|
"Being a farmer, I am used to working and tolerating a certain level of discomfort. I have been fortunate for the last two years to be working with Lydia, who has helped me through the times when that discomfort has turned into pain. She has worked and helped me beyond just being an excellent and attentive massage therapist, she has also coached me towards having better tools and practices to maintain my health and strength through the season. "
-J.D Riverland Farm, Sunderland MA |
Lydia Irons
|
What we offer:
- Professional, affordable and knowledgeable body work with a foundation in therapeutic and sports massage.
- Massage that is tailored to the needs of laborers in western Massachusetts, such as farmers, landscapers, carpenters and mechanics.
- Workshops, presentations and consultation, offered across New England, that educate on injury prevention and healthy body mechanics.
Statement of Purpose
The farmer's body is a working body. This is a body that has an indispensable task, to work the land and bring food to the community, family and self. Many bodies have done this work, handing it down for generations as the most important work a body could do. For 10,000 years, humans have taken on the responsibility to create food from simple resources, using physical and mental strength to overcome the challenges that pepper their gratifying work. Bending, stretching, lifting and straining the bodies of farmers helped build stable, sustainable societies by providing the means to stay in one place. But more often than not, the farmer’s body is also a hurting body. A body plagued by constant aches and pains, stresses and strains that develop from not having the resources or time to develop sustainable ways to move. I have worked on farms for much of my life growing up on a homestead and working the land all over the world. In studying human anatomy I have realized that the body is a machine that can be repaired and restored as can any machine we work with on the farm.
I have found in my research that the repetitive movements of a farmer's kinesiology (and that of most manual labor for that matter) fall into one of five categories: Squatting/kneeling; the use of long handled tools; quick Lifting; sustained lifting and machine use. In my research of anatomy and body mechanics at Hampshire College and at The Massage School, I have broken down what happens to the working body anatomically during these tasks. What I hope to share with the farming community though workshops and consultations are the most efficient/sustainable movements for every task on the farm and beyond. Workshops will also focus on common tasks done on the farm (lifting a hay bale, riding a tractor, digging a hole, weeding a veggie patch) and the simple stretches that can be done to prepare, sustain and restore the body for the work.
As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I also offer bodywork specifically geared to the types of repetitive stress injuries and tensions that farmers and laborers most often encounter. With chair massage or table massage, I can tailor the session to your needs and relieve tension from many seasons of work. Injury prevention and body care workshops can be tailored for any type of manual labor such as: landscaping, masonry, carpentry, gardening and mechanics.
I have found in my research that the repetitive movements of a farmer's kinesiology (and that of most manual labor for that matter) fall into one of five categories: Squatting/kneeling; the use of long handled tools; quick Lifting; sustained lifting and machine use. In my research of anatomy and body mechanics at Hampshire College and at The Massage School, I have broken down what happens to the working body anatomically during these tasks. What I hope to share with the farming community though workshops and consultations are the most efficient/sustainable movements for every task on the farm and beyond. Workshops will also focus on common tasks done on the farm (lifting a hay bale, riding a tractor, digging a hole, weeding a veggie patch) and the simple stretches that can be done to prepare, sustain and restore the body for the work.
As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I also offer bodywork specifically geared to the types of repetitive stress injuries and tensions that farmers and laborers most often encounter. With chair massage or table massage, I can tailor the session to your needs and relieve tension from many seasons of work. Injury prevention and body care workshops can be tailored for any type of manual labor such as: landscaping, masonry, carpentry, gardening and mechanics.
The Flexible Farmer 8 Goffe St. Hadley, MA 01035 (603)833-1809 info@theflexiblefarmer.com