Interview with Vimala McClure
By Marija Eanes
The story of infant massage in the US begins with Vimala McClure - the first infant massage educator, trainer, and founder of the International Association of Infant Massage - headquartered in Sweden. Vimala was a textile artist, massage therapist, and yoga teacher who followed her inner calling to visit India in the 1970s. It was there she was introduced to infant massage while working in an orphanage. She quickly learned that massage was a daily routine, practiced by older children and caretakers. Sometimes, there would not be enough food for all, but there was always nurturing touch that seemed to nourish everyone’s body and soul.
After she returned to the US, she became a mother to a baby boy. She describes the moment when she met her baby after having a cesarean birth: “It was the best day of my life. I am laying on the table and my baby is right over there. I look over, he looks at me and we lock eyes. It is soooo intense. There are no words for it. It was like the deepest meditation. It was just… everything.”
Vimala recalled she was not prepared for what happened soon after. Her baby started crying - a lot. It seemed like he was crying 24 hours a day. Luckily, Vimala is the kind of person who is not afraid to deal with a challenge that comes her way. She remembered the massage strokes she learned in India and combined those with the Swedish massage technique she used with her clients. Right away, she noticed that tummy massages helped her baby expel gas and stool and that he would then find relief. It helped her too - she was able to become more calm, relaxed, and confident as a parent
An important moment that changed everything was the day Vimala went to see a movie with her sister. She started sharing with her the wonderful results and relief that massage brought to her baby. It was not the first time Vimala talked about the subject, so her sister finally said: “Vimala, everything that you enjoy you end up teaching to other people. You’ve got to teach this.”
“It was the best day of my life. I am laying on the table and my baby is right over there. I look over, he looks at me and we lock eyes. It is soooo intense. There are no words for it. It was like the deepest meditation. It was just… everything.”
After careful consideration and focused dedication, the massage strokes sequence was born! Family after family enjoyed learning the routine and using nurturing touch to bond with their babies. One day, Audrey Downs, a nurse from California, showed up at Vimala’s door holding a newspaper with an article about Vimala. Audrey wanted to become a parent educator of infant massage and was willing to organize the first training for Vimala to come to Chico, CA. With Audrey’s help, the International Association took shape and started growing.
I asked Vimala what she believes to be the biggest difference between parenting today and when she started working with families. “In those days, she recalls, only a few moms worked. They were mostly home with their babies. Then things started changing and I started teaching parents how to massage their babies after coming back from work. I would teach them individually.”
In today’s world, where everything is fast, people seek quick solutions, parents are overwhelmed with information and bombarded by social media, Vimala sends a message: “Slow down with your kids, no matter how old they are. Find a time during the day when everybody slows down. Look at each other and really connect. If that’s massage time - great!”
If you would like to attend a baby massage class in your area, you can find your local educator and classes on the Infant Massage USA website: https://www.infantmassageusa.org/parent-classes