Like so many others, I read “Eat, Pray, Love” and was touched by the story and the author’s insights and discoveries. Now as the hype, around the book and coming film, is growing, I began thinking about it again and in my mind the word massage kept popping up. A clear request from my subconsciousness to look at the messages from the book and relate them to massage.
There are three parts to the book; Eat, Pray and Love – representing different aspects of living and being.
Eat ties into the senses and the physical life. The message is to celebrate the joys of physical life, to dive into the senses and sensuous world, explore what feels good. In the book this is represented by food.
Massage in particular awakens our senses, and I think if the author could just as well have spent a couple of months getting daily massages. During massage touch, smell and hearing are stimulated. Enjoying food brings pleasure and fills you with good feelings. Massage certainly does too. At least you’re not “hungry” again for a massage as quickly as with food, nor will you gain any weight.
Pray is the spiritual aspect of life. By spiritual I don’t necessarily mean any religion, but rather the knowledge of where you belong in life and what your life purpose or goal is. The spiritual helps you to remove the clutter in your mind and see what is truly important to you. It helps you become more positive and appreciative of your life and experiences.
For most people, massage is deep relaxation, almost a meditation, that helps you remove the mental noise and helps you to let go of worrying and negative thoughts. If you work actively on it, massage can be a path to finding your true values in life, as you release old patterns and discover what you truly want.
Love is love. Love is not just about finding a life partner, to marry and have children with, love is so much more. Love is about healing old hurts, loving yourself and with an open mind meet other people. In the book the author not only finds unconditional love and acceptance from those she meets, she also heals her heart and frees herself from old beliefs about love. The process allows her to recognize and accept the true love she encounters.
Love exists in massage. When a massage therapist works with you, love is the underlying feeling that guides him or her. Compassion, empathy, deep caring, presence, attention, gentleness and a strong desire to make you feel good. It is a love that connects you to the therapist during the massage and a love that strongly aids the healing process, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Eat, Pray, Love is an interesting idea, and fortunately you don’t need to travel the world to experience the healing and growth that the author embraces. Staying home, taking your time and using your network and surroundings can bring you the same results. Massage in particular is a powerful tool on this journey.
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