Words from another bodyworker, JJ Tiziou, on the question of “why massage?

Why use soft self-massage tools?

Providing care for all bodies means LGBTQ+ folks.

Body awareness can enable you and your body operate more as a team. Learning to hear what our physical body is communicating, and to use that data in our lives, can help us feel more empowered and capable. Preliminary research is starting to articulate this, showing that body awareness is related to emotional regulation and improved mental health outcomes.

While I believe massage therapy can help our bodies in a lot of ways, I am really grateful to have learned/continue to learn about massage therapy and mental health. Today words like “trauma,” “mind-body” and “embodiment” are more in our vocabulary than ever, and I am grateful to be in the field of massage therapy in this time of cultural and scientific learning. Research about connections between our bodies, minds, and emotions is at an important phase - and I see massage therapy as an interesting way to learn more about this for yourself & your body.

Most of you are here because we know each other IRL, so you have context for my tale. But the gist of it is: I started working on vegetable farms about 10 years ago. Born and raised in Florida suburbs, farmwork helped me feel more engaged and embodied, and helped me work to feed my communities. I’ve worked with many amazing vegetable farmers who tire long and hard to feed and nourish their human and ecological communities and I am grateful for all I have learned through that work.