We know that not every student learns the same way. That's why we like to say, "We teach the way YOU learn."
All massage schools are NOT created equal. We believe through decades of experience that we have found the secrets and the art to teaching massage. It's a bold statement for sure. But we have witnessed thousands of students live the experience and tell us just how amazing it was, how transformed they feel, and how excited they are to explore the many possibilities in this profession.
We believe there are dozens of reasons why TruMantra matters. Below we've listed the top 10.
The intent of the massage modalities interspersed throughout the massage training programs at schools that follow TruMantra School principles is to educate and assist the student in finding their own voice in the massage profession. The modalities are carefully chosen to blend Eastern and Western philosophies, as well as deep and light touch, thereby giving the student the opportunity to learn to affect their clients on all levels: physically, energetically, and emotionally. It is our underlying belief that each student has a great intelligence that will guide them throughout their profession, helping them to discern the most beneficial work to support the health of their client. The primary role of the therapist is to be one who listens to both the words and tissues of the client, and then uses whichever tools would be in the client's best interest. It is in this way that the therapist can act as a teacher of greater health and wellbeing, which then facilitates the healer that lives within each recipient.
By integrating a variety of modalities, schools that adhere to TruMantra principles believe that the student is then free from dogma, and is more able to access their own discerning wisdom in the therapeutic process. The more tools therapists bring to their tables, the more capable they are of truly supporting their clients. Throughout such programs, students are encouraged to explore their own truths and preferences within the form of each modality, opening to a kinesthetic and cognitive understanding of all that is taught. What may at first appear as a less personally-interesting style of work will later become an integral part of the individual's repertoire for creative expression and healing.
The TruMantra family of schools subscribe to a philosophy of these core principles, not just demonstrate an awareness of them. If you are considering a TruMantra school, this is an indication to you, the student that this school will prepare you not only to be an extraordinary bodyworker, but it will emphasize the development of presence, creativity, professional preparation, and self-understanding. In the process, students at such massage schools are invited into a deeper awareness of themselves as learners, as healers, and as compassionate members of the human family.
Presence: Being present, mindful, loving, clear, and conscious
Excellence: Educational excellence through personal learning styles
Alignment: Alignment of life's values with life's work
Care: Exquisite care of self and others
Empowerment: Life learning through personal inquiry and transformation
Let's explore these core principles in more detail.
Presence is the deep listening and abundant attention required to be a great therapist. When a therapist is truly present with their client, the work becomes exponentially more powerful and effective. It is the desire of our staff to graduate competent, mindful, creative, present therapists who have developed their own abilities to visualize and understand anatomy, coupled with the sensitivity to palpate the whole person, all while listening deeply.
TruMantra encourages schools to offer a variety of feedback opportunities for students to discover how they best learn. To that end, and central to our educational philosophy is what's known as Perceptual Thinking Patterns (PTP): the idea that each person learns through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic means (with varying degrees of immediacy). Therefore, an effort is made in each class to present the curriculum in all three modes. This simple philosophy greatly enhances students' grasp of the materials and concepts presented. It is NOT the same old classroom where you may have struggled. It is a richer and deeper experiential learning that allows schools to teach the way students truly learn. In fact, it is very common that students who have struggled to achieve in high school and college flourish and prosper within such a learning system.
Additionally, small classes allow for students to receive ample attention from staff, and TruMantra encourages small classes. Teachers in such programs bring decades of experience in both bodywork and facilitation to their students, and every effort is made on the part of the faculty to provide students with a rich and diverse learning environment. It is our belief that when various dimensions of personal experience are allowed expression, personal and collective development is enhanced. So we are all each other's teachers and students.
We encourage a vocation that supports integrity, honesty, and compassion. Students benefit from aligning their work with their values. We believe that as we increase the awareness and kindness with which we meet ourselves, physically and psychologically, we enhance the sensitivity and kindness with which we meet our families, our communities, and our clients.
TruMantra is dedicated to the path of peace, compassion, and honesty. Our philosophy believes in incorporating comfortable, practical body mechanics into each modality, and in supporting students to establish postural patterns that will serve them well over many years of practice. TruMantra's distinctive focus on therapist self-care and our approach to professional communication skills can enhance every course and uniquely prepare students for long, fruitful, healthy careers.
Our philosophy's purpose is to cultivate the space where deep learning and transformation can occur. We believe that when various dimensions of personal experience are allowed expression, our irrepressible human desire to learn and explore is enhanced. To achieve this, TruMantra promotes an active learning community, which embraces the mystery and curiosity of self-knowledge, tolerance, and understanding. It is only by embracing these things that a person can truly learn an art like massage. A school that follows TruMantra philosophy encourages you to lean into your learning as you explore new ways of perceiving, being, thinking, and living.
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