Aleyna Brown, LMT...
I attended the Iowa College of Natural Health starting in November 2009. Massage therapy has been a passion in my life since I was a little girl. My house always seethed with different ailments that people would come down with and I was always around, willing to help however I could. Nothing was worse than the migraines that seemed to pass back and forth between my mother, my brother, and back again in a vicious cycle. When these hit I could sense the tension people would create within themselves from the pain that would well up behind their eyes and into their temples. During these periods I would sit them on the floor, place a cold towel on their neck, and start rubbing their head. It was when I was about eight or nine that anyone mentioned how much this really did help them and that’s when the idea really geared up for me. When a teacher would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up the answer would automatically come out:
“A massage therapist because that’s how I’m really going to help people.”
When I officially made the decision to go into the school and put through my application it seemed like everything in life fell into place. Throughout classes I was more attentive than I’d ever been in my life.
The Iowa College of Natural Health prides itself on turning out therapists who can not only give a nice relaxing massage, but therapists who can effectively sense the knots and tension and work them out efficiently using the techniques of Medical Massage. They provide intensive courses in the basics of Massage Therapy and its history, as well as courses in Anatomy and Physiology. Once a week a class would be provided for Pathology to teach the different diseases one would likely come across in their career. A course in Kinesiology was also provided which taught not only where the muscles originate and insert, but their actions and how to palpate them. Once these courses were completed, the basics of different modalities in massage were taught, including sports massage, prenatal, reflexology, and geriatric massage.
After completing the courses listed in the syllabus, the final step before graduating from the institute was to complete a student internship. Every weekday starting at eight in the morning I would be there with my tub of clean sheets and good spirits ready to greet clients, efficiently get them onto the table, and work through a massage and treatment plan with each one who came through. My main goal in every session was to provide comfort, therapeutic knowledge, and something that is customized to that person solely.
Finally, after all this was completed, I was proud to say I graduated from the Iowa College of Natural Health in July 2010. Within the next few months I worked tirelessly to complete my national board’s exam and receive that license that says to everyone ‘I know what I’m doing’.
I began my career at a Massage Heights franchise in West Des Moines in November 2010. Although this experience has been great with meeting clients and gaining information on how this business really works, I’ve always craved more. Throughout my sessions every client was a new learning experience. I continued to gain more knowledge from the therapists surrounding me regarding different techniques to work a muscle, stretches to give clients at home, different suggestions to alleviate the pain and swelling. I learned also about the people I was working on: where they came from, what they do for a living, what type of community I am working in. After all this when working on a client I can tell from their gait where they are feeling pain. I can tell from the tension in the body whether they’re left or right handed, or whether or not they have a desk job or one in which they are on their feet constantly.
Equipped with all this knowledge and a solid plan, I feel confident in the skills I have acquired thus far, but hold a firm belief that there’s always more to learn. Working one on one with each client I will provide a customized client treatment plan and work to relieve your pain to help you live an everyday active and healthy lifestyle.
To view Aleyna's business website, please click here.
“A massage therapist because that’s how I’m really going to help people.”
When I officially made the decision to go into the school and put through my application it seemed like everything in life fell into place. Throughout classes I was more attentive than I’d ever been in my life.
The Iowa College of Natural Health prides itself on turning out therapists who can not only give a nice relaxing massage, but therapists who can effectively sense the knots and tension and work them out efficiently using the techniques of Medical Massage. They provide intensive courses in the basics of Massage Therapy and its history, as well as courses in Anatomy and Physiology. Once a week a class would be provided for Pathology to teach the different diseases one would likely come across in their career. A course in Kinesiology was also provided which taught not only where the muscles originate and insert, but their actions and how to palpate them. Once these courses were completed, the basics of different modalities in massage were taught, including sports massage, prenatal, reflexology, and geriatric massage.
After completing the courses listed in the syllabus, the final step before graduating from the institute was to complete a student internship. Every weekday starting at eight in the morning I would be there with my tub of clean sheets and good spirits ready to greet clients, efficiently get them onto the table, and work through a massage and treatment plan with each one who came through. My main goal in every session was to provide comfort, therapeutic knowledge, and something that is customized to that person solely.
Finally, after all this was completed, I was proud to say I graduated from the Iowa College of Natural Health in July 2010. Within the next few months I worked tirelessly to complete my national board’s exam and receive that license that says to everyone ‘I know what I’m doing’.
I began my career at a Massage Heights franchise in West Des Moines in November 2010. Although this experience has been great with meeting clients and gaining information on how this business really works, I’ve always craved more. Throughout my sessions every client was a new learning experience. I continued to gain more knowledge from the therapists surrounding me regarding different techniques to work a muscle, stretches to give clients at home, different suggestions to alleviate the pain and swelling. I learned also about the people I was working on: where they came from, what they do for a living, what type of community I am working in. After all this when working on a client I can tell from their gait where they are feeling pain. I can tell from the tension in the body whether they’re left or right handed, or whether or not they have a desk job or one in which they are on their feet constantly.
Equipped with all this knowledge and a solid plan, I feel confident in the skills I have acquired thus far, but hold a firm belief that there’s always more to learn. Working one on one with each client I will provide a customized client treatment plan and work to relieve your pain to help you live an everyday active and healthy lifestyle.
To view Aleyna's business website, please click here.