by Emily Watson
Esalen® Massage Therapist
I believe in an Esalen massage approach to life.
About four years ago, I attended an Esalen massage training that not only changed my approach to bodywork, but also the way I move through the world.
Some of the main tenets of Esalen massage are presence, curiosity, and the integration of mind, body and spirit. I was moved by the amount of time we spent on cultivating self-awareness, with the understanding that it all starts within us. As a bodyworker, one may think that all the focus is on the client; yet I came to see the importance of cultivating self-awareness as a means of creating deeper connection. To understand that the practice of massage, like the practice of life, is about the relationships between people, client and therapist, person to person. This is relational work, and we are creating something together. By developing a deep sense of presence and awareness within myself, I am able to hold that space with others. I am also inspired by curiosity as a guiding principle of how I interact with others and myself.
In Esalen massage, I was encouraged to get curious about what I was noticing in my partner’s body, the way the breath was moving in and out, the rise and fall of the chest or belly, the way a muscle would shift in subtle ways under my touch, the twitch of a limb, the holding of a joint, the shifting of my weight in my feet, my movement around the table. To stay open to what these small things could be showing me, allowing me to follow that intuition and be guided by it. To live and practice with a sense of wonder, from a place of questions without answers. And to trust myself and my client to follow wherever we need to go, the inner wisdom guiding us both together.
Lastly, the practice of Esalen massage has allowed me to experience the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. How often people show up with physical things going on and when asked further, they begin to tell me about grief and struggle, stress and responsibilities, all the things that life brings with it, in this messy, beautiful, human experience. And through working with people, moving with them through a session and giving them permission to be present, in their bodies, in this moment, I often get the sense of something greater happening.
I believe that the body is the house of the spirit and through meaningful and loving care of the body, we can nurture the spirit; we can connect to something deep within us, some wisdom just beneath the surface. I think of this often as I move through my day and interact with people, the interconnectedness of us all, the shared experiences, the commonalities, the understanding we can reach if we embrace this truth. I am grateful to get to have a job where I can experience this on such a deep level, where my belief is infused into my work and allows me to be a better practitioner and a better person.
Emily Watson
About the Author
Emily has always been interested in the healing fields, initially she pursued psychology, earning her Bachelor's from UNCA. However, a very transformative bodywork experience changed her path. After graduating from the Center for Massage and Natural Health in Asheville, Emily discovered Esalen Massage and studied with Robin Fann-Costanzo. She considers Esalen to be her most influential training and the foundation of her practice.
