About Esalen Massage

Esalen Massage (EM) is known for its healing and nurturing touch; it combines long strokes, gentle rocking and stretching, sculpting of deep musculature and the precision of acupressure. However, EM goes beyond the physical result of bodywork by focusing on energy exchange and psychological well-being. Taught and trademarked by the Esalen Institute, EM aims to tune the mind and body together to create a sense of serenity and peace.

Ten key aspects of the Esalen technique for practitioners include:

Grounding yourself before giving a massage.

Waiting and listening to the client’s breath before making initial contact.

Gentle rocking to help the body let go of rigidity.

Creating a unified and whole massage defined by long, lengthening strokes.

Making small circular movements around joints to encourage release.

Bringing the whole body weight into the movement.

A little unpredictability to ease away holding patterns.

Allowing time to pause.

Understanding that massage goes beyond the physical self.

Remembering that everybody loves and wants to be touched.

19世纪六七十年代的“人类潜力与个性发展运动”发现，按摩是改变个性的有效方法。这种观念主要发展于美国的一个个性发展中心—The Esalen Institute（依莎兰学院），该中心倡导全面而广泛地使用按摩。按摩被看作是一种放松被压抑的情感和缓解肌肉紧张的方法。这种观点在今天已经广为人知，但在当时却是一种开天辟地的革新思想。它同时也宣告了对将意识、肉体、精神融为一体的传统东方哲学的重新认识。

依莎兰按摩，其灵感来自Esalen浴场的海浪，是在身体的节奏和潮汐变化中得以重新发现的古老的智慧，是伴随着海之韵律和生命脉动的美好诗篇，是重新发现了自我意识，自我疗愈的奇迹。它整合人的物质身体、能量、8身体结构和灵魂，让它们得以交流和互相作用。通过富有滋养感的触摸，给予身体整体感的长推，唤醒人整个的感官体验，给人深度的放松和疗愈。

依莎兰按摩的独到之处在于，按摩的给予者和接受者之间是一起协作地完成整个的按摩过程，透过彼此间连接，双方都得以成长和激励。给予者往往在会感受到自己深深陶醉、享受在按摩的过程之中，这是依莎兰按摩能够给出最高触摸质量的关键。因为依莎兰按摩相信，唯有自己能在按摩的过程中有美好感受的能量才能给予接受者以高品质的能量按摩。关注自己和个案的呼吸、移动的流畅、适当的停顿……都是很重要的环节。

最经典的依莎兰手法就是长推（LongStroke）长推就是一种身体工作者自己能量流动的表现，而流畅的能量就像是太极大师一般，能量可以自在流畅地从身体的任何一个端点进入自己的身体，再从一个端点自身体流出连接到你的个案，这种全身连动的能量时而缓时而急，形成自己独有的韵律。依莎兰按摩的长推在能量的流动上是全身的，传达给个案的触觉是连续、完整、流畅的，个案会透过这种触摸感受到自己身体的存在，有意识的感觉到身体的头的形状、肩膀的坚硬、腰部的线条、大腿的面积、小腿的纤细和手臂的沉重。让心灵活动不是只在脑中存在，而是让心灵活动真实地和我们身体的生理功能连系在一起。所有的心灵活动都需要肉体，也就是我们的身体来展现，所以我们不能忽略身体的感受。

依莎兰按摩长推的目的在促使身体工作者和个案彼此透过觉察能量的流动、有意识的觉醒，让我们的行为举止具有意义，而不是以盲目的、2麻木的和机械式的方法应对周遭的人事物。当心灵活动和身体感受不能和谐共存时，长久累积下来就是疾病的根源，恢复属于个人的身心合一是依莎兰按摩的健康法则。

依莎兰按摩结合了费登奎斯疗法、完形治疗、五韵灵舞、感官复苏觉察、崔格律动治疗法，并加以升华，每一位依莎兰的导师都各具不同专业上的精髓，让每一位学员都可以在自我经验的基础上，发展出属于自己的依莎兰按摩节奏，唯自己独有。

Esalen and Nudity

When visiting Esalen Institute, some guests may notice that there are clothing optional areas. Although Esalen’s clothing optional policy has long been challenged, most guests go nude at the hot springs and ardently defend their right to do so.

According to playwright and Esalen regular Lynne Kaufman, “I’ve been at the baths naked for a period over 25 years. It was at Esalen, through the baths and through the massage, that I saw my body as natural. The amazing thing is that once people take off their clothes, there is more commonality. It was the clothing that made for differences. When released from that, they were just other organisms. What I saw was an acceptance of all kinds of body types, which was a very different experience: it was evolutionary. You see the youthful bodies, the old men and women. You see life.”

Author of the essay Fig Leaf in the Wind, Sharon Thom describes Esalen’s acceptance of nudity as an acknowledgment of personal freedom. In her essay she explains, “Our need to hide, all of the time, behind a variety of decorative devices and professional excuses and whatever status we’ve managed to fluff up around ourselves, our need to avoid one another at all costs, is what makes us less free. Taking our clothes off lies a few steps short of authentic liberation.”

Nudity in EM

While clients have the option of shedding their clothing during an EM session at Esalen Institute, this decision is made by the client only if he or she is completely comfortable with nudity. Because massage recipients traditionally soak in the hot springs prior to their EM appointment, this setting supports nudity as a natural state.

During the course of the massage, the EM client is draped with a sheet or towel. When massage therapists are trained at Esalen, they are instructed to proceed very gently and introduce people to massage in the most non-threatening way possible. Outside of Esalen Institute’s setting, this means giving clients an option of being fully clothed, wearing undergarments or going nude. Despite the level of covering or uncovering massage recipients choose, professional draping practices assures a non-threatening atmosphere.

In general, our society has very little acceptance of nudity. As a massage practitioner, respecting client privacy is crucial for professionalism and to prevent major psychological implications that could result from bearing all. Esalen Massage’s unique approach to integrating the physical, emotional and spiritual selves has been appreciated by clients and practitioners for decades. Regardless of where the massage is performed, helping a client find serenity and peace is independent of Esalen Institute’s optional clothing practice. Thus, if the idea of psycho-spiritual massage while being surrounded by nudes inspires freedom and healing in your soul, book yourself for a workshop or extended stay in California’s Esalen Institute. For everyone else, you can benefit from the innate wisdom of Esalen’s massage techniques and pass it along to your clients while maintaining the professionalism and ethics required in a legitimate massage therapy practice.