Florida School of Massage

Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils
2019-03-02 09:00 - 2019-03-03 18:00 UTC | FL
Instructor: Christina Polnyj
Time: Saturday – Sunday, 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300
Location: NW Gainesville. Please contact Christina for address and directions. www.essentialeducationinternational.com
CE Hours: 18 Florida
To register or for more information: visit the Essential Education website

Description: LEARN a multilayered approach to health. Gain a deeper understanding of Aromatherapy and how to utilize essential oils at home and/or professionally. Become proficient in the uses of 21 essential oils.
MAKE aromatic cream blends, room sprays, sinus inhalers, diffuser blends, massage oils and bath salts.
DISCOVER how essential oils are used to maintain health, treat acute and chronic pain, and reduce stress.
Learning safety guidelines and basic blending skills is all you need to begin to enjoy the therapeutic use of essential oils. In this class we will study 21 essential oils and gain an understanding of their individual uses, including immune support, reducing inflammation, pain management and stress reduction. Participants will experience the benefits of aromatherapy firsthand while making massage oil, cream, room sprays, diffuser blends, bath salts, sinus inhalers and steams. Add an exciting dimension to your practice while supporting your own personal health and wellness. NO MASSAGE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!
To register or for more information please contact Christina at 352-222-1747 or e-mail christinapolnyj@mac.com

The Art of Presence: Accessing the Parasympathetic
2019-02-24 09:00 - 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Dates: Multiple dates available
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $150 ($125 if registered at least three weeks in advance $250 if registered for both Saturday and Sunday classes)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Credits: ★ Florida: 9
To Register: Contact Frank Merillat at 352-371-0743 or e-mail at fmerillat@mac.com
The ability to be present with another human being is key to healing. In this one-day class, students will explore the sensations of touch long before skin to skin contact. Then, once tactile, the somatic communication among fascia, the nervous system, the endocrine system and the use of presence will be explored through experience. Through massage techniques, we will enrich and enliven our sensory capacity to perceive and communicate presence and encourage the body to enter the parasympathetic state, which allows for relaxation, rejuvenation and a sense of meditative calm. This class will focus on applying the art of presence to all types of bodywork modalities to increase the effectiveness and the depth of transformational healing.

Act Now!
Questions: fmerillat@mac.com

About the Instructors
Frank Merillat has been an instructor at the Florida School of Massage since 1995. He teaches Kinesiology, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Boundary and Ethics in the basic program. He also offers several different CEU courses as both and instructor and provider. He offers an eclectic approach to bodywork combining elements from several styles of work to customize the work to meet the individual client. He has studied with Deane Juhan, Tom Myers, Ben Benjamin, as well as Giorgia and Hugh Milne, all noted instructors in the bodywork field. His time with these noted instructors is incorporated into his teaching style and approach to the body. He enjoys time with his family, dogs and on the salt water, as well as working with people.

Amanda Concha-Holmes merges her training as a cultural anthropologist with her practice as a massage therapist and her love of ensemble contact improvisation dance. In her massage practice (licensed in 2010) and in the classes she teaches, she integrates her training in Reiki and in Thai massage with her years of teaching Transformational movement, ecosenses and partner yoga. For the last few years, she has been dedicated to crafting her practice around chair massage to be able to offer healing touch to people in their daily lives. She looks forward to sharing the conceptual and experiential aspects of reaching the parasympathetic state along with anatomy essentials and techniques in a chair massage practice that will become a source of clients for a career in table and Thai massage at the office.

Essential Anatomy and Techniques for chair massage
2019-02-23 09:00 - 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Dates: Multiple dates available
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $150 ($125 if registered at least three weeks prior. $250 if registered for both Saturday and Sunday classes)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Credits: ★ Florida: 9
To Register: Contact Frank Merillat at 352-371-0743 or e-mail at fmerillat@mac.com
Chair massage is an ever-increasing tool used by massage therapists to expand their clientele, reach a new customer base and offer healing touch to those in need. It is excellent for marketing as well as for a profession on its own. Increasingly more businesses are requesting chair massage as a gift or a service for their employees. Wedding planners, grocery stores, hotels and hospitals are some of the varied businesses that appreciatively pay for chair massage services.
This course will examine the basic anatomy of the neck, shoulders, arms and lower back that a massage practitioner can access while doing chair massage. It will integrate multimedia teaching tools along with activities that illustrate upon the human form the basic muscle structures including their origins and insertions. Students will learn where the muscles are located, how they function, and specific techniques to address them during a chair massage to relieve pain and tension. Students will walk away with a routine of their own that integrates the techniques from the class, which allows them to offer a 15-minute chair massage session confidently. Time will also be spent exploring how to market and promote a chair-based practice.

