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.
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:
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, itfails 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.
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 19th 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.
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.
Dans le champ de boutons d'or je me dis, Peut-être qu'un jour je saurai transporter quelqu'un dans un champ de boutons d'or le temps d'un massage. Je pourrai masser au milieu des herbes tandis que des milliers de boutons répliquent la force du soleil par empathie avec lui, que des vents tièdes comme sortis des naseaux d'une vache mélangent entre eux les papillons, les libellules et les idées brillantes. Il faudrait qu'il y ait un chêne aussi, pour l'enracinement et pour l'élévation, et pour la mémoire. Quand j'aurai fini, je ramènerai la personne où elle se trouve dans ce monde, régénérée, radieuse, forte, intouchable par le sombre.
Ça c'est un plan. Et donc debout dans le champ de boutons d'or, je fais de mon mieux pour tout accueillir en moi.
I go to buttercup meadows and I think, Maybe one day I can know how to take someone to buttercup meadows the time of a massage. I can work in this tickling grass while thousands of empathic blossoms mirror the sun’s force, and soft winds like air out of the nostrils of a cow blend butterflies and dragonflies with sparks of brilliant thinking. There would have to be an oak tree there, for grounding and rising, and for memory. When I am done, I would bring them back where they are in this world, regenerated, radiant and strong, untouchable by dark.
Now that’s a plan.
So here I stand in the buttercup meadow, doing my best to welcome it all in.
Les lecteurs de l'anglais peuvent lire cet article intéressant, The psychotherapy of massage: What makes us human ? publié dans Massage Today. Il est écrit par Gerry Pyves, britannique à double casquette de masseur et de psychothérapeute, qui revient sur la difficulté, pratique, philosophique, à maintenir séparés entre disciplines distinctes les soins de l'esprit et du corps. Ci-dessous en français, le rendu et les réflexions suite à ma propre lecture.
La déontologie veut qu'un masseur bien-être ne se mêle pas des états-d'âmes de son client, et respectivement, qu'un psychanalyste ou un psychothérapeute (non corporel en ce cas) n'intervienne pas sur le plan physique de son patient, n'entre pas en contact avec son corps. Notons que cette distinction vaut surtout dans le système de soin occidental, plutôt que dans le système oriental (en médecine traditionnelle chinoise par exemple), où cette distinction pourrait tout autant être perçue comme une absurdité. Mais dans nos cultures modernes du soin, la distinction existe, souvent pour de bonnes raisons.
Premièrement, il s'agit de rester en adéquation avec la demande originale de la personne, qui consulte généralement un masseur ou un psychothérapeute pour des motifs différents. Ces motifs de visite requièrent donc des prises en charge adéquates par les praticiens. Il y a aussi ensuite bien sûr la question importante de l'intégrité professionnelle, relativement notamment aux qualifications du professionnel consulté, qui commande qu'un masseur ne s'improvise pas psychothérapeute et inversement, ce qui pourrait en effet être néfaste tant au client qu'au professionnel de soin lui-même (la psychanalyse met par exemple en garde sur la question du transfert). La ligne de démarcation entre les deux disciplines, l'une liée au soin du corps, l'autre au soin de l'esprit, existe donc pour des raisons de "sécurité" des deux parties. Ceci étant dit...
... Il est évident que la séparation entre le corps et l'esprit n'est jamais si nette - en tout cas, on le lui souhaite pas de l'être ! Aucun bon professionnel du soin ne souhaiterait à cette séparation d'être si nette, chez qui prétend à être heureux et en possession de ses moyens. De même, chaque professionnel du soin, qu'il soit "spécialisé" dans l'esprit ou le corps, aura constaté, s'il fait bien son travail - j'entends par là, si le bien de l'humain est l'intention qui le guide - que les différents plans de l'être sont en très étroites relations, et qu'une action menée sur un plan résonne potentiellement sur tous les autres. Comment dès lors, peut-on prétendre ne pas affecter du tout l'esprit lorsque l'on est masseur, ou ne pas affecter du tout le corps lorsque l'on est psychothérapeute ? Jusqu'où vaut la distinction entre les deux champs d'intervention ?
