Of Fatigue and Feathers

When you feel stuck in a state of fatigue that no amount of good sleep, good food, or the usual routine of self care seem to cure, maybe you will find it is not so much your physical body that is worn out... Sure, you will need to get good sleep, fresh air, eat well, move about, and enjoy the company of good friends to recuperate. But the breakthrough in healing and restoring your vitality might come from realizing (acknowledging) that there are other, more subtle, parts of yourself that need special attention. Outer layers, spiritual dimensions of your being in this world, that have become clouded, obscured. It's like there is dark smoke, interferences, between you and the sky, you and Nature, a blanket blocking the Sun and the elements from communicating themselves to you... and you to them. Petroleum on your feathers ? No amount of sleep seems to make that go away, or, it takes ages... You sleep, yet you still shrivel. This is, anyway, how I have come to understand, through my experiences and that of other people in my care, this almost surreal state of fatigue: one that keeps draining us, even though we are tending to it. How did it happen ? There is probably a variety of answers to that, but it can happen after having stayed long in highly technological environments without "compensating" for it, for example, or from being very empathetic to places and people, but with weak boundaries and/or not enough outlet for all the darkness one picks up, among other things. If you're a caregiver like I am, this topic is actually rather crucial, we should remind ourselves (or be reminded) of this : The moment we work with us only and not with Nature working through us, we're at risk of contracting that unshakable exhaustion. So what to do then ? In my opinion the first step is to maybe come to that realization. And maybe try to visualize what is here. Last time for me it was smoke, and black ink, and even electric waves, blue, aggressive. What do you picture ? Then, you can seek Nature, go to Her, and "summon" the elements to come help "clean" and clear whatever you feel is eclipsing your subtle body. Who do you feel will help you, in which order ? Water ? Wind ? Fire ? Earth ? Go to them. Let your hair down in the Wind, sit by Grand Papa Fire, give your weight to Earth, immerse your body in Water. Smell Nature. Listen to Her. If you can't go to the elements (there is also Fire in a candle, mind you), visualize them: Imagine they are coming to you as you breathe in and out, with each inspiration closer, cleaning you, regenerating you. If you are lucky to know someone who works with sound, music, songs, ancient wisdom and forms of healing much connected to Nature, you can maybe go to them for a session. Another possibility is to look around you for instruments like Drums, Maracas, or Bells. Shower in their sounds, or have a friend give you a "shower" with their sounds from head to toe for a while, lying down. Sitting by the ocean shore, bathing in the incessant sound, can also do good. Smile, feel the embrace by both Earth and Sky, feel how you are being taken care of. Whatever you do, understand this is about re-connecting with Nature, grounding in your surroundings, so keep it simple and stay present in the here and now, in this body, on this planet. Soon, you're back in touch and the communication line is clear. You're not so tired anymore. You'll be fine now: Keep the self-care routine, sleep early and enough, eat well and not too much, enjoy your work, enjoy people and friends, balance movement and rest, get fresh air, and everyday say Hello, and Thank you, to Her. In general I find the more we practice/enjoy this (re)connection to Nature, the more she will give us clues everyday as to how to best take care of ourselves. Staying balanced then becomes more and more effortless. I hope this helps. I thank here a very special feathered friend. LOVE.

Suggestions for a PRE-MOON MASSAGE, with classical Chinese medicine perspectives

The following massage is designed to bring relief from pre-moon discomforts, especially side headaches, breasts distension and pain, digestive disorders (diarrhea and/or constipation), distension of the abdomen, emotional sensitivity with sadness, irritability or anxiety, agitated dreams and confused mind. It was inspired by a beautiful session, by my friends and mine experiences as a woman and a massage practitioner, and more recently as a student-trainee in classical Chinese medicine and Chinese therapeutic massage (TUINA), which concepts infuse this protocol. Those interested can read considerations gathered from that specific perspective in the second part of the article, while the first part, the protocol itself, is dedicated to all, whatever the level of theoretical and technical knowledge in the art of massage.

Before your start your massage I suggest you also read on Hacking with Care:

> Getting ready for massage

> Massage precautions and contra-indications sign

> A few words on ethical conduct in massage.

Some thoughts and tips I have shared around similar topics, in French, can also complement this article: Massage pendant les règles douloureuses. 

