Now that I have your undivided attention, for at least the next
30 seconds anyway, allow me to introduce the word massage into this
conversation. When we talk about massage, we are discussing something that has
been around for ever. See, fact is, if you mention the country
China as the origin of anything, you are automatically talking thousands of
years. Oh, still there huh, thinking,
ok, this could take a good turn. Well,
put a lid on it buckaroo. But what I am
about to tell you just might interest you very much, so hang in there.
I had my first massage about 10 years ago. Certainly
apprehensive, ready to bolt in a heartbeat, I walked through that door and in
an hour, my life changed. I had no idea
what to expect, but certainly didn’t think filling out “paperwork” was the
first thing I would do. In addition to the usual personal data and pertinent medical
information, there were two forms I had to read and sign. They quickly brought a huge smile to my
otherwise anxious face.
The first basically stated that if I went toes up on the
table, the massage therapist wasn’t responsible or liable but would call
someone to come claim my body. The
second was, I thought, hilarious. I’ll
bet everyone who thinks massage wonders about, you know, what might happen, you
know, during all that gentle, rhythmic stroking and rubbing, with that warm
oil, well, you know, humans, being human and all, doing what nature programmed them
to do. Oh hell, if you don’t get the gist of this by now, check your pulse. Alas, not to worry, the form was brief, and right
to the point. It shouted from the roof
top for all to hear….if you even think
about it, you’re outta here!
That safety feature dialed in, I received my instruction as
to how the session would proceed. With
those forms I just seconds ago signed still fresh in my mind, I was thrown a
confusing curve when the therapist offered me the choice of lying on the table
with nothing on, or keeping my Jockeys right where they were when I came
in. Hmm, I pondered, let me get this
straight. I’m going to lie on a table (ok
- covered with a sheet, save for the exposed body part being worked on), and
someone I just met 5 minutes ago and obviously do not know from the proverbial
hill of beans, is going to cover 90% of my body with oil over the course of the
next hour, and she tells me I can choose to be naked. Crack me up.
I don’t think so. My Jockeys and
I would not part company that day.
Once initiated by this baptism of fire, I must tell you that
massages became for me one of life’s greatest treats. And into the bargain,
they are good for us. In addition to all the mental and emotional benefits, I
believe they have physical rewards by helping clean out some of the junk in
your body. But even if they didn’t, the
feeling of relaxation, calmness, and renewal you get are more than worth it.
I’ve come to regard them as something essential to one’s well being, and I
believe nothing could produce the same positive feelings that a good massage
always does. Or so I thought.
Then someone whispered the word reflexology in my ear. Seems
this is a system of massage that targets the feet, hands, and head, with the
theory that there are reflex points on them that are linked to every part of
the body. By targeting these spots, a
therapist can positively affect a part of the body far removed from the point
of massage – aka, the therapy can heal.
But, in realistic terms, when we say reflexology, we
invariably talk about massage of the feet. I know what you’re thinking here. Rubbing smelly feet, how awful and
unappealing is that? Looking at bunions, cracked heels, weird toenails, how could that
possibly be good, for the therapist anyway? We're all self conscoius about out little piggies. You and I have even joked about people
with “foot fetishes,” and not in the kindest of terms. All in all, feet aren't perceived to be neat, or a treat. OK, that was lame….but true.
Well folks, I’m here to tell ya, don’t dismiss this until
you’ve gotten up the gumption to try it. I attended a seminar at Natur-Tyme in
Dewitt, and was very impressed when a reflexologist, during a demonstration,
rubbed a spot on a patient’s foot, and produced a very sharp pain in that
person’s neck! I was hooked….I had to have one.
So, I signed up, and, with modest expectation, stumbled into
one of the most intense and pleasurable experiences of my life. I can’t even begin to convey to you (I’ll
have to hurry, my editor is losing interest right about now) all the nuances of
a good session. Just believe that it is
more intense than a massage ever thought of being, and there will be some
surprises awaiting you. During one
session, I literally jumped when the therapist rubbed a spot on my foot. It was a brief, yet sharp, stabbing jolt in
my upper abdomen, precisely the body location on my foot that the therapist was
working on.
Let’s put it this way, if I were faced with the dilemma of
having to choose one therapy for the rest of my life, either a full body
massage or reflexology – I would choose reflexology hands down (hey, I could
have said feet, but I didn’t). No
hesitation, no question. So, massage … reflexology - better than sex? Wadda ya think? Well, you’re just going to have to try ‘em
all, then decide! Have fun. :)
Mark Twain Quote: “We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking."