“The world is invisible to me – with my touch it comes alive.” The quote is from a movie titled, At First Sight. Although the character is literally without sight, the power of the metaphor rings true in a world full of people walking around in an invisible world. We see only what we choose to see if we see at all. We are lost in the momentum of life set into action based on desires and dreams, but the magic of the pursuit gets lost in the pace. Once we feel trapped, and often it happens without us realizing it, our vision is blurred and the darkness begins to suffocate us. We feel we have no choice but to keep going further down the rabbit hole. But we do have a choice. We could stop, take a moment to refocus, and then “Slow it Down.”
In August 2016, I went to my annual conference as I have done nearly every year for 25 years as a fitness professional. In the beginning I always knew what I was looking for; new choreography or exercise breakthroughs, networking with my colleagues, a weekend away and a renewed perspective and spark for my career. As I got older and my role changed, I was no longer just a fitness instructor but now was a trainer, manager and leader in the development of new younger fitness professionals.
The conference took on a new meaning and I looked for more leadership and business training. No matter the role I played, what I have discovered over the years is that I have grown as a person. I have become acutely aware of my innate ability to truly affect lives in bigger ways, ways that have nothing to do with exercise. It became increasingly evident to me how many people simply needed someone to care, someone to hear them, see them, and maybe for once in a long time, understand them. At some point my work became less and less about just the physical body and more and more about the emotional and psychological body.
When I enrolled in a two day Thai Yoga Stretching For Fitness Professionals course run by Navina™ at this particular conference it was simply to learn new ways to stretch my clients. Another tool in my tool box to provide value, service and results. What I discovered almost immediately upon entering the room was an atmosphere that felt like freedom.
Freedom from the pace, freedom from the noise, and not only the freedom, but the permission to Slow it Down. My life was and still is a whirlwind and in the midst of it all I have lost the ability to take the time to just BE. I believe this inability has a negative affect on all other relationships in our lives. When we cannot be truly present with those we love it translates to them that we don’t care. Of course this isn’t true but it’s what they feel. I was so impressed by Drew and Daniela that I signed up without hesitation to earn my Principle Certification in Thai Yoga Therapy.
The key to my success in anything has been to recognize where I lack skill or discipline and put myself into a situation where I have to give what I am trying to receive. If I need to stay fit I teach fitness. If I need to be a better leader I teach leadership. And if I need to practice Presence, I will help others be more present. I have come to recognize a need in my life to slow down so I have taken this opportunity to facilitate a slower pace in others who may feel the same. I have also come to realize, once again, that I need to take better care of myself. What better way to remind myself daily of the importance of this than to assist in helping others take care of themselves on a much more holistic level?
By following this path I am able to fully immerse myself during each treatment into that same beautiful environment of freedom I experienced at the conference. I can become the gift of peaceful energy that Drew and Daniela so compassionately gave to me and I can in turn give it to others.
The truth in life is that whatever you want more of; give more of. The Law of Reciprocity is always working in your favour and it’s a beautiful thing. The world needs more love and compassion, especially now with so much change happening in our physical and political environment. So the only answer if we wish to receive more love and compassion, is to give more love and compassion.
From my heart to yours I encourage you to let the power of touch bring your invisible world to life once again.
Keep reading to see the impact Thai Massage can have on your life: “How Thai Massage Can Change Your Life“.
I was blown away when I first experienced the power of a Thai massage. I had received other types of massages before but the energy felt completely different. My therapist’s touch was slow, intentional, and mindful, and I felt so relaxed in her presence that I fell asleep while seated! After the treatment, we sat on the mat sipping tea and chatted. It was just a nice, genuine connection with another human being and it made me realize how massage can be healing physically and emotionally too. I want to “pay it forward” now in my own practice and provide a space where I can provide to people the touch and connection that we all crave.
This is beautiful! I wish you so much success with your practice 🙂