Rubbing It In – Massage as a lifestyle choice
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We went to Thailand for sun and food and, frankly, because it seemed like the kind of place you go when your inlaws take your kids for 2 full weeks. My husband’s pending 40th birthday seemed like a good enough excuse, and off we went. It was our first vacation in 10 years without the children and we couldn’t wait to wake up without alarms or cries for food, to be un-needed, and for me, to eat 42 times (14 days x 3 meals) in restaurants.
True to form our vacation had an itinerary for flights, hotel reservations and recommended outings. I will now sheepishly admit to carefully “planning” the down time each day so that we wouldn’t be overscheduled. I had heard about massages being available and inexpensive in Thailand and hoped to try it out. Massage had always seemed to be a decadent thing – I remembered having a gentle rub of a massage as a Mother’s Day gift one year. Late afternoon seemed like a good time to go since we had outings each morning before the sun was too strong.
Once we were in Thailand there were indeed massage parlours everywhere. And I was in a highly recommended one by the 3rd day of our trip. I was a bit intimidated by the menu of options – there were stone, herbal, steam, aromatherapy, and Thai massages offered from 1-4 hours. I finally just picked one, a 2-hour Thai massage, smiled for immediately reciprocated reassurance, and was quietly but firmy whisked away while I left my husband a message that I would be awhile.
Now that I think back to that first massage, I remember being very conscious of what I was wearing and whether the time was passing quickly or slowly. I mean, 2 hours? Even on vacation that seemed like a long time. The first 15-20 minutes I was keenly aware of how and where I was being touched as I got used to Ping, my massage therapist, and how often she would love and adjust herself to access all parts of my body. And then as the pressure on my arms, legs, back, neck and facial muscles began, I got it.
I started experiencing what can only be called a release. It started in the muscles themselves, but then very slowly spread to my mind as I gave into the sensations moving through my body. My thoughts slowed a bit, and while I still had fragments of conversations buzzing around my neurons, they seemed to retreat and become quiet. I can even say that I started to sense and feel parts of my body that I hadn’t recently touched or thought about or just that I had never considered. “Here” said Ping, kneading the left side of my neck. “What happened?” I started thinking about what had happened, even searching my memory for the right response. Ping kept kneading, and while it wasn’t painful if was more uncomfortable than I would have usually tolerated. And then it came to me – my cramped-up snooze on the flight several days earlier. She just nodded. 10 more minutes of kneading and it was gone. Completely gone. By the time the 2 hours were over, I felt light. Everywhere. And I cried. Not sobs of regret or sadness, just tears that seemed to want to let go of anything else that was left in me that didn’t need to be there anymore. I didn’t know I needed this. I didn’t know I could feel this relieved.
I had 3 more massages over the next 10 days. Each was was 2 hours – I had decided that 2 must be my lucky number. I tried aromatherapy, where the senses are heightened by the oils that are used both in the room and on your body. The massage therapist didn’t touch me for about the first 15 minutes. The layers of fragrance present in the room were divine, and the temperature was constantly changing. I also tried steam therapy, and had a hot stone massage, and it was all luxurious. I didn’t cry again but began to be able to empty my mind more quickly of “the next thing I had to do”, Outlook reminders of varying upcoming birthdays, last minute Mother’s Day bouquets, and the post-it lists that can be found on our refrigerator. And while I wished I could empty my mind and body without massage, I am delighted to have discovered this kind of therapy, if I can call it that, which treats both the body and the spirit.
Emptying my mind of the unnecessary has also proved inspirational – I am finding that I am more aware of others, and their potential, as the result of this lightness, this sense of simplicity. And I still feel great a full 6 weeks after our return from Thailand. Meeting Pia recently has helped me put these thoughts to words. Massage is such an amazing lifestyle choice.
Jennifer Diamant Foulon is a Paris-based international people development consultant with 15 years of experience assessing, designing and facilitating leadership and management training. In 2007 she started her own company, Performance Acceleration, where she facilitates training events and leadership initiatives for small and large groups, as well as individual coaching assignments.
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Labels: Guest, The massage
posted by Pia | 12:00
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