Sacred touch

I remember my first massage when i was 21. I was on holiday with my sister in India, i think it was Goa and we were lying on the beach.

I was totally uncomfortable.

And it didn’t help that there were loads of men around – staring and taking photos.

If there was a time when i was in my head and disconnected to my body this was definitely one of them.

And on the beach a blind man came around giving massages. My sister suggested i had one, so i signed up and dutifully lay on a sandy towel and some potent massage oil was rubbed into me.

And I remember feeling so tense – counting down the minutes until it was over. I certainly didn’t feel relaxed, nurtured or ‘blissed out’ afterwards.

Because at no point during my first massage experience did i allow myself to relax. I never allowed myself to come out of head and back into my body.

And realistically this is where i lived most of the time. Being ruled by my head – following duty and responsibility over anything else.

And i know now (I learnt the hard way) that when we’re not fully present in our bodies we will have a different lens of life.

We can’t connect to spontaneity, creativity or fun.  And life generally feels hard when we’re in this disconnected state.

And i’ve realised that massage can bridge that gap. Can allow us to come back into our bodies to experience a different way.

But our bodies aren’t going to allow this sacred exchange to take place if we don’t feel safe. And feeling so exposed on the beach i really didn’t feel safe.

And without realising it, this experience shaped my massage practice. I always knew that for my clients to get the best possible experience they needed to feel safe.

If you are interested in hearing more then watch this video.