Massage Services Bellingham WA
Hello, my name is
My
My
Cortiva Institute of Massage (1000 hr License) – Seattle, WA – 2010
Deep tissue, Swedish, myofascial release, injury treatment, and sports massage. Auxillary training in cranial sacral, lymphatic facilitation, structural integration, and reflexology
My Story
I grew up in Washington in a pretty typical suburb. I wasn’t the most active kid but played basketball and baseball. I spent most of my time indoors playing video games. I started gaining weight in seventh and eighth grade but really started to put on pounds when in high school.
I started playing football but was a lineman, and being on the larger side of life was condoned if not encouraged. I reached 240 lbs by the end of high school and moved on to college.
I joined a fraternity and spent most of my time partying and eating and ballooned right up. I spent five years in college partying and when I finished I moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And that’s where my transformation started.
Falling in love with the outdoors
I started doing what we call just normal Jackson stuff. I started hiking, jogging, and mountain biking. I was really slow at first and couldn’t make it that far, but you have to start somewhere, and at least I had made those first steps. I plugged along for about 4 to five years with some ups and downs but managed to lose a good amount of weight.
I started to fall in love with the mountains and all of the amazing activities that they provided. Not only was the weight falling off but my self-consciousness was diminishing.
I didn’t know anything about Jackson Hole. I just knew that I didn’t want to move back to the city just yet, and deep down, I believe I was ready for a big change. I knew I had two friends there and that they would help me find a place to live and a job.
So, I packed up my few belongings and made the trek. The people in Jackson were fit, really fit. I had always felt subconscious about my weight, and the active community in Jackson amplified this feeling.
I became only a little more active in the first few months, but then I stepped on a scale. I weighed 300 lbs. Not only had I become extremely self-conscious, but my weight had become very unhealthy. I decided right then that it was time to make a change.
Time for a Change
I had been working in a hotel the entire time I was trying to physically better myself. My degree was in hospitality business management, so I thought that hotel work was where I should be. I had just paid thousands of dollars for this degree, and I had better use it.
Looking back, I know that I hated being in the back of the hotel. The fluorescent lights were smothering me. I probably knew this at the time but kept plugging away. Something had to change.
Like Mother Like Son
My mom was a massage therapist, and I remember when she was in school, she would come home and practice on us. I remember how awesome it was and how much it helped make me feel better from the damage sustained by playing football.
I don’t think that it was ever at the forefront of my mind, but looking back, I think that I wanted to go into a field where I could help people like my mom. Make them feel better, whether it helps with an injury, stress, or overworked muscles. While working in the hotel, not only was I not helping anyone except the shareholders of the hotel, but I was also making myself go crazy. One day I decided that I have to quit, go to massage school and come back to Jackson.
Falling in Love with Massage
I loved everything about massage school. I feel very fortunate to have been able to go to as good of a massage school as I did. The teachers were amazing and very knowledgeable. After the one year program, I was hooked. I graduated and immediately moved back to Jackson. I got a job in a spa and continued to learn from some of the great therapists that worked there.
I wanted to continue to learn so I went to Thailand to learn Thai massage. I also took specialized classes to better myself in the field.
The whole time I was learning massage I was bettering myself by exercising and learning to eat healthily. I practiced yoga religiously which became one of my other passions. I have recently completed my 300-hour yoga teacher training and am currently practicing to start teaching.
Finding Peace in Health
Because of all the hard work and practice, I am the happiest I have ever been. I feel a great sense of satisfaction and am constantly learning new techniques. I am easily the healthiest I have ever been as well. I firmly believe that we must constantly work on ourselves if we want to achieve our ideal selves. I am happy with where I am at but will not stop putting in the effort to better myself.
Back Home
My partner and I recently decided that we wanted to be closer to our families in Washington and moved to Bellingham. I am happy to bring what I have learned from working on so many mountain bikers and ski/snowboarders in Jackson to Bellingham.
