I read an article called The Art of Massage by David Lauterstein in Massage Magazine which resonated deeply for me. I want to share a few quotes that I found particularly inspiring and in line with my thinking as a massage practitioner. Here is the first one:
“Symphony must be like the world—it must contain everything,” said composer and conductor Gustave Mahler. If a symphony must contain everything, how much more true is that for the compositions of our massage session? Our medium, rather than just being notes, is the whole psychophysical human being.
Music uses volume, quality of tone, accuracy of tuning and technique, notes’ duration, rhythm and instrumentation.
Just as music depends on the acoustical universe, we depend upon the wondrous structures and functions of anatomy and physiology.
The science-based art of massage uses pressure, quality of touch, accuracy of knowledge and technique, strokes’ duration, rhythm, choice of instrument—thumb, palm, fingers, handheld tool— and the harmonious use of two hands, as in a Johann Sebastian Bach two-part invention for piano.