Care for the self and the other with massage
WHETHER massage is for pleasure, relaxation or pain relief, the power of touch from human hands upon human flesh with pure plant oils gifted unconditionally in the spirit of heart-felt generosity is indubitably healing in myriad ways.
Indeed massage can be remedial, therapeutic, restorative, soothing, health-giving and rejuvenating, especially when using skilfully blended massage oils.
Such skilful synergies of efficacious plant extracts can unlock the mysteries of our bodily aches and pains and unravel the knots of undifferentiated emotional obstructions.
The right essential oil blend for massage can treat a whole host of bodily ailments as well as donating superlative emollient and moisturising skin-care.
Why not swap a massage?
Currently we may be isolated from society in general, but we still have our spouse, life-partner, our family or housemates who share the nest in which we are spending more time than usual.
Even if we live alone, massage is not exclusive to pairs.
Self-massage can be remarkably regenerative, after all; only we know intimately the exact spots in our body that need special attention.
If we are aware that there are approximately five million touch receptors in our skin and 3,000 in each fingertip then our hands can become energy channels.
They are capable of generating and transmitting extraordinary amounts of revitalising life energy.
Add the extraordinary potency of pure plant oils to the story and we can have truly transformative healing experiences through massage for the self and the other, the recipient and the giver.
Not just indulgence
The pleasures and benefits of massage are well understood and for good reason; the tactile human being was born to be touched as a source of love, nurture and healing.
In the current pandemic restrictions and physical distancing, we justifiably crave closeness because touch is our primary expression of affection and care; it always tells the truth.
Massage is not an unwarranted luxury or indulgence, it is essential for our wellbeing and stimulates the release of endorphins the body’s natural painkillers; moreover and most importantly now, it stimulates the body’s immunity.
Massage therapy targets the source of pain by eliminating tension in the muscles and fascia, stimulating life-giving blood circulation and promoting cleansing lymph drainage.
Aromatherapy massage allows the body/mind complex to rearrange
The mind and the body are not separate, so anxiety and high stress levels invariably leave their corrosive mark upon our musculoskeletal system, especially when unhealthy levels of the stress hormone cortisol contribute to innumerable health problems.
Massage decreases cortisol levels in the body which enables the body to enter a recovery mode and trigger lasting feelings of relaxation, improved mood and reduced stress levels.
The body stores old unresolved emotional pain that lodges deeply in the flesh and often it needs to be kneaded, rolled, pummelled, squeezed or prodded intensely for the pain to release its grip upon our physical body.
By manipulating the myofascial system or the connective tissue, the body can reorganise itself, release self-destructive holding patterns and re-establish its innate homeostasis whereby it can flourish pain-free.
When the one being massaged relaxes in the profoundest sense, they are able to enter into that bitter-sweet locus of discomfort or intensity to truly surrender what has been held on to for too long.
Perhaps the greatest irony of healing is that it occurs when we accept our felt experience, rather than rely on willpower or focused effort to get rid of the unwanted.
Aromatic massage can positively facilitate this wholesome process in a most delightful and pleasurable way.