Zenith Sports Massage

The best days are when someone walks in with a headache they have had for days and leaves without it #bodiesarecool

Painting some trim today and preparing this belly for some work! Trying a new tape pattern I saw. #preggotape #preventativehealth #22weeks UPDATE: this worked wonders! I sanded, cleaned and caulked trim for 6 hrs today! I felt wonderful by the end of it all despite getting up and down from the floor. This morning before putting the tape on I was having some tight spastic muscles but no such complaints after the tape! Let's see how it holds up in day 2!

Thanks for the shout out!

Let's not forget that old injuries don't just "go away". After trying multiple times to resolve a shoulder issue we thought was local, we finally remembered, oh yea, didn't you totally destroy your ankle last year? Lo and behold, treating the ankle resolved the shoulder immediately!

Still rocking masks at Zenith Sports Massage! If you schedule a session please be prepared to bring your mask too :) So glad to be vaccinated but baby and I don't take risks on new strains of Covid Thanks for understanding!

Pregnancy has me all sorts of curious about new kinds of anatomy! Have you ever thought about where the umbilical goes in a baby? There are temporary ducts called "shunts" that allow blood circulation to flow differently while the baby is not fully using it's liver and lungs. Once baby takes their first breath the shunts in the heart close and puts there blood back on track to getting oxygen from the lungs!

In massage school we drilled the phrase "Trust the Process". I tell myself this every day. Pain is complicated and can come from many sources, but when I follow my instinct, my assessment, my client's feedback the process inevitably leads us to the solution. There is no guarantee how fast it will happen and I rely on my clients to Trust the Process with me. It feels so good when we see the process through and the big sigh of relief when our trust pays off. It teaches us to trust again.

Bodywork is up for booking again online! My service menu got a little facelift as many people were confused by the names of my services. It is very straight forward now I hope!

Cells At Work is the cutest little anatomical anime I've ever seen. It's on Netflix! It makes me think my body is very exciting on the inside!

For an activity like snowboarding I anticipate injury and pain. I have a very decent amount of rocktape on right now. Both for general support and to support my unique weaknesses. Don't be shy in prevention! It's feels silly at first but after it's all said and done you sooner how much worse you would feel without it!! I paid attention to where my body did the most work today, remembering those pointers for next time!

Winter Wonderlands and Warm Wishes to you! I wanted to send you all a greeting from Maine, it is wonderful to be with people I love and to be in such a beautiful place! I hope you all get to spend your holidays safely with the people you love and maybe make some fun new traditions! Thank you to those who have bought GIFT CERTIFICATES for their loved ones, it is wonderful to see their smiling reactions when they tell me someone specially thought of them <3 ... Finally, a little news about coming back to work. After some thought, and observing the post Thanksgiving Covid numbers, it is in my best judgement to return JANUARY 14TH. Hopefully, we will all know where the boogyman is by then and can safely navigate :) I am still open for all phone services which you can book online. Thank you for patience and understanding through this challenging time! I look forward to the future! Cheers, Merry Stevenson

Phone sessions are officially open for online booking! Remember, my schedule is set in Eastern time zone for now!! I will set it back for online massage bookings at the end of December. Happy Holidays!! P.S. You can still buy gift certificates online!

Can we learn to live with our scars? Heck yes! But that doesn't mean some work isn't involved. Sometimes scars are harmless, but other times they can be changing the proprioception to our muscles. Much like The Force, unseen but powerful. Even tattoos can have the same affect as scars. So if you have a suspicion, come in and we will check if your scars have gone to the Dark Side. #nkt #scars

The original free solo climbers.

Need more proof that scars are ruling your life secretly? I just got rid of this man's pain in 40 min by addressing a broken femur from age 4. Boom. You better believe having your femur snapped in half is going to effect you long-term! #NKT

Little change in plans, tomorrow is my last day of work so we can quarantine for 6 days before our trip. I will still be available for phone sessions! I will miss you all dearly! Be back January 5th!

