Touch could be considered one of the first and most important forms of communication, a way of connecting with other humans that crosses cultures and even centuries. This may be one of the main reasons the field of massage therapy and bodywork is such a broad and diverse industry. After all, healthy touch is something that can be found in nearly every nation, so it would make sense that many cultures have their own take on massage therapy and bodywork.
For those practitioners who wish to travel the world through the various cultural techniques and modalities, there may be no better way to begin then with the right continuing education classes. With the wide array of continuing education available to massage therapists and bodyworkers, it should not be difficult to locate a continuing education course on a some kind of culture- or location-based form of touch therapy.
In a sense, practitioners can use the continuing education experience to take a tour of the global methods of massage therapy and bodywork. Within many of these continuing education classes, students not only get a chance to learn about and experience a specific cultural modality, but they also get to know a bit of the history behind this form of touch therapy and the culture that created it.
Besides enhancing one’s knowledge about the world and adding something new to a practitioner’s existing skill set, enrolling in continuing education classes on topics pertaining to massage and bodywork techniques from around the globe can also be a great way to improve one’s practice.
Use continuing education classes to learn enough about a cultural modality, and then you can add it to your practice menu with confidence and passion. In quite a few communities, such a unique service might stand out and serve to draw positive attention to you and your practice. This could also become a great angle for marketing your service around town, from brochures and Web content to press releases and advertisements.
Of course, you want to find a method of touch therapy that speaks to you and feels like an authentic fit for your practice, rather than choosing to take multiple continuing education classes on a culture specific modality only because it seems as if it would draw the most attention and business. However, finding that ideal technique often means taking quite a few different continuing education classes at the beginner’s level.
If there is a certain modality that already has your interest, that would probably be a great place to start. For example, if you feel drawn to a method, such as Thai yoga massage, then start looking around to see what continuing education classes might be coming up on that topic. You may need to take a few continuing education classes on the modality before you can decide whether you want to pursue it to the most advanced levels.
Other examples of culture- or nation-based forms of massage therapy and bodywork, which may be discovered via continuing education, include shiatsu, lomilomi and more. Simply take a look at current listings for continuing education classes and see if any of these techniques are being taught near you.