Getting To know Mark

I have done a lot of things in my life over the years. I have worked in the hospitality industry for fifteen years doing everything from washing dishes to cooking, to being a chef at restaurants and country clubs. I have hauled milk in a tanker truck and felt the slosh and bang like transporting a giant tub of bathwater. I am an entrepreneur working at inventing, developing, and marketing useful products. But only when I decided to become a massage therapist did I find something that felt like a true calling for me.

I am very active and love doing anything adventurous and athletic. From scuba diving, to zip lines, rock climbing to waterskiing. If its fun I’m there! If there are thrills and bit of danger..even better. Oh, and I cant forget plenty of yoga and strength training also play integral roles in keeping healthy and balanced in body, mind, and spirit.

One thing that all my activities have done for me is deepen my appreciation for having a body that has freedom of movement, and that feeling of freedom is what I aim to pass on to my clients.

I learn continually that we are all engaged in sport in one way or another, even if it’s the demanding sport of life itself. Life has daily challenges and we must continually be flexible in mind and body, seek for answers beginning from within, and learn to overcome.

My purpose is to help you on your path to wellness, by assisting in raising your awareness about your body’s ability to heal itself from within. I aim to combine my active life experiences and deepening understanding of how the body works, and help you regain that sense of body balance and flexibility. I will encourage you to take time, and make time, to care for yourself a little bit more.

We each have only one body, and it cares for us in direct response to how well we care for it.

I attained my education in the healing field from the East-West College of Healing Arts in Portland, Oregon. I laid a strong foundation with training in the common Swedish style massage, but also delved into a greater understanding of movement and function of the body through the use of Sports massage and Deep Tissue work. I have been licensed in Oregon since 2001 and have studied and practiced many effective styles of bodywork in order to become well rounded and fulfill my continued educational requirements. I consider myself a perpetual student.

Be it everything from Thai massage and Myofascial release techniques, to Trigger Point therapy and Shiatsu, I have studied many and mastered some. I have certificates of achievement to numerous to mention here.

The outcome is an eclectic style that is all my own. In the end, its not so important what the “style” is. What is important is the ability to connect with another person on the deepest level, and to perform massage in a way that helps you understand and embrace your own beautiful body better. It is to guide you on the path of loving, and honoring your body in order to get the most from it in return.

Most recently I have transitioned to performing a style that is known as ESALEN massage almost exclusively. I have found that nothing releases tension and pain better than long flowing strokes that coax the body into “just letting go”. Once you experience the wondrous effects of this style you will quickly see that the deepest of massage doesn’t need to be painful to be effective.

It can be likened to a dance between two people, you( the client) and me (the therapist). Together we engage your muscles both passively and actively and unlock tensions that you may have had for years and years. It leaves you feeling like jello served up in heaven, at peace in your mind and alive in your body…just the way you should be everyday.

The more that I travel this road the more that I see that the body is a wonderful machine, and good massage..no, great massage, is the oil that keeps it all running smoothly and efficiently.

The quality of touch is the reason that I choose to call what I do ELITE. It is massage that transcends the ordinary. It is having the inner drive and the desire to continually strive to make it the best..
for you.. every time.

P.S. My goal in my work is to guide you from darkness into light so to speak. To have you go from feeling miserable, to feeling wonderful. To perform in a way that produces the deepest lasting change for you in your body. To partner with you along your road to good health and wellness.

So, Come. Experience. Be Changed.

I look forward to meeting you, and being of service to you.

Blessings,
Mark Cedarleaf LMT

I know of no more encouraging act than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate
his life by conscious endeavor - Henry David Thoreau