Posts Tagged ‘alternative healing’
Massage and Meditation: Sacred Science and Art
Bodywork is in some respects a sacred art form, like mandala painting. Sacred art forms are themselves pathways for self-growth, ultimately vehicles for enlightenment. In the Western world, sacred art was the predominant art style until and through the Renaissance. Dance throughout the world has been the Path of movement. I recall reading about an…
Read MoreMassage & Meditation: The Evolution of Slowness
“Deliberation is born of joy.” Rumi The Evolution of Slowness Andrew Taylor Still, Osteopathy’s founder, said the body contains all the healing substances it needs. And indeed humans have within their nervous systems equally the antidote we need to the social epidemic of excess stress. The autonomic system embodies the advantage of a speedy, whole…
Read MoreMassage and the Nervous System: Part Three
Part three of Massage and the Nervous System. (See parts two and one.) As massage therapists we know how to get our hands on muscles and connective tissues. But now we see somehow we have to get our hands on the nervous system because otherwise it’s a bit like flipping light switches with no electricity – some action…
Read MoreEzekiel on Bodywork!
Below I’ve printed a famous passage from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. It is the one that gave rise to the gospel song, “Dem Bones”, which goes through the body, ending with “neck bone connected to the head bone; Now hear the words of the Lord!” To me it evokes the deepening experience of…
Read More7 Reasons: Deep Massage vs. Deep Tissue
What Is the Difference Between Deep Massage and Deep Tissue? By David Lauterstein Massage therapists performing Deep Massage generally work without lubricant (unless there is a painful feeling of stretching the skin). Using lubricant causes the therapist to slip over the tension and, to compensate, they have to use tremendous pressure not to slip. This often causes…
Read MoreBeyond the Immune System: Making History with Massage Part 1
A Talk Presented by David Lauterstein at the first National Conference for Teachers of Massage and Bodywork, July 1993 To articulate the past historically does not mean to recognize it “the way it really was”. It means to seize hold of a memory as it flashes up at a moment of danger. Walter Benjamin…
Read MoreAnatomy Review: Back of the Future, Future of the Back
By David Lauterstein, LMT, Cert. ZB Most people don’t know much about their bodies. As a result, we live with suffering individually and as a society suffer from the symptoms of “psycho-physical illiteracy”. Most of the physical suffering happens in the back. Lower, middle, and upper back problems account for most worker absentee-ism in the U.S. –…
Read MoreMassage of the Belly, Breath & Deep Relaxation
by Gretchen Cole I have a strong desire for every massage student to develop the skills to confidently and compassionately perform bodywork with clients’ abdominal area. I lobby continually for inclusion of this often neglected area, reminding students there are many ways to prioritize on time in their sessions and still include touch, breath and …
Read MoreThe Comforts of Massage: “Orthobionomy”
by Tracy Gilliam, Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®, Licensed Massage Therapist, Texas Massage Therapy Instructor and CE Provider I took an Ortho-Bionomy® class on a whim. The flyer that came in the mail was bright yellow – hard to lose on my desk. Not really much information about the class or the technique on it, just…
Read MoreBodywork: Finding what you didn’t even know was there
by Keith Vencill, LMT, CDMT Clients often reveal that the most intense areas discovered during the session are exactly that: unearthed, previously unknown tension and pain. Around this pain and because of it, compensatory movements and postures can grow. These very pragmatic structural and energetic arrangements are temporary adaptations, but can linger long after they…
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