Monday, October 09, 2006

My Own Personal Magic

I inhale deeply. My breath levels out, my heart rate slows, I'm ready. I place my hands on this warm, breathing, alive body before me. Initial contact. Touch. It's the most intimate experience a human can have, and it's in my control. I'm responsible for this person. I connect with this person on a level which many humans never get to enjoy.

My hands on a person's back. The feeling is warm, sometimes hot, and slippery. Spreading lotion across a person's bare skin. Learning their curves, bumps, anatomy. Their body is speaking to me, through my fingertips. I'm feeling where they hold their pain. I'm feeling where their body needs attention. I'm feeling their emotions, history, their life through my hands.

For example, much of my time might be spent between their shoulder blades and also on their shoulders. Tightness in those areas tells me about their insecurities, their self-image. Slouching, rolling the shoulders forward, hanging the head are all manifestations of poor self-esteem. I can sense this just by touching, my hands exploring their muscles.

Massage is part science, part compassion, part energy. Take away any one of those things and a massage will fall short of its potential. If both my partner and I (because that is what a client truly is: a partner in healing) approach a massage understanding all three aspects, open to possibility, magic can happen.

Acute injuries can heal more quickly. Old chronic pains can dissipate without medication. Abuses of all kinds can be addressed and released. But more common is the feeling of calm and peace we both feel throughout our time together. We've connected. We've shared, likely without saying many words. It's magic, and it's magic that I've personally been honored to experience.

11 comments:

Rebecca said...

(making sad whimpery noises) This is like describing water to a person dying of thirst. It's just MEAN.

Sister Mary Lisa said...

LOL on Rebecca's comment. Also on yours, La:

"Learning their curves, BUMBS, anatomy."

I like to learn people's bumbs. Yes I do. By heart.

:) Now I want a massage, bumb and all.

La said...

Thank you for the correction, SML. I appreciate it!! :)

Just one of many said...

I have always wanted a real massage! My husband tries but is too horny to put forth any real effort! :)

La said...

I'm opposite of your husband. I have to make the effort to bring sexuality into massage. But I haven't heard any complaints or anything! ;)

Sideon said...

A very nice perspective from a massage therapist. I don't think I've seen any expressions or tellings like this before. "Kinesthetics" comes to mind - sensing through touch. You describe mondo energy work, too.

Anonymous said...

That was great La, as noted the healing power of the massage is one of the reasons I ended up an apostate. It's amazing what our bodies communicate to others through massage.

Anonymous said...

A massage is like a nude body. It isn't inherently sexual in nature.

But it has endlessly erotic and sensual potential.. ;-)

MattMan said...

I resemble the comment made by JOOM. I can only massage my wife for so long until I'm ready to start humping the mattress or something.

I think there can be a couple reasons for that. First, I've never learned massage in any form of its proper sense -- not knowing what I'm doing other than experiencing the sensual touch is probably a large part of it. The other is pretty clear. Someone who isn't getting enough sex or intimate touching of any kind is probably going to be driven over the edge by this highly sensual touching. At least that's the case for me.

I'm fairly confident that I could give massage to someone else, other than a lover, and not need to hump something. And I certainly can receive massage without humping anything. The sheer bliss of well-executed massage is for me, like anonymous said, not inherently sexual in nature. Totally different pleasure zones, at least on the receiving end for me.

La, your descriptive writing had me melting like butter for a few seconds. My shoulders & shoulder blades have really been bothering me the last few days. :( I'm hoping it's because I've spent too much time on my laptop at night in a definitely non-ergonomic position and not so much from lingering self-image issues.

Anonymous said...

I think that if you really want to get to "know" me it would require a "full" body massage. Then you would be better qualified to figure me out. ;-)

Bishop Rick said...

I have to agree with anon. It's full body or nothing....Ok, I lied. I would take what I could get.

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