Energy - What that means for you and me
When one talks of energy, most people will focus on their ability or lack of ability to get things done. It’s a conversation about vitality and the inclination is for us to expect with every year as we age, to have a declining amount of this valuable asset. However, there are some people, despite their age, who seem to have unstoppable energy because they likely have an accompanying vitality of mind. It’s a union of mind, body and spirit and the more they do, the more they can probably get done.
It’s difficult to compare one person with another because their are so many variables. Part of it might be that one just has good genes. Last year I lost an aunt at age 106. She was vital physically and mentally and even living on her own unassisted until 102 and then she started to slow down. While talking about longevity, some of you might be familiar with a documentary film about the Blue Zones where there is a preponderance of people in certain parts of the world who regularly live to a ripe old age. What is that magic formula? Perhaps this is a bit of a spoiler alert but there are certain common denominators: the right nutrition, exercise and living in harmony with the world, and connecting with community.
For the remainder of this blog, I want to focus on my definition of energy and how the movement of that can help maintain good health. People in the alternative health business will often use Albert Einstein’s quote: that “everything is just energy.” So if we talk about massage therapy and how that works, massage is providing energy on a certain frequency. Applying effleurage is a technique, often the first in a series of techniques used by most massage therapists. A therapist might then follow up with petrissage. That is another type of energy with a lot of squeezing of the muscle tissue. Then there is a tapotement which uses a series of different tapping or vibrational movements. These three techniques are the very basics of massage therapy.
As a therapist, one develops techniques that can help bring physical relief to a condition. There is trial and error but still based on an understanding of anatomy and physiology. Because massage therapy is provincially regulated, all therapists are required to upgrade their skills with continuing education units. One easily develops an interest in a whole array of additional skills. This might include Gua Sha, Graston technique,, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, lymphatic drainage, myofascial release and many other disciplines within our scope of practice. Even the application of heat, hydrotherapy and cold is related to the movement of energy. In my case, my entree into any sort of physical therapy started with going to school to learn shiatsu therapy. That has been my main focus throughout all my more than 30 years of practice. Shiatsu is a Japanese physical therapy using stationary pressure with fingers, thumbs palms and elbows. We use lots of stretches as well as targeting the energy pathways (called meridians) which will be familiar for those who have received acupuncture. Again, shiatsu therapy is about the moment of energy.
How does this meaningfully translate as a way of treating the body? In my clinical practice, for example, if I find someone complaining of pain just below the scapula, I find that certain massage or shiatsu techniques brings some relief. Enter client #2 with the same condition and yet applying the same type of treatment might result in no improvement at all. As therapist, I get an intuitive sense that spending longer time working in that same area will not result in any improvement. Changing the energy or frequency until one finds the right formula is often the answer. That could be using a gentle reiki technique which, from an outside observer, might look completely benign. Another answer might be to apply gentle vibrations, perhaps after applying a heating pad. There is no one treatment to fix all all because there are too many variables to the human body. Finding an answer to a health problem similarly can be like an exploration of the body.
