Esalen Massage and Mindfulness
With Dean Marson
Esalen Massage is a moving meditation and, as in meditation, one essential element is presence. Practicing Mindfulness enriches Esalen Massage, reconnecting the practitioner with presence and creating a transformative experience for both giver and receiver.
The Essence of Presence
Presence is essential in cultivating deeper connections. By bringing this quality into our lives, we awaken to a profound connection with everything around us. In the context of Esalen Massage, presence focuses the awareness of the giver but also enhances the experience of the receiver. This interconnectedness assists practitioners in shifting their approach from working on someone to genuinely working with them, creating a collaborative therapeutic relationship.
Developing Presence in Massage
One challenge in mastering Esalen Massage lies in the ability to maintain this quality of Presence throughout the session. This ability may be developed by:
Deepening awareness: Focusing the attention on the touch happening in the present moment to maintain the continuity and flow of the session.
Returning to Presence: The ability to repeatedly return to a state of presence during a session. Coming home to breath, grounding and centeredness keeps both giver and receiver fully in the experience of the moment.
Practical Presence
In this class, participants will engage in practices intended to enhance their skills in finding and maintaining presence:
Reflection: Time spent in silence and stillness allows participants to reconnect with a continual renewal of presence and awareness, providing a foundation for the touch that follows.
Active Presence Practice: Participants will explore means of incorporating this skill into massage through the practice of “active presence”: bringing the qualities we develop sitting in silent stillness into our table work.
Discussion of mindfulness and massage: There will be space to allow participants to share insights, experiences, and obstacles encountered while working and living in presence.
awareness…
there is a vast river of sensation
flowing past and through us
yet we hardly notice the
ground beneath our feet...
dive into the waters of perception
to wash away the veils
that blind you to this world.
look, listen, touch, taste and smell,
and the infinite unfolds
around and within you...
awaken to the riches of your senses,
to be carried by curiosity
through an ever-changing
stream of information
into the deep sea of now...
all of this is your universe
as only you can ever know it,
awaiting your compete participation
to rejoice in this wonderful moment...
by Dean Marson