The Two Most Important Subjects for Massage Therapists

Hi there!

What’s the most important subject for any wellness professional? I’ll give you a hint, they don’t teach much of it in school. Yep, it’s marketing…. Without it you likely won’t be able to build the wellness practice that you dreamed of when you started your career. It takes more than hands on talent to build a successful business, you need a marketing strategy, one that you love and doesn’t make you feel like a used car salesman!

And the other one, I would have to say self care, you can’t run a business if you are stressed out, burnt out, or in pain yourself. 

This is exactly why I am so excited to share the 2020 Global Wellness Professionals Marketing INSPIRE Summit with you. 

It’s a free three day virtual retreat event that includes over 25 presentations from 18 wellness professionals and marketing experts (Myself included!) to help you create a plan that not only works but is in alignment with your values, ideals and goals. You’ll have access to over 25 business presentations plus a Facebook “retreat” group.

We wish we could all get away to a beautiful location and hang out together, but this is the next best thing, so get your free ticket, mark your calendar, and join us for three days of being INSPIRED! with:

• guided meditation 
• yoga and self care classes 
• networking and live Q&A’s with industry experts

A Guide to CBD Care for Massage Therapists

 A Guide to CBD Care for Massage Therapists

The powerful natural benefits of CBD have been shrouded by mystery and secrecy in Western medicine until relatively recently. But CBD in healthcare and bodywork is anything but new. In fact, in Eastern traditions, rejuvenative CBD care has a long history dating back to as early as 2637 BC.

Today, the use of CBD oil for wellness is beginning to make its way into the realms of massage therapy--from deep tissue and Swedish practices to the world of Ayurveda. More and more therapists and spiritual healers are turning to CBD massage oil to nourish and harmonize the mind and body of clients, both physiologically and in spirit.

And… to activate the whole system from the inside > out and outside > in.

So what are the advantages of CBD care as a type of massage therapy? Are there any side effects and/or legal risks to be aware of? And how can you begin incorporating CBD care in your massage practice?

What are the health benefits of CBD care?

CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that functions similarly to the body’s own essential cannabinoids. In fact, both plant-derived cannabinoids and human-derived cannabinoids interact with our CB1 and CB2 receptors. These two types of cannabinoid receptors are found all throughout the body, and are an integral component of our body’s self-regulating endocannabinoid system (ECS).

A well-operating ECS means greater functioning in a long list of body processes. The ECS directly affects the performance of many crucial functions, like movement, coordination, sleep, immune system response, sleep habits, memory, pleasure, appetite, metabolism, and more.

Researchers are regularly discovering more about the exciting potential benefits of CBD and CBD massage therapy. Here’s what they do know-- By interacting with cannabinoid receptors, CBD can stimulate the ECS to help it better sync and bring balance to the body’s nervous, digestive, and immune systems. This provides a range of powerful natural wellness advantages.

Adding CBD care to your massage therapy practice can help naturally boost your clients’ endocannabinoid systems to promote balance and encourage overall general wellness. The natural wellness potential of CBD care stretches far and wide, with more discovered happening all the time as more and more research is conducted.

Massage therapists can utilize the balancing properties of CBD to benefit your clients in a unique way. You can rub CBD massage oil products like CBD body lotions and CBD salves into any troublesome areas directly for more focused effects.

What are the potential risks of CBD care in massage therapy?

Are there any harmful effects of CBD massage therapy you should be aware of? Not really.

Because pure CBD massage oil is 100% plant-derived and naturally stimulates cannabinoid receptors, CBD care appears to be low-risk. Researchers have looked into the risks of CBD oil, and discovered that it is safe and non-toxic, even in high amounts.

But one thing you may want to keep in mind is that not all CBD massage oil is the same. The hemp CBD market is relatively young, and a lack of regulations has allowed companies to introduce CBD products that haven’t been tested for safety or CBD content.

So when you set out to buy CBD massage oil for your massage therapy practice, it is important that you check that the manufacturer sources their CBD oil from hemp plants that are grown without pesticides or other chemicals. It is also important to make sure that they test their CBD oil products to make sure that they contain a reliable level of CBD and that they’re free of contaminants.

Is CBD oil massage therapy legal?

If you use CBD oil that is derived from hemp, then you’re legally free to incorporate it into your CBD care practice under federal law. The cultivation and distribution of hemp and the use of hemp products like CBD oil are now legal nationwide since the Farm Bill was signed into law in 2018.

But if you’re using CBD massage oil derived from marijuana, you are violating federal law and maybe even state law, depending on where you live. So even if you’re in a state that allows for the recreational use of cannabis, marijuana-derived CBD oil is ultimately still not legal.

