I was giving massage therapy to the staff at Cornerstone Care Option last week.  The owner of the facility, Kevin McKay, told me how impressed he was when he received my email explaining that I was on Twitter, had a blog and had a business Facebook.    I suppose I could have said “thank you” and left it at that but I had to admit that it was because of my small business bundle with Qwest and the help from Qwest small business coaches that made me look so smart.

Frankly, I liked being thought of as up on the latest social media trends.  I have received quite a few high fives from other professionals who have improved business operations with technology and social media.

I know of one client who moved his large business from a building to connecting outside the office with his staff remotely.  Now his employees work from home.  I can’t imagine giving or receiving a massage remotely.  Nothing can replace the healing of touch, thank goodness.  Somethings can’t be replaced by internet based computing.

Although it will be a little bit like the blind leading the blind, I hope to help or at least encourage my friends and clients to take the time to try social media for their businesses.  I would like them to share the feeling I am having of being thought of as “with it” and smart.

I am telling you all of this because Qwest is helping my business with social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services.

Diane

Rose City Massage

503-261-9783

My goals for this blog is to inform and to support you.

It is my privilege to help you understand your chronic pain and attempt to give you a few pieces of the puzzle that is your body.  I believe that if you understand why your body hurts, you can find the person who can help you, you can help yourself, or you will be able to tell when you have found a health care practitioner that is not helping you.

My inspiration comes from conversations with my clients last week.  A common question in my practice is “why are you looking at the evenness of my legs when it is my neck that hurts?”  Or, as was the case with a client last week who was receiving her first massage.  She did not think that I knew where her neck pain was and kept pointing to it while she was face down on the table.  I was working on her mid and lower back, working my way up to her neck.  I had to finally and sweetly say, “please, just relax”.

Your body moves through the world in a balanced way.  Even if your body is not in balance, it will make any adjustments that are necessary so that it can maintain the best balance possible.  It does not ask you for your opinion, it just does it.  Think of yourself as a stack of dominoes.  Two stacks for your legs, meeting a common stack for your body and up to your neck and finally your head.  Your arms just hang from the stack.  What happens if one domino is taken from the stack that is your left leg?  Wouldn’t you fall over?  What if the stack that is your trunk, leans to the right a little bit, would that help?  But, now, the stack that’s your neck, holding your head will topple and won’t be able to keep the head on straight.  What if the weight of your left arm and shoulder were to come down lower than your right shoulder, would that help?

If you look at the diagram from Myofacial Pain and Dysfunction, page 48 and 49, you will see what I mean. Click here for example.  You can imagine that massaging your neck will not be affective in relieving you neck pain because it is the leg length imbalance that is causing your neck pain.

Weather it is a leg length balance problem or a hip that is out of balance or some other imbalance, just massaging where it hurts is not going to completely take the pain away.  In some cases, it can cause more pain.  So, if I do not balance your muscles from the point of imbalance up, the place that hurts will not be able to relax because it is trying to keep the dominoes from falling.  If the body realizes that it is in balance, it can relax.  Find the imbalance, balance the body, massage the muscles and the body will be more relaxed and stay relaxed longer.

I hope that this has been helpful for you and If I can be of more help, give me a call or drop me an email.

Diane Foster, LMT #2201

Rose City Massage Therapy

rcmassage@spiretech.com

503-261-9783

With running a small business, finding the time to advertise and reach out to new customers can be a challenge.  It seems as if most of my time is in meeting my current client’s needs and the requirements of keeping up on the business end of business.   That’s why I am so grateful for how Qwest has helped me market my small business online. The social media business coaches are fantastic.  Their one on one weekly tutoring sessions are not only informative and helpful but knowing that I have a weekly appointment with my social media coach keeps me on task.  It is so easy for me not to make time to learn something new.  Not because I don’t want to but because there are always so many other pressing tasks to accomplish.  The weekly coaching sessions motivate me out of my ruts of procrastination.

What I find valuable is how social media can reach so many people with the least amount of time.  Talk about time management!  Although this process is new for me, I feel that social media for business allows the potential client the opportunity to know better the business that they are interested in.   As a business owner, I can reach out to my potential client and my current clientele at the same time.  Qwest Small Business and their social media coaches have helped me improve business operations with technology.  Now, I can reach out to potential clients, my current clients and fit it in with everything else in my day.

