From a place in my heart comes the ancient and sacred practice of holding, of resting my hands on your body.

In stillness, deep stillness.

In reverence.

In love.

For over 25 years, I’ve been teaching, exploring, and experiencing in the worlds of touch and massage.

In this, I’ve seen that the expressions of touch are limitless and that not all touch is movement.

There is such power, such possibility in stillness.

In holding—holding someone, holding somewhere on their bodies, resting your hands on them.

In that touch, in the breath.

In softening my hands on your body, touching from my heart.

There’s a melting into each other, an opening, a softening.

In this touch, a loving touch, a healing touch, an energy flows.

There’s space in this stillness for that which is within you to be met, to be felt, to be sensed.

From deep within you, often locked in pain, in hurt, in tension, in contraction, in tightness, in holding on, it longs to be released, to let go, to open, to soften.

The holding becomes a way for this to happen.

There’s a communication in the touch that speaks of an allowing. It allows the layers to peel away; it allows the covering, the holding to open, to part. In the time it needs. Simply being held.

And it allows what needs to be shown to be met, acknowledged in the place of holding.

Holding has no judgment; it has no story; it’s simple presence.

Holding in this way brings the body into stillness. This stillness is the space where we can feel the tremor of life, the subtle vibration of being.

When our hurts can be met, they can be felt, softened, released from the body.

Energy can flow.

New patterns can emerge.

There can be a flow—an expansion.

There’s safety in being held—a comfort that allows us to relax into the touch, to meet the touch.

So often, as soon as we touch, we want to move, stroke, caress.

We forget the tender power of holding.

It’s seemingly simple, and we tend to forget the simple.

Holding in this way requires presence, and it requires a connection with our heart.

It requires us to be still—for as long we need.

It’s a meditation—a meditation on touch.

It’s only our own inner journey, our own work that can bring us to that place.

This is where it becomes a sacred practice, feeling the Divine within us, feeling Life within us, feeling The Heart within our heart. Allowing that to flow into our hands as we hold another.

Holding in this way, holding a human being, whether it’s their feet, their heart, their back—anywhere is deeply intimate.

It’s being welcomed into yourself. There’s a knowing that happens in the touch; there’s a moment of myself in you, in your skin, in what’s within you.

There’s a whole workshop on holding, different ways to do that, different places to hold.

One of the practices I’ve developed for holding is called “Earth Massage.”

It’s based on the way the earth holds us, brings us into ourselves, into our centre.

The basic practice of Earth Massage, and it can be a practice all on its own or the introduction to a massage, is slow; it’s gentle, comforting, and relaxing.

Take a moment to connect with yourself, your heart.

Breathe into your body.

Feel your own stillness.

Begin at your partner’s feet.

Hold their feet, rest your hands on their feet, surround their feet with your hands.

Let your hands follow the curves of their feet, gently.

Take a few breaths.

Slowly move your hands to their ankles.

Hold.

Their calves, one hand space at a time.

Move over their body, slowly, holding, holding.

One side, the other, the back, the sides, the front, their face, their head.

If there’s a place you feel you need to stay, stay there. It could be for 20 minutes, or more.

There may be tears, trembling; stay there, stay in the presence of your heart.

You can also do this on your own.

It’s a practice I teach my students early in the journey.

Hold yourself.

Start with your hands, your arms, your chest, your belly, your neck, your face, your legs.

Lift your legs to your chest; you’ll be able to reach the back of your thighs.

Lie on your side; you can hold your buttocks.

Slowly, bring yourself into your body.

There’s something so beautiful in this practice as in so many of the massages and touch experiences—when we’re present.

It’s a meditation for us.

In the giving, there is receiving. There’s a sharing—an energy flow.

In this limitless field of possibility.

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