12 Body Sense
Mainstream culture teaches us to
ignore pain. In the 1980s, actress Jane
Fonda popularized this notion in her
workout videos, as she urged her viewers
to push through the pain with the immortal
words "no pain, no gain." Additionally,
there's evidence to suggest that Americans
are conditioned to associate pain as the
price to pay for achieving success.
1
Massage
therapy, on the other hand, trains us to pay
attention to pain. When we do, we have
the opportunity to reduce, manage, or
eliminate pain, and avoid injury and reach
our health and wellness goals.
GET TO KNOW YOUR PAIN
Massage, by its very nature, is a gateway to body
awareness. When your massage therapist presses on a
ligament, muscle, or tendon, receptors are stimulated
and you sense where you are being touched. Some
areas may relax when pressed. Other areas may feel
tender. In essence, when you're receiving a massage,
you can't help but become body aware—unless you've
fallen asleep (and it's not a crime if you do).
Massage:
Your Gateway
to Body
Awareness
Less Pain, More Gain
By Mark Liskey
