About me & why I do this:
Alistair Hake MA, LMT
Why do I do this?
Simply put, because it’s fun!
Human movement fascinates and the human body fascinates me even more. Once I started looking it was impossible to stop. The study of basic anatomy isn’t too difficult- muscle A starts here, goes there, does this. However, once we start moving, then muscle A has to interact with muscles B, C, D, E and F. They all have to move in unison, loading, unloading, shortening, lengthening at different times.
Try it for yourself: Hold your knee, one hand on top and the other below, while you bend and straighten it. You can feel all those tissues moving under your fingers. Which ones are tightest? Is that where you have pain?
My job is to feel, to palpate the condition of those tissues, to assess them. Once assessed there’s a host of other questions. Why is it tight? Does it need to be released? If it does, then how do I get the tension in that tissue to change? How much pressure is appropriate? Which way does it want to move? Which way is it stuck? So much happens under the fingertips when we stop, listen, and palpate.
To my way of thinking, this is the art of massage, the craft of palpation. The study of any art or craft is endless. I’ve been studying this for 20 years and it still feels like I’m just getting started.
Certifications & Methodologies
500 hour Diploma in Classical, Zen, and Movement Shiatsu
720 hour Massage Certification
NeuroKinetic Therapy® (NKT) Certified Level 3 Practitioner
NKT Teaching Assistant Levels 1, 2, & 3
Cranial-Sacral Therapy (CST 1)
Anatomy in Motion (AIM)
McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR)
Active Release Technique® (ART)
About:
I drink a lot of Oolong tea, and I like to swing kettlebells. I’m also a purple belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Zero Point's Professor Chris 'Bones' Burns. He lives in Australia but I help teach classes at his affiliate school Ascend Martial Arts Academy in Camp Verde, Arizona.