Act Now!
Questions: fmerillat@mac.com
About the Instructors
Frank Merillat has been an instructor at the Florida School of Massage since 1995. He teaches Kinesiology, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Boundary and Ethics in the basic program. He also offers several different CEU courses as both and instructor and provider. He offers an eclectic approach to bodywork combining elements from several styles of work to customize the work to meet the individual client. He has studied with Deane Juhan, Tom Myers, Ben Benjamin, as well as Giorgia and Hugh Milne, all noted instructors in the bodywork field. His time with these noted instructors is incorporated into his teaching style and approach to the body. He enjoys time with his family, dogs and on the salt water, as well as working with people.

Amanda Concha-Holmes merges her training as a cultural anthropologist with her practice as a massage therapist and her love of ensemble contact improvisation dance. In her massage practice (licensed in 2010) and in the classes she teaches, she integrates her training in Reiki and in Thai massage with her years of teaching Transformational movement, ecosenses and partner yoga. For the last few years, she has been dedicated to crafting her practice around chair massage to be able to offer healing touch to people in their daily lives. She looks forward to sharing the conceptual and experiential aspects of reaching the parasympathetic state along with anatomy essentials and techniques in a chair massage practice that will become a source of clients for a career in table and Thai massage at the office.

Connective Tissue Therapy: The Frontline
2019-02-16 09:00 - 2019-02-17 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Maura Brady
Date: Saturday – Sunday, February 16 – 17, 2019
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $250 early registration (if paid by Feb 1st), $295 after, and $150 to repeat
Location: Florida School of Massage
CEUs: 18 Florida
To Register, Contact: Maura Brady, maurakbrady@gmail.com or call 352 371 7327

This workshop will delve into the components of back issues via the frontline, addressing primarily the anterior aspects of the trunk, shoulder girdle, and neck. Derived from structural integration session one, the breath, we will explore the fascia of pectoralis minor, subscapularis, subclavius, diaphragm, and abdominals, as well as scalenes, SCM, and the iliopsoas. Tending to these areas can be the key to unwinding patterns of chronic sensation. Learn new tools to address your clients’ needs, while having the opportunity to explore your own, in a setting that combines fun and reverence.
About the Instructor:
Maura Brady, LMT teaches Connective Tissue Therapy, Polarity Therapy, and Communication Skills in the program at the Florida School of Massage. She has been on the teaching staff since 1996 and has been in private practice since 1992. She values the exploration of physical and emotional connections within ourselves and with our clients. Maura brings her insights from life experience and personal work into the classroom. She loves teaching and providing students the space for growth as individuals and therapists. Maura specializes in connective tissue therapy. Working with the fascia in this way has immediate and long term effects for postural deviations, injuries, and chronic pain, by assisting the body to move in a balanced way in this field of gravity.
Supplies:
Please bring sheets, pillow, shea butter or cocoa butter, and you!

If you would like to register, or if you have any questions, please contact Maura at:
maurakbrady@gmail.com or call 352 371 7327

An Introduction to Craniosacral Work: History, Foundations, & Distinguishing the 3 Main Approaches
2019-02-02 09:00 - 2019-02-03 18:00 UTC | Mary’s office, 1810 NW 6th Street, Suite D, Gainesville, 32609
Location:
Mary’s office
1810 NW 6th Street, Suite D
Gainesville, FL 32609

