Meet Your Therapist

My name is Lee Cress, but you can call me Cricket if you'd like! I am a bodywork practitioner and yoga teacher located in north-central Texas. When I started massage school, I was walking with a cane. I had two herniated discs in my lower lumbar spine and could barely sit for any length of time before I was in excruciating pain. We had a demonstration in our Clinical class on Chinese Medical Massage, and I was chosen as the model.

I still remember it to this day. The therapist had me lie on my stomach as he walked the class through a short demonstration of his work. After a few minutes, the therapist pressed his thumb into my low back. Before this short session, even slight pressure to the area would send shooting pain down my leg. I knew he was putting pressure on the area, but I didn't realize just how much he was using. I vividly remember seeing the faces of the other students as their eyes went wide. He had used so much pressure he nearly lifted himself off the floor. He had me stand up and walk around. I was caught off guard as I realized I was walking without the cane I had been using for months. At that moment, I knew I needed to learn to utilize this work in my practice.

After massage school, I learned more about Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), Western Medical Massage, and Thai Massage. These modalities are all performed on fully-clothed clients, allowing them to be more comfortable during sessions and enabling me to incorporate more stretching and range of motion techniques to help release muscles that are otherwise difficult to stretch with traditional Swedish massage due to draping.

I believe that a lack of range of motion and muscle imbalances causes pain. By correcting those imbalances and improving range of motion, I can help decrease pain and improve quality of life. After many years of studying various modalities, my focus is now on Thai massage, a mat-based form of bodywork. I have been studying Thai massage for about three years and have found that by working with clients on a mat on the floor, I can incorporate the stretching and range of motion I have found to be so beneficial, as well as board pressure to bring blood flow into the area.

I continued my studies over the years, learning as much as possible while working as a diesel mechanic for the railroad. When I was unexpectedly furloughed from my 14-year career with the railroad, I prepared to open my practice, and in the process, I came across Yoga. During the beginning of my training, we were taught how to stand correctly with the toes spread wide and feet grounded through the four corners of the bottom of the foot, creating Pada Banda. My mother had always told me I was flat-footed as a child, but I never thought anything of it. The simple technique of Pada Banda lifts the arches and brings the feet back into proper alignment. I still remember seeing the difference between my first pose pictures and those after practicing this technique for a few weeks. Where I was once very flat-footed, I have corrected the imbalance, gotten the arches back in my feet, and noticed the benefits of proper foot position and muscle function. Our feet are our foundation, and any dysfunction can lead to imbalances throughout the rest of the body.  

Bodywork and Yoga have been life-altering experiences, and I am thrilled to share this knowledge with you all and help you get back to life!