Skya Livingston, CA CMT, Board Certified Massage Therapist
Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner, Yoga Instructor
I am a Mother and Healer. My work is both nurturing and strategic.
My goal is to facilitate healing, improve functionality and movement, ease pain in life and in child-bearing, and help you feel better!
Before I worked on bodies, I worked on bicycles. There are a lot of similarities, and I love puzzling out a mysterious "squeak" or a cranky hip. But the advantage of our bodies over bikes, is that they are alive and have an inate ability to heal themselves.
Sometimes our bodies get stuck - in a pattern, in a pain cycle, in imbalance...and they need a nudge. That's my job.
I listen and offer your body the nudges it is asking for, and your brilliant, capable self does the rest!
What kind of bodywork do you do?
My daughter calls me a "Massagethist." I like this, because I find that what people often imagine under "Massage Therapist" to be somewhat limiting.
Personally, I think of myself as an "Anatomical Engineer" because I groove on anatomical structures and how they move and affect each other, and my goal is to restore and improve whole body function.
Technically speaking, I integrate manual therapy techniques, massaage techniques, and techniques from Asian modalities into whatever combination is called for in a particular session with a paricular person. I am guided by initial and ongoing assessments to help me work as efficiently and effectively as possible to address your needs. These assessments are visual, hands-on, verbal, and intuitive. I take notes. You and your body's history, goals, and desires are important and informative. I go beyond the muskuloskeletal system and address ALL systems and structures, including: organs, fascia, scar tissue, vascular system, lymphatic system, cranial structure, peripheral and central nervous systems, and anything else in between. These systems form anatomical maps in my head and in my hands, along with that of the Chinese meridian system, that help guide and inform my work and interpret your body's directives. But the most importand part of my work is listening with my hands, because your body knows what it needs, and my job is too follow and encourage.
What can I expect during a session?
Practically speaking, what you can expect is:We start with a chat about what you're experiencing in your body and anything else that may be relevant
- I will watch you walk and move
- I will observe your alignment with my eyes and hands both standing up and on the table
- I will place my hands in various places to "listen" and gather information
- I will check both active and passive range of motion throughout the session to measure change
- You will be getting on and off the table several times during our session. This allows you to move and integrate the work into your body incrementally, allows us to check for changes, and allows me to make fresh assessments that direct me to the next step. While this process may take some getting used to, it is incredibly efficient, and allows us to hone in on the very specific areas that need to be released in order to produced the most significant changes.
- You will most likely remain clothed during the session, unless the assessment guides us toward the use of techniques that are best done on skin. In this case you would be draped under a sheet.
- You will most likely feel changes/improvements during the first session. Please keep in mind that patterns that our bodies have held for a long time can sometimes take time and multiple sessions to release. Sometimes there are many layers of trauma and holding patterns that take time and increased familiarity with each other to untangle and reveal themselves. For this reason, if you feel that our initial session is helpful, I recommend booking 3-4 subsequent sessions relatively close together in order to affect greater change more efficiently.
- At the end of our session I will usually make some simple movement, breathing, or other recommendations ("homework") that come from my therapeutic yoga and extensive movement background to further your healing and self care.
- Lastly, I will send you out the door with the offer of a hug an a smile and my best wishes for your continued well being :-)
Header Photo by Massimo Rinaldi on Unsplash