Cost:
Early Registration Discount: $300 if paid by July 21st
After July 21st: $350
Current FSM Students: $175
CEs:
16 Live Hours
To Register: Contact Mary Reis, email: maryreis@me.com or call/text: 352-246-6280 or fill out registration form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfzCVxPaSmsB0oBJbIyObD90A7MI-lki6V3ma8UoRFIEI11A/viewform
William Garner Sutherland developed and refined Cranial Osteopathy over the course of several decades in the first half of the 20th century, and the work continued to evolve after his death in 1954. Craniosacral programs became available to Massage Therapists when Dr. John Upledger began teaching Craniosacral TherapyTM to non-Osteopaths in the 1980’s. Many different Craniosacral programs for Massage Therapists now exist, and 3 main approaches have descended from Dr. Sutherland’s teachings: Biomechanical, Functional, and Biodynamic. Many programs blend one or more of the approaches, and many potential practitioners are unaware of the differences unless they attend more than one school. This course seeks to introduce the 3 main approaches to the work so that Massage Therapists can attend the craniosacral training that is most in alignment with their learning interests.
This course will present the foundational components of the 3 main approaches to Craniosacral work, explore the basic anatomy and functioning of the craniosacral system, and discuss how states of consciousness can influence cranial wave. Experiential exercises will help refine presence, and ample hands-on exchanges will hone the needed sensitivity for working with the subtle rhythms. Students will leave the course with the presence and ability to sense some of the cranial enfoldments, an understanding of the history and uniqueness of each approach, and a direct body-felt sense of which approach they may want to pursue for more training.
Please bring:
1 bottom sheet + 2 top sheets, light blanket, 2 pillows

Beyond Trigger Points Postural Dysfunctions Core Unit: Creative solutions to 5 linked "Hunchaholic" pain conditions
2019-01-26 09:00 - 2019-01-27 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Date: Sat & Sun JAN 26-27 20189 Time: 9AM – 6PM Workshop
Price: $295
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 16
To Register: BeyondTriggerPoints.com/FastTrack

In this fun, fast-paced Intensive, you’ll learn proven & field-tested Myofascial Trigger Point protocols for relieving the most common myofascial pain conditions: Headaches…Wrist pain…Buttocks…Elbow pain…
Front-of-shoulder pain. Discover easy pain relief strategies you can apply to any region of the body, and get Self-Care training plus 6 weeks of FREE Follow-Up Online Enrichment too. In just 2 days you’ll upgrade your therapist skill set to a higher level of professionalism. And you’ll discover pain relief strategies you can apply in any region of the body to solve your clients’ stubborn pain conditions.

If you are serious about advancing your career, this Seminar is a great way to “professionalize” your practice:

Develop your “Pain Detective” skills to accurately treat the top 5 myofascial pain conditions
Integrate these techniques in your practice using the Connect the Dots SystemSM Five-Step Treatment Protocol
Learn to use a Muscle Mystery Form to identify factors that cause & perpetuate pain
Upgrade your intake & evaluation skills & create step-by-step progressive protocols that really work
Practice a faster, less demanding method to restore range of motion – works with any muscle!

Cathy Cohen, LMT is a Master Teacher & Board-Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist who trained with Trigger Point Therapy’s founder, Dr. Janet Travell. Cathy has mentored over 2,500 therapists in her innovative Connect The Dots SystemSM of Trigger Point therapy designed to easily integrate into a traditional massage practice.

Peaceful Presence - The Ancient Art of Chi Kung
2019-01-12 09:00 - 2019-01-13 15:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Date: January 12 – 13, 2019
Time: Saturday – 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday – 9 am to 3 pm
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 14 CE credits

Learn ancient exercises for easy daily practice and self care
Discover your own inner guidance for healing and transformation
Explore therapeutic principles of essential oils for balancing the nervous system and focusing the mind
Understand how current science supports ancient principles of the Body, Mind, & Spirit as One
Practice hands on sensing chi (energy) using the Meridian System in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Nourish yourself and enjoy the benefits of embodying a peaceful presence

Description:
Through Traditional Chinese Medicine we will study Chi Kung as a technique for sensing and developing internal energy. In this hands-on workshop, we will practice exercises for cultivating a peaceful presence and a sense of a sacred home within yourself. As your awareness of your internal chi strengthens, you will learn how to translate that awareness into your own personal practice. Reduce stress, increase vitality, and learn how to bring the many benefits of Chi Kung to your clients, friends, family, and all whom you encounter.
No prior experience required

