Rooted Bodywork

Out supporting the Healer Squad at the inaugural AfroPunk Brooklyn Wellness Village powered by Life Wellness Center and Liberation Health Strategies.


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I am excited to announce that I am a Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist (CMLDT)! Gratitude and love for our massage squad that took this course together. We learned Vodder techniques, studied anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the lymphatic system.

MLD Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is a specialized massage technique specifically designed to support the lymph system.

I am especially looking forward to using MLD to support overall wellness, post-surgical care, during the healing process of gender affirming surgeries, pre and post-natal care. More updates to come to here and on the website.

Included in some of the pictures from the course is a familiar face, Kiera Nagle who is a beloved friend/chosen fam and colleague along with three amazing former students/friends who also took the course.
and new friend

Happy Transgender Day of Visibilty!

Trans bodies deserve affirming space everywhere.

Later gram: Four fabulous days with amazing people, spent brining to life our collective visions of loving Blackness and being well. We are deep in a project and this next phase has us all hyped 🖤 Feeling grateful to be part of the team that is building and growing the STLC Program at Auburn Theological Seminary.


Thanks for supporting us and MR

It is a dream as a consultant to feel anchored and be part of a squad that continues building. Sometimes you only get to come in on a project for a small section but being part of the whole process is an honor. More to come…

Collage & director:
Make-up:

We did it! Another 13 MaMassage Massage Therapists were trained this weekend! It was a pleasure to assist once again. These amazing people will go out into the world and help pregnant clients feel better in their bodies.

Original post from !!! Another ⁠⁠
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#13 AMAZING learned and treated their clients with ⁠⁠
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who has been for all the years of MaMassage... Carla makes us laugh, fills in as a body, helps students with and takes the best photos (almost all pictured here!) ⁠⁠
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Thanks for helping us check in clients!⁠⁠
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Thanks to the facilities staff for helping us with setups and keeping the space clean and COVID-compliant!⁠⁠
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The third photo features the latest hired cohort of MT's at including from left, and seated with ⁠⁠
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Phew! I ❤️

Latergram: Took sometime to be outside before the storm. We had no idea what was to come in just a few hours.

As and I wrapped up our summer break from teaching we took some much needed time.

Continuing to give myself grace, take time for play, be with my peoples and make time rest. Grateful for the beautiful trees and flowers that we had the privilege of spending the afternoon with.

Wishing for ease as everyone recovers and heals.

Started my work day building an altar in one of my favorite places with my peoples. I love that this journey has lead me to a place a of multiple belonging, starting meetings with embodied practice and pulling cards.

This!

“For a lot of athletes, and a lot of people, we’re told to push beyond the boundaries of what is healthy for us, and I think it is a really destructive and bad message,” Orbé-Austin said. She noted that this destructive thinking can send a message that it should be celebrated that you are burnt out, overworked and exhausted.”

“Work martyrdom happens when there is immense pressure ― either internal or external ― to keep pushing past physical and mental limits for the sake of your organization because of the belief that you alone can do it.”
Orbé-Austin

Simone Biles Refused To Be A Work Martyr. You Should, Too. The Olympic champion knew her limits and set an example for us all.

Six Asian American Massage Therapists were murdered in hate based crimes in Georgia this week that left eight people dead. These were hate crimes targeted at Asian American Women. They were victims of hate crimes. They had families and friends, they were loved, they are sacred, they were community members, they were massage therapists and much more. May all of the victims lives be honored, may they be mourned and they must be respected.

My social media feeds should look a lot different as a massage therapist that’s a member of professional organizations and numerous Facebook groups for the profession.

All of the names have not been released. At the time of this post Xiaojie Tan and Daoyou Feng are two of the massage therapist who’s names were released.

Even for those groups and organization who have posted many loosely acknowledged that these were in fact hate crimes, that these women were targeted because of their race. This field has so much work to do.

This country has a long history of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Many isms, prejudices, and objectification are part of why this happened. The racist and misogynist responses, reactions and victim blaming is deplorable.

While the wellness industry continues to grow and profit off a long rich history of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT), Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine and more. Asian, Black, Indigenous and other communities of Color have had their practices culturally appropriated, stolen and rebranded to the extent that too many practicing forget/ignore or don’t know where the practices come from. From Reiki to yoga, to the numerous types of massage many people here in the United States often picture a White women before they picture a person of color as a practitioner. Frankly it’s sickiening.

As a teacher and clinical supervisor I teach students and interns about safety in our field. Students and interns while eager to practice worry about their safety in this profession, this fear is real. For Asian American Pacific Islander Women as well as other Women of Color there is an additional threat of violence as this country is complicit in violence against women of color. Poplar culture continues to perpetuate stereotypes about our bodies, about this field and the lie that we are for comsumption.

The history and current practices of colonization, cultural appropriation and white supremacy has to be talked about in our field. How are we helping people with their wellness while steeped in toxicity? There is much that has to be done in our field and in this country.

As an ally, as a practitioner and educator I will continue having the hard conversations and pushing the spaces that I am in. I know that my liberation is bound to that of my siblings of color.

Our massage colleagues were taken from their beloveds they deserved better.

My heart is heavy, I am angry and sadden.

To address anti-Asian racism we must see the intersectionality.