Meet Sarah Downing | Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Downing and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Before I became a Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master Teacher with my business Lime Green Lotus, I overcame chronic illness and worked as a thyroid patient advocate and blogger to help others in my situation. These interactions with both patients and other healthcare practitioners really opened my eyes to the importance of holistic health (the mind-body connection) and the challenges so many patients face in their efforts to achieve this. I learned so much from the many practitioners and doctors I encountered on my own wellness journey, which inspired me to use my natural gifts to help others. Working for myself was the obvious choice because I have been self-employed ever since I graduated university in England. I’m a very independent spirit, a natural-born entrepreneur and passionate about what I do, so I want to have complete control over how I shape my services and interact with clients in order to ensure that they derive the maximum possible benefits.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I graduated massage school in PA, I was going through a divorce. This was a very emotionally challenging time for me. In addition, I was still finding my feet in the US because I moved here back in 2011 and my husband had done a lot of things for me without me properly learning the ropes. Luckily for me, starting my new career brought some amazingly kind people into my life who were more than willing to help me and, for the first time in my life, I was willing to ask for help and accept it. I have since learned that my previous reluctance to do so is part of a trauma response (many people have been let down so many times that they eventually stop relying on others).

In essence, within months of starting my new career, I got divorced, moved house, lost my beloved cat Biscuit and grappled with the challenges of a new job. And yet I persevered and I came out on top. What has truly driven me in this field is the feeling that helping others heal is my true vocation. In some ways, I would say that going into the healing arts saved my life because it enabled me to work on healing myself, but it also surrounded me with a plethora of like-minded people who were both intuitive and interested in helping others.

Although I graduated massage school with a lack of confidence, it is my clients, teachers and fellow practitioners who helped give me the confidence to know what I am capable of. I became fascinated with taking new and different classes that are not necessarily offered by other practitioners, knowing (from my background in marketing) that it is important to have a Unique Selling Point or USP. What makes me unique is the wide variety of modalities I am trained in – from therapeutic massage to Thai massage to ashiatsu to sports massage to cupping to Lomilomi – as well as the fact that I have seamlessly woven these modalities together to create an integrative massage that I customize to each individual client.

Another thing that makes me unique is the fact that I have been where many of my clients are today – I have been the client or the patient, and my experience with healthcare challenges has taught me both empathy and compassion. It has also helped me to know what to say and do to make my clients feel safe and at ease in my practice, which is one of my primary concerns. I believe that in order for effective healing to occur my clients first need to feel comfortable with working with me as a practitioner. Many of them have never before had someone hold space for them, and – inspired by the practitioners who did this for me when I was chronically ill – I have learned to be that person.

Another thing I am proud of is the fact that I am able to successfully juggle various businesses and wear at least three different hats. I’m also blessed to be multitalented. Lime Green Lotus is my primary business, but I am actually a qualified linguist with a BA in German and French. I’ve been a translator and copywriter since 2001, and I enjoy this career because it enables me to use my brain and skills in a different way than with my bodywork clients. Since moving to Savannah, I’ve also started doing ghost tours, which enables me to bring out the actress and performer part of my personality. I have found that this variety is vital in order for me to stay fresh and fulfilled. Moreover, I need to be happy and balanced in order to help my bodywork clients. If I don’t fill my own cup, I cannot help others.

I would also like to mention the importance of being humble when you work in the healing arts. I have met many practitioners who have made grandiose promises and claims about their abilities. It is clear to me that I have gifts, but I go into each session, knowing that I am going to do my best to help each individual client and meet them where they are at as an equal, empowering them to connect with their own body and what it needs. Healing is a two-way street. I’m like the charger to my client’s battery, and give them the tools they need to heal, but only if they are receptive to this.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, admittedly I have an advantage here because I work as a ghost tour guide downtown, and the gentleman who hired me is a native Savannahian who has taught me a lot about the history and culture of Savannah.

