I'm not long back from a 'Dynamics of Depth' course. This was a day-long massage course that explored the use of both deep and light pressure.
As the course is suitable for beginners to NO HANDS Massage, the day started covering the basics. Before we do any massage, we cover how we do the massage. In the words of Bananarama and Fun Boy Three, 'It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it' - I feel like it is such an important step, but not all massage courses cover it, or cover it well. The way you approach doing massage can make a world of difference.
When it came to massage, we started with deep. One of the absolute joys of NO HANDS Massage, is the ability to go deep, deep, deep while a) not hurting myself and b) not hurting the client. We all got to enjoy both giving and receiving deep massage.
After lunch our focus was light. Too many times I have heard people dismiss light massage as ineffective. Some of the most powerfully transformative massage that I have ever experienced has been with light touch. Don't get me wrong - deep massage definitely has its place, I would never say otherwise. I've had some amazing deep massage. Light touch though, done well, affects me differently. It takes me to a place of such deep relaxation that I lose all sense of time and place. I know there will be people reading this that have had a light massage and hated it. I have too. I've had a light massage that seemed to jangle every nerve ending in the worst way, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I fully understand why people might be reluctant to give light massage a go. I had one such client a few years ago, but for reasons I won't go into, one day her options were to have no massage or light massage. I told her that if it wasn't working for her for any reason, to let me know and we would end the session early. She came away loving the session, and light touch became her massage of choice.
We ended the day giving and receiving both light and deep touch, before I had to head back to the train station to get home.
What's the biggest thing that I would say to clients after this training day? Try something different - if you usually go for a deep pressure, maybe shake it up and try something light. Allow yourself to relax into it, and don't be tempted to change your mind five minutes in - give yourself time to get used to something different. Usually go for light or medium pressure? Why not ask for some deep work to be mixed in. If deep work feels too intense, or even painful - do let your therapist know. Relaxation during massage is key to getting a great outcome, no matter what pressure they are using.
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