A MIND THAT CHATTERS, A BODY THAT HEALS
Men who find themselves on my massage table may be surprised that I start by asking them to scan through their body and notice areas of tension or stress. Or I may ask them to synchronize their breath to mine, breathing deeply and slowly, as I begin to introduce firm holding touch to their body. Or to visualize letting of thoughts of work, travel or daily life and feel their mind slow down and relax.
Our minds are constantly thinking, planning and making up stories. This helps us survive and find our place in the world. And for most of us, we are richly rewarded for this. Our skills, training and thinking is what we get paid for. Our modern culture is dominated by the mind, with an ever-changing array of information and images delivered by increasingly sophisticated technology. And our big, busy brains love it! But this can lead to a mind that becomes overwhelmed. A mind that chatters – and chatters and chatters. A mind that can’t slow down. A mind that knows best, that’s just one google search away from knowing best. A mind that is so busy knowing what’s best that it ignores the body.
In a world dominated by the mind, a sensual massage is an intimate space where we can let go of thinking and reconnect with the body.
Growing research indicates that the body stores emotion, pain and stress that traditional talk-based therapy is ineffective at managing. Feelings stored in the body can only be processed and healed with bodywork (including sensual massage). Consider the growing evidence on the gut micro-biome and its ability to regulate our mood, health and daily life in profound ways. There’s a reason we call this deep store of wisdom our “gut instinct”. And who hasn’t physically felt deep sorrow or loss right in the centre of their chest, their heart chakra. A heart ache more physical than our mind can comprehend.
So when I start a massage with a relaxation practice, I’m inviting my clients to let go of thinking and to focus on their body for the next 60 or 90 minutes. To reconnect with the great store of wisdom in the physical body. Pleasure and relaxation exist in the physical realm of the body. Connection exists in physical touch, body to body, man to man.
The body is capable of intense joy and pleasure. It is also capable of healing itself – of processing stored emotions, of letting go of stress, of returning to stasis or equilibrium. Think meditation, yoga, running, physical exercise – all help us let go of the chattering mind and drop back into the rhythms of the body.
A sensual erotic massage is another way to drop into the body and out of the mind. Whether your goal is relaxation, pleasure or something more, let go thinking and get in touch with your body through a sensual massage.
Did I say how much I love my job?
