| www.massagemag.com | Apr i l 2011 | MASSAGE Magazine | REPRINT

|Body & SpaM

EsalenMassageI

nthe early 1960s, before anyone had heard theterm human potential, two young visionaries,Dick Price and Michael Murphy, decided to openan alternative educational center on the beautiful

Big Sur coast. They dedicated their center to exploringthe world “of unrealized human capacities that liebeyond the imagination,” as author and humanistAldous Huxley termed human potential.

Their intention was to create an experimental thinktank by drawing together some of the leadingphilosophers, psychologists, artists, authors and somaticpioneers, and then both participate in and observe whattranspired when these great minds gathered together inthe same place.

To that end, Price andMurphy brought some of themost innovative and inspiring thinkers and doers of thetime to Esalen Institute, including AbrahamMaslow,Huxley, AlanWatts, Fritz Perls, Charlotte Selver, MosheFeldenkrais, Ida Rolf, Gregory Bateson andMilton Trager.

These pioneering people, with their uniquepersonalities, met, melded and shared their variedperspectives, including in their conversations the original(to theWesternmind) idea of viewing the individual as awhole integrated being, not the artificial division of themind from the body.

Using Swedishmassage,Western psychology, Easternphilosophy and Selver’s practices of sensory awareness,Bernie Gunther andMolly Day Shackman worked

by Deborah Anne Medow

A Happy Song

The hot-tub area at Esalen Institute,overlooking the Pacific Ocean inBig Sur, California.

DANIELBIANCHETTA

|Body & SpaM

REPRINT | MASSAGE Magazine | Apr i l 2011 | www.massagemag.com |

together to develop anew approach to a

full-bodymassage.Joined by Storm Accioli,

Seymour Carter and others,they explored how healing touch

could be used for personal—and eventually social—transformation.

And so it was in this rich environment, stimulated bythe fascinating discussions and explorations taking placeand surrounded by the powerful natural beauty of the BigSur Coast, Esalen®Massage—amassage practice thatacknowledged the wholeness of the body-mindconnection—was born.

The sessionTaking a few minutes to create a grounded and

centered inner space, the practitioner approaches thetable with a quiet and sensitive, yet strong, quality ofpresence, opening a space for intuition to influence themassage session. Instead of looking at the individualparts as separate from each other, the wholeness of theintegrated being is emphasized, incorporating long,integrating strokes to give a sense of this wholeness andconnection.

Sensory-awareness practices continue to helppractitioners in developing this ability to sense and listen,to be able to feel the natural rhythms of their own bodiesand translate that knowledge into sensing the rhythms ofa client’s body. The practitioner follows the flow, attuning,relaxing and connecting long, integrating strokes to thenatural rhythms of the client.

Whenmeeting a tight place, an area of held tension,instead of working the tissue and forcing it to let go—andperhaps creating more stress—the Esalenmassagepractitioner explores, or plays with, the tissue, coaxing itto soften, let go and eventually relax.

This noninvasive touch allows practitioners to vary thepressure from light to deep and back again, depending onthe area of the body being touched and the quality of thetissue under their hands. An attitude of exploration,instead of a programmed technique, prevails throughout

the entire massage session.Frequently, the practitioner returns to the slow,

flowing, long stroke, integrating deeper contact,encouraging the client to feel wholly connected andallowing the body systems to move into balance.

What makes Esalen Massageunique

In an Esalenmassage, four basic principles areoperating:

1. The practitioner is working with, instead of on, theclient.

2. Themassage is a movingmeditation; the practitioneris committed to being as fully present as possible for theentire massage session, bringing a full-hearted, meditativepresence to the table.

3. The practitioner is aware that a client may be affectedon physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual levels.

4. Long, flowing strokes, integrated throughout themassage give a sense of relaxation, connection andwholeness.

When looking at these principles more deeply, it isapparent how interrelated they are:When a practitioner isworking with, instead of on, a client, the practitionerlearns to listen and respond to what he/she is feeling bothin the actual tissue and on an intuitive level.Consequently, the Esalen practitioner responds to theunique issues presented by the individual client, instead ofimposing a particular protocol, form or set way ofworking, as in some other forms of massage. In order tosuccessfully feel and knowwhat is appropriate for aparticular client, the practitioner needs to develop a full-hearted presence, the ability to be truly present andfocused with the client, and to listen with the whole being.

