Chris Reynolds

In an existential way, it is sometimes said that our reality is a constant dance between the forces of order and chaos. These forces have various representations, kind of tucked here and there throughout our experiences. It is the masculine and feminine energies that exist in each one of us, that must dance together to make things work.  

Make no mistake; like yin and yang, these things do not, and in fact, cannot exist or function in isolation from one another. Not without creating imbalance, and, in some form, illness. For some people, the contemporary world is one in which being polarized to one side of an issue or the other seems to make some convoluted sense, which is unfortunate for all of us.  

However, the truth that remains constant is that our reality is generally made up of oppositional forces that sometimes seem paradoxical, yet they coexist by intention. In fact, the tension that is created by oppositional forces is the energy that drives the whole thing forward, you might say. It is how we learn, and how we grow. Not just individually, but as a collective, unified oneness. (If you’re into that sort of thing). 

Great. And what does that have to do with massage?  

Well, I’m glad you asked. 

See, this intentional pairing of oppositional forces is everywhere. It can be seen in the main forces of our consciousness; intellect and intuition (the latter of which includes the emotional self). Both of these exist within us to provide us with insight and information of different, but complimentary types. They perceive the world very differently. When they work together in balance, they produce something that is ‘greater than the sum of its parts’.  

In massage, this is the relationship between technique and flow. 

Technique is, well, technical. It must be learned through traditional forms of teaching, practice, and perfection. If you don’t know what your technique is meant to do, in terms of engaging the body’s natural processes, your massage won’t be very effective. You need to practice pressure, manipulation, and developing a conscious connection between your knowledge of technique, and what your hand is doing. This is a very intellectual process. 

Once you know these things, like, really know them to the point that they are second nature, your intuition can take over, and thus begins the process of flow. A musician that has practices their scales for hour after monotonous hour, suddenly finds that the location of the notes, and the gestures needed to produce good tone, well these things happen so automatically that some other creative force within just takes over, and raises the level of performance to something almost transcendent. That is flow, and it is an intuitive process. 

Knowledge so strong you don’t have to think about it… 

Sometimes the intuitive process is thought of as simply not over-thinking things, but this can’t really happen until your technique is so deeply engrained that you don’t have to think about it. Makes sense, right? 

And you could say that what I really want to teach you is how to reach the level of flow. The base building blocks are technique, and the things you need to think about with precision and clarity, then practice until it is automatic. However, once it becomes automatic, you are in the place where your own intuition can guide you, and flow can begin. 

Now, one could write a whole thesis on where these forces meet in our reality, in ourselves, etc, because this core concept is applicable all over reality! However, there are just a few things, in terms of learning massage, that I want to impress upon you, if I may.  

Beware of the tired old tropes that make us polarized. Feminine is good, masculine is bad…. things like that. Everything that exists has a purpose, and it exists in all of us. Being out of balance leads to problems. That’s it. The rest is about embracing all that we are without judgment, and aiming for balance. Only then will the process lead us through technique to flow.  

To think of it another way, you can’t get to flow without technique unless you want to just flop around without much in the way of goals or intentions, nor the methods of reaching them. 

Be diligent, accepting, but also determined with your intentions to learn, practice, and perfect technique. The better you get, the more you will be able to adapt, and go beyond what you have learned. But it makes no sense to try to go beyond when you don’t know what you’re “going beyond” in the first place. Learning good technique with discipline is a touchstone. Once you have found it, know what it is, and can get there anytime, then you can successfully go beyond it.  

And you will properly find your flow. I wish you good luck. 

The Importance of Self-Care for the Practitioner (Part 1) 

I’m starting to really enjoy having this blog as part of my website. So much focus went into the site construction, and continues with the courses I am developing, and these things are very structured by necessity. However, I myself prefer to speak about massage in a more fluid form, as it has so many important parts that are all entwined with each other. 

And that’s what I get to do here. 

The topic for this post is self-care for the practitioner, which is so very important to caring for others. It is so important in fact, that I’m sure this won’t be the only time I write about it, here in my own little magazine we call a blog. Therefore, this is not a totally comprehensive guide to self-care; it is a discussion as to why you should keep it close in mind, as you proceed with your learning, and your daily life. And it is a discussion that will be ongoing.  

This is why I have called this, part 1. 

