Massage Therapy

Massage therapy logo

We welcome you whole-heartedly

BIMT’s Registered Massage Therapists are collectively passionate in our approach to holistic health and value balance in our daily living. We draw inspiration from our collegial relations, through our ongoing professional studies, and daily from our most valued teachers—you, our clients.

 

BIMT celebrates 29 years of Bowen Island community healthcare and is honoured to receive the Small Business BC Premier’s People’s Choice Top 10 – 2017 Award.

Philosophy

Embodied-awareness can be a challenge to maintain when you’re absorbed in life’s busyness. Welcome home. Cultivate a rapport, deepen the relationship to your whole self.

 

The internal environment is continuously responding and adapting to multiple external influences including; environmental, social, financial, occupational and gravitational. The body’s tissues communicate these responses in a language that is well known, when you are prepared to connect and listen.

 

The body might record a numbing sensation from an impingement or shout about lancinating pain from an acute strain. It may struggle to communicate clearly when brain fog from a traumatic head injury is present, gasp when in a state of anxiety, or feel disconnected from a region of surgical procedure.

Integrative manual therapies facilitate natural healing processes already at work. When the body is no longer bound by restrictions along the fascial system, it can move with greater ease, readily adapt to its environment and assume a greater expression of health.

 

Whether you are recovering from surgery, static in your work environment, enduring the challenges of ongoing athletic training, or recovering from labour and birth; building resilience in the central nervous system is vital. An intentional relaxing breath to decompress, or a simple postural adjustment to restore functional movement, cultivates a body aware existence. This is essential to preventing and managing illness or injury.

About Massage Therapy

BC’s Registered Massage Therapists are primary healthcare professionals committed to every aspect of health and pain free functioning of the body. RMTs evaluate health and provide active and passive techniques for complete patient care.

 

RMTs work with illness, injury, numerous medical and health conditions and disability in broad patient populations.

 

The practice of Massage Therapy is the assessment of soft tissues and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of dysfunction, injury, pain, and physical disorders of the soft tissues and joints by manual and physical methods to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment physical function to relieve pain and promote health.

 

BIMT’s RMT’s draw from a wide spectrum of manual therapies and healing disciplines including: Massage Therapy, Manual Therapy, Myofascial Therapy, Joint Mobilization, Sports Therapy, Rehabilitative Exercises, Visceral Manipulation, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Perinatal Care, Hydro Therapy, Postural and Movement Re-education.

 

BC RMTs are an integral part of the BC Healthcare fabric today and in the future.

What to Expect

An initial visit to Bowen Island Massage Therapy will be in one of our two locations, BIWC suite #597 or next door at suite #595A.

 

Therapist and location will be confirmed at time of booking.

 

We see healthcare as a partnership between your desire to optimize your health and our ability to provide you with some tools you need to promote your body’s healing processes.

 

We provide a private, warm and welcoming environment where you will receive the utmost confidentiality and respect; where you can recover, discover, and cultivate lifelong healthy living practices.

 

We work together with our multidisciplinary team and our community health partnerships to ensure you are receiving the appropriate treatment for your specific needs.

Whether you are a child, a senior, or an age in between; or whether your challenge is a disability, sports injury, stress, or general malaise; we support you in building resilience through restfulness and playfulness.

 

We will attend to your needs with professional precision and genuine compassion.

Bio

Mary McDonagh

I have been a Registered Massage Therapist since 1987,and a Classical Homeopath since 1999.

 

Embracing an opportunity to provide convenient health support for my community, I founded Bowen Island Massage Therapy in 1989, and became a co-founder and managing partner of the Bowen Island Wellness Centre in 1999. I sit as an Associate member of the Bowen Island Caring Circle Society.

 

Helping my clients achieve optimum health, physical comfort and mobility is both my mission and my long-term passion. Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of clients, with a wide range of needs—from hyperactive children, elite Olympian athletes, to limited-mobility clients.

 

My commitment to facilitate positive change in my clients’ overall health and wellbeing stems from my 30+ years of clinical experience and extensive training in multiple modalities of manual therapy, and fascial therapies (myo-fascial release, cranial- sacral, visceral manipulation) and restorative movement practices; coupled with investigative assessment precision.

 

Part of what inspires my work is my unwavering belief in the resilience and healing potential of each of my clients.
I understand that physical well-being improves all aspects of life.

 

Whether your limitations are a recent injury or chronic in nature, I can help you relax. As I sculpt and realign the body you will experience immediate and long-term relief.

 

Under my care, you have the chance to gain insight, building a level of confidence and ultimately a deeper appreciation of your strength, mobility and functional capacity potential, so that the pleasure of doing the things you love to do remains accessible.
You have my unwavering commitment to the best possible therapeutic individual care, all done with a depth of sensitivity, intuitive wisdom, humour and grace.

