Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1501042
L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 81 Even through the mask I was wearing, Lydia could tell I was smiling. I could tell my reaction surprised her. "What?" she asked. "Like so many other disciplines, the depth and richness are not often revealed by outside observation." "Meaning?" she asked. "Most disciplines, from the outside, seldom reveal the intricacies that encompass the inside experience of the one doing it," I said. "For instance, watching someone play golf is seldom exciting, but the experience of the golfer is rich as they are making calculations and decisions that we observers do not know exist. There are countless variables a golfer with considerable skill processes—wind, humidity, height of the grass, the angle of the sun, the slope of the greens, and more. We observers aren't privy to any of that. "Music exemplifies this process beautifully. While we in the audience hear something beautiful, I would wager that the experience of the musician is far richer and deeper than we could ever imagine. One of my clients, a concert pianist now 90 years old, shared with me that he is finding something new and beautiful daily in a piece he has been practicing for many weeks. Even with many decades of experience, he still explores the intricacies of familiar pieces and discovers new ideas, and all that understanding is somehow communicated to us as audience members, even though we don't fully understand the depth of the process behind it." "I honestly never thought about that," she responded. "I am just aware of what I am experiencing; I never considered what might go into being able to do this work effectively. I guess it's more than just a routine set of skills or techniques." "To be truly effective, it is," I said. "Great work necessitates mastering certain fundamentals, and yet the result of all that work is something far greater. Going back to the music example, when my pianist friend plays, the power and the emotion of his playing transcends TAKEAWAY: Great work necessitates mastering certain fundamentals, yet the result of all that work is something far greater. simply playing the correct notes. Decades of discipline and practice shine through in his playing. Years ago, I once sheepishly asked him what makes his playing so transformative and powerful. He told me that while other pianists practice playing big, difficult, and showy pieces, he spends hours striking the same key, trying to produce a different tone by varying his touch on the key. It's that level of discipline and focus that makes him such an artist." "Do you work on skill-building exercises anymore, or at some point, are you past that?" she asked. "I don't think one is ever past that," I said. "Skills can always be improved; understanding can always be deepened. Where I used to see individual pieces, I now see larger patterns. For every answer obtained, three new questions surface. It is an endless process of curiosity, discovery, and many remaining mysteries." "That must be satisfying," she said. "Endlessly," I replied. Douglas Nelson is the founder and principal instructor for Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars, president of the 20-therapist clinic BodyWork Associates in Champaign, Illinois, and past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. His clinic, seminars, and research endeavors explore the science behind this work. Visit pnmt.org or email him at doug@pnmt.org.