The gist: You can’t give what you don’t have 

In a way, that little phrase says almost everything. If your energy is low, where will the focus and intention come from to give a healthy, positive massage experience to someone else? And drinking lots of coffee to fake it doesn’t work! 

Self-care can be thought of in many ways. It can be broken down into a list of things to do, which we can do in a later post. But we know the basic things that go on that list; eat well, get good sleep, DRINK WATER, stretch, meditate and focus on your intention. That’s a good start. 

But there is a deeper, more fundamental truth that underlies all of this, which is the truth of your own vulnerability. WHAT? That’s right. You are strongest when you are aware and respectful of your own vulnerability. Self-care cannot proceed well if you are closed to this fundamental of self-awareness. 

There are people who teach moving and healing crafts whom, perhaps unfortunately, are confused about their role in the whole thing. They think it comes from them, but what we give to others that is truly healing comes from beyond us all, and simply passes through us. The more you understand your own vulnerability as a human, the better you function as a conduit for that energy. It can be that simple. 

Massage, and the loving conscious energy behind it does not emanate from within you, nor from within me. It comes from the one source that all loving consciousness originates from. You can call it what you want, but it is a vibration, and an energy that flows through all things. It is an energy that we, as practitioners, can hope to facilitate and direct toward the healing experience of our client. And that is all. 

But it will always be a higher universal intelligence doing the work. Your job is to know it so well that your own intuition (which speaks the same language) can guide the energy through you. And, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to do that very well. And once again, it can really be that simple. 

Okay. So, is this about self-care or universal energies? 

Good question. Both, I suppose.  

The relationship between you as a facilitator of higher energy and your own self-care, is the same relationship that exists between crystal clear spring water and the pipe that carries it down the mountain to the people. If the pipe is dirty, and not well-cared for, the life force it delivers will not be of high quality, and it will not serve the people. 

Taking care of yourself, whether it is to make yourself a better facilitator of higher energy or not, is something you kind of owe to the divine. It is a sacred duty. Especially if you make a contract with the divine to deliver some its goodness to others, which is pretty much what we’re doing here.  

That is the concept I want to impress upon you with this post, if I may. If you embrace self-care as a duty, you automatically place yourself properly in the order of things; not as a guru or a goddess or some other trans-human concept, but as a humble and diligent servant to something truly greater than you.  

The irony is, if you do that… if you allow yourself to ‘shrink’ in terms of ego-size, you open the door to becoming so much better at delivering the universal energy, and so much more than your ego would allow. Because you know it isn’t you. Kind of ironic, isn’t it? This is why we sometimes say that the best thing you can do is just stay out of your own way! 

You still get the accolades and the respect, and people come to you for their massage. But you yourself will feel calmer, perhaps happier, knowing that you can rely on the universal energy to do all the hard work. All you need to do is take good care of the facilitator, so that you are prepared for these moments. And, as funny as it sounds, you will get really good at looking after yourself, because you are thinking about it the right way. 

Do what you need to do in order to be a healthy human, and the powers that be will take care of the rest. This is the only way.  

I leave you with this to consider. 

Announcing the Publishing of my First Course

My first course is up! It marks a real milestone for me, so I don’t mind taking a moment to say a quiet, “hurrah!” (applause) 

My intention in this blog is to talk about classic massage itself, and what is most important for the practitioner in order to be successful. However, as this is my first course, and my first website, I want to say a couple quick things about that. 

What a learning curve! Technology really is a fast-moving wave these days, and I’m in the large category of people who were born early enough that it hasn’t been a standard part of my life. There is a lot to learn about the technical aspects of getting this all up and running! 

While I am happy with my site and progress so far, my intention is to continue adapting the video production in particular to improve the production quality of what I release. However, I am quite proud of the course content itself, including the 6 videos, and the additional info on the pdf. I sincerely hope that (at least some of) you truly enjoy it. I have made it available for a very friendly, introductory price. 

And, as a bit of shameless self-promotion, please note I will be releasing Classic Massage part 2 in the coming weeks. Part 1 focuses on the core basics that are so critical to this style. It covers a full, one-hour massage from start to finish. Part 2 moves into advanced classic massage, and expands the body regions, and teaches advanced techniques for stomach, feet, neck, and other sensitive regions of the body. It extends the classic massage up to 90 minutes, and will be coming soon! 

