The Remembering: Thai Bodywork for Body + Spirit

Sometimes my clients say things that get a bit weird.

And I get it’s because they’re also feeling weird. 🥴

I had a new client last week. He had just recently had a stroke, and was hoping to find some massage support to bridge some of his symptoms. Specifically, he was hoping for better coordination and speech.

And I do have a unique tool set for stroke pathology. In Thai Buddhist Medicine, there is a unique map of Sen in the body, or energy lines. These are closest to what TCM uses in meridians, but they are unique to TBM.

Tok Sen is a therapy utilized for nervous system disorders, and is performed with a wooden mallet and stick. The sen lines are tapped rhythmically, and is aimed at connecting these energy lines back into the body through the Wind element. The same Wind that is on our earth also resides in our body. And strokes disrupt the mind’s electrical patterning, and in turn, disrupt the body’s electrical system, or nervous system.

I asked his permission to use the tools in our session. He looked at me and said “Are you going to do v👀doo on me?”

😱

Before I began this work, I took vows of nonviolence. How this translates in my everyday life is that I have a “Do No Harm” commitment. In my heart, there lives no malice toward other human beings.

I witness every day how hard it is to be Human, how hard it is to find the freedom to be happy in the body, and live our lives in harmony.

I decided to laugh it off, and he consented.

But he brought it up again later in the session.
I decided to address it. I asked him to look at me. To REALLY look at me. To look inside my heart and then to ask himself—would I ever truly hurt him?

I told him if he thought the answer was “yes” that he should leave immediately. Because even if I know that I would never harm him, if he believes it—then he should leave.

All of us, every single human, should leave an environment if we feel we are not safe. But especially if this occurs in an environment as sacred as a massage table.

He relented. He said he didn’t think I would harm him.

We continued our session.

He was so deeply relaxed when he left he couldn’t really speak. I asked him, “How did I do?”

“You did good”, he said. “You did good”.

As a therapist, one of the structural pieces I address often is feet. And shoes.

Because let's face it. Our ancestors didn't shove their feet into narrow, pointed shoes.

Feet are designed to spread at the toes, and to build the needed muscles to grip, balance, and hop/run.

Modern shoes are tricky because the toe box is narrow. This narrowing drives the toes together, and can lead to various maladies like bunions, hammer toes, even arthritis.

It can be liberating to transition to a pair or two of barefoot shoes to feel the difference.

There's a barefoot expo this weekend just outside of Chicago. I attended two years ago and it was loads of fun to get to try on various shoes and experience the fit and feel.

Plus, you get to meet business owners i person. That's always a win.

Want to attend?

https://www.facebook.com/share/18cKk9JMsY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Shop Barefoot Shoes in Person Barefoot Shoe Expo

Fire Cupping.

Did you know it's used for moving the Wind/Air element?

I cupped a client today who has a lingering cough. Her cough was dry when she came in for the session, and on her way out we heard the cough shift! Her cough is now wet and she feels the phlegm on the move. 🥳

Do you love receiving cupping? 🤗

These type of client testimonials are Why I do what I do.

For me, pain is the biggest motivator.

Pain is the body's way of saying "I can't go on like this. Change what's imbalanced."

And ideally, we change it sooner than later. 🤩

From my client D:

"Wanting to let you know that I believe you figured things out yesterday. Today, the “hot” pain in my back is very mild for the first time in two months. Hoping that each day will be an improvement from the day before going forward.

I’m planning to take it easy until Monday.

So grateful to not manage pain for once. Today…I’m breathing in gratitude deeply."

Celebrating with you, D! And excellent work with your deep listening! ✨✨

This past week, I’m observing what happens when we exceed the body’s limits.

For example: one of my clients has an adductor (inside thigh muscle) we are working on releasing. Anatomy trains in the body show us that isolated muscles aren’t the “problem”—there’s an interrelated web of fascia and muscles have protagonist/antagonist relationships in joints and movement. Adductors are directly connected to the hip and external rotation/glutes, and often, QL. In our session, we worked to release the muscles that showed up in his unique pattern.

After our session, my client had wonderful mobility. We used some kinesiology tape to support the adductor as he moved back into the world, and he reported his pain was under a 2.

Pain free for nearly a week, and then—a golf outing. And not just 9 holes, but the whole course.

He admitted that he felt the moment when he knew he was exceeding his limits and fatigue was setting in.

He woke up the next morning and found himself back in the same pain pattern.

When we are fatigued, we run the risk of sliding out of mindfulness. We all have habitual movement patterns. When we are weary, these movement patterns become our default. And if we are in the process of unwinding fascia, we run the risk of igniting the same patterns.

I also experience this in my own life. The temptation to override my own limits. To “keep going”. Our modern pace is extraordinary, isn’t it?

Sometimes, it feels like the act of mindfulness or deep listening is itself an act of resistance.

In your deep listening is your release. 🦋