August 21, 2004

I am back in Hemet. I have just had my first professional massage. It's a wonder I can type. My sister, who is the Southern representative of the "Let's drag Rebecca into the world of self-indulgence for her own good" Committee, lined up a day of massages for myself and 3 other friends.

My sister has had hundreds of massages, but this masseur apparently has spoiled her for anyone else. The technique he used with me is Hawaiian.

I found this quote about Hawaiian massage: "There is a sublime awareness that every cell of the body and aspect of consciousness suddenly becomes totally and completely filled with the presence of life force Intelligence, in an ever-vibrant stream of love, beauty, delight and goodness. Intelligence offers conclusive knowing that “I Am This Life” and “I Am One Being, Complete and Whole.” The contrivances and facades of self-image become transparent and unimportant. In its place, a wonderful and triumphant remembrance of true Self-identity emerges and fills one’s entire universe."

Uh.

That wasn't the exact method he was using.

But it was good anyway - even in spite of the fact that I was completely naked except for the hand towel / tucked in sheet that covered only what a small bikini would cover. I'm still modest to the point of prudishness, so to be so exposed (even to a professional) and try at the same time to completely relax was a challenge to say the least.

The method he did use, Lomi Lomi, is Hawaiian for "Make the client think you have 8 hands." Apparently, the idea is to reconnect all the disjointed parts of the body by rubbing them all at once in sweeping waves with the forearms and elbows and all 8 hands. This is unlike other methods of massage that compartmentalize the body into pieces as though they had nothing to do with one another.

I am now one happy intact body, with olive oil in my hair.

And all is well with the world. Everything is good. Anything that is not good is still good. It will all work out just fine.

Thanks, too, to the supportive comments to yesterday's post. They help just as much as the massage. And I didn't have to drink gallons of water after them.