Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/87297
THE POWER OF PRESENCE your feelings, thoughts, and body sensations as if they were floating on a river in front of you. Viewing your thoughts and feelings in this way helps you consider them without judgment, which results in a freeing up and expansion of your energy. When you have an abundance of energy, you have more to give to yourself and more to give to your clients. Following are some ways to begin to learn about and practice mindfulness and incorporate its powerful benefits into your massage practice. Breathe If all is going well in life, breathing is something you do without thinking about it. It's also likely that you focus on your breath as you center yourself for each massage session you receive, so do it for each session you give, as well. To be mindful with your breath, you simply have to keep coming back to it as your feelings, thoughts, and the noise of life—the traffic on your way to work, who your next client is, the laundry you have to do, going to the bank, figuring out what's for dinner—come into your mind. In a massage session, it looks like this: • Center yourself before a session by focusing on your breathing. • Begin your session by continuing to take deep breaths. • When a feeling, thought, or to-do list item pops into your mind, stop, look, and breathe. • Notice, without judgment, what you're thinking or feeling and refocus on your breath. • Repeat. If stressful thoughts come to mind, breathing and coming back to the breath throughout the massage session will foster more body awareness, as well as give you a way to experience the massage in a mindful way. Physiologically, it enhances the relaxation response, resulting in decreased muscle tension, pain, and stress, which in turn enhances the massage experience and results achieved. The Seven Attitudes of Mindfulness These attitudes are the fundamental knowledge you need to cultivate the power of mindfulness: 1. Nonjudging—Being an impartial witness to your experience; the act of noticing or observing without judgment. 2. Patience—Understanding that things happen in their own time; an organic unfolding of life. 3. Beginner's Mind—A mind that is willing to see everything as it is for the first time. 4. Trust—A basic trust in yourself, your feelings, and your experience. 5. Nonstriving—There is no goal other than for you to be; being rather than doing. 6. Acceptance—Seeing things as they actually are in the present. 7. Letting Go—Releasing the impulse to grasp onto or push away experiences. Formal Mindfulness You may have visions of people sitting cross-legged in silence for hours at a time when you think of a formal mindfulness-based practice. While it is true that this would have its benefits, it is not the only way to be successful. Recent research shows you can notice the benefits of mindfulness with as little as seven minutes of practice. And while sitting in silence is one way to practice formally, it is not the only way. The essential component of formal practice is that it is the only activity you are doing at the time. This may be done sitting, lying down, or with your legs placed at a 90-degree angle on a chair while you lie on your back. Once in your optimal position, practice being in silence, have awareness of breathing, or listen to a guided meditation. You can start with three minutes and work your way up from there. As with anything, the more often you practice, the more you will experience the benefit—the key is to begin with what you're willing to do on a consistent basis. 68 massage & bodywork november/december 2012