Massage & Bodywork

MARCH | APRIL 2018

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A B M P m e m b e r s e a r n F R E E C E a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e b y r e a d i n g M a s s a g e & B o d y w o r k m a g a z i n e 33 OPENING POSTURE Opening posture is letting go of unnecessary effort in your body. Unnecessary effort always leads to tension. As we become more economical and open with body movements and postures, we invite more ease and spaciousness into our sessions. For example, when we soften our shoulders and release our jaw, we convey all is well to our nervous system. Opening posture in our sessions invites us to relax the same part of our body that we are working on with our client. As you work their neck, can you also relax and lengthen your own neck? As you coach your client to imagine their muscles releasing their grip from the bones, can you also embody this in your own posture? These practices create a bonus in soothing both our own and our client's body. Tension in our body is a direct indication we are not in fl ow; release tension with an opening posture and notice how easy it is to ride the waves of ease and fl ow. TURNING TOWARD Turning toward is the practice of facing an intense feeling or experience (like being with pain) as though we were sharing company with a best friend. Turning toward requires we sustain our attention with a client, family member, or stranger throughout the entire arc of communication (even if you totally disagree with them). Turning toward is the act of giving our most valuable resource—our attention—to what is occurring or who is with us. And turning toward requires we include and turn our attention to ourselves. How do you notice yourself? Turning toward asks us or our clients, "Can you be with that tension, irritation, or pain in your body-mind as though you were being with your best friend?" or, "Without criticism, blame, or judgment, are you willing to give your generous and loving attention so that you might begin to befriend all your body sensations?" Simply asking yourself (or your clients) these two questions shifts resistance from a context of enemy patterning into cooperation, collaboration, and friendliness with our bodies and lives. THE SLIPSTREAM OF LIFE Easy breathing, opening posture, and turning toward act like superpowers that transform our healing context from pushing through and doing to into co-creating and being with. Presencing moves generate more aliveness, positivity, and connection by encouraging us to befriend what is, rather than resisting or numbing out (fi ghting or fl eeing) what is happening. When we presence through happy times or challenging times, we enter the easy slipstream of life. As you fi nish reading this article, notice your breathing and your body posture, and direct your focus by asking, "Where is my attention?" and, "Do I want to move it in a new way?" Getting curious and following where your attention goes reveals the magical and amazing possibilities of how you can heal yourself and others with your presence. Heath and Nicole Reed are co-founders of Living Metta (living "loving kindness") and want everyone in the world to enjoy the experience of befriending their body. The Reeds lead workshops and retreats across the country and overseas, including Thailand and Mexico, and have been team-teaching touch and movement therapy for 17 years. In addition to live classes, the Reeds offer massage therapy and self-care videos, DVDs, and online trainings, found online at www.livingmetta.com. This article was written in happy inspiration from www.hendricks.com. SAV V Y SELF-CARE Turning toward is the act of giving our most valuable resource—our attention—to what is occurring or who is with us.

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