Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1384577
along your thoracic and lumbar spine, across and around your rib cage, and eventually down into your pelvis. Indeed, when using your fingertips or thumbs to create a stroke, there is no part of the body beyond the point of contact. In this case, the point of contact is already the most distal part of the arm. But the idea of being floppy still applies. And in some ways, it is more important than ever here. When you start observing the larger part of the body—the area before the contact— things get a little trickier. Unlike our fingers or wrists, we can't simply let these more proximal joints flop completely. If we did, we would turn into the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, and we would fall over onto our client on the table. Not a good idea. So while we don't want to just go completely limp, we do want to use the same essential concept: Identify excess tension, and then let it go. That way, we can do the same strokes but with just the minimum amount of effort. A simple exercise will help make this concept clear: • Pick up a magazine or a thin book. • Raise the magazine in front of you, arm straight, until your arm is parallel with the floor. • Stay in that position for a minute, and notice what happens in your body. • Observe that your first instinct is to grip the magazine hard with your fingers so it doesn't fall. And then your next instinct is to clench various muscles in your shoulder, back, and glutes to keep yourself in this awkward position. Now, let's examine holding the magazine in this annoying position without it being so annoying. • Experiment with loosening your grip on the magazine. • Try lengthening your exhalation slightly, and with each slow, effortless exhale, imagine your muscles are sinking as your breath empties. Doing this allows the flexor muscles of your fingers, palm, and thumb to contract with a little less force. Relax the Rigidity Each time you notice rigidity in your distal joints, try the following. 1. Notice this counterproductive habit, but try not to judge yourself for it. Blame does nothing. Instead, think of that excess effort as a gift from your body, a reminder that you are working harder than is helpful. 2. Continue the stroke, but focus on lengthening your next exhalation. A breath out that is long, slow, and effortless is one of the best ways to overcome the over-efforting. 3. Think of those distal joints drooping, flopping, or sinking into a neutral position as you exhale. 4. Feel the floppiness in the area beyond the contact, and imagine it spreading up the kinetic chain. 5. Feel yourself continue the stroke, but rather than pushing, pour the contact into the client. You'll still be able to deliver just as much pressure with the point of contact itself, but you will be using your whole body more, and those specific muscles around the point of contact less. Using these steps will allow your quality of contact to be different. It will feel like less work for you, and it will feel less strained to the client. 58 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k j u l y/a u g u s t 2 0 2 1