I am telling you this because Qwest is helping me with my social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services.  You can learn more at Qwest.com/smallbusiness.

Diane Foster, LMT

Rose City Massage Therapy

503-261-9783

I just heard Donald Trump tell Oprah that to be successful you have to love what you do.  I love what I do.  I have been a massage therapist in Portland for 25 years and I love it as much or more than the day I started.

One of my favorite things to do is to be the massage therapist at retreats.  I have been hired for several woman’s retreats over the years and it has always been a pleasure.  Usually the organization will provide me with my own room.  I bring all of the equipment including the music and aroma therapy and my room becomes the treatment room.  Usually on the first evening, the women will come in for brief treatments and revert to girls at a slumber party, staying up late and talking.  Some are relaxed from their massages and keep their friends company  while they wait their turn.

The next morning is usually hard for me to wake up for but I don’t  want to skip breakfast.  Usually there will be classes during the day so I have my own quiet time while I make myself available for whom ever wants to stop by for a massage session.  In the past, I would be invited to participate in some of the activities and at the end of the retreat it would feel like I had made new friends.

If you attend a retreat every year, perhaps you would like to include massage therapy.  I would be happy to talk with you about your event.

Another event I enjoy are groups at my practice.  My practice is like the cross between a bed and breakfast and a day spa.  I have had a group of friends cook dinner for each other while each of the three got their massage.  At the end of the three hours of treatments, I was invited to share a wonderful steak dinner with them.  The setting here includes a kitchen, dinning room, front room, covered patio, hot tub and in the summer, an outdoor massage room.  The business can comfortably support a small gathering of between two to ten people.  Catering can be provided or you can bring your own food.  I know of no other massage therapy practice like it in Portland.

If you are looking for an affordable, private and relaxing get away for your small group to meet and relax, please give me a call.

Diane

503-261-9783

Tax time is a time for me to reflect on how I have handled my business in the previous year.  Each year I strive to improve how I do business.  I have come a long way from throwing my receipts and paper work in shoe boxes and paper bags.

As my business continues to improve, so do the expenses and the increase in self employment taxes.  I try to account for every dollar I make and where it goes.  I did pretty well this year, I figured I cannot account for $50.00 a week during last year.

Since I try so hard to save money and do the business side of massage as efficiently as possible, I really appreciate Qwest’s  help with improving my business operations with technology.  In one of my previous blogs I shared how I am being helped with marketing my business online by using social media for my business.

Today, I took advantage of Qwest Core Connect’s 2GB free online data backup.  I called their tech support to get started and it was very easy after that.  I was able to backup, off site, my accounting software and pictures with plenty of room to spare.

It was a little over a year ago that my computer and external hard drive crashed at the same time and I was left to pick up the pieces.  I thought I was safe by backing up on an external hard drive.

I like this feature for protecting my data, knowing that my financial data is safe in case of emergencies. This is an extra layer of protection that helps me stay relaxed and a relaxed massage therapist is a very good thing.

I’m telling you all this because Qwest is helping me with my social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services.  You can learn more at Qwest.com/smallbusiness.

As a long time massage therapist in Portland, I have become sensitive to the emotional energy or impressions of the city.  What that looks like in my business is that my phone does not ring.  There are fewer cars on the road and it seems as if the city is staying home and holding it’s breath.

It feels to me that recent tragedies around the world are causing us to hold our breath rather than live our lives fearlessly.  As human beings we are wired to be empathetic to others who are hurting.  But, more than that, I think we fear for ourselves.

What I want to say to you is, exhale.  Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth.  Do this 4 to 5 times.  Relax your shoulders and bring them down from around your ears.  Call or hug someone or a pet or stuffed toy.  Make an appointment with your massage therapist and have him or her rub your back.  Listen to the music and feel the warm room and know that you are safe.

Here are a few other suggestions from brainstatetech.com

• QUIET YOUR MIND. Stay calm. Find a quiet place externally and inside your head.  Practice meditation or as near to meditation as you can get.

• FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING. We tend to tighten up when under stress – sometimes without even being aware of it. Breathing becomes shallow. Pay attention to your breathe and practice deep breathing.

• CONNECT WITH NATURE. Take a walk. Appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. Allow your feet to be connected to the ground. This gives you the triple benefit of deep breathing, physical exercise and sensory inspiration.

