My Training

Picture of Morgin Cupp

I was born and raised near Portland, Oregon so it was a natural desire to stay close to home during massage school. My formal massage training started in 2013 at East West College of the Healing Arts. They have a beautiful campus, with knowledgeable experienced instructors, and a supportive staff. I resonated with how the 800 hours of training was divided into 4 terms using Deep Tissue technique as the core training of the program. The first term included the basic Swedish Massage and as our knowledge and understanding of the muscles and kinesiolgy deepened so did our techniques and training.

My favorite class was during that first term; kinesiology. I think I am one of few who would say that kinesiology is a favorite, but I felt like a duck in water. I have always had a thirst to learn about the physical body and kinesiology satisfied that thirst in a way I didn’t know existed. I loved learning about the structure of the bones, muscles and other connective tissues that keep us upright and moving.

In the second term I really dove into what keeps our body not only upright and moving on the outside, but flowing and regenerating on the inside during Applied Anatomy and Physiology. Third term was intense with the most classes taken during a single term. My favorite was the opportunity I had to take an overview of both Western and Eastern modalities. It was during the Eastern Modalities class that I found Tui Na (Traditional Chinese Medicine Massage) and Thai Massage. Both are quite different than your “usual” Swedish massage, but I found them so intriguing the way stretching and applying pressure in certain ways and in certain areas could offer so much relief to my body and those whom I practiced on.

That intrigue led me to pursue Tui Na and Thai Massage as my electives during my fourth and final term. During that final term, I could reflect upon the knowledge of Western and Eastern modalities and combine them into a special blend that I could call my own. Our Student Clinic allowed me to showcase my talents and abilities and work with the general public. Experiencing the work “for real” with “real people” is what ignited the flame that has kept burning brighter everyday for the past 5 years.