Inspiration in a head massage
Bliss Prema claims her Indian head massage will relieve stress, but it can also inspire.
One of the original reasons this blog was started was so a group of creative professionals had a place to record and share thoughts and ideas on the topic of inspiration. Our hope was that the site itself could and would eventually serve as inspiration to its readers and for the most part it has, and I’m grateful for that. But I think recently we’ve drifted a little from the central idea of inspiration, so I’d like to share some personal thoughts that have nothing whatsoever to do with branding, communication design, advertising or any of the other topics often touched on here.
Personal inspiration is often a challenging subject to address because it is just that: personal. As I get older and, hopefully, wiser I realize more and more the importance of balance and health - mentally, physically and spiritually. Filling our minds with great learning on subjects that help us excel in our professions is a wonderful thing to do. But sometimes just taking a time out to focus on yourself and where your head’s at can be one of the most inspiring experiences you can have. And an Indian head massage can be just the ticket.
My friend Bliss Prema is an in-home massage therapist who practices both Reiki and Indian Head Massage. Recently interviewed by Yvonne Zacharias for a feature article in a Vancouver Sun article [pg. D16, Westcoast Life, Thursday, October 19, 2006], Bliss is in high demand these days indeed. And her treatments are worth every penny. I’ll tell you why.
A convenient and custom-tailored experience, Bliss comes to your work or home and treats you in a familiar and comfortable environment. From the moment you meet the soft-spoken Bliss, who is strikingly beautiful, you’ll realize you are in the hands of someone special. I’ll let Bliss tell you her story herself, but I’d like to just describe what it’s like to have a treatment from her. It’s an inspirational experience.
She brings along her own special chair, fragrant scented oils, towels and some special charms to make the place her own. With some incense and ambient music, suddenly my living room is transformed into a warm, relaxing place of healing. For the uninitiated, she take a moment to explain the treatment and then does of a prayer of intent to the goddess of love and quietly begins. This is an interesting and key part of her treatment: intent. Her treatment, though physical, is also very much about aligning your energy centres (chakras) and purging the negative energy that we build up and hold in our back, neck, shoulders and head. This is not New Age hokus pokus.
Her name “Prema”, which means “universal love”, was given to her by a Swami in India as she travelled and learned this 4,000 year old trade from the masters. And she is now a master herself, able to use her hands and energy to cover you with warmth and tenderness as she releases tension and moves energy down and away from your head. She begins by rubbing your back, shoulders and arms and does this for what seems an eternity before moving to your neck and head. As her hands follow the structures in your back and up to your shoulders, you can feel tension you may not even have realized was there just melt away.
As my hour long treatment progresses, the distractions of reality begin to drift, leaving a dreamy state of mind. I feet like I am in a different place. A place where I can be quiet and reflect. As Bliss taps, scratches and rubs your scalp, the sounds inside your own head merge with the rhythms of the soft music. The tapping she does with the fingers of both hands simultaneously begins to sound like galloping horses and visions of a group of stallions running floats through my imagination. The strength of that image and power of the situation becomes a little intoxicating as I drifted deeper yet into something near a trance state.
Later, as Bliss supports my head from behind and applies pressure to key energy points on my forehead and face, I almost imagine harmonic tones inside my head as connections were being made and reactions were occuring. Many times during the treatment, Bliss very softly circles my head with her hands, gently tousling my hair or caressing my face. This really reminds me of the loving touch of my mother when I was a young boy lying on her lap falling asleep as she played with my hair. And isn’t everyone’s mother the embodiment of the goddess of love? It’s a special feeling - the feeling of being safe and loved. To this day, if someone I trust touches my head I quickly become soothed and eventually fall asleep. Thankfully I didn’t fall out of the chair in my near slumber.
There’s another aspect of a visit to Bliss that I enjoy very much. She is so humble and grateful. And it’s contagious. Humility is intoxicating and a rare trait indeed in the world of creative professionals. To plug into that and sit quietly for an hour and reflect gratefully on what you have, where you’ve come from and where you’re headed feels very therapeutic and inspirational. After the session slowly ends and you emerge from this almost meditative state (and I’ll admit, it’s hard to come out of) it feels like something has been reset - both physically and mentally. Like you have purged some negative energy and thoughts and replaced them with good ones. And that is exactly what has happened thanks to Bliss Prema’s gifted hands.
I think the bottom line is this: life as a creative person can certainly be difficult and filled with distractions. Sure, there are may ways and places we can turn to recharge and find the fuel to drive our creativity. But inspiration can also be found by just taking a quiet time out, focussing inward and letting go of negative energy. I have friends who claim they don’t have the time, can’t afford it or don’t buy into the whole massage thing, but I say hogwash. It’s an investment in yourself and your health. Do it now. Call her or email her and book yourself and appointment. You won’t regret it. In fact, I invite any who visit Bliss to come back and share their experiences here. Hopefully others will discover inspiration in something as simple as a head massage.
If you are in the Vancouver area and would like to try Indian Head Massage for yourself, Bliss Prema can be reached at blissprema@hotmail.com or you can read more at her website: www.blissprema.com
Barbara Calkins (March 25th, 2009)
Great post Mark! Feedback like this inspires both self care and massage enthusiasts, as well as massage professionals looking for ways to connect customers with better health.
Thanks for the inspiration.
~ B ~
rebelmassage@yahoo.com
http://www.massagemsoi.com