Kinsy Sylla shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Kinsy, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Anything with plants.
I can spend a whole day repotting plants or working barefoot in the garden. Whenever I get to play in the dirt I feel at home and at ease.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a massage therapist currently working in Denver CO both at Izba Spa and out of my home with my own clients. Body work always made sense to me and my whole life ive naturally understood how healing touch can be. Everything ive done has made me an effective therapist because i can see the human body in a way most people dont. I was a gymnast for ten years which means I know how it feels to train hard and feel that gratifying heaviness in my muscles and how good it feels to be strong. Because I was also a contortionist I learned that being flexible is only a positive attribute when combined with strength. The body must be in balance. When I was taking a yoga certification course my instructor told us we need both steadiness and ease in both yoga and life.
Using my body for extreme movements like this made me feel how our bodies are put together and where they most need help. I have taken many anatomy and physiology classes but the experiential knowledge of moving my own body is what makes me good at what i do.
The more people I work on the more I realize that I love and almost need to integrate the emotional and spiritual realms of this practice to feel fully gratified with my work. When clients are willing and able to work thru the emotions attached to different areas of the body while being worked on it is beyond satisfying. Ive found that when people talk through things while on the table they can be a part of the healing process and it helps me understand what kind of work they need. Tying in astrology never hurts either.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I learned what work is from watching my dad. Although he had a great job that he loved, what I remember is when he got home he couldnt wait to go outside and work on his trees and the yard or some other creative project. He made good money and had fun working a 9-5 but the day wasnt over when he came home. He just wanted to work but mostly wanted to do work that was his.
I saw that work didnt just have to mean something you were paid for. Working was a hobby too. Ive met so many people who think of work only as an obstacle and it seems to make them miserable. I grew up watching my dad love working and it made me love it too. We are both like border collies, just cant stop working. Secondly it made me realize that if I could make my job feel like a hobby Id be ahead of the game and would save myself a lot of time.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. When I first started massage school I loved it and it all came easy to me but once we started trading I realized I had never received a massage before. I had always been on the giving side of the equation and that was a lot easier for me.
Because I was not used to receiving i started feeling all kinds of emotional releases which I was not ready for. On top of that I am extremely hyper mobile so physically my body started to feel like it was going to fall apart from being worked on so often. After a few weeks of trades I wanted to quit.
In the end it helped me because now I know I need to receive in order to be an effective therapist. But it took me a long time to get used to it and sometimes I still feel myself resisting it.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Science was created by a woman trying to explain intuition to a man
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel the most at peace when Im in the woods back home in Wisconsin where my family lives. There are hundreds of acres of trees and pasture and all I can hear is red winged black birds during the day and coyotes at night. There are groves of pine trees my grandpa planted over 50 years ago and more stars than Ive seen anywhere else.
Theres nothing better than sitting around a fire under those stars and soaking in the silence
Contact Info:
- Instagram: kinsysylla
Image Credits
Pat Sylla
Yuki Tojo