But enough about that… what about classic massage? Let’s talk about that… 

In the introductory material for the course, I make the point that classic massage is like vanilla ice cream; simple, but perfectly satisfying, almost every time. Classic massage is ‘classic’ because it is effective and satisfying, which is why we tend to go back to it over and over. 

So, what are the important things that make it effective? Well, the techniques are explained and taught in detail in the course, and I’m not going to just repeat that here. I want to point out the value of doing something simple, but doing it very well. And the secret to that is honesty with one’s self, because that is where strong, clear intention comes from, and where focus becomes powerful. 

Think about breathing. Why? You might ask. Well, breathing is the foundation of all meditation. It is something we do automatically, and it may in fact be the simplest body function there is. Yet, when we breathe with focus, silence, and intention, it becomes an experience that is not only profound, but continues to get more profound the longer you hold that space and intention. 

Yet all you are doing is breathing. 

So, what does that say about classic massage? Well, to me, it says that, yes, technique is critical. Understanding precisely why we want to use a certain hand position, apply pressure in a certain way, et cetera, these things are very important. In a sense, if you don’t understand those things, you can’t really be effective. If you don’t know about the role of massage in circulation in muscle tissue and why it is important, you can only do so much for your recipient. You are in danger of just rubbing your hands around, which can be fun, but it might not be as effective as massage can be. 

Good massage, like many things, is an art, not a science, even if looking at it briefly through the lens of science is important. Your own intention, breathing, honest self-awareness; these are the things that will make the difference between a pedestrian, garden-variety massage, and a professional one. And the difference can be quite profound. 

My advice? Well, since you asked, don’t fool yourself about the value of practice, and of preparation. In my course, I suggest on more than one occasion that even the simple hand techniques will improve when you practice them on a pillow. Or your pet. Perhaps you are familiar with the classic movie, The Karate Kid, (original) in which the boy takes his martial arts skills to a new level by waxing cars. “Wax on, wax off.” Have a look, if you aren’t sure what I mean. 

The reason that classic massage can be so effective is because, like many simple things, it has all that it needs to be effective; IF, and only if, the practitioner has a depth of honesty with themselves.  

If you are honest about your intention, your focus will follow. It will do so quite naturally. If you practice and prepare (sometimes just by visualizing your practice), you, as the practitioner may be surprised at how profound your own experience can be. And, in being open to feedback, you may be pleased to find that, more and more, your experience and the experience of the recipient reflect one another.  

This is not always true, and it is not necessary, so don’t be disappointed if the person didn’t have the same moments that you did; they still had theirs. Just ‘return to the breath’, and continue.  Return to the simple things that make the practice work, and it will provide.  

Just like vanilla ice cream! In fact, I think I might go get some right now.   

*this blog is available in audio format. Just scroll to the bottom and hit play!

There is that saying about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with one step… it seems fitting for this moment. Yet, at the same time, if I’m honest, and if you’ll allow me to speak with some candor, the first step in this journey for me began a long time ago. Although I didn’t know there was a phrase for it at the time, even in my childhood I was aware of the connection between mind, body & spirit. I felt it. I quietly wondered what was wrong with other people that they weren’t speaking about it more freely. It seemed much more obvious and important than the things they did talk about… weather, politics, sports, etc… I understood that we speak to each other in general about the shared experiences of life that we find in things like the weather, etc. But when do we talk about all the things going on inside? When do I get to tell you that moving my hands in a certain way, or swaying my body, makes my heart sing? I had to learn that we do not.

But then I grew. And I found that what was happening to me is actually incredibly human. It is, in fact, an inseparable part of the human experience, even if many people have forgotten. We, as a species, we have not forgotten. All I was doing was remembering. In secret, I often think of my experiences as a teacher in this way… I am simply helping you to remember things you have forgotten.

Is that literally true? I don’t know. Does it matter? Not to me. It is a simple, short, and effective way to try to evoke a similar feeling in you. But in truth, the words will work or not work, but it will never be about them. It will never be about these words. It will only ever be about experience.

So, I’m excited. I have no idea where this part of the journey leads, but I never have! I just look forward to sharing it with you… whoever you are.

Welcome.

-Barbara.