Body work is an important part of dealing with the aches,pains and stressors of a chronic condition. I had a new kind of massage today that was absolutely magnificent! I had never heard of it before, but while I'm on my rest and relaxation vacation, I thought I'd try something new. Over the years I have tried Swedish, Deep Tissue, Soft Tissue Release, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral, Myofacial Release, Polarity and Reflexology. All of them had value and at least for the time I was on the table, I felt better. Today I tried Ortho-Biomony, a system of bodywork that allows the body to correct itself. The massage therapist gently stimulates the body's reflexes in a way that supports a persons own healing mechanisms. The result is seemingly effortless pain and tension relief, a natural re-alignment and a deep sense of well being, Sounds like a lot of promises. Well, this massage delivered.
I have had it with massage therapists who don;t listen tome, who beat my body up like I'm a linebacker on a college football team. They think they know better than me and their refrain is no pain no gain. Well, I've had it with that, too. My local massage therapist is very effective and makes an effort to learn more about the conditions his clients bring to him. He is a good listener and an excellent practitioner. My therapist today started our session by having me walk down a long hallway while she observed me. She then assessed my alignment, the way I was holding stress, my stride, and my overall energy. When she started to work on me she made it clear that I was not to experience any pain at all, that there were may ways to approach a knotted muscle, tension, or mis-alignment. She worked for well over an hour and I got great results.
One of my biggest issues is that I hunch my shoulders. One therapist explained that it was a typical posture for people who are fatigued and in pain. It is almost like the body wants to fold in on itself for protection and that it just feels like it is too much work to hold up the shoulders and head so the neck moves forward and the shoulders slump. When I was finished with my session it felt like someone had pasted new shoulders and a stronger neck onto my body. I could not bring my shoulders forward, they refused to slump. The therapist's technique was to use movement, gentle pressure and holding my body in the correct position to send new messages to my brain about my alignment, At the end of the session, I stood up and looked in the mirror and was amazed at my new and excellent posture. I am going back one more time before I leave for home, I am excited to feel stronger and more balanced - and it didn't hurt a bit.
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