I am offering two unique workshops in Ft. Myers FL over the Memorial Day weekend. The first, Indian Champissage™ (Head Massage) is a 3-day course for 21 CE hours. The second, Kansa Vatki Foot Massage™, is a 1-day course for 7 CE hours.  Both courses are NCBTMB approved (450489-07) and FL approved (50-10661).

What:     Indian Champissage™ (Head Massage)

When:    May 27-29 (Fri/Sat/Sun) 9:00 - 5:00 each day

Where:  La Quinta Inn/Ft. Myers Central

Indian Champissage™ has been popular in India for over a thousand years.  The head, neck, shoulders and upper back - areas where tension is more likely to accumulate - are gently, firmly and rhythmically massaged until the pressure simply melts away.  This unique therapy combines physical and subtle massage with energy balancing to produce feelings of perfect peace.  It is a wonderful alternative to seated chair massage.

What:     Kansa Vatki Foot Massage

When:    May 30 (Mon) 9:00 - 5:00

Where:  La Quinta Inn/Ft. Myers Central

Kansa Vatki Foot Massage™ is a beautiful and relaxing healthcare modality which balances the body, mind and spirit.  This unique treatment, steeped in centuries of Ayurvedic ceremony, incorporates ghee (clarified butter).  The heart of the treatment involves vigorously rubbing the soles of the feet with a

3-metal bowl to draw heat and toxins out of the body thereby inducing tremendous relaxation.  The Kansa Vatki Foot Massage™ is deeply revitalizing for tired feet and legs, and it makes a perfect addition to reflexology.

For more information or to register, please visit  http://www.mychampissage.com/ You may download a registration form at http://msusanwalsh.com/champissage/regform.pdf  or call me at (703) 425-3331.

Class size is limited.

Upcoming classes:           Charleston WV  June 3-6

                                       Kansas City MO  June 24-27

                                       Lake Oswego OR  July 2-5

                                       Minneapolis MN  July 8-11

I'dl like to extend an invitation to list in my massage directory..the basic listing is free.  I'm also offering a CE class for La. LMT's, Exploring Chakras, July 23 & 24 2011, Lafayette, La.

Synergistic Center Massage Directory

Any instructors going to the Alliance convention in South Carolina in August?

Hope to meet you there.

Teacher Training Intensive
August 12-14 Raleigh, NC
Training for massage school teachers and for those who would like to teach at a massage school.

NCBTMB CE hours are awarded.
Instructor: Nancy Toner Weinberger

Visit http://www.dynamicequilibrium.com/TTI-ClassDescription.htm for details.

Become a Continuing Education Provider- or just teach like one!

Teaching Skills for the Workshop Leader

Chicago, Illinois - Thursday-Sunday, November 3-6, 2011
Times: 9:30AM to 6:00PM on Thursday-Saturday. 9:30AM to 12:30PM on Sunday. Additional optional non-credit hours on Sunday 1:30PM-3:30PM

Location: Courtyard Marriott Oakbrook Terrace

This is a true workshop, limited to 12 participants. Yes, you will get lots of information about designing your class, marketing it, and actually teaching it. But you will also put what you learn to use right in this workshop. Come prepared to write syllabi, learning objectives and lesson plans for your class, actually try out part of your presentation with your classmates, prepare a written plan for implementation of your marketing strategy, decide what level of certification is right for you, and if it is National Certification, actually begin to fill out the NCBTMB application at the end of the class. The learning you will get in this class will apply to all state agency requirements, and even other disciplines.  

Visit www.dynamicequilibrium.com/TSWL-ClassDescription.htm for details.

            EXPLORING CHAKRAS-Nov.12 & 13 9AM-4PM, Lafayette, La.

                     $225 includes 2 aura photos and lunch-12 CE hours

When our chakras (energy centers) are in balance, we function at a much higher rate of health and well being.  An exploration of the energy field will assist in learning about any imbalances that may contribute to problems in our lives and how we can return to a state of balance.

This knowledge is valuable in understanding the mind, body connection with our families, our clients and our selves. An energetic technique using light touch will be learned during this 2day class.

Aura photos will be taken before the class starts and after having energy work done the second day.  Amazing transformations!

www.SynergisticCenter.com

This class will give you a toolkit of suggestions, techniques and practices that will give you a deeper, and richer, relationship to life. 

                           Personal transformations are possible!

OPEN TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES!

