Recommendations?

[Mallie]

I am currently having the issue now that I have started massaging the public more and more that I feel like what we are taught in school is very mechanical, and I would like to get more into the spiritual side of massage, working with chakras and meridians and studying different modalities, any books anyone can recommend? I know I will be attending workshops an such after graduation (less than a month), I would just like to start looking into it and getting a better understanding of it now. Thanks!

 

[Tina]

There is much you can delve into to find the "art" within your practice even without "spiritual" forms of bodywork. While my school training included some suggested routines for relaxation work, they advocated and taught us to feel the tissues and formulate a new approach to every body.

If you are just doing the routines your school teaches, you are missing out on a great deal. You don't need more techniques, you need to start by exploring more variety of application with the techniques you know. It is this intuitive exploration that will help you become creative and find personal liberation regardless of the type of practice you have.

I personally feel that what is "spiritual" within a massage has little to do with the therapist's modalities, and everything to do with how the therapist approaches their practice. NMT, MFR, AIS, Orthopedic Massage, etc. have as much potential for providing spiritual experiences as anything else. It just depends on the practitioner.

 

[Rebecca1023]

Ditto to what JasonE said.


Two additional thoughts for you ...

Once out of school, 'play around' with your massage a bit. Do a bunch of practice sessions where you don't follow what you were taught in school and you just massage. You may stumble around a bit at first (which is why I recommend practice sessions and not paying clients) but soon you'll find that you are more comfortable just being in the flow of the session. Try new things, make up stuff, and ask for feedback.

Also, get as much work as you can. Trade or pay. Try as many different therapists and types of work as you can. If you can do once a week, great! If you can do once a month, great! Whatever works for you. Get an idea of what is out there, what you like and what you can't stand. Not only will you pick up a lot of great things to try in your sessions, but you will soon find that you are drawn to one type of work or another.

It's great to buy books and take classes, but there is so much info out there you should find a place to start. Trying out different modalities can help you figure out what you want to study first.


My $.02

Brian