Today’s entry should give you an idea of what an hour at Kirin Bodywork is like. No two sessions are going to be the same, though, because everyone is different, and nothing stays the same.
How are you? How are things going?
From the moment I open the door and while we are chatting, I am making mental notes of your posture, the way you walk, your overall impression. Everything is connected, and it all matters.
I will ask you to empty your pockets, take off your watch and accessories, remove your belt and shoes. If you had brought a change of something comfortable like a T-shirt and running shorts, that’d be the best.
First, we’ll take a look at your spine.
Before you get on the massage table, I’m going to ask you to let me take a look at your spine while you are standing up or sitting in a chair. Spine assessment is essential to Japanese bodywork. A few quick moves and you might already feel the difference.
So let’s see what’s going on today…
You are going to be on the table, comfortable and warm. I will continue with my assessment while gradually lessening overall tension. Japanese bodywork does assessment and treatment at the same time. Sometimes I will take your pulses or ask to look at your tongue.
Breathing is important.
If we can’t breathe comfortably, our body will tense back up right away. Pretty much everyone needs a bit of work to ease breathing. I want the lungs to expand and the whole body to gently move with the breath. There are some acupoints and techniques we can use to experience better breath in a matter of seconds. Feel the difference!
The abdomen.
Are there areas of discomfort, pain, is the whole abdomen supple. The ideal is to have the upper abdomen soft and supple, the lower abdomen tighter with a nice bounce, _ki_ (qi in Chinese) full in the _tanden_ (dantian in Chinese).
Working on discomfort and its related areas.
An area of discomfort always has another place in the body that is related, and when we work on both things shift for the better, often dramatically. Every body is different, but there are patterns. It helps to think along the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridians.
The body works as a whole, and working on the perceived problem areas is not enough. I try to achieve better balance. Newer problems tend to be easier. Older ones often take more time. There are many techniques to choose from, thanks to all the traditional wisdom. I may ask you to change position on the table a couple of times.
Deep relaxation and integration.
Deep relaxation, from head to toe, helps all the manipulation get integrated into the body at this stage. Relaxation works at least as well as any medicine. If you fall asleep, rejoice! I won’t stop working on you, and you won’t be missing anything.
So, let’s stand up and see how you feel.
See what’s changed. How do you feel? How is the pain, how is the range of movement? Do you feel taller, looser? Are there other things we need to work on?
There’s still a little bit of time…
This is the fun part. I can teach you self-care movements so that you won’t have to come in so often. Women love a quick facial or waistline improvement. You could try cupping (then have an entire cupping session next time if you like) or moxibustion. Or we can talk about all the amazing things the body does, the wisdom passed on to us from cultures around the world.
Have a glass of water.
Cold or hot depending on the weather. If you prefer, I’ll make you an appointment for next time.
Kirin Bodywork 