Beginning with a deep breath, Lisa Taylor, Reiki Master, tells of the many hats she wears: palliative care massage practitioner, life coach and self-defense instructor.
“I spent over 20 years in law enforcement before switching careers,” said Taylor at her studio, Take a Deep Breath (500 S. 336th St., Suite 104, Federal Way).
While working for the sheriff’s department, Taylor was in a serious car accident that resulted in a broken neck. She recovered from her injuries and went back to school, training to become a certified cancer/oncology masseuse.
“After my accident, I wanted to help people who were fragile,” she said. “For the past 16 years I’ve worked with clients who have cancer, are in hospice or are suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other ailments.”
Back in the lobby of her studio, Taylor gently massages the arm of a client and friend.
“Cancer patients need to be touched; that is typically what is lacking in their care,” she said. “They are often in a great deal of pain. I help them with back and neck pain, as well as swelling in their feet.”
Her clients have ranged in age from a teenage soccer player with leg cramps to a 103-year-old, bed-ridden, blind woman.
Taylor says people often open up to her.
“Everything is confidential, and there is no judgment,” she said, noting that clients’ muscles change and loosen as they relax.
For many, like real estate broker Kendra Reed, Taylor is a dear friend.
“I’ve been seeing Lisa for years,” Reed said. “I come to her studio at least two times per month. She helps me with back and leg pain. I feel more relaxed after my visits with her.”
As a life coach, Taylor encourages everyone to be “kind to yourself, stay active, read a book and turn off the TV.”
“I helped a woman practice for a job interview,” she said. “She was going back into the workforce after many years and was very nervous. We worked on dialogue and I taught her to focus on taking deep breaths as she prepared. And guess what? She landed the position”
While Taylor is caring and gentle with clients, the “bad guys” will definitely want to stay away.
“The palm of your hand, elbow and foot can be used as instruments of self-defense,” she says confidently.
The first thing she tells her students: be aware of your surroundings and don’t listen to music when you’re walking alone, especially at night.
Taylor’s next self-defense class will be Aug. 27 from 1-4:30 p.m. and costs $75 per person. She can be contacted at lisataylor55@hotmail.com or 253-677-1944.
