October/November 2003
The
Yearly Round
Richard Moeschl
Making
Sense of North Korea
Eric Sirotkin
A
Loophole So Big
Tom Engelhardt
The
Joseph Strategy
David Ehrenfeld
Thieves
in High Places
Jim Hightower
Strangely
Like War
Derrick Jensen & George Draffan
Bush's
Inferno
Pepper Trail
Their
Arms Outstretched Into The Night
Martin Prechtel
On
Slowing Down
Pride S. Wright
Living
As A Free Human Being
Alan Clements
Achieving
Balance Through Passive Movement
Kayla M. Starr, MPH
Yoga
for the Young at Heart
Susan Winter Ward
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Achieving Balance Through Passive Movement
By Kayla M. Starr, MPH
Born onto the watery planet, spinning through space, our first experience in a body is floating free, rhythmically cradled in water; of water. As we grow, we become confined, compressed—until we are finally compelled to break free.
Birth. Sudden-bright-cold-loud space. Suddenly separated. Now what?
The lucky are nurtured, protected, and encouraged to express their true nature. Most of us struggle to feel safe, cherished, and fulfilled. When the connection of mind, body and spirit is severed, life seems full of effort, and the body is a heavy burden. What happens now?
Shall we languish in dysfunctional relationships, seeking in others what we miss in ourselves? Shall we numb out with caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, so that we don’t have to feel the void within? Shall we keep super busy? Shall we go shopping? Or, shall we venture into a variety of therapies offering to heal the sense of separation and to restore the balance? Southern Oregon offers a cornucopia of complementary healing practices, but how does one sort out the many choices available to us these days?
Having practiced massage for nearly two decades, I have been in touch with a host of bodywork specialties. Here I offer a guide to my favorite body therapies which involve facilitated movement. I am particularly interested in these passive movement techniques because I believe they simulate our prenatal experience, somehow by-passing mental activity and concepts, to directly access deep holding patterns that have developed in our lives.
In the following therapies the focus is on acceptance, mindfulness and balance. One, Watsu is performed in warm water; Thai massage and Breema are done on the earth. Each of these modalities is rooted in the concept that there is nothing to fix, trusting the body to feel its way to balance in the presence of a gentle acceptance of what is.
Watsu
Watsu combines Shiatsu (Japanese acupressure) and warm water to create a profoundly relaxing and therapeutic dance, in which clients experience integration of mind, body, emotions, and often, spiritual deepening. Being floated, cradled, rocked and stretched, the receiver effortlessly reconnects with prenatal bliss, floating free, flowing weightless through the water. Held by the therapist at heart level, rhythmically swaying, the mind surrenders, the body profoundly senses itself, connected to all that is.
The physical body automatically releases tension, the spine floats free and weightless and moves in ways impossible on land, often spontaneously adjusting vertebral joints. Breathing deepens. The connective tissue throughout the body seemingly melts and lengthens, like warm taffy, increasing flexibility. The neck, spine, shoulders and hips are freed and expand their range of motion; with stretching and compression, the circulation of blood, spinal and lymph fluids is enhanced; holding patterns soften and muscles spasms release. Acupressure points are stimulated which opens meridian energy throughout the body, and following Watsu sessions people often find relief from sleep disturbances, headaches, sluggish digestion, symptoms of fibromyalgia and attention deficit disorders.
On the emotional
level, the person receiving Watsu experiences a heart-opening, sometimes spontaneously
healing memories of birth and early childhood trauma. Watsu is an opportunity
to feel deeply nurtured, to re-bond with parts of the self that have been
denied, and to bond with others. There are reports of break-throughs in relationships
with mates, children and friends, and, frequently, a renewed sense of trust
emerges with a series of Watsu sessions. Being floated level with someone’s
heart, rising and sinking with the same breath, can help heal deep wounds
of separation. Tears may appear. Trained to be present, the Watsu therapist
doesn’t question whether these are tears of sorrow or joy, or stop to
process when emotions surface. The continuous flow of Watsu allows whatever
comes up to be released wordlessly.
Spiritually, many people find that the mind effortlessly surrenders, thoughts
dissolve, allowing deep awareness, expan-sion, and a sense of Oneness. They
often report having experienced themselves as a bird soaring through space
or a dolphin playing in the warm ocean. Typically, by the end of the session,
both giver and receiver recognize the connection that they feel in Watsu is
connection to All.
Thai Massage
During Thai massage the recipient rests in loose clothing on a comfortable pad on the ground, while the therapist stretches and compresses the muscles and joints in a rhythmic dance. This healing tradition originated 2500 years ago in India by Dr. Shivago Komparaj, the physician who attended the Buddha. The practice eventually died out in India but traveled to Siam, the present day Thailand, where it is widely practiced and taught in temples and hospitals.
It’s spiritual roots of mindfulness and loving-kindness generate an atmosphere of profound understanding. Thai Massage uses deep yogic stretches and stimulation of meridian flows to relax and rejuvenate the system. Thai massage is centered in compassion, with the therapist listening closely to the needs of the client and focusing on the breath, which deepens the experience of connectedness.
Dvorah Swarzman, an Ashland Thai massage therapist and instructor, has discovered that Thai massage opens the recipient to a new sense of what is possible — stretching the mind as well as the body. Slow, cadenced compression, timed with the breath, is applied along meridian lines, releasing muscle tension and increasing the flow of blood and vital energy or chi. The body is in constant movement, which has the effect of holding the recipient’s attention, opening the heart, mind and body. Thai massage is sought by people who are working with chronic pain, organ dys-functions, sleep disturbance and stress patterns. Thai massage is used for health maintenance as well as for treatment of specific health problems.
Breema
Breema bodywork uses nurturing touch, tension-relieving stretches, and rhythmic movements to create physical, mental, and emotional balance, in an atmosphere of harmony and non-judgment. Breema’s Principles of Harmony are the key to this method, from its enlivening effect on both practitioner and recipient, to its ability to create deep receptivity and tangible well-being. Courtlandt Jennings, an Ashland Breema therapist, speaks of the importance of creating a sense of safety and support for this work to be effective. He stresses that Breema is as therapeutic for the giver as for the receiver. Karen Kitely, who practices Breema as well as Shiatsu massage in Ashland, explains that Breema assists the body in feeling more fluid, and that the rhythmic movement seems to short-circuit mental activity, allowing the body to find its own way to well-being.
In a Breema session, the recipient wears loose clothing and rests comfortably on a padded floor. The practitioner uses her/his whole body to gently lift, stretch, rock and compress the client’s body beginning at the feet and legs and moving up the torso to the head and neck. Breema stresses the importance of the comfort and mutual support of the practitioner and client at all times, in a spirit of deep acceptance of what is in each moment. There is emphasis on firmness combined with gentleness, an even, unhurried pace that is rhythmic and continuous, accompanied by the recog-nition that nothing needs to be fixed. Breema therapists focus deeply on the comfort and well-being of their own bodies while performing a Breema session. This leaves both participants feeling connected, self-aware, revitalized. Eugene Breema therapist and instructor, Avishae Pearlson, reports that he frequently hears from his clients after a session that they “feel reborn.”
Compared to traditional table massage, I find that when the body is provided with rhythmic motion people are helped to be more in the present moment, to relearn to trust, and to feel deeply understood and accepted just as they are. Here is healing.
Kayla Starr
is a health advocate/coach, massage and Watsu therapist, and writer who has
lived and worked in southern Oregon for16 years. She can be reached on line
at kayla@mind.net.