If you've a website for online CE classes or to just get the word out about your hand's on classes, you should consider taking advantage of this free online service:

Exciting and Unique Upcoming CE classes, Lafayette, La.

Feb.11 & 12, 2012, Energetic Trauma Release and Mind, Body Self care strategies

HISTORY OF MASSAGE youtube video ~ share link with instructors and students (fellow MTs too)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg-MFMGjYc8&list=UUVROW6MqPGRRog...

February 4, 2013 -- For Immediate Release

ALLIANCE PUBLISHES COMPREHENSIVE TEACHER STANDARDS DOCUMENT

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education has completed Phase 1 of its National Teacher Education Standards Project, and is pleased to announce the publication of the Core Competencies for Massage Therapy Teachers. This document – the first of its kind in the massage therapy field – describes the foundational knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) needed for teachers to produce successful and consistent outcomes with adult learners in a variety of educational settings.

These comprehensive standards apply to the work of teachers across the entire continuum of massage therapy education, from entry-level training programs to post-graduate studies. They also apply to teachers throughout the arc of their professional careers.

In December 2010, the Alliance launched the National Teacher Education Standards Project (TESP) as part of its long-term commitment to strengthen and improve the quality of massage therapy education. This endeavor is both timely and essential because the majority of instructors in this field have not received formal training in the theory and methodology of teaching. As well, there are few jurisdictions that uphold competency standards for massage therapy teachers.

The Core Competencies will provide guidance to classroom teachers, continuing education providers, schools, national accrediting commissions, state regulatory agencies and other organizations in the massage therapy field.

The National Teacher Education Standards Project (TESP) will be carried out through a series of five phases: With Phase 1 now finished, the Alliance moves into Phases 2 and 3, which involve the creation of a model teacher training curriculum and the identification and development of training resources. To ensure that teachers have achieved the competencies, a voluntary certification program will be established as Phase 4. The final step will involve working with school accreditors and regulators to incorporate these teacher education standards. Overall, it's estimated the TESP will take 5-10 years.

The Alliance's Professional Standards Committee was responsible for the development of this document. A diverse group of experienced teachers, CE providers and massage school directors researched existing teacher standards throughout the realms of public education and specialized professional education. The committee incorporated some of these well-researched templates, adding to them the unique nature and attributes of massage therapy education. Throughout the process, important feedback on working drafts was obtained from attendees at the Alliance's 2011 and 2012 Annual Conferences, as well as through public comment periods. The finished product is a true community effort.

According to Alliance President Pete Whitridge, LMT, "The establishment of the Core Competencies is a landmark achievement in the massage therapy field. Now that these standards are in place, we are shifting our focus to the practical tasks of implementation. In the months and years to come, the Alliance will provide resources to assist individuals and institutions in the process of meeting these standards, for the ultimate benefit of students and clients of massage therapy."

In ongoing support of this project, the Alliance will focus on the theme of "Creating a Culture of Teaching Excellence" for it's 2013 Annual Conference. This event will be held July 18-20 in St. Charles, Missouri, and will feature workshops and discussion forums about the process of implementing teacher standards. The Alliance looks forward to the input of all who attend this conference, as these voices and perspectives shape the future of massage therapy education.

 "Developing Your Intuition" Distance Learning Teleclass Mon. Nov.18-Dec 23. Six NCBTMB CE Hours!
7-8 pm EST. recorded on Skype so you won't miss a class. Open to everyone! www.shirleyknapp.com/developyourintuitionclass.html
Available in Home Study format!
NCBTMB Approved Provider for Continuing Education #450819-08
www.shirleyknapp.com

"SMRT:  Hips, Lower Back, & Abdomen" live seminar, April 4-6, 2014, 8:30 to 5:30, in Winter Park, FL.  24 NCBTMB and CE Broker approved CE hours.  We will address sacral compression through muscle release and connective tissue release, as well as learning to elongate the lower back, dissolve abdominal adhesions, remove abdominal inflammation, and release the posterior hip tissue to create balance in the pelvic girdle.  Register at http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

"SMRT:  Shoulder, Axilla, Ribcage, & Upper Back" live seminar, April 25-27, 2014, 8:30 to 5:30, in Rochester, MN.  24 NCBTMB approved CE hours.  We will address axillary tension and adhesion, as well as learning to release the costovertebral ligaments to allow realignment of the posterior rib heads, release all muscles attaching to the scapula, balance the ribcage, allow realignment of the 1st rib through ligament release, and much more.  Register at http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

"SMRT:  Lower Extremities" DVD set, available February 28, 2014, pre-order now for significant savings!  24 NCBTMB approved CE hours.  We will address all structures from the iliofemoral joint ligaments to the ligaments of the interphalangeal joints, as well as learning to release the ACL, PCL, MCL, & LCL, painlessly unlock tone and adhesions in the adductors, work with chronic edema in the lower leg, mobilize the tibia to relieve shin splints, balance the structures in the feet and ankles, and much more.  Pre-order this DVD at http://efullcircle.com/store/spontaneous-muscle-release-technique-d...

