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DIMENSIONS OF HOLISTIC MASSAGE movement to stimulate energy flow and address deficient energy conditions. Rhythmic, moving music supports the therapeutic energy of yang bodywork. Most massage sessions benefit from a combination of these energetic approaches, so it is useful to choose a music playlist that alternates between yin and yang energetic blueprints, creating a holistic energetic arc for the session. You can customize the music specifically for each session through your observation of the client's energetic profile. If a client shows indications of an excess energy disorder, such as anxiety, you may want to use predominantly yin music, particularly at the start of the session, interspersed with some yang work to promote overall energy flow. For a deficient energy disorder, such as fatigue, predominantly yang music may be more therapeutically effective, with yin music used strategically for quiet moments such as deep tissue work, or slow work on sensitive areas like the belly, neck, and face. Vibrational resonance refers to changes in the frequency of an energy field in response to an external energetic stimulus. Resonance results in vibrational synchronization between two energy fields. As therapists, we can create in ourselves a healthy, balanced vibrational field for the client to harmonize with, by approaching the client in a calm, relaxed, centered, grounded state. When we work with a quiet mind, focused on our connection with the client, our brain waves slow down and provide a relaxed vibrational target for the client's brain frequencies. When we work with gratitude and compassion, the client's emotional field resonates with our joyful, loving state. These are not metaphorical constructs, they are actual vibrational manifestations of our experience, which can transfer to the client through our close, extended contact during a massage session. In their book Soul Medicine, Norman Shealy and Dawson Church describe calm, emotional states as one of the characteristics of a master healer: "Healers … who regularly induce feelings of peace and tranquility in themselves—and have a spiritual practice focusing on love and compassion—are more likely to enter the kind of physiological state associated with healing … A master healer, in the healing state, is typically tranquil inside, even if their outer actions are animated."5 THE PHYSICAL BODY Working holistically on the physical body entails addressing the body as a whole unit, instead of a collection of parts. The arm does not end at the wrist—it continues energetically and psychologically through the fingertips. The leg does not end at the upper thigh—it continues over the hip and into the lower back. If we uncover one leg, work on it in isolation as far as the upper thigh, cover it back up again, and don't return, we are telling the leg that it is a separate entity. By physically connecting the leg with the hip, the back, the arm, the opposite leg, we awaken the body's memories of how everything is connected and works together. By returning to the leg again and again during the session, we remind the leg again and again that it is part of the whole organism. THE SPIRITUAL BODY Compassion is the hallmark of the spirituality of massage. Our clients feel our compassion, as well as the nurturing and attention in our hands, or the absence of it. If you engage in your practice as sacred work, your client's spirit will respond with gratitude and healing. The groundbreaking work of Masaru Emoto demonstrates the physical effects of love healing. Emoto's photographs of crystals formed in water treated with compassion and gratitude provide visible evidence of the transformational power of love. Given that the human body is composed of more than 70 percent water, it is clear that the compassionate touch of a spiritually-oriented massage therapist can potentially induce the state of vibrant, radiant wholeness seen in Emoto's crystals. As Emoto says, "If we fill our lives with love and gratitude, this consciousness will become a wonderful power that will spread throughout the world."6 In our role as massage therapists, we are given a license to touch people with kindness. We are indeed the lucky ones to have the job of guiding clients into a space of peace, relief, and contentment. Your gratitude for your work may be the key to your success as a health care provider. The holistic massage approach heals more than just tight muscles. Holistic massage guides the client, and the therapist, into a place of wholeness, connection, communion, and bliss—a place where the client feels loved and listened to, allowing them to access the body's deep intelligence to release limitations and old patterns, and allowing muscle tension to fall away naturally. Esalen Massage therapist, energy healer, holistic healing coach, massage teacher, and writer. Her holistic massage work is infused with yoga, Brazilian Spiritist healing, and traditional Chinese medicine. To contact her, visit www.peacehope.com. Linda G. Means, PhD, CMT, is a certified NOTES 1. Herbert Benson, The Relaxation Response (New York: Harper Collins, 2000), 56. 2. Carl Dubitsky, Bodywork Shiatsu (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1997), 101. 3. Sharon Begley, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (New York: Ballentine Books, 2007), 8. 4. Peggy Morrison Horan, Connecting Through Touch (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2007), 4. 5. Norman Shealy and Dawson Church, Soul Medicine (Santa Rosa, California: Elite Books, 2006), 92. 6. Masaru Emoto, The Hidden Messages in Water (New York: Atria Books, 2001), 146. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 69