Energetic Grounding
In school, we were taught the importance of focusing on the client and to be careful to not let our minds wander off to our grocery list or our weekend activities while we were releasing a TP or petrissaging a gastrocnemius. A colleague of mine, an Usui Reiki Master who I encountered at my first-ever massage position, taught me the energetic importance of grounding myself before and after my massage sessions. This woman made it real for me by creating a picture of what it meant to center oneself, calm the mind, and ground the body. She led me into a mediation-like experience while sitting at the head of the massage table, inviting me to picture strong roots stemming from my feet and diving deep into the floor, under the cement foundation, and even deeper into the earth. Next, we surrounded ourselves with a white light of positive energy to further protect from clients’ own “wandering” energies. This visual stuck with me throughout the years and I believe it truly helped me to offer a focused, unified session and also prevent me from taking on the emotional “extras” of my clients.
Today, I take advantage of the subtle powers of essential oils to further invite a sense of grounding and calm between massage sessions. My favorite oil for intensifying this experience is therapeutic grade Spruce which is of the pine family. This beautiful scent was once used by the Lakota Tribe to strengthen their ability to communicate with the Great Spirit and is thus used often for meditation purposes. Spruce is also widely recognized for its ability to help release emotional blocks and to balance and ground personal energy. (As an extra plus, it was traditionally believed to possess the frequency of prosperity!)
While most of my clients enjoy the oil diffused into the air or mixed into a carrier oil (as Spruce is also anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory), a simple sniff of the bottle before entering the session room is enough to uplift my mood and calm my body, allowing my mind to center and focus on the sacred “work at hand”.
Enjoyed reading the above article a lot! Very uplifting for my spirit.