 And welcome to Create a Life You Love with Tony Green and I am Tony Green. I believe that we all have a purpose, a Dharma, a reason for being here. There is work that we are to do that fulfills our passion and our purpose. Today we are going to be talking with Rebecca, who will be discussing her passion and her purpose with massage therapy. Hi Rebecca. Hello Tony. So Rebecca, you are a massage therapist now, correct? Yes. Perfect. So I have so many questions for you. But first I want to thank you so much for being on the show with me. It's such an honor to have you here. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. I love your work. I love you as a friend and I just think everything you do is fabulous and you're such a sweet soul. Now you know why I have her on the show. No Rebecca, I love you too. You're just such an amazing being and so kind and sweet and I just, I love you so much. So I have some questions that everybody emailed in to me to ask you about massage therapy. And the first one was, this is more my question. When did you first learn about massage therapy? Because growing up as children, we really didn't know what a massage was or like massage therapy and touching and all of that. So at what point did you learn about massage therapy? Having one myself. So getting a gift certificate and experiencing it for the first time and I was a little nervous. I didn't know really what to expect. I just heard from some that it's amazing and you have to have it. I didn't actually understand all the benefits and why. I just did it more as a spoffing. Yeah. And so that's how I got to understand what it was. The calling, I'm not exactly sure but it was a journey in my life where I was doing a lot of healing and exploring and doing a lot of work on myself. And through a friend who's also a mentor, she's a holistic wellness coach and a Reiki master teacher. She helped me with a lot of things and healing modalities that opened my mind to trying different things. And somehow, I don't know if it was through praying or just, you know, it somehow just fell upon me that you know what, instead of going to get a master's degree, you're going to go back and get a degree in massage therapy. So I did some searching and it started out with Lakeside Massage School and it merged into Herzing University. And I ended up with an associate of science in massage therapy. Oh, nice. That's very, very cool. So you go, you get this one massage. The first time you ever feel it, did you know right then and there like, this is something I need to do? No. No. I just did it. When I first got my massage, I just, I was pretty, I realized at the time when I was reflecting back, and I never thought about it until you asked, I wasn't in a, I was in a different place. So I was more guarded and I was very sensitive to it. So I allowed it, but I think I naturally was tensing up and at times, but I did enjoy it. I was relaxing, but I didn't give much thought to it actually after that. Yeah. I know that like when I've gone for massages in the past, it is one of those things that it's so, it just nurtures your body and your soul at the same time. It really does. I look at it as part of a lifestyle change. Just like, you know, when I ask people, ask, talk to people, you know, about their healing journey or trying to, you know, I have people that will approach me and say, well, how did you, you know, can you help me get, you know, have a healthier lifestyle? I said, absolutely. First of all, it's one step at a time and never, you know, put yourself down. Never worry like you're not doing it right because the more you keep trying, the more it just becomes natural and part of a routine. So massage like exercise is part of a routine for your healthy lifestyle and it has many benefits and it can balance you. It can relax you. It can release toxins that are built up. It can help with stress. It has helped with pain. So if I had a client who was suffering from pain from arthritis and he had tried different modalities like acupuncture, which helped, but he said massage was the best. And it's different for everybody, but there are so many benefits just helping with circulation. You know, we tend to, as society is today, we tend to sit a lot. You know, we have a lot of jobs that have a lot of sitting, which is not what our bodies are meant for. So it's not able to have everything, you know, flushing through the way it should and that's how toxins can build up. So that's why, another reason why you want that massage so you can start moving everything. It can even temporarily reduce cellulite, you know, because you're massaging and you're moving those lymphatic system. You're breaking through your tissues that might be tense and tight, creating pain. And anytime you have tension where you're either going like this and you're just holding yourself, you're creating your muscles to kind of lock. And then as you move and try to do repetitive movements, it's going to get tighter. It's almost like you take that knot and it just pulls tighter and tighter. And so that's why massage can work through all of that to loosen it up and let everything flow freely. Not to mention it's very relaxing and soothing. It can help you sleep better. So it has many, many great benefits. Well, and you know, you mentioned that we have a more sedentary lifestyle now. But when you really think about it, even the posture that people take all day long, if they are at their desk, they're hunched over, they're leaned into their computer or even if they have it on their lap, it's like they're down. And then let's not even get started with these tablets and phones that were constantly like this. And that's not our appropriate correct posture. It's supposed to be, you know, shoulders