Download Workshop Flyer

Thai Massage: Phase II Expanding Vocabulary
2019-01-05 09:00 - 2019-01-06 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300($210 for current FSM students)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register: Contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or email arielagrodner@yahoo.com
This workshop is intended for those students who have already familiarized themselves with the Thai Massage practice through taking Thai 1, and are now ready to deepen their knowledge and widen their vocabulary. We will extensively review the Thai 1 material, both strengthening knowledge of the form itself and deepening awareness within the exercises, in order to bring our consciousness to a more subtle level during the healing process.
We will also be focusing on variations of the previously learned exercises in order to widen our palette and allow ourselves more options when cultivating an individualized session tailored to a clients particular needs. As students participating in this class will already have some familiarity with the form we will be able to focus on deepening the knowledge we already possess and enabling more advanced techniques to arise.

Body Butter Blending
2018-12-01 09:00 - 2018-12-02 18:00 UTC | FL
CE Credits: 18 Florida
Date: Saturday – Sunday, December 1-2, 2018
Time: 9AM-6PM
Tuition: $250
Location: Gainesville
To register, visit: http://www.essentialeducationinternational.com
Everything is Better with Butter
Better Skin
Better Massage
Better Health

Learn a multilayered approach for healthy skin
Gain a deeper understanding of Aromatherapy and how to utilize it at home and professionally.
Become proficient in creating your own personal Body Butter Blend
Make skin nourishing butters, cream, salve and luscious lip balm
Discover the therapeutic value of what you put on your skin

Learning safety guidelines and basic blending skills is all you need to begin to enjoy the therapeutic use of butters and essential oils. In this class we will study why chemistry matters and gain an understanding of how to apply that knowledge to your skin. We will study a variety of butters and essential oils and their therapeutic benefits and individual uses, including immune support, reducing inflammation, pain management and stress reduction. Participants will experience the benefits of aromatherapy firsthand while making skin nourishing butters, cream, salves and lip balm. Add an exciting dimension to your practice while supporting your own health and wellness.
NO MASSAGE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

About the Instructor:
Christina Polnyj, BA, LMT is a Clinical Aromatherapist and Massage Therapist with Essential Education International, Inc. Since 1993 she has been teaching Shiatsu, Oriental Theory, and Massage to health care professionals and the public. She is passionate about Aromatherapy and providing people with the skills to use essential oils at home and professionally.
To register or for more information please visit http://www.essentialeducationinternational.com

Thai Massage: Phase I - Introduction to Thai Massage
2018-12-01 09:00 - 2018-12-02 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300 ($210 for current FSM students)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register, Contact: Ariela at 813-417-6745 or email arielagrodner@yahoo.com

Description: Traditional Thai Massage is an ancient healing technique that has been in popular use in Asia since the time of The Buddha (roughly 500 b.c.). The practice itself manifests as a flowing dance that synthesizes the cumulative knowledge and techniques of many disciplines. Doctor Skivagakorpaj, Ayurvedic Master and personal physician to the Buddha, is considered the originator of the form. Employing the graceful rooted movement of internal martial arts and the compassionate mindfulness instilled by the meditative experience of the practice, Thai Massage is taught both as a form to follow and also as a key to improvisational bodywork. The essence of the practice is self-awareness, and the fluid expression that naturally extends from that awareness. During this class we will explore the core movements, stances, hand techniques and rooted breath awareness necessary for a strong foundation in the art.
Over the course of this first workshop, students will learn an hour and a half long form. Practiced on the floor, this form enables the therapist the use of elbows, knees, forearms and feet in a comfortable and efficient way that utilizes the body dynamic and ones own weight to distribute the force required for the application of the relevant techniques. The recipient lies relaxed and loosely clothed while the practitioner guides them through a series of yogic asanas and applies balancing touch to the body’s major energy lines and points. Thai Massage is an art whose ultimate objective is a perfected self-awareness through the joy of a mutually beneficial healing dance. Level 1 provides the necessary foundation for future techniques to be based upon, but also can serve as a stand alone practice, in and of itself, as students will learn a complete form during this class.