Ce sont ces questions que Gerry Pyves,britannique à double casquette, de masseur et de psychothérapeute, taquine fort à propos dans son article.
Il y confesse, et assume, avoir échoué "lamentablement" au fil de sa carrière à ne se tenir que d'un côté de la ligne lorsqu'il travaillait dans l'une ou l'autre de ses deux disciplines. Pourquoi ? Justement parce que, dit-il, ce qui fait que l'humain est humain ne se retrouve pas dans cette séparation corps/esprit. L'humain se vit dans l'intimité et les connections entre les différents plans de son être, que Gerry Pyves a pris l'habitude de modéliser ainsi:
P: le plan Physique
E: le plan Énergétique
E: le plan Émotionnel
M: le plan Mental
S: le plan Spirituel
Masser (comme recevoir en psychothérapie) signifie potentiellement toucher, affecter, tous ces plans de l'être. Ainsi Gerry Pyves critique sévèrement (et à mon avis pertinemment) les praticiens en massage qui se perçoivent uniquement comme des "mécaniciens" du corps, et n'approchent la personne que comme un réseau de muscles et de tendons, sans autres substances aucunes. Dans la même ligne d'idée, il n'est pas besoin, selon lui, de sur-investir et, du même coup, astreindre, le massage à des systèmes de validations "scientifiques" ou médicales. Cela nuit, selon lui, à l'art complet du massage, à son vaste potentiel.
Pire, cette tendance quasi obsessionnelle à la "médicalisation" plate et froide du massage nie l'impulsion originelle qui le guide, lui, dans l'exercice de son art. Dans une phrase - que j'aurais pu écrire et pour laquelle je suis reconnaissante - il affirme que s'il avait voulu devenir si "médical" dans son approche, il aurait tout simplement choisit une autre vocation... Une autre belle réflexion que Gerry Pyves nous offre dans cet article est sans doutes d'affirmer que, selon lui, les muscles du corps n'auraient finalement qu'une seule "origine" et qu'une seule "insertion": l'esprit. La réconciliation, et l'harmonie, des plans de l'être passe par cette considération, qu'une grande expérience et beaucoup de sensibilité ont rendu possible à l'auteur.
Au final, l'article a le ton d'un manifeste pour une approche globale de l'être, et ses dernières lignes ont une justesse particulière, pour la simple raison que Gerry Pyves le praticien se place pour conclure en receveur, en destinataire des soins dont il a été question. Il réclame, comme de son droit, de recevoir une attention et un contact qui s'adresseront à l'ensemble de son être, et non à 1/5ème de lui. C'est cette écoute qui a le pouvoir de finalement détendre les muscles, affirme-t'il, bien plus qu'une manoeuvre technique sur la colonne vertébrale ou les tissus.
NB: Gerry Pyves auteur de l'article qui est cité, est formé (et fort de 28 ans d'expérience) dans les deux professions. Il en quelque sorte qualifié pour argumenter cette position flottante, "perméable", entre les disciplines. A moins d'avoir nous aussi suivi un cursus double, ou des formations spécialisées complémentaires, ce n'est pas notre cas en tant que praticien.ne en massage bien-être. Il est évidemment important, sinon fondamental (pour soi, pour le client) d'avoir conscience de cette perméabilité entre les champs physique et psychologique, sans toutefois, s'improviser un professionnel qu'on est pas...
