In the actual world, especially in the Western Hemisphere, we lead a frenetic pace of life. Tiredness, stress and body pains are commonplace. The mind is in a state of acceleration, in which we do something and we are already thinking about what we will do later or what we did earlier. And our emotions are repressed or exalted. Furthermore, the soul or spirit is a concept that most of us are not truly conscious of or in relationship with.
A holistic massage is a massage that uses different manual and natural techniques in order to eliminate any blockages that impede us from leading a balanced and healthful life in this body-mind that we have. This massage gives us the opportunity to get to know ourselves from the outside-in, allowing us to experience our blockages clearly and gain insight as to why they have formed. Once we get to know this, we have the possibility of releasing our blockages.
A holistic massage session consists primarily of three integral phases that are delivered in a harmonious fashion, such that the recipient feels the three phases to be one.
One phase deals with the physical body. In this phase various techniques are used that massage the tissues of the body at a superficial and deep level, stretch the muscles, stimulate blood and lymphatic circulation, ease joints through their range of motion, and rhythmically strike the body in a percussive manner on certain muscular groups that may need it.
The third phase works at the more subtle levels of the mind-body, in areas of the body where energy is concentrated at a greater degree. These areas are known as chakras. There are seven principal chakras in the body. They are located along the length of the spinal column and the skull. Every energy center is associated with parts in the physical body, emotional body, mental body and spiritual body. They are also associated with colors and with sounds. In this phase subtle energy healing techniques such as reiki, polarity therapy and craniosacral therapy are applied.
This is the part of the massage that results in the deepest relaxation. The hands simply support the body. The massage therapist does not work with her physical strength, she works in a meditative state, working with intention, feeling with her hands the energy of the recipient and working on balancing it. Normally the recipient enters a meditative state, similar to a state of sleep, but different in that he/she is still conscious. In this way, in this state, the mind relaxes and often the physical body releases all physical and emotional tension.
The recipient of a holistic massage leaves a session feeling as if he/she were floating, at peace with him/herself and with a sensation that everything is all well.