Taking this lunch break for a selfie with my new SHIRT! How long I have wanted to assist an NKT class to earn this shirt! This weekend is flying by, great people, awesome instructor (thank you Kathy Dooley), fantastic knowledge. I eat my humble pie every morning to be a good assistant. To empathize with the level one brain melts, and to proudly say I am still a student myself! I'm just here to help you get over the same humps I got over not that long ago!! I can feel my knowledge becoming deeper and building a stronger foundation to grow from. That's my favorite thing about NKT, you have to be humble to listen. And your have to listen to get results. #nktassistant #nkt

Putting on my super hero mask today for extra powers! Driving to Chicago by myself to be an NKT level 1 Assistant! Woohoo! I've awaited this opportunity but I didn't know it would arise in the middle of a pandemic! Traveling safely!

Totally screen capping The Body Mechanic (one of my heros in bodywork) because YA'LL need to HEAR THIS.

Brain training week! It's always intimidating to review old class materials, but wow! You can only absorb so much the first time round, I can feel my brain flexing and drinking up more knowledge! #nktassistant

A year later my business cards will finally match my married name! It's ok, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

This is one of my new favorite diaphragm videos, how cool is that release! By the end of October you will see me rocking one of those t-shirts too! The coveted NKT shirt that you can only get by being a teacher assistant in a class. Yep, that will be me Oct 17th in Chicago! I am psyched to get my learning on again.

Found a new purpose for Rocktape today.... Straight up write instructions on the person's body so they don't forget their homework; the where and the why.

This is the cutest thing that has happened all week Family time getting a group Rocktape Assessment - these girls were a hoot! 3 generations of knees- all uniquely different. Ain't that the bees knees!! I'm glad I could address their "knee"ds

HELLO! I want to let you all know I will be GONE Dec 2nd-Jan 5th. We are driving to Maine to spend the holidays with my brother. We plan to travel safely and quarantine away in a little warm cabin. Cozy! Although I won't be here for your aches and pains, I WILL be available for Emotion Code sessions by Phone. I currently have my schedule blocked off, but starting Dec 2nd I will open my availability and make my phone sessions the only available service, so that you can still ...book online! Convenient! If you need a referral for your pain/injury you can text me 417-413-0608. Thank you everyone for being my fantastic clients and trusting me with your most precious asset, your bodies! Best Regards, Merry

Target muscle: wrist abductors and thumb extensor. Aggravating exercise: using power drill one handed. Target pain: red dot most sore, soreness follows green line.... Strategy: stretch thick tape over red dot, cut contour lines to curve around arm, straddle muscle line with flaring ends of tape. Cherry on top: Rocksauce! Icy hot action for inflammation relief

Some of you may know I have a spot in my heart for film, theater and art. Before I became a massage therapist I was set on film career path! This semester I will be volunteering to help teach a film class with Plotline. So my Tuesdays are blocked off partly for the next 12 weeks. Diversify your life and passions

When a surfboard wants to say hello to your head it usually leaves a mark. But this scar turned out to be a constant visitor. After healing closed it still feels tingly and painful. NKT revealed even deeper dysfunction related to the distortion it created in the fascia. Scar oil to the rescue! After applying even one ingredient of this blend she didn't have any scar pain that day! I'm excited for her to get the benefit of all 10 oils in this fantastic formula. With daily massaging it in, the tissue should slowly return to normal

Looking at this cell structure I can't help imagining that understanding ourselves on a micro level, helps us understand the macro. There is so much cool stuff going on inside the little universe of our body!

This old work shirt needed a revamp! Good thing Rethink Tailoring has taught me the importance of upcycling. I was able to get a personalized Zoom sewing lounge to learn how to take 2 shirts that didn't fit to make one that does!

Hey climbers I think I found something that terrifies me as much as free soloing! I'm literally in awe

For 3 years this case has carried my table MANY places! Horseshoe hell, Joplin countless times, all over Springfield, and mostly in and out of the yoga room daily. I noticed the handles were really starting to show weariness. Today I used scrap from last year's Halloween costume to fully patch up and reinforce every handle and corner! Whew! Nice change of pace from patching up people

Just a weensy dab of purification oil to freshen my sniffer! Walking through the gym today I could smell, er, some hard working climbers #climbon

I sure do miss giving demos for people, but you can still find me on this segment of Get Around the Ozarks! #nkt #rocktape