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contact us

Use the form on the right to contact Megan to schedule or for any questions you may have. 

4131 Spicewood Springs Road, Building I, Suite 2
Austin, TX, 78759
United States

(512)744-7483

Living Anew Therapeutic Massage is the product of 9 years in the business of bodywork and massage as well as lifetime of experiences beginning with childhood sports, college athletics, spirituality and healing, beautiful teachers, and a car wreck. We all have our stories to share. A past which brought us to the person we see in the mirror. What if we loved those stories and let them go? You know, focused on the present and the steps we are taking to create the tomorrow we want. Literally, Living Anew. To live in a new or different and usually a more positive way. Through a combination of structural massage and bodywork techniques to release physical tension and stress management  and self-care education, hopefully you, too, will begin to Live Anew. 

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Blog

This blog will contemplate a variety of topics from personal thoughts on life to informative articles about Massage, or humorous narratives and poetry. Perhaps studies on touch, and well, other things that might make you go "huh?" will be included. Come back often and put in your two cents! 

How I came to Massage Therapy

Megan Mendes

I tend to get asked by new clients, “How did you get into this profession”? It’s somewhat of an interesting story, to me anyway, since I literally had no idea what I was going to “be” when I “grew up”.

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Some might say, we don’t really grow up, but expand our experiences, and grow in some direction, based on that expansion of knowledge through those experiences.

The idea that there is a “grown up destination” has definitely eluded me for, well, most all of my life.

If we’re being honest, turns out, I’m not the only one who still laughs at inappropriate times, and you have no idea how hard it is to keep it together when someone passes gas during a massage. NO IDEA!

I digress….

My freshman year of college I was thinking I’d be a teacher and a coach. I had always been a student of all of my sports, and a collegiate athlete after all. What else could I have possibly been good at?

I had zero imagination when it came to seeing what could be out there for me to do upon graduation. Let’s face it, even when society puts the pressure on us to get that job and make that money, the truth is, it’s OK to still be unsure. It’s all going to be ok. Really. You’ll see.

After doing some private shot put and discus coaching, I soon realized I had no patience for high school athletes who didn’t want to be there, and/or listen to what I had to say. I also wasn’t keen on the idea of dealing with the parents who forced them to show up. Ugh. NEXT.

I was finishing up my Bachelors of Science in Health and Sports Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. I was tossing around the idea of going to Chiropractic school. I had seen a Chiro for years and felt it would be a good transition from what I was already studying.

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I soon found out that I would need more pre-requisites beyond all the sciences I had already taken, in order to apply.

I called up my uncle, who is a Chiropractor, and asked him what seemed like a million questions. What came of that conversation was that not only did I not want to attend 4 more years of school, I also told my Self I didn’t want to be responsible for cracking peoples necks.

Now we all know that’s not what they are doing, cracking necks, and through training and practice, I would have been just fine. It’s truly amazing to think about the lies I told my Self in order to not have to try something challenging. Like I wasn’t smart enough or didn’t have the right study habits to buckle down and do it. What if I failed?

Fear is really a bitch, y’all.

During the same conversation, my uncle asked what I thought about soft tissue work, or Rolfing. I had never heard of Rolfing and it sounded interesting.

The next occurrence was nothing short of a gift from the Universe. I found out I was just ONE hour short of graduating with my Bachelors. At the time I was certainly not happy because of this massive oversight, but looking back, yeah, it was perfect.

I went to Dr. Ratliff, my favorite Biomechanics professor, to get my orders for this one-hour independent study course for the summer. I knew he’d be fun to work with one-on-one. I once saw him stand on a desk and yell his lecture to our small laboratory class room in order to show his excitement for the subject matter. I’ll definitely never forget him.

While I was there, he said to pick a topic, read three journal articles and critique them, read a book on the topic and write a book review, then write a 5 page paper on what I learned.

Give it to me by the end of the summer”, he said.

I chose Rolfing.

Turns out, he was mostly absent from my study unless I emailed or called him up for something. It was fantastic not being micromanaged, but also unfortunate that I didn’t get to spend more time chatting with him.

During this study I ordered information from the Rolf Institute in Colorado and found that if I was already a Massage Therapist, I would start at a different level in the program.

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Again, I picked up the phone to call Uncle Mike to talk it out.

