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Archive for the ‘Massage’ Category

San Francisco Rolfing®: Getting in Shape for Real

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Yoga In Ancient Times

Even in ancient times Yoga was not an end in itself, it was developed to help strengthen both the body and mind for deep contemplation about the nature of the self and the world in which the self arises. It would be great if all of the things that we did today—the yoga, Pilates, massages and Rolfing served such ends—that is, a path of inquiry that led to the profound contentment of enlightenment.

But they don’t.

Technology and the Healing Arts

How the healing arts—or any technology—serves our lives is up to us. They are the gifts of great innovators and healers; handed down to us from people with profound vision and ingenuity. But technology—in any field—is no guarantee of wisdom or inner peace.

A Life of True-Love Is Not Something That Someone Can Give You

A life lived in true-love is not something that someone can give you. It is not an item to be bought or a land to be conquered. Rather, it is a goal that you must put before yourself and set to work on with passion enough to overcome the many obstacles that you will encounter on your way to achieving it.

If that is the spirit with which you come to a Rolfing session—then, in the hands of an adept healer, you are practically guaranteed the self transformation that will be required of you for attainment of your highest goal, the backbone that will be necessary for you to recognize and forgive your mistakes, process trauma, and everything else that has pulled you off your line.

Don’t Short Change Yourself

If you are in agonizing pain then by all means, get to your local Rolfer. But don’t short change yourself. Realize that when your pain is gone you are in the position to elicit the support of a healer that is now available to help you get your life’s work done.

Therefore, before your session, do a little soul searching, a little work. Contemplate your purpose in life—your unique contribution to the world. If you do that, I almost guarantee that a world the likes of which you could probably never have imagined will open up for you. Your life will present possibilities and an easiness that had remained hitherto unknown.

Let’s Get in Shape for Real

My 103 year old Zen Master once told me that it is important to realize that we are never enough. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. We need to find new sources of energy, creativity and wisdom—in our bodies and minds. We need to begin gearing up for some serious change.

Our planet is in desperate need of repair. So why not start with ourselves? Let’s get in shape, for real.

Support for Transformation That We Need

Rolfing, massage and the other healing arts are not just ways of feeling better—they are resources for a better life and better ways of living, which combined with noble intentions, may yet—despite what embittered skeptics say—find their rightful place in the world.

I believe that the healing arts provide the support for transformation that we desperately need, if only we can learn to use them before it’s too late.

San Francisco Rolfing®: Getting Closer to Love

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

I take off my shoes, my jeans and my coat. My body is gently pressed by comfortable heavy blankets into a warm table, sinking into it like sand; dried-out tired knotty muscles loosen beneath slow deep strokes of hot lavender-rose oiled hands—now drifting and scattering into the chirps of birds. I disappear into the high clouds of oblivion.

But now it’s over. The massage ends—the bliss fades into a din of children asking for video games, a boss that wants thirty new animations by tomorrow, a spouse nervous about the cluttered closets and how there is not the time for all that needs doing.

The Healing Moment

Has it ever happened to you. . .

That in that moment of deep relaxation, as your ego lets its guard down, you catch a glimpse of your life—the unedited version—and are walloped by the realization that it is not joyful and thereupon vow to change it?

It would seem that such a vow marks the beginning of a life suffused with love.

Those Who Live Cheerfully Do So For What They Love

Of course no one can escape the claims of old age, sickness and death—but the free ones meet these challenges more gracefully than others. Maybe it could be said that those who live cheerfully do so for what they love.

What, for example, would you as a mother or father not suffer for your child’s happiness?

When you connect with your highest purpose, your highest potential as a human being, aches and pains don’t go away. They become less significant in light of the love for which you live.

Try This The Next Time You Are Cranky and In Pain

So try this—the next time you are cranky, in pain, deeply troubled or suffering, ask yourself: what is this all for? Then dig deep until you find that within you which cannot be broken.

That Within You Which Cannot Be Broken

If that is not possible, get help; because guaranteed, that within you which cannot be broken is there. It is your home—your real home—and you must find somebody somewhere that can help you to recognize it.

You cannot lose, and you cannot escape the innate health and vitality that is always with you—this is the standpoint of Rolfing.

Debilitating pain in your back, joints and nerves is usually effectively addressed with Rolfing, but this is just the first step in a process of radical transformation. The path of a truly happy person requires a shift of attention from pain, suffering and scarcity to creativity, courage, and generosity.

Rolfing and many of the healing arts available here in San Francisco are breathtaking opportunities.

Rolfing is certainly a way to feel better, but it also provides you with a map of inroads to your highest potential as a human being.

The Logic of Rolfing

The logic goes like this:

Shifts of your fascia, muscles and bones = shifts in your heart and mind = shifts in your spirit, which brings you closer to love—the vital ingredient: available to anyone who is willing to work for it, essential to our happiness; paramount to cultivate for the survival of our race and the planet’s health.

Is Your Life A Reflection Of That Which You Love Most Deeply?