 

Beyond the clinic I’m happily rooted in the contemplative and playful landscapes of Howe Sound Sea to Sky corridor, athletically adventuring, swimming the shorelines, exploring rhythm in my Gyrotonic movement practice, digging in the dirt with my granddaughter, growing food and dreaming up the next great meal and travel venture!

Bio

Alicia Hoppenrath

I graduated from the 3000 hour Registered Massage Therapy program at Vancouver College of Massage Therapy in 2014. Previous to pursuing Massage Therapy, I worked as a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula in Vancouver. I currently provide breastfeeding support to mothers on Bowen Island, am involved in the baby connections program through Family Place, and have co-launched the Bowen Island Birth Collective. I am passionate about childbirth, pre and post-natal care, athletics, nutrition, and the great outdoors. I value the freedom of movement through an active lifestyle, and outdoor recreation has been an integral part of maintaining my health and joy for many years. I currently sit as President on the board for Bowen Island Trail Society.

 

I am committed to supporting my clients and their individual needs, bringing great enthusiasm to working with people of all ages. I believe that in order to promote balance and facilitate healing, one must be educated about their body, learn to trust and believe in our innate ability to heal, practice good nutrition, and maintain regular movement.

 

As an avid runner, cyclist, and skier, my familiarity with body dynamics brings an element of remedial movement therapy to my work. I believe in utilizing the body’s ability to respond and adapt to guided motion; along with massage as a powerful medium to effectively prevent injury, manage pain and promote relaxation. My approach is one of balance, combining the art of touch with the knowledge of science.

 

I utilize a variety of modalities during treatments including, Myofascial Manipulation, Swedish Deep Tissue, Joint Mobilization, Visceral Manipulation, and Osteopathic techniques.

 

Driven by a strong fascination of the human body, I am excited to be apart of the Bowen Island Massage Therapy team, offering client centered care to the wonderful community of Bowen Island!

 

Born and raised on Bowen Island, I continue to enjoy living here with my husband and daughter.

Bio

Kim Howden

I received my Registered Massage Therapy training from the Vancouver College of Massage Therapy, graduating in December 2016. I am grateful to be serving the Bowen Island community as an RMT, alongside the wholistic team of compassionate practitioners at Bowen Island Massage Therapy.

In my earlier life, I graduated with a B. Ed. Degree in Special Education from the University of Alberta and worked with children and young adults in various contexts including as a teacher and Family Literacy Coordinator. Upon moving to the west coast, I spent 13 years living on Bowen Island raising my family and participating actively in community and island life. Experiencing a deep connection with and respect for the land here, I eventually studied as an organic master gardener, and ran my own on-island business for many years as an avid gardener and organic food grower.

Returning to the island in a new capacity as a Registered Massage Therapist is an exciting evolution for me, and I am grateful to continue to be in service to this beloved island community. I am deeply passionate about how we consciously choose to engage with our own lives, our environment and each other in ways that support wellness, connection and depth.

As an RMT, I work in partnership with clients to develop individualized treatment plans supporting personal health goals, rehabilitation and maintenance of daily functionality of movement. During treatments, I draw upon a variety of modalities including: myofascial release, Swedish massage techniques, visceral fascial manipulation, joint play and mobilization, trigger point therapy, passive and active release techniques, therapeutic exercises, manual lymph drainage and cranial sacral therapy.

I look forward to supporting you and your body’s health journey within an environment of restoration, relaxation and collaboration.

Outside of the clinic, I love spending time with my two daughters, family and friends. I find nourishment being in the outdoors, gardening, walking among the forest trails, being by the sea, or cycling and running along the seawall in Stanley Park.

Bio

Ana Aguayo Acosta

I’ve been a Registered Massage Therapist since 2015, and utilize a combination of treatment techniques from Swedish massage, deep tissue, fascial release, cranio-sacral therapy among others, to tailor a treatment for each patient. My priority is to create a safe therapeutic environment, from where patients can leave feeling deeply relaxed, inspired and equipped with the right tools for their bodies to heal.

I enjoy working with people in all stages of life. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury, a mother preparing for childbirth, or a retiree seeking to enjoy gardening or playing golf without discomfort, helping individuals identify and successfully treat areas of pain or dysfunction is one of my greatest ( biggest) passions.

I’m currently pursuing a Diploma as an Osteopathy Manual Practitioner. Osteopathy aims to restore function in the body by treating the root causes of pain and imbalances. My hope is to elevate the quality of patient care by deepening my understanding of the human body.

Prior to becoming an RMT I earned a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes in Mexico. I also practiced contemporary dance and performed in multiple festivals for over a decade.

Outside of work, I love practicing yoga, hiking in the forest with my dogs, and building sandcastles at the beach with my daughter during the summer.