Tobias takes a holistic career turn
That's the case with Tobias Pedersen in Kilcullen, who has ramped up an acquired holistic massage therapy skill-set to hopefully be a more significant part of his work.
"I always had an interest in massage, and even remember as a youngster massaging my dad's shoulders after he had been driving us on long trips back to his home in Denmark," he says. "So in 2005, while working at Camphill Dunshane, I decided to study it properly, and I gained a professional qualification."
The son of a Danish-English marriage, Tobias spent his early life in the UK, developing what has been and still is, an abiding interest in farming and farm animals. That brought him, among other places, to the south-west of England where he met his wife, Andrea. Volunteering was a strong part of their shared interests, in particular working with people of special needs — and area where Tobias's own parents had always been involved. This was eventually to bring them to Ireland, specifically Kilcullen, some 20 years ago. "We worked with the Camphill communities here for the last two decades," he says. "Until recently I was with Grangebeg, where Andrea still works."
While the farming side of the communities remained his main interest, Tobias found that his massage skills were useful for some of the Camphill clients. In particular he realised that massage could have a calming effect on those with a variety of issues. "I could see significant benefits with those having high anxiety levels, or exhibiting challenging behaviour. It's not just at the immediate moment, it can also continue to have am positive effect for some time afterwards. I also found that I have a skill in balancing people's energies, so I can combine both in suitable circumstances."
After two decades with the Camphill communities in the locality — The Bridge, Dunshane, and Grangebeg — Tobias and Andrea decided a while ago that she would continue working at Grangebeg, while he set up an area in their Castlemartin Lodge home as a dedicated massage therapy facility.
"It was really time to see, after going the route of a qualification, whether there's a significant level of private work I can do in this area. I have through the years helped people who acquired sports and other injuries, and any professional sports person will tell you that massage is incredibly useful with recovery. And even when carried out on a regular basis it can make one less susceptible to injury. Your whole physiology gets stronger."
Tobias is also keenly interested in using massage and his 'energy balancing' skills to help people affected by the high levels of stress in the modern world. "There's a very strong de-stressing factor to massage, and along with rebalancing energy levels, it can help both body and mind. I'm extremely interested in the whole area of holistic healing."
It does mean, having left Grangebeg, that his lifelong interest in farming has been put on hold. But he figures he is at a time of life where a 'shifting of gears' should be explored. "I'm not abandoning my interest in farm matters, and may go back to it at some time in the future. But this is an interesting turn that I believe I must take."
As he talks, it is very evident that Tobias has his own very high energy levels, so this is also a case of someone trying to use every skill they have, or have developed, to see where it might take them.
Life has many turns and intersections. Tobias is both fortunate that he is by temperament inclined to take different roads than the straight-line motorway, and that he lives in a time where that is both possible, and indeed is quite often necessary.
You can contact him at 087 9145687 or email tobiaspedersen67@gmail.com.
This article was first published in the Kildare Nationalist.
