Wade Vernon
wade@austinfitness.net
Cell: (512) 695-3445
Austin Fitness Gym & Studio
5604 Southwest Parkway
Austin, TX 78735
Studio Location
Bodywork: Massage Therapy Overview
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The human body, like the rest of the Universe, is composed of a complex array of electromagnetic energy fields. I introduce this seemingly abstract fact because all interactions with the human body--whether it be line dancing, sculpting, holding hands, or receiving a massage--involve an interplay of energy fields. Therefore when one is receiving a massage, the energy fields of the therapist are acting upon, restructuring, re-defining and refining the energy fields of the recipient. Essentially, when you pay a massage therapist for a great massage, you are purchasing human energy. And you leave the therapist's studio feeling much better than when you came in, because the impurities you were carrying around with you have been cleansed from your fields, just as surely as a plunge into a cool swimming pool on a hot summer day refreshes and relaxes you. |
I also believe that thoughts and emotions are forms of energy, and when they are negative, manifest in the muscles and organs of the body as knots and growths. There are many New Age alternative healers who firmly believe that stored anger causes cancer in the body, and I have no problem with this concept. It has become clear to me in all my years of bodywork that many of the muscular knots people hold in their bodies--especially in the neck, shoulders and back--are as much a result of them holding onto negative and self-destructive emotions as they are due to muscle tissue that has clenched together (because the muscles failed to release the contraction involved in performing the work they were doing--the classic definition of a muscular knot).
Types of Massage
My approach to bodywork encompasses energy work; but since we are living and operating on the physical plane of existence, the physical tools I use are: my fingers and fingertips, thumbs, palm-heels and full palms, elbows and forearms. The techniques I employ in my massages include the following.
Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is perhaps the most traditional form of bodywork, using long strokes--effleurage and petrissage--kneading movements, compression, friction and percussion. These techniques increase blood flow and encourage relaxation.
Deep Tissue Massage
The deeper pressure and friction movements used in Deep Tissue massage are always utilized only after the client's fascia has been properly warmed up using Swedish strokes. The fascia can be described as a multi-layered body stocking, and stress manifesting in one area affects other parts of the body. Fascia is composed of sheets or broad bands of connective tissue beneath the skin or around the muscles and other organs of the body. Because the fascia is highly elastic, it has a huge capacity to change. Through Deep Tissue work, gradually increasing the pressure and friction of movements (especially utilizing the thumbs, fingertips or heels of the hands) makes the fascia thinner and more pliable as it is moved. This element of the fascia is one of the reasons massage therapy is so effective in manipulating tissue: the application of energy, movement, pressure and warmth "liquifies" the fascia. If you feel as though you're melting into the massage table, in some ways, you are.
Shiatsu Massage
Shiatsu comes from Japan, and its roots go back over 4,000 years. It is a type of physical therapy that involves pressure on the acupuncture points of the body with intent to balance the body's energy and promote good health (shiatsu and acupressure are interchangeable terms). Shiatsu, acupressure and acupuncture are all grounded in the fundamental concepts of Oriental Medicine: that there are meridians, or energy flows in the body which travel in long channels like rivers; that there is ki, chi or Qi energy flowing though these meridians; and that when this ki energy flows freely, the body is in balance and good health, and when there is a blockage of ki, there is energy stagnation and dis-ease, often accompanied by discomfort or pain. Further, there are tsubo, or vital points, along the meridians, that when palpated properly stimulate ki energy flow. I use Shiatsu in conjunction with Deep Tissue techniques because I believe the two are a powerful combination, eliciting beneficial change in the body both physically and energetically. For me, the energy flows and endorphin rushes triggered by shiatsu make the body smile.
Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key)
Reiki literally means "universal life force energy". A laying on of hands technique, reiki channels universal life force into the therapist, and from the therapist's hands into the body of the client. Some recipients report an electrical tingling sensation around the skin being contacted, others feel heat varying from subtle to deep, and still others see colors streaming into their bodies with their eyes closed. I generally use reiki as a nice way to finish up the massage, although I have had some clients who have responded so dramatically to the beneficial healing energy that they have booked 90 minute reiki sessions with me. Reiki is very relaxing and can stimulate the body's healing processes.
Trager Method
The Trager method was developed by Dr. Milton Trager. This method uses movement exercises called mentastics along with massage-like, gentle shaking of different parts of the body to eliminate and prevent pent-up tensions. I like using Trager when starting on a different part of the body, for example, the legs. I find that the gentle shaking and rocking motions trigger an almost automatic relaxation response, similar to how a baby feels when being soothed and rocked by its mother.
Lomi-lomi Massage
Lomi-lomi is Hawaiian style massage work. I know very little about it, other than some techniques taught to me by fellow therapists at The Waves. I incorporate these techniques into my massages because they stimulate relaxation.
Sports Massage
Sports Massage is a method of massage especially designed to prepare an athlete for an upcoming event and to aid in the body's regenerative and restorative capacities following a rigorous workout or competition. This is achieved through specialized manipulations that stimulate circulation of the blood and lymph. I have used the Sports Massage approach when working on professional athletes, such as a boxer preparing for a fight, and also when working on the Italian Olympic Track Team in preparation for their competition at the Summer '84 Olympics in Los Angeles. It is a valuable tool when working with competitive athletes, and offers benefits to a weekend warrior as well.
Hot Stone Massage
Hot stone massage brings a powerful added dimension to bodywork. The use of basalt, or volcanic stones, in healing rituals dates back thousands of years, documented in 1,500 B.C. in China. Native American shamanic healers used them to remove disease from the body, and fire heated stones are utilized in sweat lodges. In my Hot Stone massages, I incorporate most of my bodywork modalities, using the heat and energy from the stones to trigger deeper relaxation levels, both when placed on specific areas, and when wielded as hand tools during muscular manipulation. The slightly higher cost of this treatment (much longer preparation time) is more than offset by the greatly enhanced muscular relaxation and inner tranquility experienced.
Wade does an amazing job making me feel comfortable and relaxed during each session, primarily using deep tissue techniques (my preference). His bodywork style is confident and knowledgeable, leaving me feeling invigorated and grounded. A true professional who really knows his art."...Don B., Austin, TX