Enjoy, use, remix and share freely, but please do not make money with this work: it's a GIFT ! Peace and DATALOVE

PART 1

SUGGESTIONS FOR a PRE-MOON MASSAGE (1h)

Invite your friend to lie down in a supine position (face and belly up), on a table (however this could be adapted for work on a futon on the floor), naked from the waist up but warmly covered in nice linens and blankets. I suggest the use of Rose oil, because its fresh deep feminine scent is harmonizing, reassuring, and it is suitable for use (nourishing) on the face.

“Shaoyang shampoo“ 

 

In classical Chinese medicine, the Gall-Bladder meridian is also known as the channel foot of Shaoyang It has many “points” on the head, especially the sides (see part 2 for more details)

Standing (or sitting) behind her at her head, no oils yet. 

Place your hands under the back of your friend's neck at the base of the head. Gently lift the head a little, softly pull it towards you, and slide away, leaving the head to rest on the table again. Repeat a couple of times (you should feel your friend give you more “weight” as she relaxes into your hands). Then “shampoo” her scalp making circles with the pad of your fingers, insisting on the sides. Give her the dream shampoo we all wish the hairdresser would give us. Vary the rhythms and levels of pressure, check with your friend to know how much pressure she actually enjoys (I like a lot of it). Then brush with your fingers and gently pull her hair, imagine you are rinsing it.

Clear the clouds

Standing (or sitting) behind her at her head,with or without a bit of rose oil. 

Place your thumbs together at the center of her forehead. Pressure and slide away from the center, towards the temples. Lift off, place your thumbs at the center again, repeat the move. Start with lines just above the eyebrows (parallel to them), then in the middle of the forehead, then along the hairline. Next, draw straight lines with your thumbs -one way only - from the center between her eyebrows (location of extra point Yintang) in direction of the hairline. Repeat. You can also continue this line across to the top of the head. Next draw circles (towards you) on her temples. While you're there, you can also massage her ears, stroke her face, neck... Friction your palms together to create heat and gently apply on her eyelids.

Lower Guard (I've got your back)

Standing (or sitting) behind her at her head. Gently press her shoulders down with your palms, imagine you're telling her all is fine, there is no threat around, you've got her back, she can relax. Repeat. Alternate pressure with one hand then with the other, as if you were a big cat. Maintain her shoulders down for a while, then release pressure. Be caring yet confident and somewhat assertive in your touch: You've got this, she's in good hands. Now with oil, place your palms on her shoulders and slide simultaneously from the neck to the shoulders, to the arm/biceps, and out. Repeat a couple of times.

The wave

With oils

The following movement is beautiful and powerful: an invitation to breath fully and a celebration of femininity. It might take some practice before you've got it really fluid, but eventually it should feel to both like a wave coming to shore then curling back to the ocean (you're the ocean, she's the shore). She has to be ok with nudity though, so ask for permission before you lift the linens.

Standing (sitting) behind her at the head, place your hands flat on the sternum below the neck. Travel down the midline of on chest towards her abdomen. Remember you're like water, so during all this sequence, you envelope each curve, sink into each dip in the terrain, no skin is left un-contacted where your hand is.

The path between the breasts generally allows for only one hand at a time, so your hands should be passing one after the other, then they unite on the belly. From the belly, the hands separate: each climbs up the body from a side, envelopes the ribcage, passes below the armpits... Then the hands surface at the shoulders, both hands slide down the posterior side (hairy side) of the arm towards the hands/ wrists, then slide up again this time from the anterior side of the arm, across the shoulder toward the neck... Then plunge below the neck (like in the beginning of the shampoo), lift and roll the head like it's a small rock caught in whirling water, slide away, and exit at the head. Repeat !!!

Note : You can't rely only on the strength and capacity of your arms for this (you never really do in massage, but here it is very obvious) : You'll need to really move your body, dance from the center, be tall and wide.

Pacify and re-unite her heart and soul with infinite spirals

Stand at one of her side, your hips parallel to the table.

Place one hand, more exactly one thenar eminence (the fleshy base of your thumb) on her forehead between the eyebrow or just above (extra point Yintang), and the other one on her sternum in the middle of the chest, level with the nipples (point Shanzhong, Ren17). With medium pressure, start describing small, slow circles. While the circle on the head goes one way, the other on the chest can go the other way (and then you'll invert). You really want to get into a groove here. Keep your arms, your shoulders low and relaxed, light like feathers. Ground yourself and draw “8” with your hips, symbol of the infinite. From the center of yourself the spirals will emerge. Let the goodness build up. 

 

Free from the corset

The area of focus here is the rib-cage. Standing at her side, plunge your both hands below the side/rib-cage opposite you and stroke towards you, hands alternating, like you want to bring back towards you sand that was piled down there. Your contact should be firm so as to not tickle her, and relatively strong, swift, and continuous, so as to induce a light rocking movement, very relaxing. As you do this your fingers can work a bit deeper the tiny muscles between the ribs, if she likes it. Then move to the other side and repeat.

Warm center

Massage her abdomen in circles, especially between the navel and pubic line.

If she is constipated, work more clockwise, if she has diarrhea, more counter-clockwise. In any case, what you're looking for here is warmth. Massage until you feel her belly is warmer (If trained, this would be an indication for moxibustion, in classical Chinese Medicine, on Guanyuan (Ren4), see part 2). You can place a hot water bottle here.

Rock her boat

By holding on to her hip bones, look for a rocking movement. Amplify it and guide it along the legs, towards her feet. Picture a bottle of mineral water lying down: You want the water to find momentum (in fact, you can practice this with a bottle of water).

Light legs 

 

Now standing at her feet, grab hold of her heels, and lift her legs a little, pulling them towards you slightly. With a movement similar to that of playing table football, only much softer (!), shake them.

Next, locate point 6 of the Spleen, San Yin Jiao, where the meridians of the Kidneys, Liver, and Spleen (all involved in the female cycle), intersect. It is approximately 4 fingers above the malleolus of the foot, and often very sensitive. Massage gently with your thumb, adapt to your friend, don't make her jump !

Next locate a soft hollow spot between the first and second metatarsal bones (big toe and second toe) on the dorsum of the foot, massage with your thumb. This is Taichong, point 3 of the Liver meridian. Careful, it can be very sensitive too !

Then stroke the interior of her legs up from toe to hips then down from the exterior side of her legs from hips to toes and repeat. 

 

The End (New Beginning)

Come back closer to her, tell her you have finished the massage. Check with her that she's alright (but don't start a conversation now), and let her rest a couple of minutes on her own, while you go put the kettle on, wash hands etc. (and inform her of that, so she won't feel abandoned).

When she is ready, enjoy a moment together, share a about your experiences, if you both feel like it. Never insist on getting feedback !!

PART 2 “CASE STUDY" FROM A CLASSICAL CHINESE MEDICINE PERSPECTIVE

Observations

A friend comes to me for massage 4 days before her moon.

She has been having agitated dreams lately, staging lots of people in many different colliding spaces and times, leaving her confused in the morning. Other than that, she is not tired, doesn't feel especially distressed, says she tranquil and rather happy at the moment. Some work she is doing is moving her and memories, though, and I do sense that she is a bit emotional. She is lightly constipated, her abdomen is a bit distended. Her breasts are full and tense, a little hard and very sensitive. She does not have headaches, but feels strong pressure on both sides of her cranium (Shaoyang). Her feet are cold, all the time, not just now. Her face and throat are flushed, red, her ears are hot (also tends to be the norm with her). The tip of her tongue is bright red with red dots and show a crack in the middle, the body of the tongue itself is not much coated and slightly purple. The sides of the tongue show teeth marks. Beneath the tongue the blood vessels are short and dilated.

She doesn't not have palpitations or any heartbeat anomalies.

She has a history of amenorrhea in the previous months, her moons are now back but the cycles are irregular, and the expulsion of blood tends to be a little painful in the first day.

 

Classical Chinese Medicine considerations and diagnosis 

The observations indicate poor blood circulation and blood stasis, which is exacerbated at this time of the cycle when much blood has accumulated in the uterus. There is not a good blending and distribution of warmth and coolness in the body, instead the upper body (above the diaphragm) is hot and the lower body is cold (and cold is said to “congeal” the blood, which then has difficulty circulating). In classical Chinese view, this would be bit like walking on one's head, since in good health the head should be cool and the feet warm, not the other way around. There is mental / emotional hyperactivity and pressure above, and sluggishness, stasis, below. It looks like "what is going up is not going down well", and "what originates down is not rising smoothly", as it would in harmonious cycles of constant re-generation. In other words the Taiji “wheel” is a bit jammed, and here it seems the Liver organ-system, its partner the Gall-Bladder, and the Spleen organ-systems are the ones affected in their functions and in how they assist each other in their functions (no organ works alone in the great network). 

