When a new person arrives in the Boothbay region, the first thing people want to know is why and where from. For massage therapist and herbalist Anna Christina Rogers, the journey from Block Island, Rhode Island to Boothbay Harbor was both serendipitous and spiritual. 

“It was where I was meant to be, I really felt that,” said Rogers. “It has a distinct energy.”

The owner of Mana Medicinals and a friendly face on the local farmers market scene, she first arrived in the region last winter to help her mother recuperate from a severe knee injury. After three months, Rogers felt a connection with the Boothbay community and with the help of Susan Endicott and photographer Bob Mitchell, found a permanent space in which to open her massage practice. Her particular type of massage concerns a deep, therapeutic approach for injury rehabilitation. As an athlete growing up in Connecticut, Rogers found herself on the receiving end of many treatments, which created a desire to help people with similar problems. 

“I figured out how to fix my own personal pain,” she said. 

On Block Island, half of her clients were contractors and landscapers, people who are constantly moving and vulnerable to ongoing injuries, she said. 

Rogers studied at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts in 2002. The curriculum included medical massage, shiatsu, cranial sacral, ortho-bionomy, reflexology and more.

Through massage, her goal is to bring the body back into its proper alignment, allowing the muscles and joints to function at their optimal level.

“I love fixing broken bodies and helping people function better,” she said. “It’s not your run of the mill, light touch, fluffing massage.”

Her nine years on Block Island were spent as a caregiver for a wonderful and cantankerous island elder, she said. Rogers feels she was born to be a caregiver and is well positioned in the Boothbay region to provide an alternative holistic approach to both long and short-term care. Her decision to leave Block Island was rooted in a desire to focus on her future, education, and her own well-being. 

Rogers’ philosophy on well-being involves a willingness to take personal responsibility for how an individual treats their body.

It’s important to recognize lifestyle and the choices we make on a daily basis, she said. The majority of her education in the holistic field has been self-driven; her own personal experience fueled the curiosity which became her profession. 

A 2006 graduate of Farmacy Herbs of Rhode Island, Rogers’ philosophy is best represented by her line of holistic medicinal products. From skin tonics, herbal teas, healing oils, to insect repellent, Rogers crafts each in small batches as demand warrants. An avid gardener, she prefers plants that are useful and especially those with medicinal properties.

“Pretty is great but if you can have a pretty flower that is medicinal, even better,” she said. 

Her business is driven by more than profit; she keeps things small and manageable by choice. Despite this, word of mouth in the region has spread and Rogers has been welcomed with open arms by the community. One of her most popular products is Balance Blend Tea, a mix of raspberry, ladies mantle, oat straw, nettles, chamomile, and peppermint. It’s designed for both men and women to provide a soothing effect on the tattered nervous systems of stressed out Americans. While she provides the foundation and support, ultimately well-being is a personal challenge.

“Unfortunately people are prone to taking shortcuts,” she said. “It’s a mindset;if you want to feel better, you need to take responsibility. These can be simple steps and doesn’t take that much longer.”

For more information on Mana Medicinals, please visit www.annamana.com or call Rogers at 315-5924.