Pour Don't Push by David M. Lobenstine
Buy for $194
Buy for 3 payments of $64.66

Pour Don't Push

Do you ache? Are you bored? 
I want to help you love your work all over again. 
You can be a happier and more effective therapist. 
Let me show you how. 

14 CEs // NCBTMB-approved // money-back guarantee
Buy for $194
Buy for 3 payments of $64.66

You Can't Afford to Burn Out. The Solution? Get to Know Your Body Anew.

Let me guess: You care about your clients. (Or at least you used to.) But something is missing in your work. You no longer look forward to your sessions like you used to. This sound familiar?:

  • Your body feels like it is betraying you.
  • You feel distracted while you work.
  • You give a good massage but you want to take your work to the next level.
Whatever you are facing, I can help.

Pour Don't Push will show you how to be a happier and more effective massage therapist.

I have worked with hundreds of therapists, and we all have one thing in common: we work harder than we need to. We use our upper body more than we should (and our lower body less than we should), and we get stuck in counterproductive habits. Then we ache and get frustrated. We try to push our clients to get better. And then we get caught in a cycle of strain and injury and boredom and burnout. I want to change that.

Pour Don't Push offers you an alternative: let me show you how to pour, instead of push. Let me help you rediscover your most powerful—and most often forgotten—tools: your body weight and your breath.

In this course you will get over eight hours of compelling video instruction, professionally filmed by the wonderful director Rubidium Wu. And a comprehensive written  manual. With this combination of video and text, I offer you detailed, step-by-step guidance in how to implement what I call "the pouring principle," your key to using your body and breath in every session you give.

By paying attention to your own body—while you pay attention to your client—you can reinvent your work. You can do all the same wonderful strokes and styles and techniques that your client's love, but get out of the ruts and counterproductive habits you are stuck in. I build upon the good work you are already doing, and infuse your career with greater ease and greater satisfaction. When you learn the pouring principle, you can give the client whatever they need, and take care of yourself at the same time.

It is possible to be a happy and healthy massage therapist. It is possible to feel focused and free as you work. By making simple changes, you can feel happy in your own body and brain and breath, while you help your client feel happy in theirs. 

Join me. 

But Don't Take My Word For It.

See What Other Massage Therapists Are Saying About the Pouring Principle.
"Massage was starting to get boring. But now it feels like a whole new world is opening up." 

Here is Jason talking about Pour Don't Push. 
"This work has been a saving grace for me, because I can find a way to work without the wear and tear." 

Here is Vicki talking about Pour Don't Push.
"I don't feel as tired as I did before. I have clients walk out and say, Wow, I feel completely different!"

Here is Shanequa talking about Pour Don't Push. 

What's included?

Video Icon 20 videos File Icon 2 files Text Icon 2 text files

What You'll Get

To Read
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Pour Don't Push—The Manual
7.89 MB
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To Watch
Chapter 1 // The Principle of Pouring
22 mins
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Chapter 2 // Paying Attention to Yourself
34 mins
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Chapter 3 // Feeling & Thinking
26 mins
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Chapter 4 // Watch Me—Starting to Pour
23 mins
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Chapter 5 // Your Turn—Starting to Pour
31 mins
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Chapter 6 // Reflect & Review
23 mins
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Chapter 7 // Watch Me—Leaning In, The Back
18 mins
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Chapter 8 // Your Turn—Leaning In, The Back
19 mins
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Chapter 9 // Watch Me—Leaning In, Posterior Leg
14 mins
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Chapter 10 // Your Turn—Leaning In, Posterior Leg
13 mins
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Chapter 11 // Watch Me—Leaning In, Anterior Body
19 mins
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Chapter 12 // Your Turn—Leaning In, Anterior Body
17 mins
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Chapter 13 // Reflect & Review II
26 mins
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Chapter 14 // Watch Me—Leaning Away
33 mins
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Chapter 15 // Your Turn—Leaning Away
31 mins
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Chapter 16 // Watch Me—Rocking
27 mins
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Chapter 17 // Your Turn—Rocking
27 mins
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Chapter 18 // Reflect & Review III
29 mins
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Chapter 19 // Pouring in Action
(1h 03m 11s)
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Chapter 20 // The Practice of Pouring
17 mins
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To Get Those CEs!
Test Prep
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Final Test—Online Version
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Final Test—To Download
113 KB
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Testimonial

David Lobenstine is an instructor's dream come true. He is exceptionally positive, full of individualized suggestions for students, and thoroughly prepared. His knowledge base is broad and detailed, and he knows how to acknowledge what he doesn't know. He is warm and personable, yet utterly professional in the classroom, and well-organized, succinct, and lively in his presentation. I count him as amongst the best in my teaching team.
Carole Osborne, course developer and author, Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy, 2008 AMTA National Teacher of the Year

Still Have Questions? I Have Answers.