Hit this link, http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/, to check out our live seminars!  This is a comment from a student last year:  "Small class size; Good students; Dawn was organized — loves her work; Also she allows time to work with you — She has the ability to adjust to help each of us; After the class she is there to support us and will allow us to email her and will help you."
~Participant, Seattle, WA October 11-13, 2013 Hips, Abdomen, and Lower Back Class~

Buy SMRT continuing education DVD's for multiple areas of the body and receive fantastic discounts!  Purchasing multiple DVD's gives you discounts of 5% to 25%, depending on how many DVD's you purchase.  DVD's may be purchased with CE's or without CE's attached.  Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique integrates beautifully with the other modalities you now use.  Whether your go-to modality is Swedish massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Thai massage, or Orthopedic massage (just to name a few!), SMRT will enhance your practice and allow you to achieve results faster.  Check out our website for more information, http://efullcircle.com/

Do you need CE's right now?  All of our approved massage therapy continuing education videos are available for 60-day rental or digital download.  You can access videos worth 4 to 24 CE's immediately, take the test when you are ready, and receive your certificate within 2 days time.  Don't need CE's, but still interested in learning Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique, you can purchase both 60-day rentals and digital downloads with CE's attached.   Check out Full Circle's website at http://efullcircle.com/ for more information.

Reasons you want to take the approved continuing education course SMRT:  Hips, Lower Back, & Abdomen in Winter Park, FL from April 4 - 6:

1. to gain a complete understanding of the pelvic girdle

2. to release the ligaments of the pubic symphysis

3. to help the coccyx realign

4. to quickly unlock tension in sacral tissues

5. to lower the tone in piriformis in a fast and lasting fashion

6. to release obturator externus (you know, the muscle causing all the deep hip tension that you cannot get to!)

7. to get effectively worked on yourself

8. and, as Laurie said, " The class was well paced; the content was well organized; the instructor gave the foundational anatomical information before doing the bodywork so that the students had a greater understanding of what we are affecting; we had plenty of time on the table to gain hands-on experience; lectures were accompanied with stories that demonstrate how much change can occur.  I absolutely loved this class!  I cannot say enough wonderful things about it.  And best of all, everything I learned is something I can apply immediately." ~Seattle, WA October 11-13, 2013 Hips, Abdomen and Lower Back Class~

Can't wait to see you!  Register at http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

Great News! I am now approved by the NC Board of Cosmetic Arts to provide CE's for Cosmetologists, Estheticians, Nail techs and Natural Hair Care Specialists.  I am an NCBTMB Approved Provider for Continuing Education as well as a Florida CeBroker.  Check out my Home Study & Spring Classes at www.shirleyknapp

Reasons you want to purchase an SMRT approved continuing education DVD, digital download, or 60-day rental :

1. you can access the course immediately through download or rental

2. get your CE's as quickly as you need them

3. SMRT gives you the tools to highly effective massage…

4. …without hurting you or the client

5. you can easily integrate SMRT with what you do now

6. video allows you to go at your own pace

7. and, as Jennifer said, "This is a great course!  About the best I have taken online or through video.  I've been using it already and my clients really like it, plus I don't have to fight to get where I know I need to be.  Great course!"  ~SMRT: Head & Neck, with SMRT Cranial Sacral on DVD, November, 2013~

Buy now, prices range from $25 to $260, CE's range from 4 to 24, hit this link for more info - http://efullcircle.com/ - just place your cursor over the Store button for a drop down menu!

Hi Everyone! Here is a link for an article I just wrote for our newsletter - http://efullcircle.com/smrt-form-structural-integration/

        I just got another email from a woman whose father had surgery, sinus surgery in this case, and has been on a catheter, unable to urinate on his own, for a year.  People have had fantastic success with the self help video on our website on how to restore bladder function after surgery.  The work is so easy, they can do it on each other, but they prefer real therapists do the work.