 

According to theory, the Liver is in charge of the free flow of Qi, and blood (Qi and blood travel together), in all cardinal directions of the body. It is very much involved in the emotional life (and in particular associated with anger), and as the home of the spirit HUN, in dream activity. The Liver is interiorly-exteriorly coupled with the Gall-Bladder (Biao Li).

While the nature of the Liver Qi is to “rise” (up and from the depths to the surface) like the wood of a young tree, diffusing Qi and blood so everywhere will “flourish”, the nature its partner's Qi (the Gall-Bladder Qi) when healthy, is do descend, leading the “heat” back down. When both are healthy, emotions, for example, will be balanced.

For all this to happen and the “taiji wheel” to complete its revolutions smoothly (spiraling from birth to full-expression of life to return to still matter, and to life again) the ever-springing Liver needs the assistance of the Spleen, acting like the pivot of transformations at the center of the “wheel” (see diagram). 

 

Indeed the Spleen's nature is also to rise, assuring, among other things, the transformation and transportation of nutrients, the generation and control of blood, and kickstarting “the rotation and ascension from the left”, sustaining the functions of organ-systems Liver and Heart (while its partner the Stomach does the same on the other side, right side, of the wheel)

Here as we have seen, there is heat above and cold below, and a number of discomforts pointing to the three organ-systems named. Therefore an hypothesis would be : the Liver Qi is not ascending well, the Gall-Bladder Qi is not descending well, its Qi "inverts" and stays up, the Spleen is not "getting back" enough "warmth", it lacks Yang Qi, it fails to ascend and to fully support the ascension of the Liver Qi. With poor ascension of the liver Qi the Gall-Bladder's Qi inverts itself and stays up, the Spleen lacks Yang Qi from above, it doesn't ascend well, then the Liver Qi doesn't ascend well, and so on. A therapeutic indication would then be to support/reinforce the Spleen, the central pivot, by warming the center, and helping the Gall-Bladder down, and encouraging the liver at its 'spring". 

General principles for the massage, according previous considerations.

According to the previous observations, the areas of focus for this pre-moon massage are the channel of foot Shaoyang (the Gall-Bladder meridian on the head and lateral sides of the body), acupuncture points known to help calm the mind and descend the Qi (extra point Yintang, and Shanzhong REN17), and acupuncture points on meridians of Yin organ-systems which play a part in the female cycle and can be key in balancing it, activating blood and the flow (San Yin Jiao SP6 and Taichong LIV3). Another important aspect will be to deeply warm up the lower abdomen through Guanyuan, REN4 (I focus on massage here, but note this would be an indication for moxibustion). The whole massage is done in supine position (face and belly up) treating the Yin “feminine” side of the body. 

Below is my little drawing of the map of the massage:

Feedback

After the massage my friend's face has recovered a clearer complexion, her upper body is not so hot anymore. She is very pleased and relaxed, she feels light and joyful, as well as inspired. She says she was completely transported by the infinite loop linking the points on her forehead and chest, and says this massage was the best anti-depressant ever. Breast tension has continued a bit after that, and on that night she still had many dreams. Another important aspect of the massage was having this session actually allowed her to acknowledge the state she was in, especially emotionally, to be more in tune with herself, work with her feelings and needs instead of against them in the following days.

Credits 

Lucien Clergue (Eve + Née de la vague)

Robert Mapplethorpe (Hand in Fire)
Joshua Citarella (The Body, Color coded in Kelvin Temperature according to Frequency)
Acupuncture slides from Peter Deadman's manual  

THANK YOU / Agradecimentos

The classical chinese medicine case study and the general guidelines for the massage according to these considerations were discussed and improved with the help of Professor Larry Ibarra Fredes, whom I thank here. 