So take a moment to reflect and write down–what is it that you live for? What do you love most deeply? Is your life a reflection of that? If so, how could you serve it better? What does your love demand of you that you cannot fulfill? And if your life is not a reflection of love—what is getting in the way?

If you can’t figure it out give your local Rolfer, healer, Zen Master, priest or shaman a call. They are there to help you. Their job is to cultivate the practice of love.

25 Holistic Actions to Help You Keep It Together

Monday, December 7th, 2009
portaledge 2

Rock Climber Relaxes on the Edge

1. Before you start something, ask yourself why you are doing it.

2. Bring your mind to zero (this is difficult-try resting in the space at the end of your in or out-breath).

3. Finish what you start, but break projects up into bite-sized steps. Make sure that you finish one step before going on to the next.

4.Keep it simple.  Ascribe one action-step per goal. Complete the action. Repeat.

5. Be patient. Sometimes you need to stop or move backwards to move forward.

6. Find support for yourself and your endeavors.

7. Act from the position of being supported.

8. If you don’t have support—somewhere—don’t act.

9. Be flexible. Adapt to your circumstances; make relationship with your environment.

10. Give when you need to give, receive when you need to receive.

11. Don’t hold grudges.

12. Don’t suppress pain if you can help it. The more you can allow pain to exist the more quickly it will pass. Nothing lasts forever. If after a while the pain gets worse, call somebody for help.

13. Feel pleasure, but let it pass too. Nothing lasts forever.

14. Recognize your limits.

15. Recognize your possibilities.

16. If you feel lost, ask: Where do I start?

17. If you have started something and feel lost, ask: What do I do next?

18. If you are doing something but don’t know how to stop, ask: How do I know when I’m done?

19. Pay attention to mundane details-give your love to everything.

20. To rest and feel refreshed take ten seconds & completely forget everything (this one is difficult).

21. Dream, but do it with laser specificity.

22. See the connections between everything in your life—after all, it’s all you.

23. If you feel lost, be still and quiet, ask for a direction, listen and wait for the answer—it usually comes, but it may not be what you expect. Trust it; at least give it spacious consideration.

24. You exist together in One World with everything. There is no escape from this One World.

25. You always have the support you need within yourself. If you can’t find this support, find someone who will help connect you with it: call your local Rolfer—if s/he’s busy, see your local Zen master!

Rolfing Touch at the San Francisco School of Massage

Friday, November 27th, 2009

This Thanksgiving, reflecting on some of the things I am thankful for I realize that I am greatly honored to have been able to assistant teach with Certified Advanced Rolfer® and world-renowned deep tissue massage specialist Art Riggs at the San Francisco School of Massage. Over the past two weekends I spent three days with some of the most positive, inspired, curious, passionate and dedicated San Francisco body-workers that I have ever met.

Helping them to refine their touch, one of the things I learned is that the standpoint you take as a practitioner will have a big effect on your client, as well as your ability to work.

Rolfing Touch

To teach Rolfing  touch as I was taught it by my mentor Dr. Jeffrey Maitland is to teach how to contact a person in such a way that both client and practitioner disappear into a singular fundamental reality and reappear changed. It is a unique kind of touch deeply informed by phenomenological philosophy and Zen Buddhism. What was exciting to see these past two weekends at the San Francisco School of Massage is that this profound way of contacting a person can easily be taught.

A Personal Account:

This personal account from CMT Frank Lopez explains more than I can say:

“I am indebted to you for teaching me a different, gentler means of penetrating the body for deeper work. I accept rather easily the clearly mechanical means of making adjustments: in this case, to rib alignment. That you were able to help me follow the subtle movements of the body to satisfactory resolution of a compromised rib really blew me away. It did, in fact, require me to take a leap of faith. That I have been able to replicate this approach on my own has really had an effect on me: it has altered my approach to massage. So, again, thanks for helping me see this option to working with the person on my table.

Last night I did back-to-back massages of nearly 2 hours each. And through a fair portion of the massage I just let my hands follow the body. I felt to some degree like I was just along for the ride as knot after knot melted to my touch, ribs settled themselves into place and vertebrae gently eased into more natural positions. What’s more, I was able to “work” those longer sessions last night because I felt no fatigue due to this new approach.”

Mirror Neurons, The Physiological Explanation

There are actual physiological explanations for the effectiveness of this kind of touch, especially as explained by the recently discovered function of mirror neurons. But that is more than I have time to go into now. (For more information about Mirror Neurons, either send us a request with your email address and we’ll hook you up with some terrific links, or stay tuned, as this will be a topic that we treat in great depth in an upcoming blog).

San Francisco Tutorials

Also, many of the students at the San Francisco School of Massage were interested in having more practice with this way of doing massage, so we are now providing two-hour tutorials for up to 4 people. If you would like more guided instruction or want to learn more about what goes into this kind of touch, feel free to give us a call. We will also keep you updated about upcoming tutorials and other events.

Learning a profound way of touch is an opportunity for you and your clients to be greatly transformed. Introducing Rolfing touch to your practice will most likely bring a lot more enjoyment and ease into your hands, body, and life.