        This means we need to teach it to more people.  I never realized how widespread this problem was.  We get emails from all over the world from people who are desperate for help.  The ones who try the SMRT work have great results, but some have no one who can do the work for them or their people do not feel they could do the work.

        This week alone I have gotten 3 emails on this issue.  I sent one to a student in NC, one to a student in AZ, and the other is the woman mentioned above, who is in WV.  I will have to do my best to coach her through email and hope she is willing to do the work on her father herself.

        This is only one of the amazing things that will be taught in the SMRT: Hips, Lower Back, & Abdomen course in Winter Park, FL on April 4-6, 2014.  http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

        I am prepping to shoot another webinar for Tools For Touch!  This time it will be "Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome".  I have been preparing the course in my head for 2 weeks now.  Some of what you would learn if you were to sign up for the webinar:  how to instantly release opponens pollicis and opponens digiti minimi to soften the transverse carpal ligament, how to release the ligaments in the intercarpal joints to allow realignment of the carpal bones, how to quickly release the muscle attachments of the medial elbow to interrupt any median nerve impingement at the elbow, and more.

        Hope you will join us!  http://efullcircle.com/

        Stories about the SMRT Shoulder, Axilla, Ribcage, & Upper Back class:  in 2013, we had some wonderful things happen in this class.  I had a woman who had taken the course in 2012 sign up in Billings, MT in 2013.  When I asked her why she was taking the course again after such a short time, she told me "I messed up my shoulder, had all kinds of treatments, nothing is helping, I knew I could get it fixed in this class."  I was amused, and her shoulder did get fixed.  In that Billings course there was another woman in class who lacked confidence.  She did not think she was doing well, did not think she was understanding the information.  She registered and took the SMRT: Hips, Lower Back, & Abdomen course in Seattle a few months later.  She was supposed to be working on her partner's hips, but she saw that the woman's floating ribs were rotated and immobile.  Utilizing the training she received in Billings, she aligned and mobilized the floating ribs in 5 minutes.  5 minutes!!  She glowed with confidence.  It was a lovely sight.  This is the course we will be teaching in Minnesota the end of April - http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

        Had a client yesterday whose sacrum was killing her.  She could hardly move.  She also could not take any pressure and did not really want her sacrum to be touched.  I worked through the sheet and blanket, and did Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique by itself.  When it prompted some myofascial unwinding, I went with that.  I followed the pain as it moved from place to place.  It started in her sacrum and then moved into her lower back, then into her lower hip, then to the anterior thigh, then into psoas, and finally back to the sacrum.  When she got up to get dressed, she says she could bend over and, well, put her underwear on.  Apparently that had been a real problem for a while.  Her pain was a 1 where it had been a 12.  Love the fact that SMRT can create such significant change so easily and quickly, and besides staying present with her body, I hardly had to do anything.  If you would like to learn to do this, come to Winter Park, FL the beginning of April.  Register at http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

        Last night I woke up as 4 a.m., as I do most nights.  I was on my right side and my hand was asleep.  In my half conscious state I evaluated my hand.  I felt that it was the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the ring finger that were numb.  My brain told me that these were carpal tunnel symptoms and meant an impingement on the median nerve.  Still mostly asleep, I evaluated my wrist.  My wrist was straight.  I pulled my shoulder down out of my ear.  The numbness began to subside immediately.  My elbow was in full flexion.  I relaxed the position and brought my forearm toward extension a couple of inches.  The numbness went away completely and I went back to sleep.  The median nerve can be impinged upon in numerous areas, including the carpal tunnel, the forearm, the elbow, and the medial upper arm.  If you would like to know how to treat carpal tunnel, please join me for a webinar on "Treating Carpal Tunnel".  Hit the Tools For Touch link on our website - http://efullcircle.com/

2 live seminars in Seattle, WA:  SMRT:  Thigh & Knee, May 9th and 10th, and SMRT: Lower Leg & Foot, May 10th & 11th.  Each course is NCBTMB approved for 12 CE hours.  In the Thigh & Knee course, you will learn to instantly soften IT bands, painlessly remove adhesions and tension from adductors, release ligaments of the iliofemoral joint to mobilize the femur and knee, and work with chondromalacia, ACL replacements, MCL and LCL injuries, etc. In the Lower Leg & Foot course, instruction will be given in how to balance gastrocnemius, alleviate shin splints, lessen lymphedema, remove chronic ankle inflammation, release ligaments in the talocrural joint for natural realignment, and work with plantar faciitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome.  Get more information or register at http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

