"Soul and body, I suggest, react sympathetically to each other.
A change in the state of the soul produces a change in the shape of the body.
Conversely, a change in the shape of the body, produces a change in the state of the soul."
Aristotle
I began practicing massage in 1991 simply because I felt drawn to touch
and to follow the natural pathways that run throughout the body.
To move within this landscape of texture and form, restoring balance and flow,
was in itself calming and fulfilling for me.
Through practice it became evident that tensions in the body are a reflection of tensions in the psyche
and that different qualities of touch can both soothe the heart and clarify the mind
as well as release physical tension and restore the body to a fluid and vibrant symmetry.
Although there are shapes, patterns and flows around the body which I respect and follow,
to be effective, massage cannot be a repetitive process of preconceived movements.
Massage, for me, is a meditation. Practiced with understanding it becomes a sacred art.
One has to be completely involved in the moment to move out beyond repetition
and into a unique and caring communication with an individual.
Nature is the ultimate designer. Our human hands fit the human body perfectly.
During a treatment, I trust. My thoughts fall away and I rest in my calm centre.
My hands find their shapes, their timing, their patterns and paths.
Their pressure, rhythm, depth and speed form a spontaneous flow of waves that pulse through me.
I pay attention to my breath, to balancing the currents of action and reception
and to maintaining a harmonious connection between myself and the person I am with,
reaching across the space between us with respect, strength and grace.
Just as we need to be understood intellectually and emotionally, our bodies need to be heard physically.
We need respectful hands that touch, question, listen, feel and empathise with our bodies.
Through conscious touch we can find profound release,
it is a time to breathe freely, and to be met.
"Here in the body are the sacred rivers,
here are the sun, the moon and all the places of pilgrimage.
I know no other temple as blissful as my own body"
Saraha