Conscious Touch
“The first sense to ignite, touch is the last to burn out – long after our eyes betray us, our hands remain faithful to the world…” Frederick Sachs – A Natural History of the Senses
In our massage, 23 support and guide through touch – helping people listen to and tune into their bodies in new ways. Like all languages, we must first learn to listen – to listen mindfully.
Before we even start to massage, we might place a hand at the back of the heart, or sacrum – or hold both feet for grounding – with this touch we convey that we are listening, that we are present.
As Embodied Therapists, we understand that the tone of our touch is as vital as the tone of our voice. Through touch, we invite people to tune into sensation, and their relationship with that sensation. We invite them to go beyond the idea of their body, beyond their idea of breath and to tune into both the physical space or physicality of their body – but also the space within. And again, and again, our touch should communicate – no judgment. We encourage those receiving the massage to drop any judgment of their bodies and minds…
We invite people into the language of their breath through touch – we study it’s syntax and structure… maybe shallow or deep, sharp or smooth – we encourage a deeper, fuller breath with touch as well as voice. The simplest of cues – breathe into my hands. Feeling the hands on the upper back or chest – an invitation for a deeper breath or a deeper exhale.. a deeper release…
As we give a massage session not only do we listen with our hands as we sense openness and contraction, but we guide people to feel their own holding patterns and to tune into a different possibility of space and freedom of movement. Our hands should invite a deeper connection.
Beyond understanding the physical anatomy, our massage training invites you to learn the language of touch. We learn to listen through touch – to both the physical holding and the subtle layers of the body.
When we communicate with touch as embodied therapists – we communicate awareness, support, confidence, grace and presence.
We do not want to only teach you how to give a massage… we aim to help cultivate Embodied Therapists – By understanding the neuroscience of conscious therapeutic touch and learning how to hold space – we practice with respect, intuition and grounded presence.
Having taught massage for 15 years – we understand cellular memory – how we remember the movements, stretches, and assists in our hands. We understand the difference between conscious touch and auto-pilot – it is the power of healing and compassionate touch which transforms a massage from functional to expansive.
“A pat on the back, a caress on the arm – these everyday, incidental gestures that we usually take for granted, thanks to our amazingly dexterous hands. But after years spent immersed in the science of touch, I can tell you that they are far more profound that we usually realize : They are our primary language of spreading compassion.” Dacher Keltner, Hands on Research – the Science of Touch
Therapeutic Yoga Massage is not a passive massage. We invite our clients to listen, to breathe, we stretch and open them up in yogic stretches- this creates a deeper sense of agency – we invite people to be present within their own bodies. We encourage them not to look to us as therapists that will “fix” them, rather we guide them to a greater understanding – this is the start of a new relationship with their body and that like any relationship it needs conscious communication and constant tending…
Beyond massage techniques, embodied touch is a responsive way of connecting through touch. It is very humbling when someone comes for a massage session – they are placing trust in you to hold them.
Learn with us – https://em-bodied.org/offerings/massage/tymireland/