Monday, September 5, 2011

Fusion

Eastern intuition
and western anatomy
fusion energy

The very first massage class I ever took was "Bones and Muscles". The basic structures, the fundamental anatomy, that all massage practitioners need to know. Name and placements of the bones, names and placements and connections of all the muscles. Fun stuff.
More importantly, though, the functions of all the muscles. When I am typing, what muscles am I using? Where are they, how are they moving? And if I do this all day long, sitting in a chair, my head held just so... what is going on in my body? Does it matter how I hold my head, how I cross my legs, whether my feet are flat on the ground or toes tucked behind the legs of my chair?
There were a lot of questions, and a lot of information.
In a nutshell, though, the answer is Yes.
Yes, it matters where I hold my feet while my hands pound away at these keys. Everything a body does, at movement and at rest, affects the muscles. Even resting, some muscles are extended and some are contracted. Knowing how all the muscles interact gives me a basis for knowing how to treat them.
Much later, I started on energetic methodologies. Eastern style techniques, focussed on the flow of Ki, breath, life energy through the body. Finding places where the flow was inhibited, and using techniques to removed the blockages. And this involved listening. Not just with my ears, but with my hands; holding, and finding the subtle rhythms of the body.
Knowing the anatomy, I understood better what to listen for. Knowing how to listen, I could beter address how the body needed to be able to move.
Each feeds the other. Together, they fuse into a more complete process, finding ways for the body to better heal itself.

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