Taking media analyst Marshall McLuhan's famous theoretical pun that "the medium is the massage" almost to the letter as a staring point, chinese artist Yin Aiwen designs a performance-installation in which massage plays a central part, until the initial statement appears to be reversed, and "the massage" re-installs itself as "the medium". A true human massage ultimately appears as a possible antidote to the panoply of psycho-physical pains quite willingly (=unconsciously?) inflicted to oneself by the modern human, otherwise "massaged" into a disembodied alienation by the soft, gentle, falsely-caring mass media machinery. I as a masseuse happen to think so highly about massage, and this work strikes me as remarkable. I may have a few hesitations about the piece (mostly about the dispositive), still I feel it is conveying important, inspiring, and potentially emancipative material. The dispositive is as follow: Yin Aiwen gives a 15 minutes a chinese medical massage to a participant installed in a massage chair, at the headset of which is installed a tablet playing a video-montage of clips from mass culture. A voice over reads, in a more or less relaxing, therapeutical tone, a text exploring the relationship between media, machines (computers specifically) and the receiver's body, their pain, their vitality, all along questioning them, engaging them in instructive feedback loops with their sensations. A small audience is invited to watch the session. It is almost a clever piece of reverse engineering, Yin Aiwen giving a massage and deducing, from the informations she collects at her expert fingertips, the design of the "end product", the end product here being the human being in the capitalist world... So that she could then re-build this human being, re-model them, correct them, free them from this socio-economical-mechanical blocking ? I have not assisted to the performance myself, so my judgment and impressions are of course limited. I only watched the video documentation, which I find was already quite an experience, and I strongly advise you to watch it ! As for the text, for which I post below a full transcript, it contains some real gems and, in the light of my own experience, it speaks a lot of truth, however in somewhat dark aspects of it.
In the end, the piece altogether appears to be slightly too demonstrative, still too spectacular to my taste and somewhat cruel for the receiver (!) but Yin Aiwen completely admits it, for it serves her purpose exactly: "The harsh, ruthless massage has no interest in your pleasure", she writes. It sure does get the "message"/"massage" across ! However I believe this "message" is in essence one that emerges from all good massage during a private session. Indeed, a good massage will inform you of your condition. Here and now, and before, and even possibly give you an insight on after. It will move and question those layers of histories embedded in your flesh, sometimes it will allow images, memories, dreams, fantasies, to flash behind your eyelids, without a video being necessary. It will present to your consciousness, at your own pace, material very personal, possibly life improving; hints, cues, directions given by your senses to finding yourself again, connecting with yourself so that you be again the one "living" rather than the one being "operated" by. This way of the massage is known, and listened to, by many massage artists, practicians and therapists.This piece speaks to me of the substance of which good unbeatable human massage sessions are made of. Thank you Yin Aiwen ;) Find out more about the Massage is the medium by Yin Aiwen here. Text is by Yin Aiwen. Please give credit if you intend to share/cite it.
Welcome
to the plug in systems.
Your
body will be massaged in a few seconds,
Please
relax...
You
are going to experience a story that is specifically made by you,
enjoy.
Please
relax...
Some
cream will be applied to your neck and shoulders,
It's
going to be fine,
Things
will be nice and smooth...
Good
That's
right
After
your fifteen minutes massage, you'll feel free like never before.
Now
your neck is being touched, does it hurt ?
Have
you noticed this type of pain before ?
I
know you work in front of the computer a lot, picture that scene :
Do
you see your face with the screen light on, glowing in the dark, just
like everyone else ?
You
work late quite often, don't you ?
The
quiet night... Only the sounds of your keyboard is in company.
Do
you feel those blocks here ? It hurts a lot, doesn't it ?
You
must be the kind of person that is constantly thinking, probably
getting annoyed by it sometimes.
Your
tired brain creates this block.
It's
in the way in which your brain gets all the supplies.
So
when it gets blocked, the supplies - oxygen, nutrients, and blood -
will have difficulties to get into your brain.
Tiredness
must be an old friend of yours.
That's
why you need this massage :
To
clear out the scene, to make it work again...
Computers
change you, starting from your hands,
Grow
into your chest, get into your back, then to your neck, and
eventually, to your brain...
I
know you thought that your body was irrelevant, didn't you ?
Otherwise,
you wouldn't let it be like this...
As
if it's just the operator of your mind, and you thought your mind is
eternal,
travelling
in the infinite universe, pluging into the mortal nervous circuits,
being free...
The
strain muscle you have, many people have it nowadays.
It
used to be a professional injury for people doing paperwork.
But
nowadays, almost everyone has it.
Even
children have it.
See
how stiff your front neck is.
It
indicates the condition of your chest
Like
here, the end point of your chest muscles, and the starting point of
your arms'...
Do
you feel how it goes all the way down to the hand that types the
keyboard ?
Your
injured body has become the burden of your digital soul.
