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In learning the 5-elements, massage therapists have a
wonderful opportunity to recognize signs and symptoms that an element is out of
balance, and use a combination of massage techniques, acupressure, and energy work
to assist re-balancing this element – all during a 1 hour massage.
Let’s look at the Water Element being out of balance and
some things we might see in clinical experience.
Physically we may see:
Low back pain, knee pain, broken – brittle or weak bones
like osteoporosis, or the person appears much older than their stated age.
There might be dark circles under the eyes or hair that is
thinning.
They may use language that refers to feeling drained,
exhausted, or overwhelmed – my energy level feels so low compared to what it
used to be.
The person might feel cold and ask for a space heater or
extra blanket.
Symptoms might include anxiety, any chronic illness that has
been present for more than 1 year, cloudy or foggy thinking, some forms of
infertility, hormone imbalances, feeling a lack or loss of purpose in life. There can also be any physical issues with
the fluids of the body – lymph, too much fluid like edema or too little showing
as dryness, blood – which is about 83% water, saliva, tears, and urine. There can also be any physical issues with
the organs of the Kidneys or Bladder.
Using the actual words “in fear of”, “scared of or scared
to”, “I’m afraid that…”, “I can’t do that”, “I would, BUT” and other things on
this line. It’s very interesting how our
language and the words we spontaneously choose pick up our energetic health.
There can be various forms of subtle fear, such as: no
self-confidence, staying in an unhealthy job or relationship, not following
dreams or passions, an unusual fear of death – for the self or others.
Mentally a person might say they feel a lack of creativity
such as writer’s block, an artist that can’t come up with an idea, or someone
who doesn’t see any options to a situation.
Or there can be a lack of motivation to do things or complete projects
that are started, leaving a pile of unfinished business.
So these are some of the basic and common things a massage
therapist would likely come across. And
luckily, a massage that addresses the Water Element can have immediate benefit
for some of these things. Regular
massage that continues to work with the Water Element can even have very deep
and long lasting effects.
In modifying a massage to address an Element there are 3
main things to consider:
First - What specific techniques can be used?
Second - What meridians and acupoints can be stimulated?
Third - What can I bring into my own energy field to change
the current vibration into a vibration that will carry a healing tone for this
person? (This is a fascinating aspect of
bodywork. Our science can show that
during a healing session, the heart waves of the healer – massage therapist in
this case – can be found in the recipient for a period of time after the
healing session has ended. This is
profound information. For more on this
topic you can look into the HeartMath Institute which puts out incredible
research in this area.)
To answer #1, What specific techniques can be used? 2 ideas I would consider are that water likes
flow and fluidity. We can make our
massage strokes very graceful and flowing.
Next, round rubbing the lower back through the sheet, to warm that area
which brings Qi and Blood to nourish the kidneys right where they are located. An advanced Oriental medicine therapist may
choose to do some Moxa if appropriate, or use an essential oil blend that
addresses the specific symptoms. A few
of my favorite basic essential oils for the Water Element are Ginger, Fennel,
and Juniper Berry – then Frankincense if anxiety is a symptom.
To answer #2: What meridians and acupoints can be
stimulated? On the front of the body we
can very easily stimulate the Kidney meridian in the lower legs during
effleurage strokes. We can choose
several strong acupoints to stimulate, such as Kidney 1 , Yong Quan and KI-3 Tai Xi.
On the back of the body, we can stimulate the Bladder
meridian in both the back and legs, and use the Kidney Shu points.
To answer #3: What can I bring into my own energy field to
change the current vibration into a healing tone for this person?
For this, we need to look at the emotion of fear and how to
embody the opposite of this. Can we
imagine someone we would call fearless?
What kind of characteristics does this person have?
They stand strong and tall, look you in the eye and smile,
there’s a deep sense of confidence, they know that no matter what the situation
they will act to do something – even if they don’t know exactly what that
something is – they are creative and have a million options, they are at ease
with life and allow life to have a spontaneous flow, they feel ALIVE – like
they’re in the Zone.
So this aspect can take some practice – which is where
meditation, QiGong, and Medical QiGong practices can really help a lot. But we can still start somewhere, such as
internally saying a mantra like “I am strong” “I am confident” “I have so much
flow in my life”….. and then feel these things as we say them. You might find that if you really get into a
kind of groove while thinking these and doing the massage at the same time, you
experience an energetic connection and strength that is powerful and healing.
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