of in so many ways. A place to retreat, learn and share. If you’re wondering about the Center:

We are a cooperative of independent, holistically minded practitioners, educators, and service providers.

We come together because collaboration and community are important to us.

Together we can provide for our community, and each other, in a way no one of us could alone.

Movers, know that amazing things are possible! Each experience gives us valuable lessons. Enjoy your steps along the path, and let me know how you’re doing. I’ll keep you posted on my changes too.

By the way, this Bliss Report/Confession is post #2 in a thirty-one day challenge.

 

bee breaths

After much procrastination and playing with widgets this morning, I eeked out #1 of the Summer Blogging Challenge before heading into the classroom at KCCC Massage.   Hope you enjoy it and pay a little more attention to your breaths today.

Blue skies, Diane

bee breaths.

 

50%? That’s not passing!

That title came from the fact that this is only 10/20 posts in the February Blogging Challenge. And then I was reminded of a student’s similar response with an assignment I had given. Satisfactory? she asked.  That’s my grade? That’s not okay. It’s only 50%.

That’s how part of me feels right now. I could have done better. Never good enough. ya ya. (woohoo! sidebar observation: that part of me is smaller than ever!) But hey, guess what? I wrote ten more blog posts than I had this time last month. And I’ve inspired (ummm… assigned) all of our current students and instructors to join me in this blogging “thing”. Actually, several of them are excited (a teacher’s dream come true) and it has been fantastic to read the posts as they come in.

They are required to write one post per month about the given categories. Pretty much free rein.

My goal is to inspire them to find their voices. To improve their written communication skills. To have fun with the amazing technology available. To create community and connection, so that they can thrive ~ personally and professionally.

Every one of my students would probably tell you that I “preach” about a few things.

Love. Of the unconditional variety. It is the foundation for Respect. Which is required in relationships… and they are ALL relationships.

Education. The most important thing a massage therapist can do. For themselves and their clients. Learn. Share. Which leads us to…

Growth. If you don’t work through your own shit, it WILL effect everything. And everyone around you.

And so, we all learn and grow. As students and as teachers. The blogging assignment was a replacement for an earlier assignment, which was simply not as good a teaching tool as this. I’m striving for a 100% with this.

Blue skies,

Diane

PS. This was my blog post for March. Found un-posted. In early May. oops…  0%

 

why massage?

A common question is, How did you get into massage therapy?

~~~

I half-jokingly tell people that I was smacked upside the head and told this is what’s next. It was pretty much like that, after all. I was definitely looking for a new career after a decade in horticulture. Massage therapy came out of the blue. I’d had one professional massage in my life at that time.

…people laughed. …made sex jokes. …shook their heads.

‘What are you doing now, Diane?’, my family members would ask (often with disdain, or at least, that’s how I interpreted it). Friends were somewhat more supportive. Disclaimer: My mother was always supportive of my decision. She knew it would be good for me. Thanks, Mom. I love you. 

Seriously though, I was truly led (or called) into massage therapy. It was just suddenly very clear that this was what I was meant to do next. Or at least consider it.  So I went to an open house at AIAM… It seemed like a good fit, and within a few weeks I was a massage therapy student. With NO clue. No idea that massage school wasn’t just another course of study. No clue that it would become a way of being in the world. The massage No idea that I would end up in massage education.  It makes sense when I look back: I’ve always been training people and developing programs for that purpose. The helping people and making them feel better always made sense.

Massage has taught me SO many things. I would never have dreamed that it could be such a powerful healing tool. That it could help me find and create such a vast community. That it would provide me with so many blessings. 

I have mentioned many times times how much I love working with my clients and students. Helping them to find themselves and feel their bodies, helping them to move easier, feel better, learn more, live better.  Massage does all that. For them. And for me.

I’m not just a massage therapist, I’m a massage client and advocate, too. 

~~~

So, why massage? Why not? It’s not just a career, it’s an adventure!

Be Love, Diane

PS: If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about massage therapy, KCCC Massage has a blog over at Beyond the Massage Table.

PS2: This is 9/20 for the February Blogging Challenge (I think 😉)

 

 

What?! No cable?!

In case you haven’t heard, we shut our cable off last week. Yes, shut off. As in, called the cable company and had them pick up their equipment. All of it. (Must admit, the two days we were without Internet was a bit stressful. That’s another conversation though.) 

What are you thinking?!

We have agreed to take a year off television.  I know, I know. Some of you are thrilled. And some people have been truly shocked and even seem a bit dismayed. ‘What?!’, they exclaim.

You have that big TV and you’re NOT going to watch it?!

