Wellness Doesn't Shut Down

Years ago, when I attended one of my massage schools, the teacher told the class a story. A portion of it went like this: “Hundreds of years ago the tribe physician used bodywork to maintain wellness within the community,” he said. “As long as people remained well, he made a living. The moment someone became ill, he didn’t get paid and was out of work.”
That was a pretty profound statement in more ways than one. It prepared me at that very moment, for the reality that my newly found holistic career could one day be abruptly interrupted by illness within my community. My teacher was well aware of the fact that his students could be so engrossed in their studies that to them, wellness would be the future norm.

Fourteen years later I found myself along with my colleagues facing a pandemic. Almost immediately massage businesses were shutdown. At first, it was a much-needed break. Massage therapy can be hard work. Then the weeks turned into months. At night I watched the evening news as the mayor of Los Angeles spoke about the stay at home order. Along with the massage businesses came the gyms, yoga studios and meditation centers. It was like an episode in a Star Wars movie I remember seeing, where Yoda goes into exile because darkness plagued the land.

I remembered my regular clients, teachers, nurses, administrators; who all frequented our clinic and melted into putty on my massage table. How were they holding up now? One thing is for sure, wellness doesn’t shutdown. It hasn’t disappeared. Wellness is the ultimate goal whether you find yourself sick in a hospital, or already well lying face down on a massage table. We all want to keep feeling better. It’s how we maintain a healthy economy. Months later I find myself standing in line at the grocery store six feet away from the person standing in front of me. I notice the posture; I notice the stressful attitude. I can’t help but wonder what a good deep tissue massage would do to assist these people in building their immune systems.

Before the pandemic I visited a friend in a retirement home. It was then that I saw a frail woman who sat alone in a wheelchair in the hallway. A few weeks later I returned. I found out that the woman, Gladys was about to be transferred to a hospice unit. I turned and saw her again lying on a gurney in the hallway. I walked over to her and she looked so weak. I took her hand and softly massaged it. I moved to her thin arm and lightly rubbed it for circulation, along with encouraging conversation. A few weeks later I returned to visit my friend who was having dinner in the dining room. To my surprise, Gladys was also having dinner at another table surrounded by friends. It was obvious to me, how essential therapeutic touch can be.

Patricia Huff, Massage therapist @ Massage Envy South Pasadena.