Full Circle has put 3 new video clips of Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique on youtube.  All of these clips are taken from our NCBTMB approved continuing education videos.  Check out the following link for a gluteus maximus release - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_rvsD90ek - this next link will give you an idea of how SMRT releases cervical ligaments - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyVHjYJ8gcc - and finally this link will show you how to take tension out of internal oblique - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlSX3r0x7po - If you would like to learn more about this massage continuing education modality, check out our website at http://efullcircle.com/

Can't wait to go to Winter Park, FL the beginning of April!  It is so cold here in Colorado, I am looking forward to teaching this course just for a change in weather!  We had such amazing things happen in the last hip, lower back, and abdomen course though, that I am also really looking forward to the fantastic things that will happen in class in FL.  One of the reasons to take CE's is just to get worked on, to be reminded of why we do what we do, and to get the work that our bodies crave.  Some massage therapists get regular massage, but most do not.  We are busy taking care of others and neglect us.  But attending  a CE class has the advantage of letting us know why we became massage therapists in the first place, and, hopefully, of fixing some of our own issues.  Personally, I had been having sacral pain for over a year.  I finally had some SMRT work done on myself, and the pain has lessened significantly.  Hope to see you in Winter Park!  http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

        Gluteus Maximus is a large muscle with many attachments.  It originates from the posterior iliac crest, the posterior inferior sacrum and the posterior coccyx.  This means tension in gluteus maximus can affect the position of these bones.  It also means that a shift or compression in these bones can have an effect on tension in gluteus maximus.  If there is an imbalance between the left and right gluteus maximus (i.e. one is hypertonic, the other is hypotonic), these bones will be pulled to the hypertonic side.  This muscle inserts on the gluteal tuberosity and the iliotibial band, which means that tension in gluteus maximus can pull the femur into a lateral rotation or a posterior position.  Additionally, since it attaches to the IT band, any imbalance can cause either too much or not enough tension in the IT band.  This link is to a video that shows an SMRT release for gluteus maximus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_rvsD90ek  This release will take tone down in hypertonic muscles and bring tone up in hypotonic muscles.  If you find that it does not work, it is possible the issue is a bony misalignment.   Get more SMRT releases for the hip at http://efullcircle.com/spontaneous-muscle-release-technique-hips-an...

        I have just finished proofing the video for our Lower Extremities DVD.  This DVD set will be over 6 hours long with extras.  The Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique information is exciting, from the ability to quickly release the deltoid ligament in the medial ankle to the ACL release that creates instant mobility in the knee, from the move that softens the ITT in 30 seconds to the ability to unlock the groin muscles without working directly on the pubic bone, from the release for the connective tissue at the popliteal fossa to the instant removal of adhesions between the hamstrings, it is fabulous.  And the extras in this set really excite me.  Patti does a take on active isolated stretching, both on the client and for you, the therapist, and Rhonda's yoga flows beautifully, and is designed to enhance your body mechanics.  Full Circle is an approved massage therapy continuing education provider through the NCBTMB, as well as in NY and ND.  This set is approved for 24 CE's.  To order, http://efullcircle.com/spontaneous-muscle-release-technique-lower-e...

I had an interesting incident at my chiropractor's office this week.  My chiropractor likes to use electrostimulation before each adjustment.  While I was prone on a table with my head turned to the side and electrostim pads on my mid and lower back, the man on the other table, who had had the pads on his hip, got up and walked to the restroom.

I remarked to the receptionist that he had a shortened psoas.  "A short what?"  She asked.  "It's the main hip flexor muscle.  His left side is short and imbalancing his hips."  I said.  Then I apologized for mentioning it.  "No," she said, "tell me more, that's my husband."  "Oh, well then maybe I can just fix it before he gets his adjustment."  I said.  "That would be great."  She said.

So, we put him back on the table in a supine position.  I did 2 moves on each iliopsoas muscle.  It all took about 2 minutes, and he went in to be adjusted.  The chiropractor later told me he had adjusted better than he ever had.  The next day, this man emailed me and asked if he could get an appointment with me.  Although he had been getting consistent massage for years, he informed me that his hip had not felt this good in a decade and he felt it was "a miracle".

I would love to see you in Winter Park, FL and show you how to release iliopsoas in 2 minutes. 10% tuition discount ends March 4, 2014.  http://efullcircle.com/class-schedule/

Hi Everyone! This is a link to our newest newsletter article - http://efullcircle.com/case-study-beths-knee/