Obrigada also Patricia Sousa

And my lovely friend   

On Lungs as trees and foliage, and the discussions on cough in Classical Chinese Medicine

We speak of the trees as the lungs of our planet, and the urgent need to preserve them. Respectively, we imagine our lungs as trees inside our bodies, an analogy indeed inspired by their very anatomy and function. Classical Chinese medicine offers such inspired descriptions of our lungs, with a refinement that can be enchanting.

Considered anatomically the «highest » of the Zang-fu organs, sitting atop all others in the upper thorax, the Lungs have been called the « canopy ». As the canopy, their main function is to receive and distribute the Qi from the Sky to the rest of the body down to its roots. The movement, from this origin up, is downward : The Qi of the Lungs will and should descend, or there generally will not be good health, according to classical Chinese Medicine. Cough, whatever the pattern and its causes internal or external, is understood in this frame as impeded, and consequently inverted, Lung Qi. Qi going up instead of down. 

In the excerpt of a discussion on cough by the 19^th century medic Tang Rong Chuan, which I read translated from Chinese to Portuguese by professor Larry Ibarra Fredes, comes a pretty description of the foliage of the lungs and further enlightening elements of theory. In good health, we read, the leaves of the lungs are moist with Yin Humors, so heavy with this moist, they dangle down; like rain or morning dew, droplets falling off the lungs ' leaves nourish the floors below them. This is indeed in general accord with the natural descending movement of the Qi of the lung. Should the leaves of the lungs be dried, burnt, due to attack or illness, then they do not dangle down, and the Qi of the lung, impeded in its descent, inverts and ascends, manifesting as cough.

SOURCE: 

A tosse, explicada pelo medico Chines Tang Rong Chuan, by Larry Ibarra Fredes

photographie Lucien Clergue

VIVO + Loreto Troncoso Martinez @Serralves, Porto 19/09/15

Il y  a un an la harpiste Angelica Salvi et moi créions VIVO, une composition musicale originale à 4 mains pour harpe, massage, et un récepteur. De la première à la dernière note, du premier au dernier toucher, nous avons écrit ensemble chaque séquence en accord avec nos inspirations et intentions, harmonisant nos techniques jumelles pour une experience synesthésique de bien-être unique. Dans cette première partie d'un travail en cours, nous massons le dos et traversons une variété d'états d'âmes, débouchant sur une célébration enjouée de la vie. VIVO, en portuguais, signifie autant "je vis" que "un live" lorsqu'il s'agit de musique.

Bien que conçue et destinée à être donnée/reçue en séances individuelles de soins (comme un genre de musique de chambre pour une personne), la pièce a été présentée plusieurs fois en public, notamment à l'occasion d'un cycle sur les différentes manières d'écouter la musique, au musée d'art contemporain de Vigo, en Espagne. A notre heureuse surprise, la réception fut chaque fois très bonne et des retours nous avons appris, que, même sans recevoir comme massé, il se captait beaucoup de VIVO également dans la position de spectateur/auditeur. La bulle de relaxation émet ses notes, ses ondes, jusqu'aux personnes dans la salle et le bien-être diffuse. De plus, le public était enchanté de voir ce que l'on ne voit jamais lorsque l'on est soi-même sur la table: La masseuse, ses déplacements, le ballet des mouvements, l'état de méditation.

Dans une autre phase de notre création / recherche, nous fumes rejointes par l'artiste - performeuse Loreto Troncoso Martinez, déjà proche de nous aux premiers moments de la création, et désireuse d'entrer dans la composition avec sa voix, ses mots, ses soupirs. Cela donna lieu à une représentation unique, fort singulière, au théâtre de Rivoli de Porto.

Ce mois-ci, invitées de nouveau toutes les trois à présenter la pièce dans le cadre d'un programme dédié à la performance contemporaine à la Fondation Serralves à Porto, nous nous retrouvons de nouveau pour poursuivre nos explorations. Samedi 19, à 15h, nous jouerons toutes les trois une version encore renouvelée de VIVO, pour un massé, et pour un public tout à a la fois. A la harpe et au toucher viendront se joindre les rires, les soupirs, les percussions et les surprises de Loreto.

Ainsi, si l'on peut dire, comme nous nous l'imaginons, qu'Angelica à la harpe représente le Ciel, que moi-même au massage je représente la Terre, alors Loreto, double et echo du receveur-rêveur, représente avec nous l'un des trois "trésors" selon la métaphysique Chinoise: L'humanité et tous les êtres vivants qui peuplent l'étage intermédiaire.