Common Injuries
2018-11-17 09:00 - 2018-11-18 16:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Date: November 17-18, 2018
Time: Saturday – 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday – 9 am to 4 pm
Location: Florida School of Massage
Instructor: Ben Benjamin
CE Hours: 13 CE credits
Cost: $398 ($298 if registered during registration period)

Description:
This workshop was designed by Dr. Benjamin to help massage therapists and bodyworkers assess and treat specific common injuries to the shoulder, elbow, low back, knee and ankle that challenge and frustrate most practitioners. The workshop provides training in anatomy assessment tests, treatment techniques and client exercises for seven of the most common injuries.

What to Bring: CLOTHING: Please wear easily movable, loose clothing, like a top that opens in the back, bathing suit, sports bra, shorts and so forth so that your neck, mid-back, low back and sacral area, knees and ankles can be easily accessed while maintaining a sense of privacy.
PLEASE BRING: Please bring a pillow, massage oil, a towel, a few face cradle covers, and two sheets.
About the Instructor: Ben Benjamin holds a Ph.D. in Sports Medicine and was the Founder and President of the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has trained under Dr. James Cyriax, widely known for their pioneering work in orthopedic medicine. Dr. Benjamin is the author of many articles on working with injuries as well as the widely used books in the field, Are You Tense? Exercise Without Injury and Listen to Your Pain. He has been in private practice for over forty-five years and teaches throughout the country.
Questions: Contact the Benjamin Institute, 617-576-0777
Download workshop flyer
Register

Thai Foot Reflexology
2018-10-27 09:00 - 2018-10-28 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: Tuition is $250 per couple. Please find a partner for this class.
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register: Contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or arielagrodner@yahoo.com
In this workshop students will learn to give an hour-long session on the feet alone, while still affecting the whole body through aware stimulation of the sen lines and marma points. Utilizing both dry and wet massage (with and without oil) as well as a Thai foot stick, to glide the lines and press the points with greater accuracy and precision then the hands alone could provide. The style we will be exploring is a method derived from Shivaga Komarpaj of the Chiang Mai school of Thai Massage, and is for everyone, therapists and lay people alike. This is a powerful healing tool that can be implemented on it’s own, or as an addition to the full body massage. No prior massage experience is necessary to be educated in this methodology.
What to bring
Shea butter, Thai Foot Stick, Book and hand out, Proper mat and pilows. We will work on mats on the floor or Massage Tables. You can pick what you prefer. We can provide a massage table if you prefer to work on one.

The Art of Presence: Accessing the Parasympathetic
2018-10-21 09:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Dates: Sunday Oct 21, 2018
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $150 ($125 if registered by October 1st. $250 if registered for both Saturday and Sunday classes)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Credits: ★ Florida: 9
To Register: Contact Frank Merillat at 352-371-0743 or e-mail at fmerillat@mac.com
The ability to be present with another human being is key to healing. In this one-day class, students will explore the sensations of touch long before skin to skin contact. Then, once tactile, the somatic communication among fascia, the nervous system, the endocrine system and the use of presence will be explored through experience. Through massage techniques, we will enrich and enliven our sensory capacity to perceive and communicate presence and encourage the body to enter the parasympathetic state, which allows for relaxation, rejuvenation and a sense of meditative calm. This class will focus on applying the art of presence to all types of bodywork modalities to increase the effectiveness and the depth of transformational healing.

Act Now!
Questions: fmerillat@mac.com

About the Instructors
Frank Merillat has been an instructor at the Florida School of Massage since 1995. He teaches Kinesiology, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Boundary and Ethics in the basic program. He also offers several different CEU courses as both and instructor and provider. He offers an eclectic approach to bodywork combining elements from several styles of work to customize the work to meet the individual client. He has studied with Deane Juhan, Tom Myers, Ben Benjamin, as well as Giorgia and Hugh Milne, all noted instructors in the bodywork field. His time with these noted instructors is incorporated into his teaching style and approach to the body. He enjoys time with his family, dogs and on the salt water, as well as working with people.

