MUSCLE-SPECIFIC DEEP TISSUE TECHNIQUES FOR THE CHEST AND SIDE-LYING SHOULDERS
The chest is often overlooked as a primary contributor to back and shoulder issues. It is the source of our breath and our taking in of life, as well as the foundation for some of our most powerful arm and shoulder flexors. These core muscles are often tight, constricting breathing, energy flow, and movement.
The shoulders, in turn, are meant to float freely on the ribcage, held in elegant suspension by 16 muscles, but very often they are restricted, stuck down, and in pain. In the morning, you will learn to effectively liberate some of the major structures of the chest and anterior shoulder girdle (such as the pectoralis major and minor, subclavius, transversus thoracis and subscapularis), to give your clients a feeling of ease and freedom in their chest and shoulders that reaches all the way around to their back. These techniques are liberating and create a noticeable opening right away, helping your clients to breathe more deeply with less effort, as well as contributing to overall balance in the shoulder girdle.
In the afternoon, we will work with the shoulder girdle from the side-lying position. Besides being deeply comforting and relaxing, skilled side-lying work gives you excellent access to the structures of the shoulder. You will learn specific, effective, and potent techniques for releasing the muscles of the shoulder girdle, including the trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, levator scapula, subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, pectoralis minor, and the surrounding fascia. The side-lying position also gives you excellent access to some of the smaller muscles of the back, such as the transversospinalis--muscles that are fundamentally important to our posture, movement, and well-being, but that are often completely missed in a standard massage.
We sometimes think of side-lying work as primarily for pregnant women, but almost all of your clients can benefit from skilled side-lying work in this area, and it feels wonderful. The class will focus on straightforward, muscle-specific techniques that can be immediately applied in practice. Body mechanics will also be a focus of this class, as well as proper use of fingers and elbows to save wear and tear on joints.
"This course lifts massage therapy to a higher level. The chest work was amazing--my range of breathing went waaaay up." -Lise Orye
"I haven't felt this kind of freedom in my shoulders since before massage school! I have definitely been enjoying my wings." -Amy Ross
"This was the best CE class I've ever taken." -Tyler Rapke
Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 8 (NCBTMB-approved)
Tuition: $170. Reviewers are eligible for a reduced price. Register for both Saturday and Sunday for only $295.
Registration: This class is sponsored by the Therapeutic Training Center. To register, click here. To register for both Saturday and Sunday, click here.