What 17 Years of Feet-on-Backs Has Taught Me:

I've spent more than 25 years working with my feet, and more than 15 of them right here in San Luis Obispo. Here's what thousands of sessions have taught me that no textbook did.

Pain is information, not the goal. "No pain, no gain" doesn't apply to tissue. When

pressure gets sharp, your body braces, and braced muscle doesn't change. The best deep work feels like sinking, not fighting.

Where it hurts is rarely where it started. That tight low back usually involves hips that sit all day. Stubborn shoulders often trace back to how you hold your head at a screen. I work the whole chain, because the symptom is just where the problem finally spoke up.

Consistency beats intensity. One brutal session every six months undoes less than you'd hope. Regular sessions teach your tissue a new baseline, and each one starts where the last one left off instead of from zero.

Trust is part of the technique. The first ten minutes of a first session are your nervous system deciding whether it's safe. Once it does, I can go deeper with less force. That's why regulars get more out of the same hour.

Gravity is the best tool I have. Hands tire and elbows poke. Body weight delivered through a broad foot, controlled by the overhead bars, gives steady, even depth no other tool matches. It's why I trained in ashiatsu, and why I now train other therapists in it.

Twenty-five years in, I'm still learning from every back on my table. Have a question about your body or the work? Comment or reach out. I'm happy to answer!