It's
ok, many people thought so.
People
say fickleness is the theme of society now
Streaming
tweets, 24/7
Optical
transmission, day and night...
The
facebook « one for all, all for one » utopia, right in
front of your eyes...
Your
fingers dance on your keyboard non-stop
Your
Iphone camera flashes at every corner of your life
Your
exciting brain on wire, all season...
You
are so willing to share yourself to the world,
That
you are pleased to shatter yourself into a hundred and forty
pieces...
All
the consequences then fall on your back,
Sink
into your neck, permeate your brain...
They
change you so quietly that you thought it's your choice.
Do
you see your face with the screen light on, glowing in the dark, just
like everyone else ?
Physical
pain is easy to forget of course.
That's
why you constantly hurt yourself.
Do
you see how badly you have hurt yourself ?
It's
so painful it almost becomes emotional.
Feel
it...
Feel
what has happened to you...
Feel
what the medium has done to you...
Think
about what you have done to yourself...
Can
this pain that you have done to yourself make you regretful ?
The
medium is the massage.
The
sweet exciting kind of massage, catering to your every wish,
Manufacturing
your desire, regulating your recognition,
Until
you can't tell if there is another kind of life anymore...
All
you can see is what has been given,
ALL
that has been given is ALL you can imagine...
In
the world of cyber capital
Everything
is soft, fluffy, gentle, fulfilling...
Like
a massage.
Satisfying
your longing to be cared for, to feel special, to feel loved...
All
you need to do is to pick a set that is all designed.
Yes,
the special design, only for you...
And
a million duplications of you.
You
think this massage is made for you, don't you ?
Like
this, it happens for a reason,
Reasons
that are based on your condition
But
so many people have the same condition,
The
same analysis of you...
I
did it to dozens and dozens and dozens of people.
You
are the same, you are all made the same.
Together
you are precious, together you are special,
Together
you are unique, together you are alone.
It's
not enough that machines code your life.
It's
not enough that they design every inch of your life.
You
will only be perfect when its perspective becomes yours,
Your
only perspective.
Only
then you will have your true freedom :
Boundless,
painless, senseless, heartless...
Do
you see your face with the screen light on, glowing in the dark, just
like everyone else ?
In
this optical fiber world, you are transcendant.
Your
face is flattened after the speed of light.
You
can barely see others faces, and others can barely see yours.
So
you talk as loud as you can, in one way or another,
So
you can grab as many hurried travellers as possible...
After
all, the mass man needs the proof of his living...
So
fifteen minutes of attention is already an extravagance.
If
possible a massive killing weapon is in favour.
So
taking a massage to you becomes a very odd, even uncomfortable idea,
doesn't it ?
You
needed to have so many decent reasons to give yourself in, didn't
you ?
But
you need this massage.
Through
others hands, it reminds you that you are still human.
Through
the pain, it reminds you that you are not entirely numb, yet.
You
are more than the electrical signals from your neurons.
Your
communication with people is more than a faceless P2P transmission.
The
massage is the medium.
This
person behind you, who's touching you, trying to find out what
happened to you,
Do
you see her as a human ?
Two
euros slide in a coin slot, and a piece of hamburger jumps out...
She's
not a walking commodity, providing catalogue services,
But
that's why you felt uncomfortable about the idea, isn't it ?
It's
a better design that pryes your heart with a decent distance...
Have
you noticed the silent communication between you and her ?
Or
are you just struggling to fight with your body, learning about
yourself ?
It's
ok, she knows what you have been through.
Underneath
the fingertips size of skin that she connects to you, your trembling
muscles are shedding a tear...
She
knows.
The
pain you're experiencing is the last mayday your body screams out to
you, do you hear that ?
Feel
it...
Feel
your blood running through your body...
So
powerful, as if you are alive again...
Feel
this warmth inside, as if you are being cared for...
Feel
what is happening now...
Feel
where they came from, and where they will go...
Feel
it, before this massage comes to an end...
I
would like to thank you for dedicating yourself to this experiment.
I
hope it means something to you.
Before
you unplug yourself,
Please
take a deep breath,
And
I would like to ask you : Do you think I am human ?
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