What is a Yomassage Supporter?
10/11/2019
NewsYomassage Supporters: The Magician’s Assistant
Yomassage supporters know magic. With a single brush of their hands, your worries vanish, and your body sinks into deep relaxation.
Who is a Yomassage Supporter?
They're like the magician's assistant. They assist Yomassage Therapists by allowing them to serve more than five clients in a single session. With this extra set of hands, Yomassege Therapists offer more touch while the Yomassage Supporter assists clients, organizes the room, and helps set-up and clean-up.
What does a Yomassage class look like with a Yomassage Supporter?
A typical Yomassage class is 90-minutes with a small group of 5 people. The 90-minute time frame is required as it allows each client to receive a minimum of 15-20 minutes of touch. After 10-15 minutes of touch; the benefits of massage start to kick in, resulting in emotional, physical, and cognitive gains.
| Read The Power of Touch to learn more about these benefits |
The Yomassage Supporter allows the Therapist to serve up to 8 people in a 90-minute session, providing more touch during the class. If you have a supporter in your class, you might even get 30-40 minutes of hands-on time in a 90-minute class!
They've Got Magic Up Their Sleeves
There is more than meets the eye with these trusty Yomassage Supporters. These supporters sometimes wear other hats like that of a personal trainer, nurse, reiki practitioner, or other professionals in the health and wellness field. They take the online Yomassage Supporter Training and learn how to make clients comfortable in the Yomassage positions, how to apply light, mindful touch, how to organize the class and assist the therapist, and much more!
Yomassage Therapists and their Supporters make a fantastic team. They came into this profession because they love helping people and want more people to experience the healing powers of safe, mindful touch.
We had a chance to interview one of our Yomassage Therapists, Susan Barg, and her supporter, Kristyn Avalos. Keep reading to learn about their practice!
Give them a visit if you’re looking for a Yomassage class in the Chicago area.
Tell us a little about yourself! Who are you and what are your interests?
Susan:
My name is Susan Barg and I am a Nationally Certified and IL, AZ and IA State Licensed Massage Therapist. I graduated in 2009 from Cortiva-Chicago School of Massage Therapy. Prior to becoming a Massage Therapist I was an International Flight Attendant with American Airlines. I enjoy traveling and experiential living! I'm always looking for new and exciting adventures! I'm an avid cyclist and hope to ride my bike across the country in 2021 with my husband of 35 years! I am a runner, triathlete, kayaker, and all around nature lover! I'm learning to speak french and will be traveling to the southwest of France in May of 2020 to work at a Language/Yoga Retreat offering massage and Yomassage.
Kristyn:
My name Kristyn Avalos. I am a certified transformational life coach who empowers women to align who they are, what they value and what they're doing and create a life of meaning and impact. I am self-care junkie, so in my free time, I love to read, visit spas and travel. I just hiked the Alps this summer!
How did you get into massage therapy?
Susan:
In 1990 our first child was born with a severe disability called Trisomy 13 (a chromosome disorder resulting in an extra 13th chromosome rather than the usual pair). It was through him that I became interested in massage therapy. He could not walk or talk, was hearing and vision impaired, functioned at about a one year old cognitive level and yet was one of the happiest individuals I ever knew. He was extremely tactile and responded positively to therapeutic touch. He was my inspiration to become a Massage Therapist.
How long have you been doing massage?
Susan:
I have been practicing massage for 10 years.
What made you interested in Yomassage initially?
Susan:
I saw Yomassage listed in Massage Therapy magazine and it was right before I was to travel to Agen, France to work at a Language/Yoga Retreat. I was looking for a way to integrate massage offerings into the retreat to market myself at the event and Yomassage seemed like the perfect fit! They are offering the retreat again in May of 2020 and have once again invited me to offer massage. I'm looking forward to integrating Yomassage!
Kristyn:
I became interested in Yomassage after hearing about it from Susan. She knew that I an a Wild Woman Project new moon circle leader in town where I weave in a lot of different meditations and visualizations. It sounded like the perfect pairing! I work with the mind-body tool tapping in my coaching practice, so I thought this would be a great area for me to expand so that I can better serve my clients.
Why are you passionate about Yomassage?
Susan:
I am always looking for unique opportunities to offer my massage skills. Yomassage provides an opportunity for a larger group of people to experience my work in one session while providing relaxation and meditation at the same time. It's perfect for community building, group settings, and it's affordable for most.
Kristyn:
Being a Yomassage supporter has not only allowed me to reach more people in my community, but it has also helped me to become more empathetic. Another great bonus has been my partnership with Susan. Having someone to bounce ideas off of and actually hold each other accountable to make it happen is a great motivator!
How have you seen Yomassage impact your clients?
Susan:
Yomassage has helped me expand my client base. I have been able to work with a larger group of people while saving myself (and clients) valuable time. My clients have expressed to me that Yomassage is a non threatening way to introduce them to massage and restorative positions, while still providing self care and much needed relaxation. It has helped my clients realize the importance of taking time for themselves and how beneficial massage and breath work/meditation can be. As a result, I am building my private practice while still expanding my Yomassage offerings...in short...the clients can’t get enough! It's a win-win!
Kristyn:
One of my biggest challenges as a coach is getting women to believe that they actually deserve to invest in themselves. Yomassage is a safe introduction to self-care because it’s so accessible. I see how it really helps them want to continue to make healthy choices for themselves.
How many classes are you teaching a month?
Susan:
I am currently offering 4 classes a month and have been asked to offer 3 additional group sessions for special events. I have recently partnered with Kristyn Avalos (Yomassage Supporter and Women's Empowerment Coach) to put together Self Care Retreats. We are currently offering these retreats locally, but the goal is to offer them abroad in 2020. We have tentatively scheduled retreats in Mexico, Ireland and France in the coming year. I will soon be piloting a Chair Yomassage session for special populations and retirement communities. Very excited about all the new possibilities Yomassage has opened up for me!
Where have you been teaching classes?
Susan:
I'm currently offering Yomassage at the Galena ARC (Arts & Recreation Center) and at the Galena Center for the Arts. Kristyn and I have partnered together offering wellness retreats in private residences and will begin partnering with local businesses in the fall to offer Yomassage sessions before and after hours.
Find a Yomassage class with Susan at:
