Massage therapy
I often admire the complete and total relaxation of non-human mammals as they sleep--a visual I sometimes challenge myself or clients to try to model when receiving a massage. Relaxation and stress-relief are valuable outcomes, no doubt, and they are valid reasons to seek out a massage therapy session. What interests me most, though, is what happens in a space and in a safe therapeutic relationship that allows one to fully release the bracing that our bodies put on like protective armor as we move through our days. My goal in each session with you is to first acknowledge and thank the ways that our physical bodies work to protect us from known and unknown, positive and less positive, stressors and then invite the body to settle into a contained space of calm and safety--this can take time and requires a strengthening trust between practitioner and client. I view massage therapy as sacred work and approach each session with that perspective. It is important to me that you know that regardless of what brings you to our session.
I enrolled in massage therapy school in 2015 as a social worker with the intention of developing bodywork programming for individuals experiencing homelessness. My work has presented me with the opportunity to continue engaging that focus while also working with individuals from all backgrounds. The uniqueness of each individual's experience and how it shows up in the treatment room will be honored fully. I center the insight, strength, love and experiences of women, LGBTQIA+, black, brown and indigenous individuals, as well as individuals who have experienced housing insecurity and intimate partner violence and offer massage therapy with these specific communities in mind.
Specializations: Swedish massage, bodywork for individuals identifying as trans, nonbinary and queer (inclusive of breath support, lymph drainage, post-op care, etc.), lymphatic drainage, chronic pain management, trigger point, oncology and palliative care/hospice massage (in-home and facility-based), Hakomi method.
Please refer to my Bodywork Policies page for information about trauma-informed care practices at Sweetgrass.
I enrolled in massage therapy school in 2015 as a social worker with the intention of developing bodywork programming for individuals experiencing homelessness. My work has presented me with the opportunity to continue engaging that focus while also working with individuals from all backgrounds. The uniqueness of each individual's experience and how it shows up in the treatment room will be honored fully. I center the insight, strength, love and experiences of women, LGBTQIA+, black, brown and indigenous individuals, as well as individuals who have experienced housing insecurity and intimate partner violence and offer massage therapy with these specific communities in mind.
Specializations: Swedish massage, bodywork for individuals identifying as trans, nonbinary and queer (inclusive of breath support, lymph drainage, post-op care, etc.), lymphatic drainage, chronic pain management, trigger point, oncology and palliative care/hospice massage (in-home and facility-based), Hakomi method.
Please refer to my Bodywork Policies page for information about trauma-informed care practices at Sweetgrass.
ReikI
Kyo dakewa – (Just for today)
Ikaru na (Do not be angry)
Shinpai suna (Do not worry)
Kansha shite (Be grateful)
Gyo o hagame – (Do your duties)
Hito ni shinsetsu ni – (Be kind to others)
Reiki sessions can also include guided meditation or can be completed in silence; the work will conclude with a verbal sharing of what both practitioner and client experienced during the session and a written summary of the practitioner's observations can be provided at the request of the client. Sessions can feel both very active to the client, as though energy is being released and moved, or it can feel more passive, as though being held in prayerful or meditative silence. Both environments can produce information (e.g. colors, temperature changes, muscle tremors, tightness and release, etc.) that is observable by the practitioner and that can be discussed during or following the session.
Note: As a white practitioner, I am continually exploring anti-colonial ways of engaging with energetic healing and the ways that I talk about Reiki and/or my experience in session with you may differ from other Western Reiki practitioners. Both the mutual aid model and earth care pillar of Sweetgrass offerings speak to some of the ways I orient to energy work as a white-bodied practitioner, as do my ongoing studies of Japanese culture and language.
REIKI MASSAGE
An integrated session with Reiki and massage therapy. Sessions typically begin and end with Reiki with the bulk of the time in between devoted to massage. Because Reiki sessions include a post-session email, you might notice brief pauses during your massage portion if I need to break contact to make notes to share with you. Every effort is made to limit the number of times you experience a break in physical contact.
Garden INSTALLATION/mentoring
My paternal grandfather was a large-scale industrial grain and soybean farmer and my parents owned a small floral business in my hometown for forty-five years. These genetic and vocational orientations were passed down to me in more ways than not, and the central grounding feature of my day-to-day life is noticing and connecting to the natural world around me. I maintain my own permaculture-informed organic garden with fruits, vegetables, perennial flowers and wild prairie space (with my cherished beehive!) and plan each season in such a way that allows me to pass on half of every weekly harvest to food pantries in my neighborhood. I have also worked with various urban farms in Indianapolis over the years, all of whom are deeply connected to equity-based food justice. The love and hope that farmers and growers give to and feel from the earth is unparalleled and is an energy I wish for everyone to know personally, for both energetic and practical reasons. Sustainable practices can meet the needs of our now and most importantly of our future and are possible for everyone to learn and incorporate into their lives at various levels.
Some of the projects I've worked with gardening and plant life clients on in recent years include:
- planting a native pollinator meadow
- seed saving
- food preservation
- supporting learning around permaculture design and edible landscaping
- selecting and installing rain water harvesting systems
- designing raised bed and compost systems
- assisting in the selection of seed ordering and charting out sowing schedules
- companion planting overviews
- season-extending measures
- general weeding, irrigation and landscaping techniques and labor
- backyard gardening designs that hinge on upcycling of materials
- education and support for native and non-native pollinators
Nonprofit/organizational care + critical incident debriefing
I offer body-based group processes for nonprofit organizations and community groups as a part of critical incident debriefing, restorative justice circles and staff cohesion activities. These experiences prioritize unpacking the embodiment of traumatic memories over verbal processing of the experience, whether it be an isolated occurrence or a part of a pattern or ongoing scenario. Sessions are most effective in in-person environments but can be adapted for remote/online offerings as needed. Sessions can easily be modified to incorporate multiple healing modalities, restorative frameworks and practitioners. I can also craft body-centered practices and experiences to supplement workshops and conversations around anti-racism and restorative justice as it is my belief that dismantling white supremacy and institutional racism also require body-based exploration and change.
