Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The power of Gentle Touch

The thing I find most exciting about Massage and Touch is how many different ways it can go. Even remembering back to my days at uni when I was just beginning to discover the many "shades" of Touch I can recall one particular evening when someone gave me a shoulder rub - there's no doubt it was deep but, in truth, it was awful! It wasn't right, it wasn't sensitive and it wasn't what I needed at the time. I've loved receiving really deep, really strong Touch but have found myself on a rollercoaster of a journey exploring the power of really gentle touch.

Power in gentleness? I'm struggling to piece it together myself, to find the words, but these days I find my responses to treatments being much more powerful when there has been at least some light, gentle Touch during the treatment. And I've been wanting to write about it for weeks and now, as I sit down to give it a go, I realise finding the words is much harder than I'd anticipated!

Take Sunday. I was lucky enough to have a treatment from a good friend and wonderful Massage therapist and when she asked how I wanted the session to be I was very clear that I wanted to her to work "all over but very gently". I've been exhausted recently and within minutes I was slipping in and out of sleep in a way I don't normally do on the Massage table. I'd come to, and realise she'd moved to an entirely different part of my body - and I simply accepted it.

At the end of the session it took me a good time to come round, get myself dressed and emerge from the treatment room. The space this gentle Touch had created had allowed me to take some incredibly important time for myself and although my energy was still relatively low (for me) it had recharged enough such that the rest of the day was manageable. I honestly don't think I could have taken a "deeper" Touch on Sunday - although the depth of the treatment I took from this "light" touch was phenomenal.

Likewise, the previous week I had had a treatment and, again, it was the light, gentle Touch which I asked for and which did the trick for me. And yet I know my therapist can do very deep, very strong Touch. Light and gentle from her is not "skin polishing", it is powerful bodywork delivered very gently. There's something about knowing the therapist has the capacity to get deep down into my structure if I ask for it that helps me trust the power of the gentle work even more.

And amongst all this comes the fact that both these practitioners were absolutely respectful of what I asked for. Of the fact that this is my body and I'm the expert in it. Yes, I seek support and advice when it's really out of kilter, but in the main if I take a breath and really feel what's going on for me I'll discover what I need to do. Like leaving work promptly today as my energy for being there had dissipated entirely!

It's taken me over 5 years of training as a Massage Therapist and learning about being the best client I can be by getting regular treatments to begin my exploration of the world of gentle Touch. And all I can say is if you've never tried a lighter touch, Do. Ask your Therapist, the one who does the amazing deep work for you, if they can do a light session. You may still go back to the deeper work at your next session but what if there was a whole world of experiences from light Touch which you never even knew about?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Massage - the Great Unknown

The longer I'm around Massage, the more it seems like something which is one of those "best kept secrets" - it  has so much to offer and yet is so rarely recognised as such!

I was lucky enough to stumble across Massage at a party when I was about 17. Until then it hadn't really entered my sphere of knowledge and even then it was many years before it became anything other than something I did occasionally for friends. Likewise, I'd receive a shoulder rub here and there but the thought of booking in for a Massage, spending time and money on "Me Time", never even crossed my mind. Even as I was doing my first Massage course I didn't book in as a client with an existing, experienced therapist. I mean, why would I?

Looking back now I can't believe I didn't twig sooner that, actually, to be the best I could be as a Massage therapist I really needed to understand what it was like to be a client. Not just someone who had felt other therapists Massage during practicals on my course, but someone who valued herself enough to book in regular appointments and learn the full scope of what Massage could offer.

I'm still learning that full scope - and it's an amazing journey! I wish I could communicate just the things I have felt and witnessed Massage can do - that's my current challenge.

What is true is that I see my fortnightly Massages as an integral part of looking after myself - they're not optional, they're not indulgence, they're important for my health. A major challenge for me is the disconnect I get between what my body is physically capable of sustaining and what my mind thinks it should do. How's that as a recipe for burn out? But Massage is such a powerful tool to get back into touch with what, physically, I can do. And when it's time to give myself a break and get some rest, even if just for a couple of hours.