How to truly listen to your body during bodywork

Many people are discovering how supportive it is to be mindful in their lives, and I am discovering how powerful mindfulness can be during a bodywork session.  Mindfulness is a wonderful tool for our day to day existence, helping us to stay present to every moment, rather than cutting off some aspects of our experience.   It can bring more peace and self-understanding into our day-to-day existence, by staying away from the usual habit of trying to avoid emotional distress, pain, or tension  and trying to make things different than they are.

When receiving massage and bodywork, most people have an idea about something that they would like to change.  Maybe it's a bad mood, maybe its a tight shoulder or a painful back, but we want it to go away.  I have found that if we take some time to slow down and listen, our body often has a message for us.  Some examples of what your body might say to you is: "I'd really like to have a do nothing day" or "I need to tell my boss that I'm feeling overwhelmed" or "I'm really sad about my family member being sick."  And it can be really helpful to "unpack" these feelings, and observe them, let them know that you hear them / feel them / see them, and then come back to the feeling of the weight body on the massage table, the touch of my hand with your body, or your breath.  If you just make the sensation go away, you might miss out on some important messages.  


Here is an example of how the inner dialogue or experience can be:

I'm laying on the massage table...
I'm relaxing...
I'm breathing...
I'm letting the weight of my body sink into the support under me...
I'm feeling a painful place in my body...
I'm experiencing the sensation as it is...
I'm saying hello to it...
I'm letting it be as it is...
I'm inviting this place to speak to me from it's own perspective...
I'm thanking it for sharing with me...
I'm invite it to let me know if there is something more...
I'm noticing it is relaxing on its own...
I'm lovingly inviting it to let go, relax, soften...
I'm breathing into that place...
I'm noticing that place feels different now...
I'm grateful for my body...
I'm resting...
I'm breathing...
I'm thinking about something...
I'm saying hello to that part that is thinking about something...
I'm noticing the thinking stops when I say hello...
I'm breathing...
I'm letting go...

and often the sensation goes away on it's own!

It can be difficult to have this much awareness on your own, and that's where a mindful practitioner can help with some active listening and "focusing" dialogue work.  Your practitioner can support you in staying present and really listening with compassion, with gentle touch, helping you to "stay with" and witness your inner experience instead of pushing it away or going for an emotional roller coaster ride with it.  If you would like some support with mindfulness, I would be happy to be a companion to help you to focus in and really listen to the messages that your body might be telling you.   And hopefully when your body has a message for you five days later when you are walking down the street, you can listen with compassion, instead of just telling it to go away. 

www.listeningtouch.org

303-601-5060

Laura Rose Boyle has been listening and touching since 2000 and studies and practices Inner Relationship Focusing and Hakomi Therapy in addition to massage and bodywork.  
To schedule a Listening Touch session, visit: www.listeningtouch.org