TOUCH FACTOR MASSAGE & BODYWORK
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Happy new year!
Joe lavin
It is 2021 and it is time for me to start sharing more of my thoughts about massage, bodywork and life with anyone who is interested. I do a lot of writing to process my thoughts about touch as well as my massage and bodywork experiences. Most of the time these writings end up living only in my journal or on my computer and I would like to give them a little more life, see how they blossom...or wither.
I have been thinking about this for a while but have been especially motivated recently by some very special responses and encouragements from some of clients that I have shared a writing with, from my mother who, at 76, has recently poured herself into her artistic expression in the painting and a short response to a post of mine by a good friend that I have not seen in ages but still knows me well. Thank you all.
My friend Suzanne said this to me, "It isn’t that YOU need to find your people, but your people need you to find THEM"
...and this blog is my immediate response to that encouragement. I will reflect on the specifics of that statement later, but for now, if your looking, here I am.
Some thoughts, disclaimers and clarifications on my writings.
Massage and/or Bodywork Writings
All of my writings about any type of bodywork session are about my bodywork and not about my licensed therapeutic massage practice unless otherwise specifically stated.
Paradoxes and Incomplete Thoughts
To enjoy or understand my writings you need to understand that I embrace the paradoxes of life and often play with several positions that might seem contradictory at the same time. This is part of my process. Also, I am not completely focused on resolving things or even understanding them completely (as if I could :-) through my writings. So most of the time you will have to do your own processing if you want to really get into anything here.
I try my best to keep that popular quote in mind whenever I am thinking or writing. So often when it seems like I am making a statement I might just be asking a question.
Obfuscation
All of my writings about people or situations are changed enough to protect anyone's identity that might be in them unless someone is actually named. All of my writings include at least one thing that is not true, exaggerated or otherwise can not be relied upon to create a factual statement of any action or event. All of my writings about anyone specific are shared only with their specific consent. If you ever read something that you feel is about you and I have not talked to you about sharing it - it is most likely not specifically about you - but please contact me so that I can clarify anything that needs to be clarified.
The Importance of Community in the Massage Industry
I absolutely love it when a bodywork session transforms into something unexpected and wonderful. These are some highlights of correspondence between me and a recent client of mine after our first session. Everything is shared with permission and you can see more of Tanith's paintings here.....
I used to recommend some fairly intricate kinesio taping to help with posture modification for my clients but I have found that a simple posture correcting harness/brace does a fantastic job and are much easier to use. You do not need too heavy duty of a harness unless you have extra thick shoulder musculature, are looking for a more aggressive correction or are very active throughout the day. The nice thing is that you can try as many different posture correctors from Amazon as you want until you get the right fit and just return the ones that do not work for you.
I had an experience with a client shortly after a contentious moment in my country's political discourse (how is that for PC?) where I was actually compelled to end a session because I was not able to care for my client deeply enough to work out a better solution. So I wrote my client a letter which he has graciously allowed me to share here.,,,,
My client asked me how I would describe our Primal Unwinding session and I replied, "Like a celestial dance." Later, I unpacked that a bit more....
I took my daughter to the zoo the other day. We waited with the other people to see the cheetah walk out and stood in amazement as the cheetah did, well, nothing really. She just walked around, looked at us and then laid down. I imagined the cheetah wondering why there were people here to see her again, She didn’t feel that special. She had no idea what she was really made for, how fast she could run, what it felt like to be free, what a fierce predator she could be. She just had some sense that this crowd of spectators was interested in her so she should show up again, like she does every other day.
I want to share something I wrote trying to say thank you to a group of people that were a major part of my becoming a better bodyworker, toucher, connector and human being. It was in a five month training program with the Institute for Phenomenal Touch. It absolutely changed my life!
I love body rolling and think it is far superior to the many popular “foam rolling” strategies that I see a lot of people utilizing. My basic premise is that using different sized balls with different densities to strategically roll on, under and around your unique, 3-dimensional body will allow you to apply just the right amount of pressure in the specific places that you need it as well as helping you do some amazing stretches. Plus you can take your body rolling equipment with you wherever you go. If you are a proverbial road warrior, just deflate to miniature soccer balls, pack a small air pump and throw them in your carry on.....