Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Downing.
Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From a very young age, I was dubbed “oversensitive”. I suppose this was because I cared too much about others in a society that all too often celebrates survival of the fittest. Looking back, I now realize that this was a strength instead of a weakness, and I have learned to use my empathy and my ability to intuitively tap into other’s wants and needs in order to help them heal.
Because I care so much about others and am so sensitive to the world around me, it is very easy for me to get burnt out. So, this is exactly what happened in my early 30s when I fell ill with hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue. I came to realize that it was not enough to simply trust the doctors and go on my merry way because what the doctors did for me did not make me feel better. I went from being a vibrant and energetic individual to someone who could barely get out of bed and whose weight was rapidly ballooning for no apparent reason, especially because I barely had the energy to eat.
Because conventional medicine lets me (and so many others) down, I became a patient advocate to help other thyroid patients in my situation, many of whom lacked the words or the courage to stand up for themselves. Sadly, there is an inherent sexism in the medical industry because the majority of thyroid patients are women, and they are horribly patronized and fobbed off. We all deserve to feel our best, regardless of our gender or age. So that is one thing that inspired me to help others in my massage practice. I’m not entirely sure how I continued to fight for my own health in the midst of what was at times a period of my life filled with a lot of despair, but I was motivated to find solutions to feel better because I realized that I still had so much left to give to the world.
Consequently, I became increasingly familiar with holistic medicine and sought out non-conventional medical practitioners, some of whom made me realize that I had gifts of my own to share with the world. I had a past life regression that showed a pestle and mortar, making me suspect that this is not my first time working in the healing arts. Others saw the gift of energy in me, which I have since learned to harness through my energy healing skills I use to help my clients and those around me.
To cut a long story short, I reached some form of balance, which has enabled me to discontinue my thyroid medication and I now manage my health entirely through supplements and natural remedies. I’m not a huge fan of conventional medicine because I have come to realize that it fails to consider the whole person (body, mind and spirit), and so I only use it when absolutely needed. For instance, if I have a headache, instead of popping a pill, I prefer to massage the base of my skull and shoulders and do some breathing techniques because this way I can tackle the root cause.
And so it seems rather apt that I now run my own business as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Lime Green Lotus gives me the freedom to help people in my own way with all the tools in my toolbox. I offer integrative bodywork, so one price for all massage modalities because I like to blend them depending on what each individual needs. Bodies don’t do well with cookie-cutter solutions. I am able to integrate the mind-body connection into my treatments thanks to my 200 hours of training I invested in to become a yoga teacher.
In addition to massage, I also run my own tour company, Savannah Soul Encounters. I’ve always been passionate about history and research, and so Savannah is the perfect town to practice my passion and enthrall and educate others while doing so.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In a profession where my primary goal is to help others, my primary goal also has to be to continuously work on myself. This involves practices such as shadow work, trauma work and unpacking past experiences and triggers that at times can be extremely uncomfortable to face. But how can I help others if I can’t help myself? This is also such a blessing because being in the healing arts absolutely goes hand in hand with personal growth.
Another challenge I deal with constantly is the risk of burnout. I do give A LOT in my treatments, and I know most of my clients appreciate this. Because I intuitively tap into people emotionally, it is crucial for me to separate what I am feeling from what they are feeling and to also maintain some detachment from the outcome. Now and again, I find myself developing compassion fatigue, particularly when I’m feeling drained, and that is when I may have to reevaluate my schedule or whom I am surrounding myself with.
Being a giving person, I give of myself inside and outside of the massage room. However, a valuable lesson I’ve learned is to choose wisely whom I share my gifts with. There absolutely has to be balance for me too in the form of days off, travel, self-care such as getting my own bodywork and surrounding myself with people who fill my cup rather than drain it. I no longer have as many friends as I did in my younger years because I have become more discerning in this regard.
Anyone who has ever been self-employed can relate to this next one – the constant hustle to maintain existing clients and acquire new ones. I’ve tried many different methods, wasted money on certain ads, spent countless hours on social media, but I have honestly found that the best advertisements for me are word of mouth and authenticity. Because the bodywork services I offer require a certain level of vulnerability from my clients, it’s vital for them to trust me. In order to achieve this, I strive to be honest and open with potential and existing clients about who I am. I want people to feel comfortable and relaxed when they come into my studio, I want them to know that I have encountered some of the struggles they are currently going through. So often, we put medical practitioners on an unnecessary pedestal. I am a human being just like my clients, with all my challenges and foibles.