In short-- To play it safe, it’s best to stick with CBD oil from the hemp plant.

Using hemp CBD massage oil can also enhance the benefits of CBD care since hemp oil naturally contains a list of nourishing vitamins and minerals that boost the overall health of the skin and hair. The hemp plant also naturally contains a higher concentration of CBD than other cannabinoids, making it a great source for a CBD-infused massage oil.

What are the best CBD massage techniques and practices?

If a client is experiencing tight, tired muscles and joints, it’s good to hone in on those areas so that the CBD and other nutrients found in your CBD massage oil can offer natural soothing relief.

When CBD oil is massaged into fatigued muscles, the CBD compounds are absorbed right through the hair follicles and skin. This allows the CBD to interact with cannabinoid receptors found on the skin’s sensory nerve fibers and subcutaneous tissue, delivering the balancing benefits of CBD right to where your clients need them the most.

What are the best CBD massage oil recipes?

Often times, massage therapists find greatest benefits from a CBD massage oil product that is made with full-spectrum pure CBD oil. This type of CBD massage care product contains CBD, plus all the natural vitamins, minerals, trace cannabinoids, terpenes, and other material that is naturally found in hemp oil.

There’s evidence to suggest that CBD and all the compounds found in full-spectrum hemp CBD oil work together synergistically to maximize CBD’s natural benefits. This is why, depending on your specific rejuvenating goals, you may prefer creating or buying a CBD massage cream or CBD massage lotion made with pure CBD oil.

Others may opt for a CBD massage oil made with CBD isolate. CBD isolate comes from the same all-natural hemp CBD oil, but is put through a filtration process that eliminates all the other plant materials except for CBD. It comes in the form of a fine white powder and can offer an even higher overall concentration of CBD.

If you already have a favorite massage oil with your ideal concoction of herbal supplements, you can easily infuse CBD into it with CBD isolate. Simply heat your massage balm, salve, oil, cream or lotion of choice in a saucepan at a low heat setting, and gradually stir in your desired amount of CBD isolate.

When it’s all said and done, the recipe you choose really just depends on the type of CBD care you want to provide your clients.

What is the cost of CBD care for massage therapists?

While incorporating CBD oil into your massage therapy practice increases your overall costs, doing so can greatly enhance the overall experience for your clients. The cost of providing CBD care for your clients greatly depends on the type and quality of product you’re using. Pure hemp CBD massage oil can vary in price, with high-quality products containing full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD oil coming in around $50 for a 1.3 ounce jar or more.

You can save money by making your own hemp CBD massage oil with CBD isolate, a 99% pure CBD powder that easily blends into other nutritious oils. Because CBD isolate is so highly concentrated, only a small amount of it is needed. You can find high-quality CBD isolate that’s been tested for safety and purity for around $50 for a 1-gram jar.

How can you begin incorporating CBD care?

Here are a few recommendations to successfully provide CBD care (and education) to your clients:

• Get up-to-speed on the body’s (quite spectacular) endocannabinoid system and how CBD can support its regulatory functionality.
• Get a grasp on the range of CBD massage benefits, especially the advantages of CBD massage oil for muscle and joint tightness and fatigue.
• Brush up on how spiritual healers and bodywork therapists around the world are using CBD care.
• Make sure you’re using the highest quality of hemp CBD massage oil.
• And, of course, enjoy the fruits of professional development each step of the way on your road to providing whole-body CBD care.

                                                      

About the author

Michael Coleman is the VP of Marketing and Sales at Medical Marijuana, Inc., the first publicly traded cannabis company in the United States. He lives in San Diego, CA.

Sparking Joy Against Burnout

What do you get when you combine 35 inches of snow, 50 mph winds, three days of rain, roads closed due to: wind, white out conditions, and flooding all in the space of 2-3 weeks?  A Minnesotan who just about has hit her limit! The worst part: I couldn't DO anything with my time off. The roads and stores were closed and it was dangerous to be outside.  Cabin fever is no joke, and it made me feel restless and bored. It started to feel like the burnout I have been struggling with for the last year. 

Last winter, I started to feel like I didn’t know what I was doing anymore or why I was even trying. I had everything that I wanted in my job, but it was starting to feel stale. I know that I see this question a lot on massage boards, and inevitably suggestions for taking a vacation or break will come up. Lots of times they will suggest taking a new CE course to get your mind working again. Even suggestions for redecorating come up. I hadn’t really experience this before, so I didn’t know if these suggestions would really work. 

This coincided with a health issue where I was instructed by my doctor to cut back on my schedule.  With my reduced hours, I decided to try a new and extensive continuing ed experience. I decided to complete a self paced online Certified Aromatherapist course.  I was going kill two birds with one stone and take care of this burnout feeling and stress related fatigue once and for all!

But it didn’t help the burned out feeling. I was taking time off, but the not doing anything drove me crazy. I would pace around the house overthinking everything. The classes were interesting and I did enjoy learning new things, but it didn’t inspire me or a new career path. I was still questioning where I was going and what I was doing. 

Then I watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Maybe you’ve heard of the show on Netflix about organizing your things and using your emotions to help you decide what to keep and what to donate?  In the show they use the term “Spark Joy” to describe the feeling you should get when you hold an item you want to keep. If you don’t have that feeling, and you don’t need the item for practical reasons, you are supposed to thank what you’re getting rid of for what it provided you in the past and then let it go.  

Personally, I love organizing and decorating my home. Even though my house is already neat and tidy, I went a shopping spree of organization supplies and was giddy with refolding my husbands clothes to fit in his dresser, sorting every drawer in the kitchen, and dreaming of new ways to make my space tidy.  I felt happy for the first time in a very long winter; I had a goal to accomplish!  

It occurred to me a little later, that I used to have that feeling about my business. I would be giddy about the plans that I had and the classes I was going to take one day.  I needed to recapture that feeling for my massage business (and not quit my job to be a Marie Kondo Consultant). 

I remembered that I used to have short, medium, and long term goals when I started out. When I felt lost, I just had to look at that list of goals and that would give me a sense of direction. Every goal on that list was something I felt was a challenge, or I knew I would be proud of if I accomplished it. I realized in the last couple of years I met a good chunk of those 10-15 year goals that I set up in the beginning, but I forgot to add new ones to work on down the road. The goals left on the list were everyday practical ones (enter expenses by the end of each month) and not exciting ones (become a full-time therapist in your own space)! Even though I had taking a big CEU course that took me a year to complete, I didn’t have an end goal after I finished it.  Even throughout the course I couldn’t think of what I wanted to do once I was an aromatherapist. Not very smart planning on my part. I think I was hoping the act of taking the class would define the goal for me. 

It’s not the end of the world, though. I can still make use of the education in a way that inspires me and my interests. Taking a vacation, ceu’s, or redecorating are fine methods for giving yourself a mental break or new inspiration, but unless it is helping you move toward a greater goal, the results may not be what you had hoped. Setting goals is a continuous process, and they need to include ones that make you excited (and don’t forget to add more long term goals to the list as you progress through your list!) otherwise they are just chores.  

Since the weather is so crappy and I have some time on my hands, I think I’m going to look back at my old list and thank it for what it gave me (a successful career as a solo massage therapist with her own space and full schedule) as I file it away and create a new list with goals that spark joy for years to come. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erin Howk Bennett, BCTMB
Therapeutic & Stress Reduction Massage

Self Care Insights

Listening to podcasts counts as self care, ya'all. The above embedded episode is from Life Beyond The Massage Table.

Those of us in the massage industry are always talking about self care, especially to our clients as to illustrate that massage isn't a luxury but part of self care, right?! If you do a quick google search, you'll see tons of results of stretches and self massage to help keep massage therapists from burning out. 

 I feel like there's lots of talk about this type of self care, but what else does self care mean? I recently had an interesting conversation about this with a friend of mine who is a social worker. She had recently attended a training on secondary trauma (also known as compassion fatigue). The presenter talked about self care that extends beyond exercising and eating right. She pointed out that things like paying your bills on time is a part of self care. You're providing yourself with your housing and lifestyle, avoiding late fees. Being organized with your bills, finances, and your business, is self care.
Just think of how much less stressful tax time is when you've been tracking your income and expenses as you go throughout the year. This is self care.

Rethinking and rephrasing "adulting" activities as self care feels less heavy. While sitting down and paying bills in a timely, organized way isn't as enjoyable as say... receiving a massage... it does make my life easier. Plus, I'm still going to be sure to be receiving regularly scheduled bodywork. 😉

A goal I've been working on lately is to make it to yoga class more often. Yes, my body needs it. Yes, my mind needs it. But also? I just really enjoy it and feel so much better when I go. My local YMCA recently remodeled the yoga studio and added a ton of classes, so it's easier now than it has ever been for me to have more yoga in my life.

Probably no coincidence that I'm writing this while home sick. Cancelled clients this week to focus on my self care thanks to the common cold! 

What ways are you practicing self care?