I just recently graduated from a relatively short but amazing holistic bodywork therapy program in Vancouver, to prepare me for a career as a bodywork therapist giving massages (due to technicalities I cannot call myself a 'massage therapist').
This was a big shift from my earlier technical institutionalized education meant to prepare me for the 9 to 5. Besides learning massage techniques, my school's program consisted of ancient sciences like ayurveda, as well as a spiritual component involving sharing circles, meditation, breathing exercises, and artistic expression in the form of drawing and dancing.
We did receive scientific education, to balance out the more holistic content, through an anatomy course. However, even the biggest lesson I took away from learning about human anatomy seemed to go against mainstream thinking. That lesson is that you do not need stronger, firmer pressure in order to enjoy and reap therapeutic benefits from a massage.
One would automatically think that the purpose of massage is to address the body at the point of contact. But I realize now through my education that this is very narrow thinking, and that the power of physical touch has a broader more holistic impact on the receiver.
This broader impact has to do with the autonomic nervous system. This system consists of all the nerves in our body which wrap around not just every muscle fibre, but also all the internal organs, affecting different internal processes that help maintain homeostasis, or a condition of equilibrium within the body. So the direct physical contact of outer skin and superficial muscles indirectly affects our nervous system, but also bodily functions which affect our general health and wellbeing.
The autonomic nervous system itself consists of two systems - the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system refers to the bodily state of fight or flight, and the parasympathetic system refers to the state of rest and digest.
You may have heard of these terms lately, since stress has become such a recognized issue in modern society. That's because when you are stressed out your body activates the sympathetic nervous system: adrenaline and cortisol is released into your body, your eyes and blood vessels dilate, digestion slows, heart rate and breathing increases, among other things.
On the opposite end of the spectrum activating your parasympathetic nervous system pretty much reverses all these processes: your eyes and blood vessels constrict, heart rate and breathing slows, muscles relax, saliva production and digestion increases. In this state, human connection happens more easily.
The vagus nerve, of which there has been a lot of research done on it recently, is also connected to these systems, and stimulation of this nerve has been linked to improved gut health, reduced inflammation.
Our autonomic system developed in this way as a survival mechanism.
During our hunter-gatherer days, whenever we were hunting or being hunted our sympathetic system would activate so that we would have the energy and ability to outrun our enemy. Once we return to safety, our parasympathetic system would activate to recover from the stressful situation.
However, these internal processes that allow us to outrun our enemy are only meant to be used on an occasional basis because they are very taxing on our body. In today's modern society, we are subject to chronic low level stress and our sympathetic system is activated almost all the time. In the long term this leads to chronic depression and illness. It seems that all the activities recommended today to combat stress do so by activating the parasympathetic system - meditation, yoga, focusing on the breath.
And, of course, massage!
And while, as mentioned at the top, massage is often connected to addressing muscle injuries at the point of contact with strong pressure, an overlooked benefit is that it triggers general relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. And this depends on the right touch. The right touch signals to the receiver's body that it is safe and can relax, allowing it to move into rest and digest.
What is 'the right touch?'
This is very subjective, and that's why massage is so personal and depends entirely on the connection between giver and receiver.
A giver can have great technical skills but not every receiver will enjoy their touch. Someone without technical training may have a more intuitive and nurturing touch better suited for massage. A receiver can be open minded but if they don't have a good initial impression of the giver, how they receive their touch will reflect that. The right techniques can be taught in a school setting, but the right touch cannot be taught. That can only be honed through intuition.
Ultimately, it depends on the receiver. The right touch for them could be soft and warm, nurturing; it could be firmer and more technical. The receiver might think they want focused, deep pressure, but once they receive a soft intuitive touch, their minds could change.
This is why I value the softer side of my school's curriculum, as mentioned earlier, involving the sharing circles, meditation, breathing, drawing and dancing. These exercises are meant to make us better human beings; meant to know and love ourselves, and hone our intuition. Once we achieve this we can know and connect with our receivers more intuitively.
