In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I decided to start yoga teacher training as a way to help myself move more smoothly and reduce pain and anxiety. After being mostly inactive for several years, I really wanted to regain strength and improve my overall health, and I began to incorporate weightlifting and strength training. This revealed just how challenging… and painful… it can be to become more physically active in your 40s. Learning detailed anatomy in yoga training deepened my interest in helping others to find relief from pain using various bodywork techniques. This motivated me to enroll in the Philadelphia School of Massage and Bodywork in 2023, from which I successfully graduated in August of 2024, and earned my massage license in the state of Pennsylvania by October. Since then, I have continued to expand my skill set by taking continuing education courses in sports massage techniques and myofascial release, which has become my primary therapeutic modality.