Thursday June 17, 2010

I hear the distant sound of thunder. The rain is sure to follow. The wind has blown fiercely since about noon. The trees are in continual movement. Bending, straining against the gusts of wind. There is a calmness. Not for long as another wave of wind contorts the shape of the trees. They go, but with protest.

I have moved from the patio to the front porch which grants me more protection from the wind.

It has been a couple of weeks since I have shared my SI experience. Probably because I have had a lot going on with LEI and nothing profound has happened. Yes, there was pain. Yes, I felt much lighter and continue to move with much more ease. Each session has gone well even though my pain threshold is challenged each week.

It is the emotion that I am compelled to write about. The body will never cease to amaze me. I remember why bodywork fascinates me so much. Massage is one thing. Structural Integration is so much more.

Session 7 began at my neck and shoulders. I was pretty sure as I was rotating my head and trying desperately to breath, that at some point the muscles in my neck would quit protesting and give way. Sometimes more than others they would relent.

Emotion rose to the surface when she worked along my chin. It is one of those experiences that is hard to put into words. There are no significant memories or pain that surfaces with the emotion. Just raw emotion. Uncontrollable. Do you question the emotion? You can. Maybe you will get an answer, maybe you won't. To me it does not matter. I can feel it leave as she makes her way to the end of the stroke. I have spent a lifetime keeping my thoughts and emotions inside. Is it no wonder that I should have such a release at his point?

I am trying with each step to be conscious. I am still showing signs of rotation in the lower half of the body. Old habits are so hard to break. Thinking about what you are doing when you are doing it difficult. Being in the moment. I know that most of the time as I am multitasking daily chores, I am neither here or there. Somewhere else, lost in the memory or thought about something totally different than what I am working on. Be in the moment. It is all we have.

The aroma of rain fills the air.

I was curious about what the inside of my mouth and nose and how or what would she do there. Grape flavored gloves. I smile. Can I have peppermint next time? She explained to me how she was going to start at my gum line and work up, both on the outside and inside of my teeth. I could feel the tissue moving under the pressure of her finger. It actually created more space. I cannot explain.

The rain has arrived.

Next she would work the tongue at the back of the throat. Oh, but I have a gag reflex, I reply in protest to such a thought. This would sure to be tricky. Pushing down on my tongue at the back of my throat is sure to engage it. And it did. But each time she worked it, it lessened to some degree and she was able to work with a little more pressure as she counted to 3 before removing her fingers. I didn't realize how much the tongue has to do with the alignment of the neck. At the beginning of the session you could put a arm between my neck and the table. By the time she was done, at best it was a finger width. Which means my head which weighs approximately 10-12 pounds is now sitting on the shoulder girdle in much more alignment, reducing the stress on the vertebra. It was a most interesting session.