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The chill-out effect
You can tell that love is present when people nearby settle down; their minds calm down. In this instance, love can be defined as looking out for the needs of the entire space and then applying, in trimtab fashion, the little touches the space needs to pop.
Dr. Frank Laubach, author of Prayer, the Mightiest Power in the World, says he often changed the entire atmosphere of a car or bus full of people by the process of "swishing love and prayers all around the place." This principle may also apply in the performing arts, where it's been said "project an attitude of love to your audience and see what happens." This principle can also extend to the community level. It was said of Buddha and Jesus Christ that just their presence in a village, and nothing more, would raise the consciousness of those around them.
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This settling down may include a softening and movement of the all-important diaphragm muscle. Says bodywork writer Marion Rosen, this is a signal that trust has been
established. It's apparent to me that love cannot flourish without trust. So we are establishing here that higher levels of massage performance depend upon trust, not just
clinical efficiency.
Once this trust has been established and the diaphragm softens, only then can we possibly counteract another
matter we don't read about very often: the all-too-common condition known as self-invalidation (a sinister tape).
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Solar plexus at
front-center
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At a very deep level, many if not most of us actually consider ourselves unworthy to achieve our goals. The unworthiness is usually unconscious, meaning there's little we can do about it because it's beneath the level of examination. Physically,
unworthiness and self-invalidation reside in and around the solar plexus, the
next-door neighbor of the diaphram, a place where ki takes up residence. It's been said that unworthiness/self-invalidation impedes ki energy. However, the good news is that physically manipulating the solar plexus region is an effective way to break up these patterns of limitation residing there. The solar plexus (at the base of the
sternum, or breastbone) has been referred to as our "second brain" because it
represents such a well-developed structure of the nervous system. That all said, let's mention a few more "love principles":
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Brain power is secondary
Love-power, not brainpower, is the gateway to the divine. From the classic Cloud of Unknowing, written about 1375: "God can be held and taken by love, but not by thought." Thought is a wonderful tool given by God, but we score no extra brownie points by living there. Let's apply this principle to the massage room as well.
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Mojo effect
Love is the doorway, and perhaps the only portal, to another soul. Said Elizabeth Cady Stanton, social
reformer (1815-1902): "Love is the talisman of human weal and woe." If we update the language a little bit we get "Love is the good-luck charm of well-being." She adds that love is the "open-sesame" to every soul. If we can use the context of massage to deliver a
palpable form of love, through our concern, training and discipline, then we've over-delivered, which is our responsibility, our dharma.
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Boomerang principle
Love is not a one-way street. It appears to invariably contain a bounce-back effect upon the person initiating the loving. From The Little Prince: "Love transforms its
object; it elevates both the lover and the loved." While I'm not suggesting I'm even
remotely accomplished at delivering love (simple acceptance and concern) through my hands and fingers, I have noticed this: On those days when I don't feel like
performing a massage, the moment I finish is the moment I'm mentally zinging, ready to take on the world.
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The tank is always full
There is no shortage of love in the gas tank, even when the going gets rough. Said Mother Theresa: "I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."
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Conclusion
There's really no option. We have no choice but to bring high-intentioned,
well-structured massage to the largest number of people at minimal cost.
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