Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Proctor.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It requires unwavering faith to honor a calling. Our first Saturn Return, at age 29/30, can be a time of great transformation, especially if you have veered off of your destined path. I must have been in another solar system, because my life imploded and exploded, collapsing like a black hole.
It was at this time of mental and emotional anguish, one particular dark night of the soul, that a voice from outside of myself instructed me to go to massage school.
I was working full time in the restaurant industry, before that, retail, with a degree in interior design, so this came from out of the ethers. Massage therapy, as a career field, was totally off of my radar. I had never been a touchy-feely person and had had only one massage in my life, an aromatherapy massage at a chain spa that I received as a gift. It was nice, but did not leave a huge impression.
It took me about 3 years to get myself in a position where I could attend massage school and, after touring the local schools, I landed at Rising Spirit Institute of Natural Health in Dunwoody, now Gwinnett College. I loved every minute of it. Never missed a day. I had found my calling.
In the over two decades since that time, my path has led me to study Thai Massage in Bangkok and Chang Mai, shamanism with western shamans, and various forms of energy medicine, including Pranic Healing and Reiki. I’ve accumulated several yoga certifications and spent over a decade immersed in the field of sacred sound.
Combining this esoteric wisdom, I have cultivated a unique form of fusion massage that incorporates eastern and western modalities, energy, spirit, and vibration.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
All of life has varying degrees of struggle. This is where the fore mentioned faith comes in. Things have gone smoothly at times and there’s also been much upheaval. Any time that I have made a positive career-minded change, I have suffered some fallout before I stabilized once again. I have had to rebuild my life on three separate occasions. The hard times, while difficult, have always led to tremendous growth and fine tuning of my journey.
I would say the most difficult aspect of healing work is that it does not follow the traditional American career path. You’re definitely not going to be at the same company for decades, working your way up the ranks and receiving more security along the way. You reach the ceiling of a job pretty quickly, with little or no benefits, almost forcing you to become an entrepreneur, even if that is not your temperament. I don’t believe anyone becomes a massage therapist to become a billionaire.
Beyond that, Covid and the new economy have really taken a toll on the industry. Massages can only cost so much to be accessible to all that need them. As discretionary spending goes down, massage services may seem indulgent to some. As a chronic pain sufferer, I disagree. Massage is not a luxury, as some would believe. Massage is stress and pain management, so dire in these challenging times. It is difficult to maintain a profit margin with sky rocketing rents and supplies. Unless you are catering solely to a high end market, you need to figure out how to keep massage affordable.
Some things I offer to increase value are shorter, more targeted sessions; packages and membership programs; as well as occasional promotions.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Astral Bodyworks ?
At Astral Bodyworks, I offer therapeutic massage, energy healing and sound healing. You will experience deeply therapeutic bodywork that is intuitive, intentional, and specific, resulting in a life-changing restructuring that will leave you feeling balanced, open, and refreshed.
I specialize in the elimination of pain, rehabilitation from injury, and the reduction of the stress and tension of modern life, resulting in a more expansive life experience.
My goal with each session, with each client, is to create as much positive change as their time allows. I begin my sessions with a broad invitation to heal, introducing body awareness through rocking and myofascial elements. My main foci are increasing mobility in the spine and bringing expansion to the joints. Throughout the massage, I continue to narrow my focus, honing in on areas of dysfunction. I want people to feel so much better from just that one session that they then can make the best choices for their wellbeing.
Pain begets more pain. Pain relief ushers in a new cycle of healing and wellness.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I believe knowing yourself intimately is of utmost importance. Each of us has a unique gift to bring to this web of life, as well as a way of expressing that gift.
Once we know who we are and where we are wanting to go, then we can seek out others along our path. Sometimes they even find us.
When looking for inspiration, I seek out the fullest expression of what I’m looking for, whether it be a person, a business or a place, and get as much information from that that I can.
But I also believe in the beauty and synchronicity of chance encounters with random people. The world is your guru.
Pricing:
- $65/30 minute Signature Fusion Massage
- $125/60 minute Signature Fusion Massage
- $180/90 minute Signature Fusion Massage
Contact Info:
- Website: https://astralbodyworks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astralbodyworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astralbodyworks
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/twilight-reveille