One last thing I must sadly bring up is the fact that many idiots erroneously still equate massage with prostitution. It doesn’t help that the media often makes inappropriate jokes about a profession I (and many others) have worked so hard to train in. The result of this is that more often than I would like (and even more so since moving from Pennsylvania to Georgia) I get inappropriate calls from men asking for services that I don’t offer. This has led to me introducing an even more rigorous screening process for my clients because I can and will keep myself safe, and I believe the ancient profession of massage, one which has literally helped thousands of patients and requires a medical license to practice, deserves to be respected and honored.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What makes me proud is that so many of my clients tell me that they’ve never had a massage like mine. I attribute this to my diverse training in which I’ve invested so much time and money. I honestly believe we never stop learning, so I always strive to bring something new to the (massage) table to help both me and my clients. Moving to a city like Savannah has been interesting because I have realized that there are not as many massage modalities available as in other larger cities. This has definitely made me stand out from the crowd when it comes to my offerings such as Thai massage, Lomilomi and cupping, I believe in learning from the originators, so I even went to Thailand to further my Thai massage education. In a word: I’ve worked REALLY hard to get where I am now and, considering how many people I have had the privilege to help, I feel so very blessed. Not many people know that back in massage school I was plagued with A LOT of self-doubt and almost considered dropping out of class. How glad I am that around this time I met some really encouraging and inspiring mentors who motivated me to carry on. Since this time, I have endeavored to be a mentor to others in the healing community because the world needs more healers!
In terms of my brand, I’m an artist at heart, so although I’m not particularly good at drawing or painting, I’m very good at envisaging ideas and describing them to others so that they can put them on paper. This has resulted in a really stunning massage logo for Lime Green Lotus that some clients have even said has made them come and see me.
Another unique thing about my treatments is that I have a massage cat named Teddy. He’s a little “healer” himself because he loves purring up to my clients and even cuddles with some of them on my Thai massage mat.
My Savannah Soul Encounters tours of Savannah stand out because I am so passionate about researching interesting but authentic history. As a copywriter and journalist by trade, I have learned to cross-check sources, as well as interview interesting individuals to get them to open up about their unique stories. Of course, people also love my English accent as it’s reminiscent of the original founders of Savannah.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in England, I was top of my class in a lot of subjects, and so I got bullied and branded a “swot”. I believe you would call this a “geek” in American English. It wasn’t cool to be good at school, but down the road I realized that my innate curiosity to learn and my desire to do well and work hard opened many doors to me and gifted me with the independence I still profit from to this day. Looking back, I believe I was rather extroverted at times, although sadly I often felt left out and rejected. All of this necessitates and has necessitated a lot of inner child healing because I have found that adults can also be bullies and leave people out, and that is something that sometimes triggers memories of those times I would rather forget.
On the plus side, going through this adversity has taught me to be more accepting and compassionate toward others who may be perceived as underdogs. I think, because I always felt like an outsider, I have fought a battle my whole life to fit in. But now I can honestly say that I am at the point where I know I deserve to be valued for the true individual I am without feeling the need to be someone I am not. How freeing this is, but how scary it can be at times! It requires a lot of bravery.
During the pandemic, this led to me publishing a series of Facebook posts called Days of Thanks. I kept it up for 638 days. I shared things I was thankful for, personal poems, videos of me singing, and pictures of me out in nature. My goal was to inspire others, and some days it took a lot out of me. Pre-pandemic, I had never shared a video of myself, but when I first heard about the lockdown, something snapped in me. This pre-apocalyptic sense endowed in me the freedom to share the real me with the world in hopes of helping them with my authenticity. It snowballed because others were inspired to do the same, and many followed along with me on my journey. I even ended up taking singing lessons with my teacher Pauline because she offered to tutor me after she recognized my talent.
Pricing:
- I believe in keeping it simple, so one price for all services and no upcharges. This gives my clients access to all modalities from my extensive training, even the more specialized ones. For more effective and more lasting results that you won’t find elsewhere. $100 per 60-minute massage, $150 per 90-minute massage, $200 per 120-minute massage
Contact Info:
- Website: www.limegreenlotus.com (Lime Green Lotus) and savannah-tours.com (Savannah Soul Encounters)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/limegreenlotus_sjd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/limegreenlotus
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjdowning/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lime-green-lotus-savannah
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/iHKpikGRYbxfgoat6 (Lime Green Lotus) and https://goo.gl/maps/incbGDG6oAPpWi7u5?coh=178572&entry=tt (Savannah Soul Encounters)
Image Credits
Anne Vogt Photography Orion D Paschalis
