That’s actually a common misunderstanding – there is technically no ashiatsu weight limit in our Beginner/Intermediate level FasciAshi training (Fundamentals, Intermediate: Supine/Sidebody and ROM.. there ARE strength and skill requirements and weight restrictions for the Fasciashi Advanced class, however.)
ASHIATSU IS MEANT TO BE PERFORMED ON CLIENTS WHO ARE 50-100 POUNDS HEAVIER THAN THE MASSAGE THERAPIST.
One thing that needs to weigh heavily on your mind: do you have the client base that even needs Ashiatsu? This deeper than deep tissue massage technique is meant to be performed on clients who are 50-100 pounds heavier than you. If you are massaging people who weigh less than you, then you’ll be working too hard against gravity – sometimes even working on someone who is comparable in size/weight to you can be more difficult to massage with your feet if they cannot tolerate deep pressure. I highly recommend that you save your FasciAshi massages for the larger framed, dense tissued clients who are difficult to work on with your hands. If you don’t have the right client base for this technique, you may want to re-evaluate why you want to learn this style of myofascial ashiatsu, as it’s not meant for every client, it’s not meant for every massage therapist, and if this work is utilized incorrectly, or for evil not for good so to speak, then you can cause repetitive strain issues within yourself, and easily injury your client. Being that our experienced instructors and their team of barefoot massage therapists provide barefoot massage ALL THE TIME, all day every day, we have experienced first hand (or… first foot?!) what it feels like in our bodies to do 20 ashiatsu sessions within a week on small bodies, and what it feels like to do the same amount of sessions on larger bodies. Barefoot massage techniques offer a big tool you’ll be using to massage with, so it has to be used on the right job.
Gravity and alignment of your body during your massage are the two main things that do the work of adding pressure and initiating movement. A FasciAshi therapist shouldn’t be pushing and pulling themselves through the strokes – the subtle movements initiate from your core, and the alignment you create within yourself during each stroke is where the depth comes from.
Fluid movement, awareness of breath, great coordination and balance will help diminish any physical challenges you may experience during the workshop…
…it’s more about your awareness of those factors than it is any kind of ashiatsu weight limit.
For safety reasons for your fellow students, your future clients, and our equipment in the classroom, we are cautious and try to bring an awareness of the physicality involved with this work before you arrive for your myofascial ashiatsu workshop with the Center for Barefoot Massage. You are in for a 3 day boot camp – but once your coordination and flow come together, it’s a lot easier! We will need to know your height and weight once you register, so that we can coordinate the set up of the equipment and find the clients that you’ll be working with. Also for safety reasons, if you weigh over 200 pounds, you may be required to bring your own portable massage table – please ask your instructor if that is necessary.
In your preparations for FasciAshi class, we ask that you are confident that your upper arm strength can pull your body weight off the client at any moment if needed – in case you lose your balance, or in case your client needs an immediate removal of pressure. So just find a bar in a playground, and work on activating your pull up muscles. (You don’t have to do a pull up – just work on the action of it.)
You’ll need a healthy mental and physical endurance level to maintain focus and strength in class during our daily 2.5 hour long practice rounds. (Work on your massage endurance – add in a few longer massages in a row leading up to your class.)
We ask that you are flexible enough to stand up & down from a 24 inch stool quickly and easily from the floor in one smooth movement. You should also be able to sit on a stool with your knees close together in a cannon ball position. We sure do make Barefoot Massage look easy, but once you are standing on the table or sitting on the barstool, it can feel much harder than it looks! (Mobility and Yoga, dance, and movement in general will help you with this!)
If this all seems to sound like ashiatsu may not be the best fit for your clients or you right now, then DEFINITELY consider our Fijian Barefoot Massage training!
Check out this blog post for more!
AND Read this blog post about Fijian Barefoot Massage!