From company jobs to therapeutic massage therapist and motion educator, we take a dive into Diana’s world and the way she remodeled her personal life by motion schooling and instruments that served her all through her personal therapeutic journey and serving to others.
On this interview, Diana shares her insights in regards to the significance of self-massage, respiration, and meditation, and the impact they’ve on general effectively being and well being.
Concerning the writer: Interview led by Erin Wen, Tune Up Health content material author. Erin works as a Osteopathic Manipulative Therapist (OMT) and motion specialist for over 15 years. She has a background in classical ballet that finally led her to change into a yoga teacher. She can also be a licensed Yoga Tune Up® teacher and at present gives a number of remedy modalities together with osteopathic manipulation, pelvic ground and being pregnant assist, and motion trainings and workshops.
Interview with Diana Duncan
Erin: Do you thoughts sharing a bit about your background and the way you grew to become a bodyworker and instructor?
Diana: I began out in company work and rapidly realized I didn’t prefer it a lot and determined to do some touring. Humorous sufficient, in 1997, I made a spontaneous determination to go to therapeutic massage college with out ever having a therapeutic massage earlier than. I used to be residing in New York Metropolis on the time and I couldn’t afford a therapeutic massage! Two of my pricey girlfriends had gone by the method and I simply dove in with out actually understanding a lot about it or if I used to be even going to get pleasure from it.
Erin: What was the inclination you had in the direction of therapeutic massage college?
Diana: I had a historical past of jobs that have been sedentary and I knew I needed a brand new change in my life that concerned motion. I requested myself: “What can I do that may preserve me transferring?” So I began doing therapeutic massage till my daughter was born. After that we prioritized the unity of the household as a result of my husband traveled on a regular basis, I might solely follow therapeutic massage on the aspect. Round 2014, I made a decision to take my boards once more and return to doing full time bodywork. Whereas I loved therapeutic massage I felt there was one thing lacking in the best way I used to be treating my purchasers.
I had a kind of “a-ha” moments after I took a yoga class in a studio the place the instructor used tennis balls in a sock. I ended up shopping for a dozen of these for all my purchasers! I believed…I would like to seek out some form of coaching that may take me to the subsequent stage with this! I began asking lecturers and somebody launched me to The Roll Mannequin Methodology, Jill Miller’s first ebook which then led me to all her trainings.
Erin: How did you begin involving motion along with your purchasers after you realized ‘one thing was lacking’?
Diana: I had at all times practiced yoga and pilates. So I pursued skilled coaching with Stott Pilates. This helped me to incorporate motion work into my sedentary life-style I had in the meanwhile and helped me with my therapeutic massage purchasers as soon as I obtained again into follow.
Erin: How was your expertise implementing what you discovered within the Tune Up coaching to your purchasers?
Diana: I positively struggled originally instructing the Yoga Tune Up (YTU) practices and discovering my voice as a instructor as a result of the Tune Up coaching articulates Yoga Asana in a manner that could appear very totally different from most yoga trainings. Jill’s work put science and motion to issues I used to be feeling and sensing in my very own physique. With my college students the TUF coaching gave me instructing instruments that felt very grounded. Instruments I might apply inside the context of their lives and wishes. I used to be in a position to give my college students a deeply sourced motion expertise and schooling that would assist them not solely with stretching or mobility however the schooling helped me to speak how and why their motion patterns matter of their day by day life. It’s been my expertise that when college students get into this work, dive into self therapeutic massage and motion, they get these eye opening moments that astonishes them and that’s so a lot enjoyable to see.
Let go of imposter syndrome.
– Diana Duncan
Erin: How do you prioritize whether or not you provide therapeutic massage or motion to your purchasers? Do you suppose one is extra necessary than the opposite?
Diana: I had a very onerous time with this as a result of as a lot as I needed to encourage the significance of motion, many purchasers would typically favor to simply be cared for on the desk. And I fully associated and understood the necessity to simply be held and supported by contact. So then I noticed that mannequin wasn’t functioning. Now I provide longer periods the place purchasers obtain each or they arrive in twice every week for various providers.
I do suppose motion and self-massage is by way more instructive than somebody touching you. It’s a very highly effective software for self-knowledge and understanding about your self. I’ve a shopper recovering from surgical procedure who has misplaced some proprioceptive abilities and we’re engaged on recovering a few of these abilities again by meditation, yoga nidra, and ball rolling.
However I do suppose that desk therapeutic massage has its time and place. I typically do craniosacral on my purchasers to achieve these deep states of peace and quietness that may be so therapeutic and rewarding.
Erin: What impact do you suppose these ‘deep’ states of being have on the physiological physique (i.e. ache, surgical procedure restoration, trauma)?
Diana: The direct neurological actions that happen to get to that thoughts state are very a lot supportive of immune perform, decreasing irritation, decreasing stress, anxiousness, and decreasing cortisol ranges. It additionally gives that window of feeling ‘secure’ within the physique which might promote therapeutic and letting go.
Erin: What’s the distinction for you between self-massage and receiving therapeutic massage?
Diana: When I’m receiving a therapeutic massage, I’ve much less management of the state of affairs. As a lot as I like deep tissue therapeutic massage, I really feel upregulated and my coronary heart charge responds in a manner that I do know is just not precisely enjoyable. After I do my very own deep tissue work with therapeutic massage balls, I’m able to mood the pressures and pause issues in the event that they really feel overwhelming. I get pleasure from being able to resolve for myself.
Erin: What’s your greatest tip for lecturers?
Diana: Watch your college students, they are going to at all times inform you what they want and what it’s worthwhile to enhance to speak to them. They’re one of the best lecturers, removed from any coaching that I’ve taken.
Erin: How did self-massage enable you get well out of your earlier accidents/accidents?
Diana: I’ve had 2 main accidents – I broke my tibia and fibula and I had 2nd and third diploma burns from a fireplace harm that affected 80% of my legs and toes. Recovering from these accidents took loads of time and I needed to be taught to essentially maintain area for myself. Though there have been a number of components of my physique that have been motionless, the therapeutic massage balls helped me keep cellular in areas I might transfer. I knew even when I couldn’t roll, I might relaxation on a ball and breathe.
As soon as issues obtained higher, I used the balls to assist restore my mobility and with my burns, to assist with scar tissue therapeutic and fluid drainage. Remedy ball therapeutic massage coupled with motion schooling has helped me resolve continual points in my physique and the most important cause is as a result of it’s so fulfilling so I’m able to be constant.
Erin: What’s the motion modality that you just discover probably the most environment friendly?
Diana: I’ve began power coaching for myself as a result of I understand how necessary it’s. I’m at present doing a Energy Coaching for Yoga Lecturers with Kathryn Bruni-Younger and have been incorporating modalities of breath with power coaching. I imagine the mixture of all of it, together with meditation, rolling, power and motion are all so complimentary and important for residing. I really feel like for me probably the most environment friendly modality is what my physique wants that day. Somedays its self therapeutic massage, some days its power different occasions its simply relaxation, breath work, Yoga Nidra. All of it will get married collectively, I don’t know what to name it anymore!
Erin: What are your high self-care instruments?
Diana: My Coregeous ball and my Yoga Tune Up® Remedy Balls, they go along with me in every single place I am going!
Erin: What’s one thing that you understand now that you just wished you knew whenever you began practising?
Diana: Let go of imposter syndrome. I now have faith that my choices are nearly as good as anybody else’s when it comes to serving to anyone remedy an issue. There are such a lot of revolutionary methods to assist folks. In spite of everything of my accidents and therapeutic cycles, I now know that there are such a lot of issues that work, it’s not only one factor.
Erin: High suggestions for stress aid?
Diana: Respiratory, respiration, and extra respiration. I didn’t know something about respiration till I met Jill and I really feel it’s such a whole complete physique expertise. Diaphragm Vacuum is one among my favourite actions; it provides me nice peace and restoration.
Erin: Do you have got any upcoming trainings?
Diana: Sure! We have now a Roll Mannequin® Methodology Practitioner Certification developing in June in Austin, Texas. I will likely be instructing with Sandy Gross.
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