WHY would you do that?!

WHAT will you do?!

In an attempt to answer these questions and quell some concerns YOU may have, here goes…

Yes, we will still be using our television. Sometimes. (hmm… key word) Actually, we already did. For a game called Scene It. 🙂

We have Wii, so breaking out the dance and hula hoop competitions is always an option! We have discussed re-upping our Netflix subscription; although with the warm season coming, that probably won’t happen any time soon. We can connect the computer to it and spend some time looking at the thousands of photos I have taken over the years. In other words, plenty of choices. Just not the usual suspects. (And let’s not forget Hulu for when I can’t stand it and have to watch Grey’s Anatomy.)

Although we discussed the increasing costs, it really wasn’t about the money. What it boiled down to for us was identifying where we were spending our time and energy. We all like to do other things, and the television can be such a distraction.  You may choose not to bring junk food into the house; we are opting not to stream in 150+ channels of mostly crap. Suz & I have both lived without TV before, and Em uses her computer more than anything. We’ll be fine. Trust me.

We’ll continue to get our news from the Dispatch & WCBE, as well as the CNN apps on our phones. We’ll continue to entertain ourselves with the Internet. (I’m not giving up Instagram, after all!)  With LESS TV distraction, we are looking forward to MORE. More games & laughter. More reading & writing. More talking & singing. More sharing & connecting. More fun! One of my favorite F words, as you know. 😉

Please don’t worry. We will be all right. I promise. I may not be able to give up sugar yet, but this one’s easy. We got it.

Be Love, Diane

PS.This is 8/20 in the February Blogging Challenge. In case you’re keeping track. Between family time and two days without Internet, I’ve gotten behind. Guess what though? Still having fun!

 

 

Made with Love

I have missed two days of blogging for the inspirational Business Blogging School Challenge. Oops! How did that happen?! 

The past two days have been full of other things. Still, there has been a lot of blog talk & more happening around here! You can read more about that at Beyond the Massage Table though. This post is about Community. And Love.

It is Valentine’s Day, after all. 😉

two things

First: Thank You

With 23 years in Columbus, and 10 years in the Massage Therapy field, I am thoroughly blessed with an amazing community. Friends, neighbors, colleagues, students, clients, and family of choice. So many of you have added to my Life in more ways than you know, and I am lucky enough to meet wonderful new people every day! Thank You. For what you have brought, and what you will bring. We are all connected. Knowing that you are there, witnessing and holding space for each others’ sorrows & joys makes my heart sing. Thank You.

Second: You Are Love

And loved. All of you. Exactly as you as are. Perfectly imperfect. Human. And SO much more. Which brings us back to my original statement: You are Love. In other words… you are made of Love. You have the capability to love. Unconditionally. It’s not always easy. It can be done. Love. Without reservation. That doesn’t mean you have to like everyone, or everything. You don’t have to tolerate or condone. But. You can love. You are Love.

Love. Such a powerful word. So many meanings. Try this one on:

 

love = a reverent attitude for every being

It fits? Great! Wear it around. Like a good pair of jeans, it gets more comfortable every day.

Doesn’t fit? Okay. Grab another pair and try again.

Happy heart day to you and yours. Today and every day.

Be Love, Diane

 

It’s 1am. Do you know where your dog is?

Or your girlfriend?

In my case, yes to both. Asleep in bed. Where I should be.

And yet, if my girl woke up right now, she would probably check her phone and read a text that says ‘I’m leaving work now’. An hour ago. But here I sit. Why, you ask? Why on earth am I still in my office at 1am? Not because I’m writing post #7 for the February Blogging Challenge. (That’s why I’ll still be here at 1:30.) 

No, I’m still here because I love what I do… AND because I’m thinking of taking Thursday afternoon off… some ME time.  Which means I need to make sure I get everything done that needs to be done.

I’m also here because of a great conversation with one of my colleagues after class tonight. One of the things we discussed is those Lightbulb Moments, and how much we enjoy seeing them in students.  We also talked about this whole blogging concept and the challenges of sharing yourself with others.

As I mentioned in last week’s Bliss Report, sometimes my brains spins pretty fast. That’s definitely the case right now (and as much as I’d like to write more) since I have an 11am client, I’m going to try to slow it down a bit. Luckily I’ve got an hour drive to do that.

Did I mention my day started with helping to celebrate a 95th birthday?! And got better after that divine bliss?!

Okay, enough Diane… Stop. Now.  

Goodnight lovelies.

Be Love, Diane

PS: My schedule’s not always like this. If you already know that, you must have read along for the ride. If not, join us!