Our teacher wants us to write our first impressions after giving and receiving our very first massages in class. So I figure I'll write it here and then be able to look back on it 10 weeks from now when I am able to give a full body massage.
I was nervous to start out massaging!
We were shown a 3 step rotation of strokes to start with the basic effleurage - a term for the start of a massage, light stroking and putting on the oil. The teacher showed us the right way to stand and correct posture. Then she paired us up with someone else and told us to get to it. She paired be up with the guy who had volunteered to be her so he was already on the table which meant that I didn't have to make the table up, which was good. But the table wasn't at the right height for me, so I had to adjust my stance to lunge a little lower.
The teacher had shown us that we should first get grounded: take a chance to breathe deep and close your eyes to start in a centered place. Then greet the client by putting both hands on the back for a few seconds to say, "hi, I'm here."
OK, so I'm not going to get into all the details of the massage. I'll just go into how it made me feel. First thing- hot & sweaty. Not only was the room hot, but I was moving and putting my body into the massage. When I first made contact with my partner, I really thought I was going to have a harder time, but thankfully it came to me naturally. I followed what the teacher showed us and my insecurities mostly went away. I put a lot of thought into how I was standing and I think that made it hard to be present to give the massage. I had to think of everything all at once: arms in a "basket" position, lunging the legs, knees unlocked, shoulders down. Then to keep my hands in constant contact with the back. Overall, beyond being nervous, I was thrilled! I kept thinking "I'm massaging, I'm doing it!" I felt good after I finished, though I was hot and a little sore in my back. Then, we got to switch and I got massaged. It was good, probably not as thorough as we are going to soon learn. When I got off the table I think I hopped up too fast because I felt dizzy. I also had big indentations on my face and chest from lying on my stomach and I felt like going to sleep!
Anyway, those are my first experiences for my first time working on the table. I'm super excited to be doing this now that I've tried it once!
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