Amanda Concha-Holmes merges her training as a cultural anthropologist with her practice as a massage therapist and her love of ensemble contact improvisation dance. In her massage practice (licensed in 2010) and in the classes she teaches, she integrates her training in Reiki and in Thai massage with her years of teaching Transformational movement, ecosenses and partner yoga. For the last few years, she has been dedicated to crafting her practice around chair massage to be able to offer healing touch to people in their daily lives. She looks forward to sharing the conceptual and experiential aspects of reaching the parasympathetic state along with anatomy essentials and techniques in a chair massage practice that will become a source of clients for a career in table and Thai massage at the office.

Essential Anatomy and Techniques for chair massage
2018-10-20 09:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $150 ($125 if registered 30 days in advance)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Credits: ★ Florida: 9
To Register: Contact Frank Merillat at 352-371-0743 or e-mail at fmerillat@mac.com
Chair massage is an ever-increasing tool used by massage therapists to expand their clientele, reach a new customer base and offer healing touch to those in need. It is excellent for marketing as well as for a profession on its own. Increasingly more businesses are requesting chair massage as a gift or a service for their employees. Wedding planners, grocery stores, hotels and hospitals are some of the varied businesses that appreciatively pay for chair massage services.
This course will examine the basic anatomy of the neck, shoulders, arms and lower back that a massage practitioner can access while doing chair massage. It will integrate multimedia teaching tools along with activities that illustrate upon the human form the basic muscle structures including their origins and insertions. Students will learn where the muscles are located, how they function, and specific techniques to address them during a chair massage to relieve pain and tension. Students will walk away with a routine of their own that integrates the techniques from the class, which allows them to offer a 15-minute chair massage session confidently. Time will also be spent exploring how to market and promote a chair-based practice.

Act Now!
Questions: fmerillat@mac.com
About the Instructors
Frank Merillat has been an instructor at the Florida School of Massage since 1995. He teaches Kinesiology, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Boundary and Ethics in the basic program. He also offers several different CEU courses as both and instructor and provider. He offers an eclectic approach to bodywork combining elements from several styles of work to customize the work to meet the individual client. He has studied with Deane Juhan, Tom Myers, Ben Benjamin, as well as Giorgia and Hugh Milne, all noted instructors in the bodywork field. His time with these noted instructors is incorporated into his teaching style and approach to the body. He enjoys time with his family, dogs and on the salt water, as well as working with people.

Amanda Concha-Holmes merges her training as a cultural anthropologist with her practice as a massage therapist and her love of ensemble contact improvisation dance. In her massage practice (licensed in 2010) and in the classes she teaches, she integrates her training in Reiki and in Thai massage with her years of teaching Transformational movement, ecosenses and partner yoga. For the last few years, she has been dedicated to crafting her practice around chair massage to be able to offer healing touch to people in their daily lives. She looks forward to sharing the conceptual and experiential aspects of reaching the parasympathetic state along with anatomy essentials and techniques in a chair massage practice that will become a source of clients for a career in table and Thai massage at the office.

Thai Massage Phase V – Advanced Sideline - Postponed until further notice
2018-10-13 09:00 - 2018-10-14 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Thai Workshops postponed until further notice, to restart at Phase I when it is safe to do so, please contact Ariela if you are interested in getting on her list for future courses.
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300 ($210 for current FSM students)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register: Contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or visit www.bodhisangha.com
Traditionally, in classical Thai Massage, the recipient assumes either a sitting, prone, supine or side line position. Of these postures a strong working knowledge of sideline and it’s applications can be indispensable, particularly for working with pregnant clients, or those for whom lying on their stomach is uncomfortable or not possible. In this workshop we will modify all the material previously learned to accommodate these needs.
We will also undertake a stronger and more detailed knowledge of the energy lines in the side position and we will learn to apply different stances for different lines, customizing them to the individual needs of the client. In this fifth level training, we will apply knowledge previously gained while learning to trust in our intuition through the application of Ayurvedic principles. In this stage of learning, we will primarily be applying energy through the use of our feet and developing the sensitivity, balance and agility that naturally extends from this technique. With some emphasis being placed on the mutual source they share, we will explore Hatha yoga principals within the context of Thai Massage and utilize this knowledge in the shared benefit of recipient and practitioner alike.

Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils
2018-10-13 09:00 - 2018-10-14 18:00 UTC | FL
Instructor: Christina Polnyj
Time: Saturday – Sunday, 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $250
Location: NW Gainesville. Please contact Christina at (352) 222-1747 or christinapolnyj@mac.com for address and directions.
CE Hours:18 CE Hours Live and Relevant to Massage
To register visit workshop page at Essential Education International

Description:

LEARN A MULTILAYERED APPROACH TO HEALTH.
GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF AROMATHERAPY AND HOW TO UTILIZE ESSENTIAL OILS AT HOME AND/OR PROFESSIONALLY.
BECOME PROFICIENT IN THE USES OF 21 ESSENTIAL OILS.
MAKE AROMATIC CREAM BLENDS, ROOM SPRAYS, SINUS INHALERS, DIFFUSER BLENDS, MASSAGE OILS, AND BATH SALTS.
DISCOVER HOW ESSENTIAL OILS ARE USED TO MAINTAIN HEALTH, TREAT ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN, AND REDUCE STRESS.

Learning safety guidelines and basic blending skills is all you need to begin to enjoy the therapeutic use of essential oils. In this class we will study 21 essential oils and gain an understanding of their individual uses, including immune support, reducing inflammation, pain management and stress reduction. Participants will experience the benefits of aromatherapy firsthand while making massage oil, scented or aromatic cream, room sprays, diffuser blends, bath salts, sinus inhalers, and steams. Add an exciting dimension to your practice while supporting your own health and wellness. NO MASSAGE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

NO MASSAGE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
18 FLORIDA CE HOURS FOR MASSAGE THERAPISTS
LIVE AND RELEVANT TO MASSAGE THERAPY

Ortho-Bionomy Foundations - Musculoskeletal Rebalancing Through Joint Proprioception
2018-10-06 09:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: KALPESH PATEL, LMT
Date: Sat OCT 6, 2018 Time: 9AM – 6PM Workshop Price: $160
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 8
To Register: Email Kalpesh at orthobio@hotmail.com or sign up online.
Workshop Description:
How can we help people get comfortable in their own skin in a way that is easy and will last? How can we affect patterns of holding that seem too old or deep to work without being too invasive?
Learn precise hands-on techniques which reconnect a client’s sense of being directly back to their joints to enhance relaxation, support, stability & movement. Ortho-Bionomy is an osteopathic discipline for helping the whole being by being specific in our contact, both with our clients and within ourselves. The methods facilitate changes to deep muscle without direct pressure, so are very effective in conditions where deep tissue work is contraindicated or not tolerated. The techniques in this class are easy on the therapist, gentle and non-invasive for the client, can be performed with clients fully clothed and will cover all the major joints.
About the Instructors:
Kalpesh Patel has been in practice full-time in Gainesville for 17 years. He focuses on chronic pain, sports, rehabilitation, and visceral/ musculoskeletal dynamics. He has been a staff therapist for the Sports & Orthopedics physical therapy clinic of Shands Hospital since 2001. Kalpesh’s varied background of formal movement and somatic training inform his work and teachings: Indian classical dance, Buddhist Vipassana meditation, Taoist spontaneous Qigong, authentic Tai Chi Chuan, fascial mobilization, and trauma resolution using a biological model.

