[IF YOU’RE SEEING THIS VIA EMAIL – GO TO MY WEBSITE TO SEE THE VIDEO. AND IF YOU KNOW HOW TO HAVE A VIDEO SHOW UP IN THE EMAIL – I’D LOVE SOME GUIDANCE. :)]
It’s been twenty years since I graduated from massage school! Can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. I’m going to share twenty random things in several different videos. Could be about school itself, things your massage therapist wants you to know, self care practices to try at home, things I’ve learned, etc.
This is video two. I did this once before when it had been 14 years and shared the reflections on this website as written posts. Just type ’14 things’ in the search bar and they’ll pop up. I’d love to see you soon. You can click ‘Book Now’ under the Massage tab and find your way to your next appointment. :)
Today. Cloudy & cool. My favorite to hike in. Years taking photographs, seeking saturated colors & interesting skies, living in the PNW, have converted me to favoring an overcast day. Conversation with a friend. She’s experimenting with her diet. No dairy, sugar, gluten, grains. A disordered part of me wants to join her. I’ve weighed myself recently & saw the highest numbers of my life. My body continues to change & get bigger despite feeding it vegetables, taking it on walks, joining fitness challenges. Another friend texts to say she loves IF. I told her about it & no longer practice. A strong impulsive desire to join her too. The tracking app is still on my phone. A lifetime spent practicing disordered eating. Years in undiagnosed orthorexia. My mental health would suffer if I tried again. Another friend texts to say she hasn’t lost weight post a serious surgery & wants to use my fitness pal to track her food. I feel tired for her. We’ve spent too much time focusing on numbers. Cosmetic outcomes. Too little taking care of our bodies in weight neutral ways. Moving for the sheer pleasure of it. The afternoon is spent searching for the file with the spreadsheets from 8 years ago when I kept track of everything my body was doing. That year I moved towards a plant-based diet. I required myself to walk, jog or hike a minimum of 5 miles every morning. Just to earn the right to exist in my body. An entire year: no alcohol, caffeine, sugar, anything processed. I ran races, lifted weights, felt strong – but isolated, full of anxiety that one chocolate chip would throw me completely off track. Many compliments on my outer appearance, but rarely felt internal peace. I came across random photos while searching for the ‘body file’ & sent one to a friend because she looks glowy & happy. She replies “you are stunning.” I say “we were both beautiful & had NO IDEA.” She says “well, I knew you were, but you never believed me.” I feel tired again: for the stories we believe about ourselves, the missed moments, the constant chasing of ‘life will be better when,’ the not realizing we are lucky just to be alive. And the not believing that we are enough. Just as we are. Right now.
***Note – this was originally written for Instagram and therefore could only have 2200 total characters. I’ve left it that way for consistency, though I know it would benefit from paragraphs and better wording. I wrote it raw and left it that way. ♥***
The random found photo that I sent to a friend.A dress I loved but wouldn’t buy during the 5 mile a day time because I thought I needed to be smaller to splurge on it.Only fruits and veggies were allowed in my fridge.I spent a ton of time food prepping. It became tedious – but it was always so vibrant looking. The colors made me happy.
Now offering 75 minute sessions for both Swedish and Therapeutic Massage. When 60 minutes doesn’t feel long enough and 90 minutes is hard to carve out of your busy schedule …. give 75 minutes a try for that extra boost of relaxation.
I’m not much of a selfie person … but every once in a while I’ll throw one up so you know who you’re interacting with. I know when I’m making a decision on whether or not to do business with someone, I like to know something about who I’m supporting … especially with a profession like massage therapy.
This morning I started a Summer Training Camp. It’s a supportive online community with women of all body shapes and sizes where we’ll spend 12 weeks either prepping for anything from a 5K to a half marathon or doing a weight lifting program. I choose both 😳🏋️♀️🏃♀️. I’ll probably stick to walking … but the encouragement of the program may get me to run (ahem…slow jog) again. We’ll see.
Either way that’s not really the point. It’s about finding joyful movement…whatever that means to you…in whatever body you’re living in right now …without intent to change it – just to enjoy and care for it. :)
Anyways … they asked for us each to post a pic so we can get to know one another … and that’s why I even have a pic to share here…
Anyone local want to sign up too? They’re leaving it open for the rest of today. It would be fun to have in person community along with the online one. 😊 In fact I’ve been wanting to start a walking group for those of us who move SLOW for a while. I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested.
Crossing my fingers for a more easeful 2022, how about you?
This message is being sent to keep you updated on Covid policies and session pricing for 2022.
We’ve all experienced price increases across industries and I’ve noticed that many of my colleagues have upped their massage fees – most to $90 an hour.
At this time I am choosing **NOT TO RAISE PRICES**. I don’t want a higher appointment rate to be a barrier to your wellness through massage.
Rather than raise prices, I am considering removing package discount pricing – however at this time you can still purchase two sessions at once to save 5%.
Masks are again required throughout your session – no matter your vaccination status. All last-minute cancellation fees will be waived for the time being. I urge you to please reschedule your time with me if you feel unwell in any way or have been knowingly exposed to anyone who has tested positive for the virus.
I continue to keep 30 minutes between clients so that the massage room can be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly. An air filter is run throughout your session, my hands are washed, hand sanitizer is used, a mask is worn, etc. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
My main priority is to continue to support your heath and well being and keep us all safe.
I look forward to working with you soon! Be well, Tania
P.S. I occasionally post self care videos over on INSTAGRAM, along with some of my art. If there is something you’d like to learn about – maybe reflexology points for different aches and pains – message me and look for the video over there. You can find me @TANIAPALERMOSTUDIOONMAIN
I remember in massage school, when sometimes getting massage five times in a week – how “in my body” I was. So many of us live in our heads. Thinking. Planning. Worrying. Regular bodywork can really ground you. I know it’s been a good massage when my voice is lower after the session. It means I’ve gone deep, settled in and taken up more space IN my body.
What about you? What signifies a good therapeutic massage?
I got to do a very inspiring photo-shoot recently. A woman contacted me about putting together a “Body Positive” session. She’s given me permission to share the images from our time together – and here are just a few.
Over the past few years her body has changed a lot. She’s had a baby, experienced lots of other life challenges and her perspective on what is sexy and what she values in the world has shifted…along with clothing size, stretch marks, etc.
One goal of the photo shoot was to claim that who she is now is just as valuable, sexy and powerful as the person she was as a “size two”. We HIGHLIGHTED stretch marks because they are a proud sign that she grew the love of her life in her body. They are not something she felt ashamed of – and to witness this was beautiful.
It makes me sad when I photograph people who put themselves down throughout their entire session. I understand it – but it also makes me mad when I see a stunning soul standing before me, tearing themselves to pieces because they are not physically flawless.
To define ourselves by a false definition of beauty that is endlessly marketed to us by companies who want to make us feel bad about ourselves in order to sell their newest product is disheartening. And to have someone stand before me, with confidence in and love for themselves was really kick ass.
If you’re on a courageous journey of learning to love and accept yourself as is – documenting the moment with photographs may be a powerful elixir. I’d love to do more empowerment sessions like this…maybe with you.
Tania Palermo [Studio on Main] 