The Art of Meeting and The Art of Massage #3

Today I took a walk at dawn. I took a walk just where the night meets the day. Each sense has a place of meeting – the place where the sound can first be heard, the place where we first see something illuminated by light – and every time we’re met, whether by sound, smell,…

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What is Better Than a Guitar? – The Art of Massage #2

For the first thirty years of my life, I was a musician and composer.  Among my first loves was the guitar and its music made through the wonderful composition of metal strings, wood, and open space.  I am still thrilled with the sight and sound of the guitar and all the variants that have been…

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WHAT THE HANDS TELL ME – The Art of Massage #1

 “A Symphony must be like the world – it must contain everything”. – Gustav Mahler Mahler, the great composer, in his Symphony #3 gave titles to the various movements: ·  “What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me” ·  “What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me” ·  “What Man Tells Me” ·  “What the…

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Loving Time #2 – in Massage and in Life

“The element most grossly omitted from treatises on harmony up to the present is the element of time. The question of the time-interval that must elapse between one sound and another if the two sounds are to produce a pleasing consonance or an interesting relation, has been avoided. And yet the simplest consideration of the…

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What Happens When Your Massage Client Disappears?

I have received student sessions for years – it’s a requirement at our school (I know – tough life for us teachers!) I commonly have the experience that, in the best sessions, one forgets the therapist is there.  The touch feels so trustworthy and clear that the focus is not on the therapist’s touch, but…

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Massage for the Soul – Zero Balancing

If you wanted to massage your soul, how would you do it? We all want to feel healthy – not just in our bodies.  We want to enjoy clear thinking, emotional vibrancy, spiritual inspiration – things more commonly more associated with soul than with body. Recently someone called Zero Balancing a “massage for the soul.” …

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The Deep Massage Book – update!

About a year and half ago I wrote about the process of writing The Deep Massage Book, which I’ve been doing, off and on, for a number of years. So here’s an update.  I’m done with the writing and the commissioned illustrations from a fantastic local medical artist, Christy Krames, MA. I’ve pasted the table…

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Helen Keller was Right about Massage (and life)

Helen Keller was right – “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” In some ways every day is an adventure; every day a hero’s journey. We don’t know what will happen. We can see the obstacles and opportunities that arise as part of the incredible journeys, short and long, we take in this life.…

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When First We Meet – Massage and the Nervous System, Part I

Meissner’s corpuscles were discovered by the anatomist Georg Meissner in the 19th century.  They are located in the skin, just underneath the epidermis. These are the main receptors uniquely designed and located to detect specifically light touch*.  So these are what our clients first sense with when we lay our hands on a body.  When…

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What Exactly is Clinical Massage?

By David Lauterstein We hear the terms “medical massage,” “clinical massage” and “orthopedic massage therapy” used in our field these days. But what is Clinical Massage really? Clinical massage therapy uniquely focuses on the treatment of soft tissue to maintain, develop, augment or rehabilitate the patient’s physical function. Clinical massage therapy can improve the functioning…

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