Learning Was Hands-On
All Patricia Berger wants from you is three hours. She won’t dizzy you with gossip or ask embarrassing questions during that time.
But she may slip her feet around your neck.
“In Thailand, they say three hours is best, but most people in the West don’t have the time or money for a long massage,” Patricia says, her airy voice appropriate in her mellow pink and purple home office.
Congenital scoliosis steered Patricia into massage as a young adult. She’d suffered through painful treatments for her unnaturally curved spine in childhood.
The back problems didn’t stop her from becoming a high school English teacher. But pain plagued her after the birth of her third child. That’s when a friend urged her to try yoga.
“It opened a lot of doors to help me understand the connection between mind and body,” Patricia says.
Yoga led to massage, which alleviated Patricia’s pain and fascinated her with self-healing. Her own improvement so excited her that she quit teaching school to earn a license as a yoga/massage teacher.
“I almost felt guilty for accepting money for it,” she says with a laugh. “I felt so blessed.”
Her passion for massage took her across the nation and to Greece, England and Mexico to study. Then, five years ago, she discovered Thai massage. One class captivated her.
“I knew immediately I had to go to Thailand to learn it from its source,” she says. “I felt as if I was remembering something instead of learning it new.”
Thai massage blends acupressure with stretching in a slow, rhythmic dance that helps the body release imprisoned energy. Clients lay clothed on a pad on the floor.
Patricia traveled to Thailand and learned to massage with her elbows, forearms, knees, feet and palms. She also learned to start and end each session with a prayer for the well-being of the client.
“That’s definitely crucial,” she says, leaning her small body forward to emphasize her point. “It makes a series of moves into a healing experience.”
Patricia returned to Thailand last year to study more and experience the Asian vitality with her teenage daughter. She plans to teach Thai massage by the end of the year.
“I feel like I’ve evolved from a mystically oriented, parochial girl into someone more spiritual, deeply connected with Eastern healing arts,” she says, carefully choosing each word. “But I honor my Western roots.”
Hands around the world
Ah, we owe huge thanks to computers for shrinking the world.
Used to be only computer geeks or corporate leaders communicated worldwide. Now, parents link up with their kids in college and buddies across the ocean.
Women who want to join forces with other women to improve the world will gather at The Coeur d’Alene Inn 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 21 for the Women of Vision and Action Network’s Link-Up Day.
Through the WOVA Website, conferences, newsletters and catalogues, WOVA plans a worldwide, grass-roots movement that will bring about social change.
The Sept. 21 gathering costs $10 to cover lunch.
Call Julie Keene, 772-2816, by Monday to reserve a spot.
Crummy thieves
Thievery really stinks, but it’s especially insulting when the victim is kind-hearted Marian Crumb, who’s devoted her life to leading 4-H programs. Remember reading here about her lifelong love of horses and her dedication to teaching?
Someone recently ripped off Marian for several expensive saddles and tack while she was out on a trail ride. She lends those saddles to kids who can’t afford their own. If you want to help her out, give a whistle to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; fax to 765-7149; or call 765-7128.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo