The Thinking Practitioner
Join two of the leading educators in manual therapy, bodywork, and massage therapy, as they delve into the most intriguing issues, questions, research, and client conditions that hands-on practitioners face. Stimulate your thinking with imaginative conversations, tips, and interviews related to the somatic arts and sciences. For professional practitioners in bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedics, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy; as well as yoga, strength and conditioning, and allied professions. This podcast is not medical or treatment advice.
- Update frequency
- every 14 days
- Average duration
- 53 minutes
- Episodes
- 153
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
73: Long Term Lyme Disease: What Helps? (with Ruth Werner)
Can massage and bodywork help with long-term Lyme Disease? The answer has implications for working with similar conditions such as long COVID, post-viral syndromes, and more. Til Luchau talks it thro…
72: Intimacy, Sex & Massage: Strange Bedfellows? (with Cal Cates)
Til Luchau talks with Cal Cates about "massage therapy's sex problem:" how the profession's "touchiness" about the intimacy-sensuality-sexuality continuum, however well-founded, might not be serving …
71: Fascia & Pain: What We Know (with Helene Langevin)
Famed fascial researcher Helene Langevin MD talks with Til and Whitney about what we know (and _don't_ know) about the role of tissue stiffness in pain; the effects of stretching on cell function and…
70: Stretching: Would Everyone Just Relax? (with Jules Mitchell)
Whitney and Til have an in-depth conversation with Jules Mitchell (author of Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined) about topics like tissue change, flexibility, hyper-mobility as they relate to yo…
69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (with Stuart McGill)
Legendary back pain researcher Stuart McGill (author of Back Mechanic and others) talks with Whitney and Til about spinal pain, fascia, biomechanics and other topics including:
- Stiffness/mobility t…
68: Working with Sciatic Pain (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)
Til and Whitney compare notes about their tests and techniques for recognizing, understanding, and working with sciatica, sciatic pain, and similar conditions.
Download the free technique handout fr…
67: Aging Gracefully, Breathing Well, and Long COVID Recovery (with Jan Sultan)
Til talks with Jan Sultan (one of the first Rolfers trained by Ida Rolf to teach her work), about his life and work; about aging well; and about his take-aways from his ongoing COVID recovery process…
66: Beyond ”It Depends:” Oncology Massage (with Janet Penny, Rebecca Sturgeon, and Loretta Luchau)
Til gets personal as he discusses bodywork with people living with cancer, with Janet Penny and Rebecca Sturgeon, the authors of “Oncology Massage: An Integrative Approach to Cancer Care.” They’re jo…
65: Women Leaders in Massage Therapy (with CG Funk, Ruth Werner, and Irene Diamond)
Women account for about 85 percent of Massage Therapists in the US. However, there isn't always a corresponding representation of women as CE providers, conference headliners, or in other roles of vi…
64: The Handspring Story (with Andrew Stevenson and Mary Law)
It’s no exaggeration to say that in its ten years of existence, Handspring Publishing has had a profound impact on the bodywork and movement therapy fields. Til and Whitney talk with two of Handsprin…
63: Turnabout is Fair Play: Our Favorite Perspective Reversals
People change their minds--sometimes, radically. Learning, improving, refining, all involve changing how we saw things before. But is there a cost? And what makes changing our views such a challenge?…
62: Educational Innovations (with Anne Williams and Eric Brown)
Whitney talks with Anne Williams and Eric Brown about innovations in education.
They delve into these important topics: such as:
-Early explorations of online education, podcasting, and the World Ma…
61: Massage Therapy Research (with Niki Munk)
Whitney talks with Niki Munk about massage therapy research.
They delve into these important topics: such as:
-What are levels of evidence and why does this matter?
-Why should massage therapists ca…
60: Physical Therapy Assisting and Massage (with Matt Gavzy)
Whitney talks with massage therapist and physical therapy assistant Matt Gavzy about working in a team practice with other professionals, and about integrating massage therapy with physical therapy a…
59: What Influenced You? (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)
Whitney and Til compare notes about the major influences on their own careers, and along the way discuss topics such as:
-The development of massage and bodywork education and practice
-Their Esalen…
58: Outside the Box (with Judith Aston)
Til Luchau asks pioneering movement and bodywork teacher Judith Aston "Do you think being a woman ever held you back?" Then, they talk about what she thought of that question.
Get the full transcr…
57: A Fine Irish Visit (with Aubrey Gowing)
Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau catch up with Aubrey Gowing about the practice of massage and bodywork in Ireland. Aubrey is Senior Instructor at the Holistic College Dublin and past President of the Iri…
56: Working with Rib Issues
Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe talk through their hands-on approaches to rib pain, ribcage restrictions, and related breathing issues. Download the technique handout at https://bit.ly/rib-handout-56
G…
55: What Is Success? (with Diane Matkowski)
Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe get personal with Diane Matkowski (The Massage Mentor) about what "success" means to each of them, and preview their upcoming online collaborative, the "Success is an Insi…
54: Season Two Highlights - Best of the Thinking Practitioner Podcast
Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau review highlights and key take-aways from their busy second season of interviews, conversations, and inquiries into the thinking behind effective hands-on work.
The Ten M…