Workshops & Certification Courses
THE TENDING PRACTICE METHOD
Your hands are your most powerful tool — but most estheticians are taught technique before they’re taught how to listen, regulate, and co-create safety with the nervous system.
The Tending Practice Method is a five-level education pathway that blends:
• nervous-system science
• fascia literacy
• somatic presence
• Ayurvedic wisdom
• intentional environment design
• trauma-sensitive touch
• practitioner embodiment & longevity
Each level builds upon the last, guiding you from foundational nervous-system-led touch all the way to advanced sculptural, lymphatic, buccal, and somatic integration work.
🖤 THE FIVE LEVELS OF TRAINING
All levels may be taken individually or as a full certification pathway.
LEVEL 1 — Foundations of Nervous-System-Led Facial Massage
The root system of the entire method.
This level teaches you the foundational principles of nervous-system-safe touch: pacing, pressure modulation, rhythm, fascia mapping, elemental patterns, and how to create a session arc that the body can trust.
You’ll learn:
• Pressure: Feather, Listening, Working, Gathering
• Pace bars & therapeutic slow touch
• The 5-phase Tending session arc
• Tissue tone literacy
• Breath-led movement
• Practitioner ergonomics & presence
• Intro to somatic signals
• Ayurvedic touch qualities
Price: $550
Build your pressure, pace, listening, fascia awareness, and nervous-system literacy.
Outcome:
Confidently deliver a 30–45 minute nervous-system-led massage
LEVEL 2 — Sculpt & Lift Mastery
Advanced contouring, structural work, and fascia-led sculptural techniques.
This level deepens pressure, precision, and directionality. You’ll learn sculpting, lifting, contouring, anchoring, myofascial engagement, and how to work with structure without overwhelming the system.
You’ll learn:
• Advanced facial anatomy
• Sculpting pathways & vector lines
• Fascia engagement vs force
• Structural pacing
• Contour refinement
• Advanced neck, jaw, and zygoma work
• Sequencing sculptural micro-arcs
• Practitioner longevity & body mechanics
Price: $650
Outcome:
Safe, effective sculptural and contouring work rooted in slow-touch nervous-system principles.
LEVEL 4 — Buccal & Intraoral Training
Emotional release, deep fascia access, and advanced intraoral sculpting.
This level teaches trauma-aware, somatically sensitive buccal techniques rooted in nervous-system literacy. You’ll learn deep jaw release, TMJ support, midface sculpting, and emotional attunement.
You’ll learn:
• Intraoral mapping & protocols
• TMJ-safe approaches
• Midface sculpting
• Trauma-sensitive touch
• Emotional safety & containment
• Breath pacing with the client
• Working inside/outside simultaneously
• Practitioner presence & grounding
Price: $750
Outcome:
Deliver deeply therapeutic buccal work without overwhelming the system.
LEVEL 3 — Lymphatic Drainage, Gua Sha & Facial Cupping
A blended toolkit of fluid movement, glide, lift, and lymph-focused techniques.
You’ll learn refined manual lymphatic drainage (non-clinical), classical Gua Sha principles, and gentle facial cupping. All tools are approached through the lens of pace, pressure, mapping, and somatic safety.
You’ll learn:
• Facial lymph pathways
• Directionality & drainage mapping
• Gua Sha fundamentals & mistake-proofing
• Cupping (non-marking) techniques
• Edema modulation
• Flow arcs & fluid micro-sequences
• Contraindications & tool safety
• Combining tools with manual work
Price: $650
Outcome:
Integrate lymphatic, Gua Sha, and cupping tools with clarity, pace, and confidence.
LEVEL 5 — Somatic & Ayurvedic Integration
The advanced culmination of the entire method.
Here, you integrate somatic mapping, marma awareness, elemental anatomy, emotional patterning, and subtle-body nuance. This level is where your touch becomes art.
You’ll learn:
• Somatic literacy & state awareness
• Polyvagal-informed facial touch
• Marma chikitsa basics for estheticians
• Elemental anatomy (Vata/Pitta/Kapha expression in tissue)
• Emotional maps of the face
• Stillness as intervention
• Sensory + environment design
• Practitioner embodiment & longevity protocols
Price: $750
Outcome:
Deliver a fully integrated somatic–Ayurvedic session that supports the physical, energetic, and emotional layers.
