Learning and Experiencing Thai-Shiatsu
On Sunday, January 25th, I took Thai-Shiatsu for the New Year with Randy Cummins at Lauterstein-Conway Massage School. Before I go into all of this I have to admit, as the Marketing Director, I was a "plant," so to speak, taking the class for free to promote and feel-out (massage pun intended) interest for the school's Asian Bodywork Program coming up in April.
I've taken one of Randy's classes before as an official student - a two day workshop in October 2007. I needed CEUs and was interested in Shiatsu and heard wonderful things about Randy as an instructor, so I was excited to be there. Before class we went around the room, introduced ourselves and explained why we were interested in the modality. Most said they were interested in energy-based bodywork. A handful of us hated our tables. The assistant said she was drawn "by the beauty of the work." (Oh boy, insert private eye-rolling here).
By the end of the first hour, I was completely rocked by both Randy's teaching and the "the beauty of the work."
The October class, my first experience with it, at Lauterstein-Conway was intimate - only fourteen participants - so at the time, I thought it might have been the class-size and my genuine eagerness and desire to be there that made my perception of the class such a comfortable energy, but the class on Sunday had 28 people in it - Lauterstein-Conway's biggest continuing education class in ages - and it was equally energetic and intimate and mind-blowing.
So during the free Thai-Shiatsu demonstration after the workshop, while watching Randy demonstrate floorwork on one of the school's graduates, we talked about what it was about the modality that made it so powerful. I cannot speak for the others there, but I came to two conclusions about my experiences with Thai-Shiatsu and Randy Cummins.
Often times the teacher makes the class as good as it is: how good they are at conveying information, how knowledgeable and passionate they are about the subject, how much fun they can make the material and how "likeable" they are. Randy certainly is an amazing instructor and bodyworker. Period.
But I also decided, the modality, the version of Thai-Shiatsu Randy teaches, is what really draws me. In addition to simple, patient and compassionate, it is practical. All of it feels good unlike deep tissue, none of it is ignorable unlike some Swedish strokes and all of it is beautiful to participate in.
Here's to the "beauty of the work." Forgive me for the eye rolling.
I've taken one of Randy's classes before as an official student - a two day workshop in October 2007. I needed CEUs and was interested in Shiatsu and heard wonderful things about Randy as an instructor, so I was excited to be there. Before class we went around the room, introduced ourselves and explained why we were interested in the modality. Most said they were interested in energy-based bodywork. A handful of us hated our tables. The assistant said she was drawn "by the beauty of the work." (Oh boy, insert private eye-rolling here).
By the end of the first hour, I was completely rocked by both Randy's teaching and the "the beauty of the work."
The October class, my first experience with it, at Lauterstein-Conway was intimate - only fourteen participants - so at the time, I thought it might have been the class-size and my genuine eagerness and desire to be there that made my perception of the class such a comfortable energy, but the class on Sunday had 28 people in it - Lauterstein-Conway's biggest continuing education class in ages - and it was equally energetic and intimate and mind-blowing.
So during the free Thai-Shiatsu demonstration after the workshop, while watching Randy demonstrate floorwork on one of the school's graduates, we talked about what it was about the modality that made it so powerful. I cannot speak for the others there, but I came to two conclusions about my experiences with Thai-Shiatsu and Randy Cummins.
Often times the teacher makes the class as good as it is: how good they are at conveying information, how knowledgeable and passionate they are about the subject, how much fun they can make the material and how "likeable" they are. Randy certainly is an amazing instructor and bodyworker. Period.
But I also decided, the modality, the version of Thai-Shiatsu Randy teaches, is what really draws me. In addition to simple, patient and compassionate, it is practical. All of it feels good unlike deep tissue, none of it is ignorable unlike some Swedish strokes and all of it is beautiful to participate in.
Here's to the "beauty of the work." Forgive me for the eye rolling.
Labels: Lauterstein-Conway Massage School, massage, massage class, massage school, shiatsu, thai massage
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