Le Corps Paysage 2: Le ventre et les mondes aquatiques

Dans les ateliers CORPS PAYSAGE, le corps est approché comme un paysage et le massage comme un parcours manuel dans ce paysage. 

Ceci est le deuxième volet d'un atelier construit en deux partie*. Le premier volet la semaine dernière portait sur les Reliefs et la plaine du dos. 

Cette semaine, Jeudi 4 Juin, je partagerai des connaissances et mes images sur l'art et la manière d'entrer en contact avec les mondes aquatiques du ventre. 

Une grande attention sera notamment portée à l'écoute du geste respiratoire ainsi que du péristaltisme (mouvements musculaires du tube digestif), dont les sons aquatiques collectés par un stéthoscope sont amplifiés pendant le massage.

Cet atelier puise beaucoup ses sources dans la psychologie biodynamique, à laquelle il peut faire une jolie introduction. 
*Les deux volets se complètent mais peuvent être abordés de manière indépendante.
19h15 à 21h30

TARIF 15 euros

BIOPULSE FORMATION MASSAGE
12 RUE SAINT SAUVEUR
75002 PARIS

INSCRIPTION AU 01 44 82 51 29

Le Corps Paysage

Imagine, tu masses. Tu te promènes dans un paysage avec tes mains. 
Tu suis des pistes, des pentes. Tu arrives à un point de vue. Tu pauses ? Tu vois devant toi l'étendue du corps. Tu perçois la présence de l'être. Vous prenez le temps de respirer, l'être, les montagnes, toi, de communier. Puis, vas tu avoir envie de descendre la vallée en petits pas ou en courant ? En serpentant ? En chantant ? Il m'arrive de fredonner. Vas-tu même sauter ? 

C'est facile le massage.  C'est de cela dont je veux parler quand je dis CORPS PAYSAGE, et que je souhaite transmettre dans les ateliers.

Prochains ateliers CORPS PAYSAGE, à PARIS:

Jeudi 28 Mai - Les Reliefs et la plaine du dos
Jeudi 4 Juin - Le Ventre et les mondes aquatiques 

19h15 - 21h30
15 euros 

Biopulse Formation Massage
12 Rue saint Sauveur
75002 PARIS 

Information et inscription : 01 44 82 51 29

Photographies: Elina Brotherus 
 
 

Sadness came as a Blue Tit

Suddenly I can't ignore Sadness : There is a Blue Tit trapped in my ribcage.

La poitrine d'une mésange palpite sous mon sternum.

Sorrow sunk in the emotional echo-chamber of my chest and took the shape of a frightened finch. Pain is most acute in the centre between the breasts, as if a splinter was planted there in Shanzhong. Mas é uma tristeza sem lagrimas. Exhaustion is such that there are no waters to cry. 

I try to calm down the bird with chosen Qi Gong exercises, but it seems to only add confusion. What we want is total stillness.  

Hoje o meu coraçao é chapim azul.

É so aceitar a forma que a pena tem (é so isso).

I lie down on the massage table.

I have grief.  
J'ai de la peine. 
I am tired. 

Je suis fatiguée.

Je respire dans mon ventre, je prends l'oiseau dans mes paumes, je masse au point de l'écharde avec le doigt de Bouddha.

I am grateful for my life and for what my life enables me to do for others and I forgive myself for not having taken care of myself enough lately. I understand there was a necessity and now there is an emergency that is me.

I remember the people I loved with my heart and hands, I understand how I made their sadnesses and anxieties mine to get to the point of it and free them, how some scorias stuck to my skin - my skin is suffering - how they can now be lifted again by re-enchantment or transformed. Bravely I produce a smile, like a lemon tree produces a lemon. Mine is very little, a green button that probably wouldn't give juice, but it is pride on my canopy and already I feel life connecting toe to head, earth to heavens. I imagine I grow into a tree where the birds can live and let go. Then I fall asleep peacefully. When I wake up the blue tit is out of my thorax. 

