From company jobs to therapeutic massage therapist and motion educator, we take a dive into Diana’s world and the way she reworked her personal life via 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, respiratory, and meditation, and the impact they’ve on general properly being and well being.
In regards to 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 turn into a yoga teacher. She can be a licensed Yoga Tune Up® teacher and at the moment gives a number of therapy modalities together with osteopathic manipulation, pelvic flooring 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 trainer?
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 choice to go to therapeutic massage faculty with out ever having a therapeutic massage earlier than. I used to be dwelling in New York Metropolis on the time and I couldn’t afford a therapeutic massage! Two of my expensive girlfriends had gone via the method and I simply dove in with out actually understanding a lot about it or if I used to be even going to take pleasure in it.
Erin: What was the inclination you had in the direction of therapeutic massage faculty?
Diana: I had a historical past of jobs that had 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 can 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 apply 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 way in which I used to be treating my shoppers.
I had a kind of “a-ha” moments after I took a yoga class in a studio the place the trainer used tennis balls in a sock. I ended up shopping for a dozen of these for all my shoppers! I believed…I would like to seek out some kind of coaching that can take me to the subsequent stage with this! I began asking academics and somebody launched me to The Roll Mannequin Technique, Jill Miller’s first e-book which then led me to all her trainings.
Erin: How did you begin involving motion together with your shoppers 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 shoppers as soon as I acquired again into apply.
Erin: How was your expertise implementing what you discovered within the Tune Up coaching to your shoppers?
Diana: I undoubtedly struggled at the start instructing the Yoga Tune Up (YTU) practices and discovering my voice as a trainer as a result of the Tune Up coaching articulates Yoga Asana in a approach 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 might 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 shoppers? Do you assume one is extra vital than the opposite?
Diana: I had a very laborious time with this as a result of as a lot as I needed to encourage the significance of motion, many purchasers would typically want to only be cared for on the desk. And I utterly associated and understood the necessity to simply be held and supported via contact. So then I noticed that mannequin wasn’t functioning. Now I provide longer classes the place shoppers obtain each or they arrive in twice every week for various companies.
I do assume motion and self-massage is by much more instructive than somebody touching you. It’s a very highly effective software for self-knowledge and understanding about your self. I’ve a consumer recovering from surgical procedure who has misplaced some proprioceptive abilities and we’re engaged on recovering a few of these abilities again via meditation, yoga nidra, and ball rolling.
However I do assume that desk therapeutic massage has its time and place. I typically do craniosacral on my shoppers to succeed in these deep states of peace and quietness that may be so therapeutic and rewarding.
Erin: What impact do you assume 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, nervousness, and decreasing cortisol ranges. It additionally gives that window of feeling ‘secure’ within the physique which may 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 scenario. As a lot as I really like deep tissue therapeutic massage, I really feel upregulated and my coronary heart price responds in a approach that I do know just isn’t 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 take pleasure in being able to determine for myself.
Erin: What’s your finest tip for academics?
Diana: Watch your college students, they are going to at all times inform you what they want and what you want to enhance to speak to them. They’re one of the best academics, removed from any coaching that I’ve taken.
Erin: How did self-massage allow you to get better 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 ft. Recovering from these accidents took loads of time and I needed to study to actually maintain house for myself. Though there have been a number of elements of my physique that had been motionless, the therapeutic massage balls helped me keep cell 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 acquired 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 persistent points in my physique and the largest cause is as a result of it’s so pleasing so I’m able to be constant.
Erin: What’s the motion modality that you simply discover essentially the most environment friendly?
Diana: I’ve began energy coaching for myself as a result of I understand how vital it’s. I’m at the moment doing a Energy Coaching for Yoga Academics with Kathryn Bruni-Younger and have been incorporating modalities of breath with energy coaching. I consider the mixture of all of it, together with meditation, rolling, energy and motion are all so complimentary and important for dwelling. I really feel like for me essentially the most environment friendly modality is what my physique wants that day. Somedays its self therapeutic massage, some days its energy different instances 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 prime self-care instruments?
Diana: My Coregeous ball and my Yoga Tune Up® Remedy Balls, they go along with me in every single place I’m going!
Erin: What’s one thing that you realize now that you simply wished you knew once you began working towards?
Diana: Let go of imposter syndrome. I now trust that my choices are pretty much as good as anybody else’s by way of serving to any individual remedy an issue. There are such a lot of progressive methods to assist folks. In any case 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: Respiration, respiratory, and extra respiratory. I didn’t know something about respiratory 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’ve gotten any upcoming trainings?
Diana: Sure! We have now a Roll Mannequin® Technique Practitioner Certification developing in June in Austin, Texas. I will likely be instructing with Sandy Gross.
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