• SOOTHE YOURSELF WITH A PET. Experience unconditional, uncomplicated and enthusiastic love. Make eye contact and if it’s safe, stroke the animal.  If you don’t have a pet of your own, visit a pet store or watch some cows, sheep, goats or horses in a field. Hey, it might even be watching goldfish swimming in a bowl.

• CHANGE YOUR BODY’S ENERGY BALANCE. If you feel a bit jittery, touch your thumb to your forefinger and circle your fingertips against one another. First one hand and then the other.

• FEELING OVERWHELMED? You can re-adjust your body’s energy flow with this simple exercise: Put your left hand behind your head at the base of your skull and put your right hand at the base of your spine. Hold firmly. Pay attention to the energy flow and relax.

• FEELING ANXIOUS? Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and press against your upper teeth.

There is something comforting in the touch of massage.  It releases the tight muscles around you back that come from holding your breath, holding in fear.  It reminds you that you are safe and it is alright to relax and let go of stress.  You are then able to be thankful for the positive things in your life, knowing  that worry never solves anything.  Know your own power, do what you can for those you can help and do what you can to help you.  Talk your emotions out with a friend. Take a news break and breath.

Diane

It has been a dream of mine for my business to learn how to use social media. I thought that blogging would be a great way to share some of my experience on line but I knew nothing about blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and all of the rest. I didn’t even know where to start.

A year ago, I switched to a Qwest service for small businesses that bundles internet and phone service called Core Connect. Last fall, a Qwest representative contacted me with an offer to help me with marketing my business on line in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services. All I can say is that I am so grateful! The representatives, Andrew and Greg, are helpful, patient and I can’t say enough about how respectful they are. Qwest Small Business set up my business Facebook and Blog. They have explained to me the different advantages and uses of each of the different parts of social media and how to use each of them for my business. As a business internet provider, my internet speed is fast and my phone line is clear unlike my other provider where the line wouldn’t work from time to time.

Thank you, Andrew and Greg, for all of you help and support and helping this massage therapist reach out and touch more people.
You can learn more at Qwest.com/smallbusiness.

Welcome!

I am so pleased to be able to share 25 years experience as a massage therapist in Portland.  I estimated that I have touched well over 25,000 bodies over the course of my career so far.

I first became interested in massage when I received my first massage.  I had never been touched in a non-sexual, safe, healing, nurturing way before.  I felt instantly in love with my therapist and totally unprepared to deal with all of the confusing emotions I felt from being treated in a completely caring way.  Now, I give the exact same safe, nurturing and healing touch to every one of my clients.

Massage in Portland was totally different in the late 7o’s than it is now.  When I was first interested in the field there were no colleges.  The state gave suggested reading and you would take a state test.  By the time I was serious about becoming a Massage Technician, what a massage therapist was called at the time, East West College had opened in a complex called Common Ground.  The hours required for licensee to do massage therapy in Portland was 75 hours.

I had almost completed my training when I was in a severe auto accident while looking for a job.  I suffered a Contra-cue laceration of the brain and almost bit my tongue in two.  For weeks I had the mental capacity of a 3 year old and could only eat by forcing a straw past my swollen tongue.   When I was healed and since my massage education had been erased by the brain injury, I decided to go back and take the course again.  By then, a new college had started, Oregon School of Massage.  This college was started in a office space in a small strip mall off of  Milwaukee Boulevard in Portland.   With two colleges, 150 hours of training, half of which I remembered, I took the state exam.  I failed.  The state exam is 4 1/2 hours long.  If you pass the written exam, the applicant takes a practical exam.  If you pass both exams, you are a licensed massage therapist in Portland.

I had a full time job in my first career as an office manager.  In the evenings after work I would take all of my books and notes from the two colleges and I would study at a library on my way home.  When I was ready, I took the exam again and I passed.  When I took the practical my score was 98.  The state had increased the hours of education to 150 and since I had taken my education twice, I had the hours I needed.  I was licensed in December of 1985 and I love being a massage therapist in Portland.

In this blog I will address the questions that my clients have.  I will share my knowledge and experience with you and in doing so, help bring a little relaxation and pain relief to your understanding and self care.

The power of touch

I recently read an interesting article on the healing of touch in O magazine.  The article referenced a Mount Sinai study on the healing power of touch.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope to see you soon.

Diane

This is my first blog post. I’m so excited!