Massage School : An Ode to the Best Time.
My Time at ASHA, a School That Changed My Life.
When I walked through the doors of the Albuquerque School of the Healing Arts (ASHA), I didn’t know just how much the next nine months would transform me. I enrolled in the 700-hour massage therapy program with 15 other students, all of us carrying our own stories, our own reasons for being there.
For me, it was about finally following through. I had tried college twice — once for psychology, once for education — and dropped out both times. I always knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t yet know how. What I did know was that bodywork had been profoundly healing in my own life. My mom started taking me for massages when I was 16 or 17, and those experiences planted a seed I didn’t realize would grow into a career.
Years later, after two college attempts and two children, experiencing a loss that profoundly changed me, I found myself signing up for ASHA’s day program. I was nervous, but I felt ready. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this program — and the people in it — would help heal me just as much as it trained me to help others.
At ASHA, we practiced on each other constantly. You’d think getting massages multiple times a week would be a dream — but what they don’t tell you is that the body holds everything. When you receive bodywork that often, emotions and memories rise to the surface. The body begins its innate healing response, and things start to let go.
This brought us together in ways I’ll never forget. We didn’t always have to say what was happening in our bodies or minds — we just knew. We held space for one another through whatever came up. The classroom became a safe pocket of energy, a place where vulnerability and healing weren’t just encouraged but inevitable.
A Moment I’ll Never Forget
One of my favorite memories was during a polarity exam. We each had to design our own one-hour flow. I remember looking up as I worked: golden light streamed through the windows, filling the room, Krishna Das’ Baba Hanuman playing softly in the background. Every table was alive with energy as my classmates worked on one another.
For a moment, I could see us — these incredible future bodyworkers, each preparing to go out into the world to help others feel at home in their bodies. The room felt sacred, powerful, and profoundly connected. It’s a memory that has never left me.
Lunch therapy sessions, always spent in the courtyard. Our meeting place where so much was said and felt with some of my favorite people.
Carrying ASHA Forward
Graduating from ASHA wasn’t just about completing a program. It was about stepping into myself fully, with a clear sense of purpose. ASHA gave me the tools and the confidence to begin this journey — but it also reminded me of the importance of community, healing, and the body’s innate wisdom.
Today, as a licensed massage therapist and co-founder of Chikitsa, I carry those lessons with me into every session and every class. The work I do now is built on the foundation ASHA gave me: a belief that through touch, presence, and breath, we can reconnect with ourselves and begin to heal.
Are you thinking about a career in massage therapy? Check out ASHA, I promise you won’t regret it!