Deep Tissue Massage– Massage applied to the deeper, core layers of the body often using the elbow as well as the usual thumb, finger and fist pressure.
Greater awareness is often needed to go into the deeper tissues without hurting the client. Deep tissue work helps with chronic pain and injury rehabilitation.
See also: Deep Tissue Section
DO-IN – Taoist system of stretching, bodily postures, movements similar to hatha yoga. Introduced to US by Michio Kushi. Chinese Taoist monks first noticed that it was instinctive for a person to touch or hold and injured or painful body part. Nutrition is absorbed from the air and surrounding energy.
Embodiment Training – The work of Will and Lyn Johnson. Will, a Rolfer and practicing Budhist, uses meditation, breath, diet to develop awareness of the body and mind.
Books resources: By Will Johnson
The Posture of Meditation.
Balance of Body, Balance of Mind: A Rolfers Vision of Buddhist Practice in the West
Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness
Web resources:
www.embodiment.net
Equine (horse) Massage– The techniques of massage and bodywork are applied to horses of all disciplines of riding ( dressage, hunter/jumpers, western, endurance, eventing). For injury rehab, injury prevention, training, abuse recovery, or just be nice to your horse. You don’t need to be a licensed massage therapist in most areas, but having the background and education will make the best therapist. Horse handling is a big part of this, as horses in pain can be a handful.
Web resources:
TTEAM– Linda Tellington Jones Equine Awareness Method; kind of like Feldenkrais for horses.
Equissage school of equine massage
Equinology
Northwest School of Animal Massage
Esalen Massage – Basically swedish massage influenced by the early leaders of Esalen, Charlotte Selver and Bernie Gunther. Teaches the therapist to approach the client with a quiet mind,
bringing out the intuition and being fully present. It integrates a philosophy of mind, emotion, and spirit along with the physical manipulations that Swedish offers. It carries an
attitude of intimate touching (non-sexually), caring, energy awareness, emotional and spiritual healing. Parts of the philosophy concern the following: 1) touching is a basic need (as essential as air, food, or water), 2) caring about others is natural, 3) getting in touch with one’s own body leads to a more effective way of loving and relating to others, and 4) that healing comes from within as well as from the outside. The actual movements are light and focus to induce deep states of relaxation rather than relive specific tension as in Swedish.
Web resource:
Esalen Institute.
Touch points from Esalen
Feldenkrais- Developed by Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), Israeli
physicist, mechanical engineer and the first European to earn a black belt in Judo. He developed this method out of his own need to heal a knee injury. Feldenkrais believed that awareness had to be experienced, not taught verbally. His main premise was “Unless we know what we are doing, we can not do what we want”. Clients are called students as it is a process of unlearning restrictive habits and replacing them with efficient, graceful movement. Awareness through Movement is the movement part of Feldenkrais. The bodywork part is called Functional Integration which involves treating the nervous system primarily through the skeletal structure by using hands on, painless manipulation. Full training 3-4 years.
Book Resources:
Awareness Through Movement by Moshe Feldenkrais
Mindful Spontaneity by Ruthy Alon
Web resources:
www.feldenkrais.com -Feldenkrais Guild. Online lessons