He said to me, “Before you head off to the Rolf Institute, you might better see if you can be in a small room, alone, with a naked person, for an hour, because it’s not for everyone”. Um…I hadn’t really thought about it that way.

With that in mind, I enrolled in an Associates of Occupational Studies Degree in Therapeutic Massage in Oklahoma City. I began my training just two months after finishing up at OU.

I never made it to Colorado.

What I had learned about the human body during my time as an athlete at OU, in the cadaver labs, in numerous physiology and biomechanics classes, then finally, during my 14 month massage program, was something comprehensive and expansive. I wanted to practice all of that and make it my own. It was a natural fit that I truly can’t explain with words. It just felt right.

Now, 14 years later, I am still doing it and loving it.

I have added Parent/Infant massage Classes, Cupping Therapy, and currently working on an adult class to teach massage techniques to help each other at home, as well as teaching the benefits of touch.

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Of course, there are always new modalities and techniques I may learn from Continuing Ed. and other Therapists, and I’m always looking for more ways to get the word out about bodywork and it’s amazing effects.

Looking back, I don’t know that I consciously chose to be a Massage Therapist when I grew up. I think it chose me, and I was open to the possibility.

Telling this story reminds me to listen to my gut and trust that everything always works out. Even that random missing hour of course work at OU wasn’t such a terrible thing.

Much love and joy to you all!

Austin Life Chiropractic and My Experience with "Upper Cervical Care"

Megan Mendes

I have seen a Chiropractor nearly once a week for the last, at least, 10 years, and began Chiropractic at the age of 14...I think. 

My favorite Chiropractor, EVER, is my Uncle, Dr. J. "Mike" Vaughn D.C. at Texas Family Chiropractic in Leander. Always has been.

Why? Because he cares, I've never had the same adjustment twice, (meaning it's not a routine for him. He adjusts what needs to be and not for the sake of adjusting), and while I may be related, I say this in all seriousness...I believe he is a genius. Really. I do.  

While I would love to see him twice a week, having time to travel the distance between us isn't always in the schedule. So, there's that.

Anyhoo, fast forward to the beginning of December when I moved my office into Austin Life Chiropractic and knew it was time to get serious about creating my Health Care Team.

I also knew I needed to find out what this "Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care" was so I could better refer to them. What a gold mine of healers...WHOA!

Dr. Bart Patzer and Dr. Julia Pinkerton own this clinic and practice Upper Cervical, Family Wellness, and Pediatric Chiropractic. 

I went through the entire new patient process including a thorough consult, muscle scan, x-rays before my first adjustment, and an x-ray of my neck after the first adjustment. 

Dr. Pinkerton checked my posture and leg length, then had me lie on my left side. The only adjustment she made was to my Atlas (or C1, the first cervical vertebrae). That's it. Minimal, super specific, and quick. Very new for me.

After this small adjustment she checked my posture again. My shoulders were practically level. WHAT? Yes, I went to a full body mirror to look for myself. Sure enough, nearly level. I have never seen this in my life. My left shoulder is always high. 

All night I stared at myself in the mirror at home because I couldn't believe what had occurred.

In the last month of care they have continued with the upper cervical adjustments as needed, as well as adding in the appropriate adjustments to my ribs, shoulders, thoracic and lumbar spine, and hips.

The pain and aching down my left arm is much better and the sharp pain under the same-side scapula is minimal. I can completely laterally flex my neck to the left. Before it was, more often than not, stuck.

To say, "I feel better" is an understatement. 

I have begun my exercises to aid in a full healing and have made a commitment to scheduled, regular adjustments. Choosing to live in a new or different, more positive way is something I empower my own clients to do, and work towards achieving my Self.

With this sort of care, yielding these results, I truly can live in a different more positive way. 

Plus, check out this view from the front of the office. (I love my new massage office home in the urban nature). 

I can't thank them enough for the care they provide, and the love they have for their patients and what they do.

Remember, we feel pain for a reason. Listen to your body. If you want to make a positive impact on your health and how you function, daily, by finding the root of your pain and ridding your Self of it's hold on your life, check them out. 

If you don't have pain but want to make sure you stay that way, maintenance care is always recommended to keep your nervous system functioning optimally. 

www.austinlifechiro.com.

I promise, you'll be glad you did.