Hands-On Bodywork
directed movement to deepen awareness of patterns in the body
Together, we are having a conversation with your body: about where pain or tension exists, what its purpose is, and what is required to release it. I find that my most effective conversations take place with my hands on your body, guided by the energy I feel. Upon discovering a locus of tension, I bring my attention to that area — at whatever level of pressure or intensity is comfortable for you — using my hands, arms, and elbows to help your body remember what it feels like to let go. As the tension is addressed, we move on to other parts of your body and continue the same practice. By the end of a session, we will have visited the full array of areas that were bringing you pain messages.
Bodywork can take many shapes and formats. I bring my massage table and typically ask you to lie down on it, on a clean sheet and under a light blanket (both of which I bring), undressed to a level that feels good for you. If that setup is not comfortable for you for whatever reason, there are other options — I’ve done bodywork on people lying on beds, on couches, on the floor, on the Earth, and even sitting in chairs. We can work together to arrive at a setup that will enable the clearest conversation with your body. I like to use a light natural oil to help my hands move more easily. I typically work with coconut oil, infused with local herbs or plants (rose, spruce, etc.). If you would prefer I not use any oil, please just let me know! I am very flexible and tailor every session to the needs of the individual with whom I am working.
I believe that I am really there as a guide and interpreter while your body does its own healing. You do not need to hold this same belief; I meet you wherever you are. Together, we learn from your tension and, compassionately, patiently, invite it to go.
Wild Geese
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”