And the touch with which we connect with our receivers doesn't have to be deep and firm. It can be soft and nurturing; intuitive and knowing. It can be combined with breathing exercises or inhalations of essential oils. Whatever helps to signal to our bodies that it is safe. This signal relaxes our nervous system, which in turn activates our parasympathetic nervous system, and allows our bodies to rest and digest! Repair and connect!
 |
| My graduating class at the amazing Vancouver School of Healing Arts - June 2019 |
This was a big shift from my earlier technical institutionalized education meant to prepare me for the 9 to 5. Besides learning massage techniques, my school's program consisted of ancient sciences like ayurveda, as well as a spiritual component involving sharing circles, meditation, breathing exercises, and artistic expression in the form of drawing and dancing.
We did receive scientific education, to balance out the more holistic content, through an anatomy course. However, even the biggest lesson I took away from learning about human anatomy seemed to go against mainstream thinking. That lesson is that you do not need stronger, firmer pressure in order to enjoy and reap therapeutic benefits from a massage.
One would automatically think that the purpose of massage is to address the body at the point of contact. But I realize now through my education that this is very narrow thinking, and that the power of physical touch has a broader more holistic impact on the receiver.
This broader impact has to do with the autonomic nervous system. This system consists of all the nerves in our body which wrap around not just every muscle fibre, but also all the internal organs, affecting different internal processes that help maintain homeostasis, or a condition of equilibrium within the body. So the direct physical contact of outer skin and superficial muscles indirectly affects our nervous system, but also bodily functions which affect our general health and wellbeing.
The autonomic nervous system itself consists of two systems - the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system refers to the bodily state of fight or flight, and the parasympathetic system refers to the state of rest and digest.
 |
| A breakdown of the two nervous systems and its impacts. Source: pinterest.com |
On the opposite end of the spectrum activating your parasympathetic nervous system pretty much reverses all these processes: your eyes and blood vessels constrict, heart rate and breathing slows, muscles relax, saliva production and digestion increases. In this state, human connection happens more easily.
The vagus nerve, of which there has been a lot of research done on it recently, is also connected to these systems, and stimulation of this nerve has been linked to improved gut health, reduced inflammation.
Our autonomic system developed in this way as a survival mechanism.
During our hunter-gatherer days, whenever we were hunting or being hunted our sympathetic system would activate so that we would have the energy and ability to outrun our enemy. Once we return to safety, our parasympathetic system would activate to recover from the stressful situation.
However, these internal processes that allow us to outrun our enemy are only meant to be used on an occasional basis because they are very taxing on our body. In today's modern society, we are subject to chronic low level stress and our sympathetic system is activated almost all the time. In the long term this leads to chronic depression and illness. It seems that all the activities recommended today to combat stress do so by activating the parasympathetic system - meditation, yoga, focusing on the breath.
And, of course, massage!
And while, as mentioned at the top, massage is often connected to addressing muscle injuries at the point of contact with strong pressure, an overlooked benefit is that it triggers general relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. And this depends on the right touch. The right touch signals to the receiver's body that it is safe and can relax, allowing it to move into rest and digest.
 |
| The right touch is about intuition; intuition cannot be taught in school, but honed through life experience |
What is 'the right touch?'
This is very subjective, and that's why massage is so personal and depends entirely on the connection between giver and receiver.
A giver can have great technical skills but not every receiver will enjoy their touch. Someone without technical training may have a more intuitive and nurturing touch better suited for massage. A receiver can be open minded but if they don't have a good initial impression of the giver, how they receive their touch will reflect that. The right techniques can be taught in a school setting, but the right touch cannot be taught. That can only be honed through intuition.
Ultimately, it depends on the receiver. The right touch for them could be soft and warm, nurturing; it could be firmer and more technical. The receiver might think they want focused, deep pressure, but once they receive a soft intuitive touch, their minds could change.
This is why I value the softer side of my school's curriculum, as mentioned earlier, involving the sharing circles, meditation, breathing, drawing and dancing. These exercises are meant to make us better human beings; meant to know and love ourselves, and hone our intuition. Once we achieve this we can know and connect with our receivers more intuitively.
And the touch with which we connect with our receivers doesn't have to be deep and firm. It can be soft and nurturing; intuitive and knowing. It can be combined with breathing exercises or inhalations of essential oils. Whatever helps to signal to our bodies that it is safe. This signal relaxes our nervous system, which in turn activates our parasympathetic nervous system, and allows our bodies to rest and digest! Repair and connect!
 |
| Knowing and loving yourself starts with solitude in nature. Now I'm ready to give massage! |
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