Thai Massage: Phase IV - Ayurveda and Thai Massage - Postponed until further notice
2018-09-08 09:00 - 2018-09-09 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Thai Workshops postponed until further notice, to restart at Phase I when it is safe to do so, please contact Ariela if you are interested in getting on her list for future courses.
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300($210 for current FSM students)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register: Contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or arielagrodner@yahoo.com
Description: It is generally accepted in learned circles that the earth itself possesses energy lines. Likewise the human body is also composed of pathways for various kinds of energy and information. Different disciplines and cultural traditions portray their location and means of access in alternate manners. The system taught in Thai Massage is a descendant of a synthesis of India’s Ayurvedic medical healing art and China’s meridian methodology. In Thai Massage we cultivate an awareness of the sen lines and practice various techniques with the intent of bringing them into balance with each other. When the energy lines are brought into balance, harmony, health and equilibrium are the result.
Knowledge of the Thai energy line system was nearly lost to us. Some of the great practitioners of our time (Asokananda and Kam Thye Chow) pieced together fragments found in various Buddhist temples around the world, and together have co-created a modern interpretation of this ancient knowledge (used today in many schools of Thai). In this intensive, we will cover Marmas and the Ayurvedic application in this art. This weekend breaths life into our work and enriches the quality of touch.
Completion of all five Thai Massage phases leads to certification in Traditional Thai Massage.
Experience with Thai Massage is a prerequisite for this class. Thai Massage practitioners with previous training other than Thai Massage Phase I, II, and III may enroll in this course with instructor approval.
Please bring:
Foam mat (memory foam) or padded blanket, Pillows and Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It is a long day so bring snacks and lunch.
To register please contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or visit her website at bodhisangha.com.

Scar Management: Principles, Practice and Protocol
2018-08-25 09:00 - 2018-08-26 18:00 UTC | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
This highly practical course is aimed at assisting health care professionals with the development of their clinical expertise – enabling them to work safely and effectively with patients with problematic scars of varying etiology and through the various stages of accidental or surgical trauma recovery.
The material covers the science of wound healing and scar formation (normal and abnormal), pathophysiological scar etiology and considerations for bodywork during the various stages of healing and mature scar formation. Trauma sensitive considerations and communication strategies and are also covered. The course includes instructor demos and participant exchange (assessment and treatment) – including methods/tools for evaluating and tracking treatment outcomes.
The overarching learning outcome is to assist the professional with improving their critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and scar treatment skills to achieve consistently safe and effective clinical outcomes.
Students will be encouraged to share their scar tissue experiences, interact with other therapists in group discussions and will have the opportunity to record demos from instructors to have for their own reference.
Nancy combines years of research with traumatic scar clients and her certification in MLD to develop a protocol that combines gentle hands-on techniques to facilitate the best healing environment.

Thai Massage: Phase III - Advanced Poses
2018-07-14 09:00 - 2018-07-15 18:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Instructor: Ariela Grodner
Time: 9AM-6PM
Workshop Price: $300 ($210 for current FSM students)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 18 Florida and National
To Register: Contact Ariela at 813-417-6745 or arielagrodner@yahoo.com
In Thai III we will be exploring advanced poses for those students already possessing a firm grasp of the basic material as taught in Thai 1 and 2.
During this class we will be both learning and exploring more complex poses and techniques (inversions, back bends, advanced footwork etc.) while also taking our awareness to a deeper place within seemingly simple touch. In this course we will be refining our diagnostic abilities and increasing our external means of co-creating an individual session tailored to the recipients level of flexibility and particular needs.
We will also be taking a more proactive approach in cultivating the improvisational movement so necessary to being free within the form. In this class we will again increase our healing vocabulary while learning to be more present in our moment.

Advanced Muscular Therapy: Deep Tissue & Myofascial Technique
2018-07-14 09:00 - 2018-07-15 17:00 (America/New_York) | Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States
Date: Saturday – Sunday, July 14-15, 2018
Time: 9AM – 5 PM
Workshop Price: $398 ($298 before July 2)
Location: Florida School of Massage
CE Hours: 14 NCBTMB and NYS
To Register: Call 617-576-0777 or Pay with paypal
Questions? Contact: Please call 617-576-0777
[Download workshop flyer]
Description:
Join Dr. Ben Benjamin for two days of 95% hands-on workshop. At each full-day of training, you will learn several dozen myofascial and deep tissue muscular therapy techniques to address pain and injury in some of the most commonly injured structures of the body.
You will also understand the anatomy of these structures as never before through physically locating and palpating each muscle, tendon, and ligament targeted with these techniques. Most of theses techniques were developed from actual cases from Dr. Benjamin’s clinical practice.

About the instructor
Ben Benjamin, PhD (Sports Medicine) has been practicing massage sincle 1963 and has been nationally recongized for his contricgutions to massage therapy, receiving the AMTA President’s Award in 2000 and an induction into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame in 2010.
