A client this week remarked, "I love the breathing, no other massage therapist does that." Just a day earlier I was showing new therapists Ninette and Sandra, how I start my massage sessions with deep, synchronized breathing. And the sign on my wall reads, in huge letters, "Breathe". Yeah, you might say I am obsessed with breath and breathing. Why?
For me, breathe is the quickest way to calm the body and relax the body. Our mission statement reads, "We believe that life is best lived in a calm mind, and relaxed body." And I integrate various forms of deep breathing into my morning yoga practice, and off and on again pranayama meditation. However, if you are like me, breathing and meditating alone can be a real challenge. Often good massage is easier, and deeper calm. So, I use breathe as a supplement to therapeutic touch, which is a something we love to do, and works as a business.
I find that breath allows me to connect with the client in a deeper way. Breath can be very intimate because it displays emotions - a sigh of relief, a sob of hurt, a breath of trust in the presence of safety and comfort. We strive to offer a place where breathe and emotion can be expressed freely.
Surprisingly to me, I did have a recent client that was more interested in breathing and re initiating her morning mantra practice, so we used the massage time for discussion and a short meditation. Occasionally a client will release sobs of recent grief. Often deep exhales release pent up stress of life as the stream of thoughts calm down. Many of my clients are embracing breathing aspects of our sessions and recognize that it is one of many things that make our therapies special. If you are interested in this aspect of our therapies, contact us.
Another perspective l Iike, is that breath is the easiest link between the conscious and unconscious mind or nervous system. It is both something we can control, at times, and that continues and reacts to our body without our conscious control. In this way, we can use breath to transition from our thought dominated daily life into a sensation and dream like state of a great therapeutic massage. Sometimes I need to stop thinking, do more relaxing and feeling, and enjoying my body. Maybe you do too? Massage session is great for that.
But why wait? RIGHT NOW you can take 3 deep breaths into your belly right now . . . . count to 10 on the inhale and 10 on the exhale . . .If you did, you are feeling different, better.
Please share in the comments how you keep a calm mind and feeling good in your body. And let me know if you would like to explore breath in our next massage session this month.
Jesse