Multi-Dimensional OSM Instructors

I’m amazed as to the many facets I see when getting to know the incredible teaching crew at Oregon School of Massage. Today we are initiating a series which will touch on some of the obvious and elaborate on some of the not so obvious dimension of OSM instructors. Ray Siderius, Director

Paul Gerhards, OSM Kinesiology Instructor
Being in a military family Paul’s early life involved frequent moves. Although he was born in Denver, because his father was from Portland, Paul’s official hometown had always been Portland. He did live in Portland in 1962, the year his father spent in Vietnam.

He spent his first three years of high school in Europe, approximately half the time in France and the other half in Germany. Much of his world view was shaped during those years and what immediately followed upon his return to the United States in 1968: a country disrupted by war and the protests it spawned, racial unrest, and the exploding culture of “sex, drugs and rock and roll.”

He graduated from high school in Virginia in 1969, just a few weeks before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. He earned an associate’s degree from Northern Virginia Community College and then went to work on a construction crew. In 1973 he got married and travelled west in the Conestoga of the day, a Volkswagen van.

Paul settled in Silverton, where he raised his family in a house he built not far from Silver Falls State Park. It was there he made a shift from construction work to writing. He wrote for several weekly newspapers and woodworking magazines.

In the mid-80s he moved to Portland ; his first book How to Sell What You Make, was published 1990. He went on to write a series of five woodworking books.

In 1999, he got reacquainted with Lou, an old friend from Silverton with whom he had worked construction. For the past several years, Lou had been working as a licensed massage therapist. One day, as Lou was expounding the joys of being a massage therapist, he said, “You should go to massage school. You’d be good at it.” So that’s just what Paul did. Although he lived just a stone’s throw from OSM at the time, Paul decided to enroll Massage U School of Massage in Silverton, where Lou was an instructor. Paul got his license to practice massage in October 2000 and went to work almost immediately at what was then the YMCA on Barbur Blvd.

Prior to that not-so-subtle suggestion to go to massage school, Paul hadn’t the slightest interest in massage therapy. But once he decided to pursue the craft, he dove in with 100% interest and dedication. It was truly a choice he made with an open mind and open heart. It’s been said many times that going to massage school is an exercise in personal growth. As an introvert, Paul can attest to the challenges awaiting the new massage student, but he also testifies to value of challenging oneself to excel in one’s chosen field. Meeting that challenge head-on brings intangible rewards.

Since 2006 Paul has been teaching kinesiology at Oregon School of Massage…initially in Salem, more recently in Portland also. A bit of a perfectionist, Paul digs and digs for the information (anatomy and physiology of human movement) which provides the building blocks for his classes.

One student, a former special ed teacher, says she really liked Paul’s Kinesiology class because he replicates practical application scenarios and has good learning stories and exercises.

Not so well known, Paul is a publisher. He owns Parami Press, which publishes “Books from a Buddhist Point of View” in Vancouver, Washington, where he now lives. To date Parami has published three books, Ten Perfections, a Study Guide, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu; Persist, In Praise Of The Creative Spirit In A World Gone Mad With Commerce, by Peter Clothier; and his own Mapping the Dharma, A Concise guide to the MIddle Way of the Buddha. Which, of course, takes us to writing. His Mapping the Dharma is indeed a concise guide to the concepts and practices of Buddhism; it is inspired by and draws on his 15-year spiritual practice.

Mapping the Dharma is available in the OSM Store, either Portland or Salem. About the book, LMT Linda Pham says, “While I was taking a Thai Massage course in Portland, my interest was piqued by the fascinating world of Buddhism. My instructor’s well-founded knowledge steer me to a number of books. The first she suggested was Mapping the Dharma. This book created a simple, methodical approach to learning the foundational steps of Buddhism. Unlike so many other references, it did not inundate me with information I had no way of interpreting. Rather, it progressively led me along a path of clear, concise information.”

“While it is sometimes challenging to switch gears when shifting from one path to another,” Paul says, “I love this diverse mixture in my life.” Do you have stories about Paul or comments about his book? Please add here.