back, spine straight, head up, which I don't even think children have that. They have that posture any longer. Correct. It is creating a lot of problems. And the one thing I also encourage is to do multiple modalities. So if you're doing massage, depending on your needs. So let's say, for instance, earlier this, or end of 26, I got a car accident. So that threw everything off of alignment. And I was working intensely with, first with the physical therapist. Then I combined it and did a little acupuncture. And then I went over to a chiropractor and ended between chiropractor and massage. Today I'm still doing that combination of chiropractor, massage. And sometimes when I can fit in, I will do some acupuncture as well. So doing a combination because each one brings a different aspect to it and really can help get you in that full, healthy state that you need to be in. And to your point with the cell phones and all of this, even holding it. Kids are even getting where they're locked in with their fingers or different types of jobs where you're either standing a lot or a nail tech or a hairstylist. You're standing and you're using the same motion repetitively. And it's that repetitiveness and you're not stretching. Then that's when everything starts tightening up and you get a sore neck. You can't really move your arms, you know, the way you're used to and everything just feels sore. And then if you're sore, you're not going to sleep well. Right. So it affects your sleep. Well, and what I noticed like you work out a lot. I go to the gym, even in going to the gym, like when you do a good workout, I mean even a decent workout. Those muscles are tight afterwards. So you really, along with nutrition, getting the appropriate amount of protein and potassium and all of this other stuff, you really need to have someone work through those muscles and kind of elongate them again. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. And relax them. If you notice a lot of times I know with me working, I haven't been able to work out this year because working through some, unfortunately, from the accident, but I'm going back into running. And if I don't properly stretch or roll, you know, like the IT band, which is this muscle kind of connecting from your knee going all the way up here to your hip and which then also connects to the other parts of your body, they get so tight it hurts. Yes. You need to loosen that up, you know, with a roller, with massage, combination, stretching, doing yoga, it's just going to stay tight and that's not good for you either. So it's great that you're exercising, but if you're not properly stretching, you're not doing yourself any good and you're not helping your mission of total fitness, right? And I think most of us are not aware of how many muscles there are in the body, where those muscles are, what they connect to, and if they're tightening up what it's going to do to our body, whether it be everybody is familiar with what we call stress in our neck area and it feels tight, but that can happen any place in our body at any time. So if you take, for example, that neck tightness that we feel when we're stressed or clenched down all day, and apply that to your glutes or your hamstrings, but we don't think to work that out too much to get that worked out. We don't even think when our neck is tight and stressed to get that, I'm like, get that massaged out. It's somebody's thumbs. No, not with their thumbs. Right, and your body is very smart, so it knows how to take care of itself and repair itself. So when you have something going on, it will compensate and you will most likely not even realize that you're compensating. So therefore, you have something sore on this side and your body right away is trying to correct and adjust and balance that out and then it starts wearing on the other side as well. So you have tightness here, but you have pulling on the other side or it affects your gait, so meaning how you walk. And so you're walking different, you're sitting different, you're laying different, and you're not even paying attention and it's all due to your body compensating. And then there's also triggers. So you might have something here and because like you said, it's all connected. It's all connected. It is. Your nerves, everything, all the tissues, they all run into each other. So if it's something up here, eventually it can lead down to the inside over here. It can go down your arm and then it can affect your, a lot of times you're from sitting, your performance, which is this deep muscle underneath, but then that can affect your hip and throw your hip off. And then if your hip's off, you're walking or running differently and then you can put pressure on your knee and it can shoot down to your legs. And then you're like, oh my gosh, what is happening to you? So many people will fear something in their knee and they'll say, I have a knee injury. But it's not from the knee. Right, correct. Absolutely. And most of the time, if you go to the doctor, the doctor will look at the knee and say, okay, well, we're going to do surgery, but what it's really coming from is probably the hip area or something being off in your hips or your back. And you, I don't want to say you might not need that knee surgery sometimes. Just getting either a massage or an adjustment might make a world of difference. I always say it's good that we have Western medication here. It's good that we do have surgeons available and doctors available that can do these things. But that should be the last resort, not your first choice. I believe that if more people would regularly, if they could get massages or go to a chiropractor, we would have a lot less need for that Western medicine and some of those surgeries that