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Energy Body Work

March 04, 2006

ENERGETIC BODYWORK

Do you have an abundance of energy to go through your day with ease and joy? Is your energy harmonious and balanced? Or do you have just barely enough energy to get through your daily work and commute?

What would it be like to have strong smooth energy and ease in your daily life? What if the answers to feeling vibrant and alive are already available in your own body and you only need to become aware of them?

When you gain greater clarity about a situation that's been bothering you, your mind relaxes and you can think more clearly and constructively. Similarly, massage relaxes your muscles and increases blood and lymph flow. You can move with greater fluidity and effectiveness. In the same way energetic body work can encourage balance and harmony in all of your energy systems. It can release stuck energy that is causing pain and restriction. Your whole body, mind and spirit can feel integrated and strong and alive. As a result you can expand and be open to greater possibilities in your life.

Ancient health systems such as Indian Ayurveda and Oriental medicine deal directly with harmonizing and balancing your energies with diet, herbs and various ways of working directly on the body such as massage and acupuncture. A vast amount of knowledge is available about how to improve your body's well-being.

As more knowledge from traditional health systems has become available, intuitive and experiential knowledge from body workers and intuitive healers has proliferated and the interest and acceptance of non-western medical paradigms has grown. There has been an exponential growth of massage and energetic bodywork techniques.

Like ancient methods of wellness, more recent discoveries and adaptations of energy work are based on the fundamental idea that placing hands on your body or even sending energy from a distance can stimulate your body's inherent ability to heal itself. There is a wealth of anecdotal evidence which indicates that many people can not only tune up their energies, but relieve pain and shift significant imbalances in their body.

Here are a few of the traditional and more recently discovered energy techniques:

* ACUPRESSURE is a 5,000 year-old hands on method of pressing acupuncture points to relieve pain and restore a balanced flow of energy (Chi) along energy pathways (meridians). Weak areas of the body are energized and irritated or overactive areas are sedated. One advantage of acupressure is that people can be taught to use acupressure on themselves. SHIATSU is a popular Japanese style of whole body massage and acupressure.

* REIKI is a much newer Oriental energy technique discovered in the 1800's by Japanese theologian, Dr. Mikao Usui. There is a lineage from Dr. Usui on down of Reiki masters who transmit the Reiki energy directly through 'empowerments' to their students. In Reiki, the practitioner holds various locations on the client's body and the energy flows from their hands. There is no directing of energy. The energy itself is said to know best how to treat the client.

* CRANIO-SACRAL TECHNIQUE was pioneered and developed by Osteopathic physician, Dr. John Upledger in the 70's and early 80's. CST is a gentle hands on method for evaluating and enhancing the functioning of the membranes and fluid that surround the brain and spinal chord. It is used for assisting the body to overcome many dysfunctions such as migraine headaches, chronic neck and back pain, chronic fatigue and other conditions.

* POLARITY THERAPY was developed in the 20th century by Dr. Randolph Stone, chiropractor, osteopath and naturopathic doctor. He chose the word polarity to describe energy's fundamental quality of attraction and repulsion. In Polarity bodywork, a practitioner addresses mental, physical and emotional blockages. Contact points and manipulations are used to stimulate and balance the body's electromagnetic fields.

* QUANTUM TOUCH is an example of an even more recent discovery in energetic bodywork. Richard Gordon founded Quantum Touch in 1978 after learning the process from a natural intuitive healer. Quantum Touch practitioners focus and amplify their life force energy (Chi or Prana) using various breathing and body awareness exercises. The client's body resonates and entrains with the practitioner's higher vibrational energy. This allows the client's body to heal itself.

* ACCESS ENERGY TRANSFORMATION was founded over 15 years ago by Gary Douglas. It uses verbal processes and energetic bodywork to clear thoughts, feelings and emotions that keep people in limitation. Access bodywork uses various hands on techniques to clear old patterning from the body and create a new blueprint for ease, joy and wellness. Access aims to facilitate the client in having a better relationship with their body, free from judgments and open to greater possibilities.

There are many more energetic bodywork techniques that deserve consideration. In future articles I plan to cover more of them. The ones mentioned above will give you a good starting point to explore further on your own. May you find the work that suits you best and have greater ease and joy in your body.

Copyright (C) 2005 by Richard Atkinson

Rich Atkinson CMT, has over 800 hours of massage training. He uses Cranial Sacral Technique and Access Energy Transformation in his practice. Rich lives in Marin County 45 minutes north of San Francisco.
He can be reached at:
Rich@AccessCreativePower.com
www.AccessCreativePower.com
415-460-1087

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