I have been a massage therapist at Infinity Massage & Wellness for 2 ½ years. I moved to this beautiful city in the summer of 2014 after completing my Bachelors Degree at Bemidji State University. I had switched majors multiple times and discovered that a career in massage therapy was what I was looking for all along. I received my training in massage at Lake Superior College and did my continuing education training in cupping and gua sha at Adagio Holistic Therapies in St. Paul. My sessions range from light and relaxing to very deep and therapeutic. Clients often comment on the amount of pressure I am able to give. Something people do not know about me is that I have an irrational fear of velociraptors and I won the “most likely to be on fear factor” award in high school….I’ve gotten better at turning down dares.
I love being a massage therapist because I love working with people and helping them reduce the effects of life and stress on their bodies. Although I think it would be great if everyone could get a massage every week, I also know that the cost of massage isn’t in everyone’s budget. Taking care of yourself between your regular massage sessions can prolong the benefits of each massage! I want to help my clients learn how to take care of themselves when they’re not at Infinity. Besides simple stretches, increasing your water intake, watching your nutrition, and postural corrections, I usually recommend practicing yoga.
Now let me stop you before you start with your mental picture of perfect Instagram yogis in fashionable yoga clothes. Yoga is for EVERY body. If you have a body and a pulse you can do yoga. We’re fortunate to have a variety of local yoga studios that offer classes for people of all ages and abilities. If you’re looking for something to try from home, I recommend videos from Yoga With Adriene. Adriene focuses on doing what FEELS good not what we think yoga should look like. Plus, she is hilarious and has the most adorable yogi dog, Benji. When I do yoga regularly, I feel better, sleep better and clients say that I feel much more connected during their sessions.
Like massage, there are also yoga videos and classes focusing on specific tension areas or even stress relief. I personally enjoy my 30 minutes of daily yoga time to work on different areas each day. I like the online videos since they give me the ability to pause and finish later if I am feeling frustrated or if my pup decides she’d rather cuddle than watch me do yoga.
I hope that through regular massage sessions and trying some yoga self-care that you discover what works best for you to show your body some love.
“Take care of your body like it belongs to someone you love.”
Looking forward to meeting and working with you!
-Ali Marnich, CMT
