“Man can function from three centers: one is the head, another is the heart, and the third is the navel.” Osho
All of us can move from three different places: from thinking, from feeling or from being; all of it is energy. The energy of thought moves in the head, the energy of feeling moves in the heart; the Self, the source of energy, moves in the center: in the navel.
So the first question we should ask ourselves is: where do I use my energy? In other words, in what percentage of these three centers do I move?
In everyday life, each of these centers has its function and therefore its value, the problem is that the human being has not been out of his head for a long time. Thus, we try to feel from the head (which entails a great mental effort) and experience existence from thought. The result is that we disconnect ourselves from everything that cannot be rationalized: from our feelings and our being, and also our thinking decreases in effectiveness, going from clear to confused in the face of so much overload.
This is why there has been a big change with the birth of alternative therapies, the “new” psychology and the “new” body techniques, which base their work on reconnecting with how I am/how I feel.
If we follow the line of a clear thought -> – a clear feeling will lead us to a clear and consistent action, we will be acting in total concordance; the lack of coherence between what I think-feel-do produces an internal energetic conflict that twists us like a knot as it repeats itself.
Any type of conflict has repercussions in the body to a greater or lesser extent (a headache, poor digestion, insomnia, low energy level and more: hardening the tissues, restricting mobility, modifying the structure, the disposition…) That is why from the body we can also reconnect with how I feel, bringing clarity and releasing those emotional knots that remain stagnant.
Working on increasing body awareness allows us to move from the head center to the heart center, the first step to integration, opening the way to the vital center.
In the January article published in this magazine entitled “The Secret of No Effort” we talked particularly about this center: <<… constitutes the link with existence. A person present in this center feels safe, confident and courageous, because he or she is supported by life, rooted and in touch with his or her Self.>>
Californian Massage is a form of bodywork based on the principles of Gestalt psychology. It follows the principles of the Esalen Institute in California where it was developed in the 1960s and integrates various body techniques with conscious contact, breath and presence.
This type of massage is applied through long, fluid and integrative movements that incorporate elements of other techniques such as gentle stretching, passive joint movements, deep muscle tissue work, delicate cranial balancing and rhythmic movements, tools with which the therapist tries to guide us to reconnect with the body, helping us to release blocked energies.
This is the proposal: to travel from Thinking to Feeling and from Feeling to Being.
María Lucas Esalen Californian Massage Therapist and Spazio Massage School collaborator.
Calithai Massage Space: www.masajeterapia.net