Éboulis sur Ren Mai - discussion sur le massage chinois, et suggestions pour le massage pendant les règles douloureuses

Premier jour de règles, j'ai rendez-vous pour un massage thérapeutique chinois (tui na). En arrivant en séance je suis fatiguée, déprimée, légèrement nauséause et douloureuse (abdomen, lombaires). Je place peu de foi dans le massage qui s'annonce, ce qui est un comble non ? C'est parce que je tolère mal le contact pendant cette période, volcanique, brûlante, ma seule exception au massage moi qui d'habitude n'en ai jamais assez (il y a une logique là). J'ai par ailleurs conscience de la composante psycho-émotionnelle de mes douleurs, et je ne perçois pas encore les subtiles capacités de la médecine chinoise à prendre en charge cette histoire. 
J'ai des doutes. 
Je suis au début de mes études: l'apprentissage éminemment technique m'accapare, l'immesurable holistique antique pénètre petit à petit en moi, la poétique diffuse et prépare une révolution mais à ce stade, je suis un puzzle troué au sol. Où vont aller les pièces que j'avais déjà ? Et puis, pour quelqu'un comme moi, nourrie de psychologie occidentale, même corporelle, à la tendance active intellectuellement, redoutablement égocentrée le 24 du mois (moi c'est 24) il y a peut-être encore une forme de vexation à se sentir renvoyée à des dysharmonies de fonctions d'organes dans ces moments là. Il y a parfois malheureusement aussi une forme d'entêtement dans le ressenti misérable, et ainsi l'on se persuade que personne ne peut vous vraiment nous aider, surtout pas un homme.
Enfin, et pas des moindres, je n'ai pas encore été touchée au coeur, par le tui na. Jusqu'ici j'ai vécu la phénoménale boite à outils triple millénaire essentiellement de manière technique, c'est à dire je fais mes gammes (passage obligé). Or aucune technique du monde n'opère véritablement ni durablement à moins de toucher au coeur. Il y a longtemps que je sais cela aussi bien pour moi que pour mes clients. Pour le coeur, c'est le praticien, et la relation de confiance avec le praticien. Voilà donc un peu pour les raisons qui expliquent que je porte peu de foi dans le massage avant qu'il ne commence. 
Ah ah, joie maintenant. 

Comme ce massage s'est fait révélé parfait pour moi, techniquement, mais aussi parce que le praticien s'est autorisé à ouvrir son coeur autant que moi le mien, je vais en noter ici ce que je garde comme grandes lignes pour mémoire, et pour inspirer. Comme toujours dans les grands moments d'intégration, on s'aperçoit qu'on savait / pratiquait presque déjà tout, d'une manière ou d'une autre, et les découvertes s'encastrent à leur place procurant une joie eureka. 

Mes principaux conseils massage pour une femme réglée douloureuse: 

Chaleur, chaleur... Douceur, douceur...
Bienveillance-amour, sécurité...

Assurez vous de travailler dans une pièce chaude, n'hésitez pas à utiliser des sources de chaleur d'appoint (bouillotte) pour poser sur les zones que vous n'êtes pas directement en train de travailler, et des couvertures, qui renforceront le cocon. Il s'agit de relâcher la crispation musculaire-morale dans tout le corps, de faciliter la circulation sanguine, de fluidifier les pensées agglomérées.

Quand vous travaillez sur l'avant du corps, placez des coussins sous les genoux pour minimiser la courbure (et donc les tensions) lombaires. Quand vous travaillez sur le dos, vous pouvez mettre un petit coussin sous les hanches pour libérer un peu le ventre. Ne commencez plutôt pas par masser le ventre: Créez le lien, réconfortez d'abord, mettez en sécurité, en massant le dos au début.

Choisissez une huile nutritive, et plutôt neutre, assurez vous en tout cas que les senteurs lui conviennent, ne la perturbent ou ne l'entêtent pas. De manière générale, attention à ce qui pourrait choquer les sens (lumière, sons, etc.). 