are being performed. Not saying that surgeons are doing jobs that they don't need to do. You bring up a good point, but it's also about medication. Today's world, we're overly medicated. And the fact is medications, yes, there are some that are definitely needed and help, but majority, if not almost all medications are meant to help and to cover up and to soften the pain. It is not meant for long-term use. It's not a cure. You have side effects and risks. And those side effects and risks are, I mean, if you ever listen to the commercials, they're long and scary. You know, you could have suicidal thoughts that could cause possible death. And yes, all these, and you're like, maybe I'll just not take the medicine. So the great thing when you use holistic approaches like massage and doing Reiki energy healing or acupuncture and things like that physical therapy or a combination of all of them, you are then having, you know, opening up your body to heal without medication. And medication costs money as well. So there are so many points I want to validate in what you just said, but we, our bodies, and you said this earlier and it's so worth repeating, our bodies were created to heal themselves given the appropriate opportunity. So if your spine is in alignment, if your muscles are relaxed, if you're eating the appropriate food and getting the appropriate exercise or just the appropriate amount of fresh oxygen outside, your body is being put in a state where it can heal itself. It can work our bodies designed to heal itself. That is exactly how we were designed as human beings. Just like in the animals, when they're out in the wild, right, they have a wound and they know exactly what to do to heal itself. And back in the days, you know, when you look at Indigenous Indians and that, you know, where some of this acute, you know, Chinese medicine they have, right, that is established. Well, Indigenous Indians were doing the same thing. They just didn't get it classified and labeled and, you know, organized like they did. But they were doing very similar techniques with herbs, with, you know, natural things that are out there. And today they still use these things for healing. And the side effects are very minimal to none. Right. So it's healthier to do these types of things and massage is a great part of it to keep yourself healthy. And like you said, mind, body, soul, it's all connected. So it's how you're thinking. So if you're thinking you're always sick and you're going to be sick, it's kind of like you're telling your body, like, I'm going to be sick. And it's like, oh, okay, because your body will listen to your thoughts. Muscle has memory. And your brain is the biggest computer that runs everything within you. And to that point, I just want to go back for a moment to the herbs. Not only do I believe that everything we need to heal is inside of us. You know, if a body at peace, if you're at peace, and I do believe in meditation, if you're at peace, your cells will not be fighting each other. Right. Your cells will not be at war. Back to the herbs, I believe everything we need was put on this earth naturally for us to heal. Now, pharmaceutical companies and a lot of people are so unaware of this. They try to emulate the natural herbs that are out there that you can get from any acupuncturist or herbalist. They're trying to emulate that in a prescription with a lot of chemicals and additives. And people aren't even aware of that. And then the problem is, just like when you're eating healthy, these toxins, these things that they're adding into the food or how they're trying to design these medications, they work havoc on your body. So your body has to work harder to process this. And it's causing different things to react, but then it's sometimes shutting something else off. So for instance, for medication, for somebody who's depressed, you're shutting off like this. So now you're not feeling. And they'll tell you. You're here as a human to feel. Yes. And now you're shutting it off. And long-term use, it's going to start ruining parts of your organs and causing a lot of other issues. And like the commercials say, can't even cause suicidal thoughts and that. And you can easily start, you know, maybe you do it for a short term, but then you have to learn to wean yourself off. And there are so many holistic things that you can do with essential oils. In my massage practice, I use Young Living Essential Oils. And I have one modality I do is raindrop therapy, where it's like nine different essential oils along your feet because your feet have all the organs. So you look at your foot and the toes here think of as your head and then the palm part of your foot is like the chest and then you have the midsection and then down below. And it's connected to all the organs. That's why a lot of times they say applying them to your feet because it'll absorb into the rest of your body. And then it also goes along your spine. And so when you do the raindrop therapy, it can help with besides stress and other things and releasing toxins with scoliosis, with pain, and again with sleep and truly relaxing. And it's natural oils. Yes. And these are extracted from actual plants and flowers that grow here on the earth. What growth is supposed to use. Right. So it's grown naturally. So it's important. It's a whole, when you really want to heal and be healthy, it's a combination of things. It's getting your massages, paying attention to what you're eating, trying other modalities depending on what your body is going through and learning to listen to your body because everybody's different. So what works for you may not exactly work for me and vice versa. So you have to really listen and try things out to what suits you. Right. When I'm