One of the primary objectives for thriving therapists is to “work smarter, not harder”. Ideally, as we bodyworkers refine our craft overtime, we have the potential to optimize our effort so it hardly feels like “work”. In fact, with practice, you’ll discover that you can easily leverage greater positive impact with less unnecessary effort.
The tips below are meant to help you avoid unnecessary effort. Unnecessary effort almost always leads to tension. We don’t want to feel tense in our shoulders, neck, jaw, hands, wrists, etc. while we’re assisting others releasing their tension. These recommendations are offered so you can experience relaxation within your own body, even while delivering sensory-rich, intense, and even stressful interventions with clients. Force is Effort without Relaxation. Power is Effort plus Relaxation.
“It’s not how deep you go, it’s how you go deep.” -Ida Rolf
Experiment with feeling the difference between using your whole body to provide pressure, versus using aspects of your body: like only moving your shoulders, arms, hands, or thumbs?
Ask yourself relentlessly in your sessions:
How can I generate power and ease with the least amount of effort?