Often, bringing this full-hearted presence to the tableenables a client to feel safe enough internally to relax andlet go on very deep levels. Formerly unexpressed emotions,the holding of tissue that often follows with trappedemotions, or even held pain due to physical or emotionaltrauma—all have the opportunity to rise to the surfaceand clear from the bodymind, frequently affecting theclient onmore than a physical level.

Sensory-awareness practices helppractitioners develop the ability tofeel the natural rhythms of theirown bodies.

DANIELBIANCHETTA

| www.massagemag.com | Apr i l 2011 | MASSAGE Magazine | REPRINT

The responsibility of the Esalen practitioner is to stayfully present and provide a safe space, thus supporting therelease of the pain or emotion that was originally trappedin the tissue in the body.

The fourth principle, the long, flowing strokes in anEsalenmassage, not only relax and prepare clients for adeeper touch, they also easily move the practitioner fromone area to another area of the body, supporting thefeelings of connection, integration and wholeness. Theeffectiveness of the long, integrating strokes is becomingmore apparent as evidenced by the number of othermassage modalities that have begun incorporatingsignature Esalen strokes.

An integrated techniqueEsalenmassage easily lends itself to both enhancing and

integrating aspects of other massage modalities. Over theyears, Esalen practitioners have been fortunate in havingthe opportunity to experience and work with the creators

and disseminators of nowwell-established bodyworksystems andmartial art disciplines.

Al Huang and his wonderful way with tai chicontributed to the fluid movements of Esalen practitionersas theymove around the table when giving a massage. Astudent of Ida Rolf, Ph.D., developer of Rolfing® StructuralIntegration, Al Drucker, brought deep-tissue massage toEsalen, which various practitioners integrated into theirEsalenmassage sessions. A number of Esalen practitionersstudied withMilton Trager, M.D., developer of TragerWork, on his numerous visits to Esalen. Trager’s gentle,rockingmotions coaxed tight places to relax and let go andwere easily assimilated into Esalen bodywork. PierrePannetier, protégé of Randolph Stone, M.D., who developedpolarity therapy, helped practitioners to more consciouslywork with energy and electromagnetic fields during theirsessions. Fritz Smith brought Zero Balancing to the table;Patricia Caldwell taught shiatsu; andmany practitionersadded in the gentle sensing and balancingmoves ofcraniosacral work.

Benefits of Esalen MassageAs inmost massage modalities, Esalenmassage

increases the blood supply and nutrition to muscles,reduces blood pressure, slows the heart rate, relaxes musclespasms, increases lymph flow and effects a host of other

benefits common to other massage practices.Esalenmassage also uses passive joint mobilization to

help relax muscles and increase a client’s range of motion,in addition to reachingmuscles that are frequently moredifficult to contact. Gentle stretching, often incorporatedinto an Esalenmassage, also increases the range of motionof a limb or the mobility of the neck and in addition, helpsthe client realize where a muscle is held and the possibilityof letting go. One client commented, “When she (themassage practitioner) gently lifted and rolled my head tothe side, I suddenly realized howmuch I was holdingmyneck, and then, I was amazed at how easily I could let go.”

Probably the most beneficial aspect of an Esalenmassage is the ability of the practitioner’s focused, flowingmassage touch to slow the body systems down, movingfrom the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervoussystem, allowing the client to calm down, let go of stressand drop into a deeply relaxed state.

Endorphins are released, the immune system activated,

and the body’s natural healing systemsmove towardsbalance, integrating the body, mind, emotions and spiritinto a natural, harmonious place.

In this day and age, where 43 percent of adults sufferadverse stress-related health effects and stress is linked tothe six leading causes of death, the benefits of stressreduction are more important than ever before. Anotherhappy Esalenmassage client remarked, “I have never felt sodeeply relaxed. I feel as if I dropped a ton of stress! I canalmost feel my tissue singing its happy song.”

Deborah Anne Medow is manager of Esalen Healing ArtsDepartment. Esalen Institute is a leading center for exploringand realizing human potential through experience, educationand research. The Big Sur-based organization works towardthe realization of a more humane and all-embracing worldthrough personal and social transformation. For moreinformation, visit http://Esalen.org. M

Visit www.massagemag.com/esalentraining to read“How to Become an EsalenMassage Practitioner,”by Deborah AnneMedow.]

Long, flowing strokes support feelings ofconnection, integration and wholeness.