What is massage therapy?
Massage Therapy is a hands-on manual therapy modality used to manipulate the connective tissue of the body. This includes muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments. Traditionally used to reduce physical aches and tension, there are many techniques that can be applied to ease tension in the physical body, and each body responds differently.
It is now known that the mind has a much greater impact on the body than we often give credit, and so the goal of my treatments is to not only reduce physical tension in the body but also to work with your nervous system to bring a full-body sensation of well-being and relaxation. Sessions with me have a focus on supporting your nervous system to reduce stress in the body, and are intuitively guided to facilitate body/mind awareness.
By listening with my hands to how your body is responding to the application of pressure and techniques, I am able to support your body with whatever it needs in that moment. As my practice is based in co-creative values, I invite you to tell me if there is something you are enjoying or if there is something you feel your body needs during the session that I can focus on; I aim to never override your body’s innate wisdom and knowing
What does a Massage Therapy session look like?
In a similar way to Reiki, I use the power of physical touch to help your body/mind relax, repair, and rest. My practice is geared towards the use of medium-moderate touch, though I am also open to lighter touch options as well. I can access deeper tissues with this pressure, though it is slow and methodical so as to not activate your nervous system and recreate tension patterns.
If youβve ever received a massage before, it is a very similar process. The main difference being Reiki channeled the entire duration of the massage, with occasional pauses to channel Reiki into a specific area if I discover it needs extra attention. This looks like a gentle hand on the area (common areas include head, shoulders, knees and feet) for a short duration before returning to the manipulation of soft tissue. Overall, I aim to deeply listen to your body so you can receive an effective and supportive session. You are welcome to set an intention for the treatment, or allow me to use my own professional discernment and intuition.
My goal in massage treatments is not to focus on pain points, but to use a more holistic approach in assessing where more movement and awareness can be brought into the whole body for fuller embodiment and deep rest/recovery.
Sessions with me have a focus on supporting your nervous system to reduce stress in the body, and are intuitively guided to facilitate body/mind awareness.
How can a Reiki or Massage Therapy session nurture a gentle shift in your life?
While in a state of resting, we can begin to explore what your body needs/wants to help you process, integrate, and shift any energetic and/or physical sensations. From here, we can co-create a session together to support your embodiment. By using Reiki as an energetic guide, I can support you in cultivating skills of body/mind awareness to shift into a different experience that is supportive for you.
Together, we will practice building a relationship of awareness with your body that will be the foundation of your embodiment practice. By going slow and listening to the body, we allow time and space for it to adjust into your desired experience (for example, one of urgency to ease), and for you to develop your body communication skills.
This is not a process of quick fixes, urgent action, or sudden transformation. This is a process of learning how to slow down, tune-in, and build a relationship with your body so you can make gentle, meaningful shifts towards what matters to you.
Ultimately, this is a practice.
There is no hard end destination. This is a life-long process/practice of (un)learning, slow development, and conscious expansion into the realms of possibility for what life could be for you, your body, and your community.
This is a life-long process/practice of (un)learning, slow development, and conscious expansion into the realms of possibility for what life could be for you, your body, & your community.
To understand more deeply the power of rest on the human body & spirit, I highly recommend the book Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey (founder of the Nap Ministry). And for more books & other resources to develop your own rest practice, I invite you to explore my Resources page. If you’d like to stay in touch and learn more about my personal experience and exploration of practicing rest, consider subscribing to my semi-regular newsletter Rest Confessionals.
For more information on what to expect in a session with me, please see the FAQ page.
