Conscious Giving

This is the time of year when the gift of massage is most given, when those in need’s voices are heeded, and when massage therapy professionals’ families may get the most benefit from a visit from their family’s massage therapist.

It is a great time for a reminder to people who have worked diligently and exhaustingly all year to get a massage from their friendly, neighborhood massage therapist – a time to relax and let their hair down for a re-centering, rejuvenating time of healing and introspection while on the table, their mini-vacation, during this holiday season.  It is a great time for those who get massage regularly, for rehabilitation or pain management, to revisit why massage therapy is such a great “healer” and re-evaluate their relationship with massage.

Did you ever think about contributing your talent, skill, and intention for massage therapy to the less fortunate than those of your family, friends, and clients?

Did you ever think about creating value for your clients AND increasing your personal growth using your talent and skill as a massage therapist?

What if you could touch the quality of life of a person that you do not know nor would ever have come in contact with if it were not for your good nature and willingness to share the power of touch through massage?

There are such possibilities and opportunities – your gift to your community this year can be:

• at a homeless shelter, where touch services are rare.
• in a hospital, where touch services are needed to assist in recovery and pain management.
• free massage session(s) for a local fundraising effort, to either encourage donations to the charity by donors that would “win” your free massage OR give free chair massages to the volunteers that coordinate/facilitate the fundraising activities.

There are many ways in which you can do something to provide your massage community with the value of massage…that doesn’t cost a lot for you or the client of your intent.

As we prepare to fulfill those gift-given certificates, also prepare to consider lending a helping hand to those who need a massage and may not be able to afford it – create, for yourself and your existence as a practitioner in your community, a value that extends beyond your ability to discount your service pricing and reaches the far corners of your community where massage is valued as a form of positive, life-changing experience that has no cost and immeasurable value.

David J Otto LMT, AMTA-Nevada Chapter President

Think about a few ways, and Comment here – your sharing may just spark that holiday-giving attitude in another massage therapist that can lead to great things!