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JULY, 2017
Join us as we celebrate the one year anniversary of our Massage Specialist Annette Oevermann! We sat down with Annette to converse about her life changing detour that brought her to Massage Therapy, her love for Infant Massage, her jet-set life as a Massage Therapist for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and her tips for you on finding balance in life through certain methods of self-care.
Annette is the owner of AO Bodywork and operates under the umbrella of Kua Body Studios alongside multiple highly trained therapists all running their own private practices.
What brought you to bodywork and specifically massage therapy?
After years of working in book publishing and high tech marketing communications I felt a yearning to let the caring, nurturing side of my personality flourish. I’ve always had an interest in the human body and movement. Growing up I passionately danced. I’ve also experienced great benefits from manual treatments for scoliosis. Maybe it were these traces running through my biography that ultimately led to massage therapy. When I was searching for a new direction in my professional life that would incorporate caring massage therapy instantly came to mind. To test the idea, I enrolled in a community class and soon I knew I had found my calling.
Annette teaching an Infant Massage class in Beijing.
You specialize in Infant Massage. Tell us why Infant Massage is so important and sacred to you?
Nurturing touch is sacred to me. Our sense of touch is the first of our five senses to develop in the mother’s womb and the last one to leave us as we pass away. A baby that isn’t touched simply cannot survive even if it is fed. Touch is literally vital to our human existence. While science backs this fact today, some cultures like the Indian culture have developed infant massage that has been handed down for generations. I love teaching new moms and dads in this tradition. It is the most beautiful thing to see the bond with their little ones getting stronger and the babies enjoying massage. I look forward to announcing new classes soon in Los Altos.
“Being touched and caressed, being massaged, is food for the infant.
Food as necessary as minerals, vitamins, and proteins.”
-Dr. Frédérick Leboyer, famed obstetrician and Infant Massage pioneer
“After years of working in book publishing and high tech marketing communications I felt a yearning to let the caring, nurturing side of my personality flourish.”
-Annette
From your perspective, what makes the Kua Body experience different from a spa experience?
Spas often offer fixed signature treatment protocols that therapists must adhere to. This primarily serves to provide a consistent “product” regardless of the actual needs of a specific client. By contrast, the setup at Kua Body is centered around highly skilled individual massage business owners who provide each client with personalized massage services custom tailored to their needs, whatever those may be on a given day. I greatly value this approach as it offers both therapists and clients a unique opportunity to form a truly therapeutic relationship.
Annette (pictured left) at Kua Body Studios Los Altos with therapist Jennfier (center) and Kua Body founder Upuia (right).
You work with athletes around the world. What benefits from massage have you observed that athletic clients who regularly get sports massage at Kua Body might also experience?
I am lucky that working with the WTA has taken me to many countries on all continents but Australia so far. I work with professional female tennis players. Massage is an integral part of their daily regimen. They may be using a warm-up massage before a match to keep a previously injured body part in best possible condition, optimize function and prevent re-injury. A recovery massage after playing helps normalize tissue quality and recover faster so the athlete is back in top form again the next day. In addition to the physical benefits of regular massage, treatments also have important mental effects. They help athletes relax and recover from the stress of competing and renew mental clarity and focus. Lastly, players keep massage in their regular maintenance tool box to ensure their muscles, joints and brains continuously function optimally, and to prevent injury and mental burnout from occurring in the first place. Athletic clients at Kua Body can certainly reap the same benefits from recovery and maintenance massage as pro players do.
“Athletic clients at Kua Body can certainly reap the same benefits from recovery and maintenance massage as pro players do.”
– Annette
Annnette at Kua Body Studios in Los Altos holding her many WTA badges from around the world!
Anything you take, or do, religiously every day?
I start every day with a little selfcare practicing Qi Gong and/or Yoga. Waking my mind and body with conscious breathing, movement and alignment gets me ready to face the world with a positive outlook. Nature really fills up my batteries. Hiking and biking in the mountains, walking by the seaside, tending to my garden, those are some of my favorite ways to relax and recharge.
Besides massage, I love choral singing. Making music in community is a true joy for me. Learning a new score stimulates my brain and performing on stage is a thrill each time. Having lived in multiple countries, choirs have always been my first home away from home and a place to find friends for life. Music has an enormous power to connect us.
Annette (center) singing with her choir.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Syria and China have been the most “exotic” places I have lived at. As foreign as their cultures initially were to me, immersing myself in them has taught me that we all share the same basic needs and desires. I understood that if we get to know one another, we by far don’t need to be as afraid of each other as some would have us believe. In our humanity, we are one. Respect and compassion go a long way.
What is one wellness tip you can leave us with today?
Take the time to tune in with yourself often, every day. Allow yourself to not DO but just BE for a moment. Observe. Your breath. Your posture. Awareness is the first and most important step to greater wellbeing. The quiet time of massage offers a perfect opportunity to practice awareness.
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