Comme chez la femme enceinte, n'employez pas de techniques d'acupressions profondes, douloureuses, ou qui pourrait provoquer le sursaut. Il y a bien des points d'acupuncture importants à masser pour soulager les troubles menstruels, mais selon moi ils sont plutôt à travailler avant dans le cycle (de préférence sur mesure au diagnostique individuel de chacune), pour les prévenir. 
Apaisez, nourrissez, réconfortez, enveloppez, réchauffez, par la patience, le temps, et les paumes pleines. Ne zappez pas d'une zone à l'autre, c'est destabilisant. Souvenez vous que pour la femme réglée, tout tend à être amplifié. Offrez lui égalité et constance. Restez, prenez votre temps, au bon niveau de contact: vraiment présent, mais pas profond. Répétez, répétez, rythmez doucement. Travaillez en cercles, généreux, amples et plus petits, en alternant les sens des aiguilles d'une montre, voire en privilégiant le sens des aiguilles d'une montre. La femme réglée perd du sang, donc de l'energie, tous ces conseils servent à s'assurer que le massage ne va pas la "vider" d'avantage. 

Ouvrez les zones qui se sont resserrées sur elles-mêmes (lombaires, abdomen, épigastre) en "poussant" (voire techniques chinoises ci dessous) à paumes pleines vers l'extérieur. Ouvrez des directions pour que l'énergie se (re)distribue vers les membres par exemple.

Pensez à la tête, au cuir chevelu, que vous pouvez peignez avec vos doigts, longtemps, comme une maman infatigable, du front à l'arrière du crâne, et surtout du front vers les deux tempes et toute la partie au dessus des oreilles (canal de la Vésicule Biliaire, pour les intimes). Posez vos mains chaudes en coupe sur le dessus du crâne, restez, transmettez de l'amour du ciel, faites fondre le gel, les soucis éternels, les pleurs comprimés sous la voûte, ouvrez la respiration par le crâne, et à défaut de le sentir, visualisez le. 

Reliez tête et ventre en massant la ligne médiane avant du corps, lieu du canal extraordinaire Ren Mai, a.k.a mer du Yin, ou le Vaisseau Conception. 

Ne permettez pas d'intrusion dans votre espace temps et ne l'abandonnez sous aucun prétexte, pour répondre au téléphone ou autre. C'est déjà déplacé en temps normal, pour une femme douloureuse, c'est un deal-breaker.
 
Si elle se présente accueillez sa parole (sacrée) mais ne vous mêlez pas d'avoir un avis, qui plus est psy: c'est rarement votre place + vous risquez de l'embrouiller dans ce moment déjà potentiellement sombre et hormonalement brumeux. Mon avis: Rien de tel qu'un moment de paix sur terre permis par la respectueuse réserve du praticien quand tout le monde dehors y va de son petit avis. 

Principales techniques chinoises reçues et indiquées ici selon moi:

Génerales (tous niveaux)
 
ZHANG MO FA - Technique de pétrir en cercles avec paumes (dos, abdomen, côtes)
ZHANG PING TUI FA - Technique simple de pousser avec paume (dos, lombaires, ligne mediane avant du corps i.e. canal Ren Mai)
MU ZHI PING TUI FA - Technique simple de pousser avec le pouce (ligne mediane avant du corps, canal Ren Mai) 
FEN TUI FA - Technique de pousser en séparant (abdomen, lombaires, epigastre, cage thoracique)

Locales (niveaux plus avancés = attention ne s'improvise pas trop, pratiquez et recevez le d'abord...)

ZHI TUI FA - Technique de pousser tout droit  au pouce (entre nombril et pubis, le long de Ren Mai)
ZHI AN FA - Technique de pression au doigt, ici légère (points Ren Mai du sternum) 
ZHANG CA FA - Technique de friction avec les paumes (côtes)
ZHENG FA - Technique de vibration avec la paume (attention niveau très avancé, contre-indiqué pour le/la praticien.ne si il/elle est faible ou fatiguée), sur l'abdomen, pour l'utérus, le dantian de la femme. 

BONUS image integrative: 
Éboulis sur le sternum ou "éboulis sur Ren Mai"

Au dernier quart du massage, alors je vais déjà beaucoup mieux, J. masse au doigts les points de Ren Mai situé sur le sternum. C'est alors que se dégage la dernière voie, qui m'emmène vers la résolution, la libération. L'image apparaĩt d'un grand pont, d'une grande voie, encombrée sur toute sa moitié (le sternum) d'un éboulis de pierres tombées des flancs de la montagne. J. me désencombre la poitrine, je sens la circulation revenir, le flux qui descend. Certains points de Ren Mai en haut du sternum sont particulièrement connus pour faire descendre le Qi et décomprimer le thorax. 

Merci à José Fontes.