What’s He Thinking?
As a massage therapist, I spend about six hours each weekday in touch with other people’s bodies. Little is required of my brain as I have done this over 3000 times. My hands process what they feel quickly and effortlessly.
So what do I ask my brain to do while I give a massage? I meditate. Contemplative time is both relaxing and productive for me. I often finish a massage with some new idea or insight.
This does not mean that I am inattentive to the needs of my client or totally thoughtless about my work. I think through the massage before I start and check in verbally with my client during the 75 to 90 minutes I am working.
Meditation during massage for me is focused, highly visual, and dream-like. What I focus on varies greatly and is intentionally positive in nature. I smile frequently although no one sees this.
Usually I talk to myself, not to God. But near the end of every massage I do pray briefly over my client and ask that this person be blessed with whatever she or he needs to be happy and healthy.
Some of my most frequent meditations are focused on some aspect of nature. The energy of the sun, the renewing power of waves of water, and the silent growth of trees have been contemplated frequently. I also let my brain pick some random aspect of life to mull over during some massages.
Communities of people, the joys of old age, and the power of friendship have sometimes filled my brain. Other times a specific person, place, or event will take a place in my meditation. These are always inspiring and hopeful thoughts. There is no room for anger or negativity. I can cut that off quickly.
Is there a relationship between my thoughts and what my client experiences? I believe there is. On days when I am full of energy and my meditation is bold, my clients will often say that they feel the energy. On the very rare occasion that I let my brain become angry, my client will ask me to be more gentle. If a client ever asks if the massage is almost over, I figure I might be tired and my massage less than my client and I expect.
What a privilege it is to do massage therapy. Surgeons, nurses, dentists and most health professionals must stay absolutely focused on what their hands are doing or risk doing harm. On the other hand, the routines that my clients expect of me, while not all the same, allow my brain to focus on something other than what my hands are doing. If there is a downside to this for my client, I have yet to hear about it. I have happy and satisfied clients and survey data to prove it.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a 71-year-old massage therapist that I find this aspect of massage so compelling. I’m not doing massage for fame or fortune. It’s a major part of my “second half” of life, so it is at least partly about me. If I can meet or exceed my clients’ expectations and, simultaneously, enjoy my work and my thoughts, life is good.