Will I learn new techniques?

I purposely don't call this a technique course, because it is so much more. Yes, you will learn new techniques. But what I think is more beneficial—and more unique—about this course, is that I offer a whole new way of contacting your client. Pouring, rather than pushing, makes intuitive sense, but we typically forget this skill the longer we are out of school. By developing an awareness of your own body, as you engage with your client's body, you can give the client whatever they need without injuring yourself. 

And as you learn how to pay attention to your own body while you pay attention to your client, you'll add all kinds of tools to your therapeutic toolbox:

  • You'll learn a smarter way to do cross-fiber friction, that doesn't hurt your fingers or thumbs. (Hint: it is rocking, and you do it with your hips and knees!)
  • You'll discover that your client (and their nervous system) actually likes it a lot better when you slow down. 
  • You'll learn how a smaller number of more mindful strokes is far more beneficial for your client than rushing through your typical routine—and feels a lot better for you!
  • You'll find that you can end your day feeling as energized as when you began. 
  • You'll learn to love your work again. 

I've been massaging for [insert #] years. Is this course right for me?

Yes. This course is designed for all massage therapists, whether you've been practicing for three weeks or three decades. The concept at the heart of this course is simple to understand but hard to learn: how to use your most powerful tools (your body weight and your breath) instead of your most injured tools (your muscles—and especially the muscles of your upper body). This concept is something, in my experience, that all of us need to learn (and re-learn). 

Will I be able to apply this material to my current work?

YES. Because I am teaching a way to use your whole body while you work, this course is applicable no matter what kind of massage you give—whether reiki or Swedish or myofascial release. And this material will be applicable to the very next massage you give. Each chapter offers a set of simple skills that you can practice right away. 

Why should I listen to you?

An excellent question. And that's something only you can answer. 

But what I can tell you is that I've been massaging and teaching for a long time. I have helped hundreds of massage therapists, from all over the country—therapists who work in every kind of massage setting, and who practice every kind of massage technique, and who have had every kind of massage injury. Chances are, I have helped therapists who are working through the same issues that you are. Chances are, I can help you. 

Also, I am licensed in New York State (#018104-1), and I am a Board Certified Therapist (#426009-00). And I am an Approved Continuing Education Provider (#1350). And NCBTMB wants me to tell you other stuff, too:

 “David Lobenstine is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider and is also sponsored by NCBTMB to teach New York LMTs continuing education that is accepted by the state of New York for license renewal.”

How's that for thorough? 

I've already taken the in-person version of this course. Can I take this version too?

Yes! We only learn through repetition. So taking the home study version of this course is a great way to reinforce and build on what you learned with me in the classroom.

If you just want the course content (but don't need the CEs), I sell the manual and DVDs (without the continuing education credit) for a reduced price.

Or, if you take this course again in a different renewal period, NCBTMB will give you credit for this version of the course, just like the previous version you took. (Check with your state board to see if your state will give you credit for both, too.)

I like to hold what I learn. (I am a massage therapist, after all!) Do you have a book and DVDs?

Soon! I am starting with a digital-only launch. But I have found a book printer and a DVD creator, and in the next few months I'll have a beautiful soft-cover book and a 3-DVD set for sale!

I'm just looking for an easy way to fulfill my stupid CE requirement. Something I don't have to do anything for. Is this course right for me?

NO. This course is not right for you if you are trying to find the cheapest, quickest, most boring way to fulfill your CE obligations. 

This course is a commitment. It will challenge you. It will probably even frustrate you. And if you let it, this course will transform your work.

Not Sure If You Are Ready to Pour?

I get it. There are lots of great courses out there. Take a look at this free preview, to find out if you are ready to learn the pouring principle.  
YES, GIVE ME A GLIMPSE

An Improved You. Guaranteed.

I believe in the pouring principle. And I want you to believe in it, too. So I'm offering this course risk-free. Try it out for 30 days. If you don't notice a difference in your work, or you aren't satisfied for any other reason, I'll refund the entire cost of the course. 

Come Learn With Me

I've been a licensed massage therapist since October of 2004. And a teacher since a few months after that. I have worked with hundreds of massage therapists from around the country.
I can help you.

I have developed a series of continuing education courses that I teach in person and online. And I also am a teacher of Carole Osborne's Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy workshop.

New York State Licensed Massage Therapist.
Nationally Certified Massage Therapist.
Approved Continuing Education Provider.
Here for YOU.