1. The bus tour with Old Savannah Tours is a great place to start for an overview of Savannah. As far as I know, this is the only locally run bus tour in Savannah. Don’t bother with the hop on and hop off option because you really don’t need that – Savannah is sufficiently walkable. Talking of tours, my friends usually like to take my ghost tour too – it stops at some of the main sights, but gives you a slightly different perspective – plus they like to see me in action;-).
2. The Prohibition Museum is actually one of my favorite places to take visitors because it’s such a fun and interesting museum – I believe it’s the only one of its kind in the US. And the connected speakeasy, Congress Street Up, is designed in the style of an old-style speakeasy – it’s a lot of fun! Talking of cocktails – some of my favorite places in Savannah to imbibe in a tasty tipple include Alley Cat Lounge (bonus because it’s open late at night), the Artillery Bar and the Savoy Society (delectable small bites).
3. I would also walk with my guests around Forsyth Park and take the Bull Street Corridor right down to Starland Yard, which is known for its fun music and food trucks, one of my favorite being Strange Bird. Of course, when it comes to walking, a stroll down River Street to check out Plant Riverside, the geodes in JW Marriott and the pralines at City Market with perhaps a frozen cocktail and a couple of rooftop bars along the way.
4. Savannah also has some fun art and house museums that are definitely worth checking out. The Owens-Thomas House features entry to three different attractions – the house museum and slave quarters, the Jepson Center and the Telfair Academy.
5. When it comes to favorite food places, in no particular order – Cotton and Rye for southern farm to table food with a twist, Cuban Window for authentic hole in the wall Cuban food, Crystal Beer Parlor for a local hangout with good comfort food, Betty Bombers for a fun 1940s-style diner experience, Ukiyo for creatively delicious Japanese food, The Gryphon Tea Room for those who like high tea (they do a really good job of it and it’s not too expensive), Repeal 33 for delicious food and a speakeasy atmosphere, Wyld Dock Bar for gorgeous views and yummy and fresh small plates combined with a drive down Bluff Drive to view the gorgeous Isle of Hope Marina, Mint to Be Mojitos for fresh and customizable mojitos and a fun surprise of a speakeasy, Mata Hari’s for another speakeasy, Olympia Café for delicious Greek food, Mrs Wilkes’ Dining Room for a down-home family-style southern meal where you get to sample Savannah’s best fried chicken and a plethora of side dishes all for one price, Alexander’s for brunch (they bake in-house), Troupial for delicious Venezuelan cuisine for brunch (in-house bakery and freshly squeezed juices). I have to admit that having lived here since last June I soon grew tired of southern food, and my body also seems to do better with ethnic foods as they are not as heavy. Many guests also like to try out The Pirate’s House, Vic’s on the River, The Olde Pink House and The Grey, Savannah favorites, although you usually have to book ahead of time for the latter two (though they may have some first come first served seating available if you wait in line).
6. A tour of Bonaventure Cemetery.
7. Destinations outside of Savannah might include Tybee Island (the light house, the beach, a dolphin tour, lunch), Bluffton (fun consignment stores, great to walk around and one of my favorite farm to table restaurants, Farm), Jekyll Island/St Simon’s Island, Cumberland Island to see the horses and, of course, the beautifully hispanic St. Augustine.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was in massage school, I was really struggling and I thought about giving up. It is thanks to the support and tutelage of various individuals – colleagues, clients, fellow healing arts practitioners and teachers – that I decided to carry on and truly thrive in my career. These individuals saw the light in me that I could not see in myself, and they also recognized that I had a natural gift for healing and helping others.

To name just a few – my past life practitioner sweet Michelle Brock who gave me guidance that I was on the right track with my career in healing; my integrative nutritionist and fellow intuitive Inna Topiler who recognized my gifts with energy long before I did; my dear friend and colleague John Shaheen, a former massage teacher who traded massages with me, gave me confidence in my technique and also helped me line up my first job; Janet Wolf, the wonderful chiropractor who always had a kind word to say to me and knew that I had what it took to do well in this field; my sweet and beautiful Hawaiian Kumu (teacher) Brenda Mohalapua Ignacio who has the gift to see right through to a person’s soul; my amazing teacher the big-hearted Hugh Gilbert; my first boss Christian who took me under his wing right after massage school; my empathetic and wise clients who believed in me and my business, encouraged me to go out on my own and encouraged me to thrive; my kick-ass colleagues who have made this career so very fulfilling and fun … and so many more (if I have not mentioned you by name, please know you are still equally important to me). I am always thankful because I have found that, even when people are in our lives for just a little while, we can learn such valuable lessons from each and every one of them. I’ve been extraordinarily blessed to have met so many fascinating and diverse personalities on my journey to finding myself and helping others. And I am looking forward to meeting many more!

Website: www.limegreenlotus.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/limegreenlotus_sjd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjdowning/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/limegreenlotus

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lime-green-lotus-savannah

Other: Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/iHKpikGRYbxfgoat6

Image Credits
A Different Light Photography and Tybee Wellness Retreats/Nomad, David William Powell Photography and Amber Zambarda Hoover