Why should I get regular massage?

A mechanic provides regular maintaince to a car, just like your massage therapist is able to help you increase your health.

Prior to going to massage school, I thought that massage therapy was only for relaxation. In my mind, only the rich people could afford it and it was a luxury service for those who had the time. I thought, if I stretch enought at home, I don't really need one. I can take care of myself just fine without any help.

But honestly, massage therapy wasn't even on the forefront of my mind as an option to help the pain I was experiencing. I was a collegiate athlete, and to deal with my pain I would take ibuprofen to loosen up my neck or to evade debilitating migraines. I was in such a state of pain that solutions never came to my mind, and I wallowed in that mindset for years. I let my pain take control of my life and set limitations to what I could and couldn't do. I separated myself from a community of people who dedicate themselves to help people.

The journey to heal myself actually started with a culutural exposure to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) during a study abroad experience during my undergraduate education. There, I learned the extraordinary power of healing that TCM has to provide to the world. I knew this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life - helping people heal from the root cause of illness with the assistance and appreciation of mother nature as a guide for healing. I found the meridians to be fascinating - they are energy channels that run through the whole body like a system of train stations. Along each railway are little stations - acupuncture points - and sometimes they need some gentle reminders to wake up again to get the trains flowing smoothly again. If the station is shut down, then connections from one place to another cease leading to a dominoe effect of problems.

During my schooling for TCM, I felt that learning the rail pathways of all the meridians throughout the body via textbook just wasn't enough. So, I took it upon myself to get to know the body a little deeper - I got my massage license. Now, throughout my entire TCM education, it didn't even occur to me then that something as simple as a 60 minute massage would be just as healing as an acupuncture session. Getting my massage license opened a whole new door of opportunities of healing. Anyone can recieve a massage. Everyone can learn to massage themselves. Everyone is capable of getting their energy to flow smoothly again. With massage, I have the perfect opportunity to start a conversation with someone about how they can take control of their pain and their lives again. It has been by far the most impactful thing I've ever done in my journey as a healer.

Back to the original question - why should you seek regular massage? I can attest to you that, yes, in fact massage therapy is very affordable. My goal is to help you reach a state of existence that is functional to you and your daily lifestyle. With these goals in mind, something as non-invasive as massage therapy is a fantastic solution to get you on your way. What do you like to do to take care of yourself?

No, massage is not just for people who make a lot of money. Massage therapy is useful to everyone. Young, old, rich, poor, you name it. If your goal is to help yourself, then small investments into your health will help you in the long run. Just like investing in stocks, doing things like putting money towards your body will give you results in the future when you'll need it most. My goal is to make massage therapy affordable, so if you truly need help in this area, please reach out to me in my contact forms.

Stretching is a fantastic habit to maintain your musculoskeletal health. Stretching should be part of your normal routine to take care of yourself. With that being said, sometimes getting started for someone who doesn't stretch enough can be hard. Massage therapy can help increase your range of motion and lead you in the right direction. A skilled massage therapist can evaluate your body and help you find the right stretches to balance what your body needs. Do you notice that your right shoulder hurts more than the other, or that you always get migraines on one side of your head but not the other?

"I can take care of myself just fine without any help," remember how I said that earlier? Yes, the best person to take care of you is YOU. I tell this to all my clients. However, there are some hard to reach spots (like your back for example) and without having someone to reach those areas for you, they suffer neglect. We need each other to help each other. Rome wasn't build by a single person.

So why make it regular? Just like a car, our bodies need to be well oiled to function. A single session of massage increases your blood circulation to get your body back to the roads where you can function properly. Without this circulation, your engine begins to fail and overheat. Having regular sessions helps you with maintenance. I don't expect everyone to be a mechanic, though, and thats why we have special people for that job. That's why I'm here. I have a plethora of knowledge that I learn just so that I can help you. It's my passion, and I want to use my hands to get you back up and running! With my coaching and lifestyle advice, I can help you reach your goals.

I'd love to hear about your health journey. Please take a moment to reach out to me and say hello. How do you use massage to maintain your health? How do you think massage therapy can help you?

~ Jillian Wright, LMT