THE CERTIFICATION PATHWAY
Practitioners who complete all five levels and meet practice requirements will earn:
The Tending Practice Certified Practitioner designation.
Includes:
✔ All five levels
✔ Practice logs
✔ Self-assessments
✔ Demonstration review
✔ Case study documentation
✔ Practitioner embodiment milestones
Certification is optional — you may also take levels individually.
All private and small-group trainings take place in a grounded, comfortable space designed for learning through touch and presence. The room is quiet, warm, and set up with everything you need for focused, hands-on education.
Each participant receives:
A printed workbook
Example treatment protocols
Client intake templates
Lifetime access to corresponding online materials
Your online access includes expanded theory, full-length demonstration videos, and ongoing updates—so you can revisit and refine your technique long after the training ends.
Training Format
Half-Day Sessions:
1.5 hours of theory and demonstration
2 hours of hands-on practice with models
Full-Day Trainings:
1.5 hours of theory and discussion
4.5 hours of hands-on model work
Includes a short lunch break
Small Group Trainings: You’ll trade with each other, acting as both practitioner and model, to experience both sides of the work.
Certification
All workshops include a Tending Practice Certificate of Completion once you’ve completed the required hours and hands-on assessment. This recognizes your expertise in facial sculpting, fascia-aware technique, and nervous system-led touch.
UPCOMING TRAINING DATES — 2026
Level 1 launches late January 2026
Levels 2–5 will roll out throughout 2026.
Join the email list to receive early access + enrollment discounts.
FAQs — Workshops & Courses
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Licensed estheticians, cosmetologists, massage therapists, and bodyworkers whose scope includes working with the face.
Students currently enrolled in an accredited program may also attend with instructor/school approval.
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A basic comfort level with touch is helpful, but you don’t need to be advanced. The pace is intentionally slow, with step-by-step instruction, guided practice, and plenty of time to integrate.
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These trainings are hands-on and nervous-system-led.
We don’t rush.
We don’t memorize routines.
We learn through touch awareness, anatomical understanding, and presence.This is about developing real technique and confidence, not just adding a new service title.
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Hands-on workshops are taught in person in the Kansas City Metro.
Online classes are offered for self-massage education, somatic awareness, and practitioner development (coming soon). -
Calm, supportive, and unhurried.
We create a space where your nervous system—and your clients’—can settle.
There’s no high-pressure vibe and no comparison culture. Never ever!
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Small groups — usually 6–10 practitioners — to ensure everyone receives individual support and technique correction.
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Yes. All in-person certification classes include a Tending Practice Certificate of Completion.
This recognizes training in facia-aware, sculptural, and nervous-system-led facial massage.
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You’ll receive a preparation guide before class.
Generally: wear comfortable clothing and arrive hydrated and unhurried. We will be working on each other so wear layered clothing that will make massaging, face, neck, shoulders, and decolletage easy and comfortable.
All massage tables and supplies are provided unless otherwise noted.
Snacks and drinks will also be provided.
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Yes — absolutely.
You can reach out anytime, or schedule a short Q&A call. I’ll help you find the training that aligns with your scope, experience, and goals.
→ Schedule a Q&A Call
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Yes. The Tending Practice can come directly to your spa, wellness center, or esthetics school.
On-site trainings include manuals, certificates, and model support for up to ten practitioners.
Custom quotes start at $1,500 + travel expenses, depending on location and group size.
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Every workshop includes:
A printed workbook and detailed treatment protocols
Client intake templates
Guided model work (models provided for private trainings)
Lifetime access to online demo videos and updated theory
Certificate upon completion of practical assessment
You’ll also receive continued support for post-class questions and integration guidance.
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Yes. Pricing is intentionally designed to stay approachable while reflecting the value and depth of the education.
Payment plans and early-bird registration discounts are available for all workshops and courses.
If finances are a concern, reach out — I’m committed to keeping holistic education accessible without compromising quality or integrity.
Hey, let’s be friends!
Class announcements, touch education, playlists, and grounded reminders to return to your body.