The ROM Dance & Tai Chi Fundamentals in Practice:
An Interview with Sarah Watts, Certified Massage Therapist
By Lauri McKean
Uncharted Country Newsletter Spring/Summer 2000

Sarah Watts is a nationally and state certified massage therapist practicing in Madison, Wisconsin. She is also a certified ROM Dance instructor and has been practicing tai chi since 1994. She uses the ROM Dance and Tai Chi Fundamentals both with her massage clients and in a community wellness class for seniors.

UC: Please describe the community wellness class.

SW: This class is run through the Atwood Community Center in Madison. It started in 1996 as a Senior Exercise and Nutrition class that was funded by a grant. When the grant ran out after 6 months, the Center decided to keep it running as an exercise class. This is a component of an entire day of programming for Seniors. Because of this focus, the participants' ages range from 60's to 90's. The class averages about 6 to 7 participants and I have had the same core group of women for a number of years.

UC: What exercises do you do in a typical class.

SW: In general I try to vary the movements so that there are alternating blocks of time when we are standing and sitting. I also try to provide variety between gross motor and fine digital movements. Most importantly, I really emphasize that they should only do what feels good to them.

When we start the class I have them focus their attention on their breathing-feeling the movement of the breath in the torso and working to relax those areas. The second part of the class revolves around gentle stretching movements. Most of these are based on what Tricia [Yu] does in her tai chi classes. [Editor's Note: These are the warm-ups taught on the Energize! video and the Movement Patterns on the Tai Chi Fundamentals videos.] I try to use a number of exercises that focus on opening the chest area because many of the participants have heart problems and chest congestion. Most also have arthritis and restricted movement in their hips and knees. After the stretching we go through the entire ROM Dance sequence.

During the last part of the class we sit in a circle and give each other a neck and back massage. I have also taught them the rudiments of hand massage so they practice giving and receiving these. For many of the participants this is their favorite part of the class!

UC: Were they initially uncomfortable massaging and touching one another?

SW: Most of these people had known each other for years through the community center programming. They had already developed concern and love for one another. I tried to be very sensitive about their boundaries and we started out very gradually. Initially, we just did squeezes on the shoulders. Most of these women had been giving to others all of their lives and they really enjoy and need to be able to receive.

UC: How have the participants responded to the class?

SW: All of the participants have noticed an improvement in their flexibility and those with circulation problems have also reported improvement in this area. Several of the women were dealing with clinical depression and they experienced mood elevation with the ROM Dance and the class as a whole. Some of them do the exercises at home, including one woman who is reminded of the soothing imagery every time she showers and 'scoops the warm water over her head.' Another participant has also expressed joy in finding a sense of community and belonging in the group. It has been such a good experience for both them and myself that I would love to teach an additional group at another location.

UC: You are also using the ROM Dance and Tai Chi Fundamentals with some of your massage clients. Explain how you have incorporated this into your practice.

SW: I will often lead a client through a breathing exercise, or ROM Dance and Tai Chi movements before or after their massage. If they are receptive and want to continue the practice, I will also let them borrow my video. For example, I had a client with pancreatic and liver cancer. He needed some nurturing human touch as well as work on muscle tension. His arm had been restricted due to a pick line for the chemo and he had a very tight upper back and pectoral muscles. After the massage I talked with him about regaining his range of motion and he took a copy of the ROM Dance video. He has practiced it and found it very helpful. It was important to him to find exercises that were accessible and adaptable because it gave him options for feeling more flexible and in control.

I saw a 90 year old woman 3 months after she had heart surgery. Her sternum had been surgically opened and when she came to me she was hunched over - clearly protecting this area. Before the massage I had her do some gentle movements with her arms and shoulders. These were from the Energize warm-ups and Movement Patterns as well as movements from the ROM Dance like "scooping the warm water" and "playing with sunbeams." Once she was on the massage table, I also had her practice some deep breathing. After a relaxing massage, both of us noticed that her posture was much more erect and open. She walked out of the office smiling.

I also had a charming 85-year old client who had fallen and broken the upper end of her right humerus several months before. We went through the ROM Dance exercises together and she immediately noticed improvement. Because she was in a relaxed, nurturing atmosphere and doing these slow, gentle movements, she trusted enough to go to her fullest possible range. While this was important, the most dramatic change was in her emotional state. The injury had left her feeling restricted and depressed. After the session, she clearly had more confidence in her abilities and left the office in a happier frame of mind.

UC: Is there anything you would like to add in closing?

SW: Massage is a wonderful healing tool. While massage therapists can't prescribe, analyze, or diagnose, there are things we can demonstrate and suggest that might help the clients. In addition to recommending tai chi or ROM Dance movements, groups or materials, I also suggest to my clients that they simply focus on their breathing at regular times throughout the day.

Sarah Watts is the co-author of an article about the ROM Dance, Tai Chi Fundamentals and Massage that will appear in the national "Massage and Bodywork Magazine" in July 2000. Sarah can be reached at 608-233-4108