massaging somebody, I always let them know, you have to communicate with me because if I'm going too deep and you're not comfortable with it, I'm not going to know unless you speak up and you're not hurting my feelings. So it's all about the client. It's what works for them. So I customize everything to their needs and what I'm feeling and I'm intuitive. So I work to go with what I'm feeling as well and trying to make them relaxed because they need to be comfortable and never be afraid to ask questions. You know, sometimes it'll come out where people are like, well, what if I, you know, have a movement and I'm like, it's natural. So if you have gas, it's just, it's okay. Have gas. You're not offending me. It's kind of thinking of me as a physician type of thing. You know, it just happens. I look at the body as the body, I'm a healer. And you are my client and I'm here to heal you. So, you know, don't be embarrassed and know that it's natural and it does happen. Right. And you're here to heal and that's a good thing. So that means perhaps things are moving the way they should be and now you're able to relax and let go. And so that's a good thing. So to just ask questions, you know, I always do my best to make a client comfortable and relaxed and assist them as best I can. I can certainly, if they're working, you know, with other physicians, if they're working with a chiropractor, you know, and there's certain things they want me to do, I'm happy to talk with a chiropractor or they can just let me know what they recommend or recommend me not to do. Yeah. So that I can make sure that I'm staying, you know, in alignment with what they're doing and so that we're healing you together and not against each other. Absolutely. So Rebecca, how long have you been a massage therapist? I got my, I finished school in 20 at the end of 2012 and I got my license in 2013. Okay. Excellent. Perfect. So now people always tell me when I tell them, you know, follow your passion, follow your purpose. They're like, I don't have time and you're a perfect example because you also work a full-time position. I do. And you do this in the evening and on weekends and you, it's part of your purpose, it's part of your passion. So instead of sitting home and watching TV or, you know, some of the other things people do, not binge watching a series, you're out there massaging people but when you, and I know you can speak more to this, when you really love something, it's not a burden. No. No. It is not at all. I enjoy it and the biggest compliment is when a client leaves my table and then as we're checking out and they are like, oh my gosh, I feel incredible or my legs feel like jello now or I feel so relaxed and they have that look of just relief and feeling good. Yeah. It's, it's, that is my reward. So I know that we've talked a little bit about this and I just, I want to hit one more time. What can massage help? Now I know a lot of people who have cancer or diabetes or many other diagnosises. It can help for that. And what are some of the other things that you've seen radical? I know you touched on it earlier, but I know there's so much more that massage can help. Well, first, depending on each client, you know, if there's something else going on, I always say work with your physician and make sure that it is okay with you in case you have, if there's something else that's going on. But for trauma, if you're going through some kind of trauma, it can definitely help. If somebody even that has type of Alzheimer's, because like I said, muscle has memory. Right. So it can help with that. Somebody who has diabetes because it's got that circulation that you're working. And so it can help with that again and sleep. And sleep, as you know, that's when we heal when we're sleeping. So it's important to get our sleep and it can help with sleep, relax and stress and pain. Yeah. Or if you're athletic and you're working out a lot, it can help with that as well. It can be part of your routine to keeping healthy, total mind, body, soul. And I do everything on a bio mat. Yeah. I love the bio mat. So you're, it's like a bonus. And I don't charge extra for it. So it's wonderful. And that helps to relax you by itself. Absolutely. And then I use other things, you know, hot towels and like I said, the essential oils as well. And I do sometimes energy healing. So Reiki, I'm a Reiki master. So I can do some energy healing. I can do a combination. Along with the massage. Along with the massage. I do stretching. Yeah. The client and mobilizing. So to help, you know, depending on each need of the client. Absolutely. Rebecca, it has been such a delight to have you on and to hear about massage therapy and all the benefits of it. Now, I know personally because I love massage. So do I. I get it every other week. Not only because it's relaxing, but it has many benefits for the body and the organs from detoxing to relaxation. It's good for you just like exercise and eating healthy is good for you. Yes. Now, and I just do want to stress even if you don't work out or eat healthy, do something, even if it's just massage, do it so that we, you can at least start moving some of this stuff out. Even if it's once a month, you know, some people, they say they don't have time, but you do have time. You could get at least 60, 90 minutes and cut out of your time to do it. Absolutely. And it's for you. It's for your benefit. Absolutely. So thank you, Rebecca, so much for being here today. I appreciate it. Such an honor to have you on. I just love you so much. I love you too. I just want to thank you also for joining us and let you know that if you are interested in a massage, Rebecca's information is running through the screen now. Have an amazing rest of the day. Thanks and bye-bye.