Annie texted me yesterday. Where she works in Evanston, Illinois has a class for advanced myofascial release therapy. It is sort of a very serious massage, where by moving the skin, musculature gets manipulated in order to ease pain, reorient muscles and move body fluids.
“They need someone to work on,” she texted. “Can you do it?”
As a full-time musician, the answer was yes. Artists generally live in a world that runs counter to the 9-5 people. And so, a free Monday to have some massage work conducted was something that I could easily offer.
Both students that worked on me that day were not novices, but trained masseurs, with a combined yearly experience of over 50 years. And their instructor was a woman who had been practicing massage therapy for 50 years herself. In other words, (pardon the pun) I was in good hands.
As a musician who has played now for 40 plus years, it was an amazing, yet humbling experience. Amazing that these students were still learning their practice and humbling that they had to practice on me.
If you take a good look at musicians (and I don’t really suggest that), you can see that over time, the physiology alters to adapt to having an instrument. Especially guitarists, who bend forward over their axes to peer at the frets. That strain ends up collecting in the neck and shoulders. Then add years of driving and, at least in my case, comes some pain along the sciatic nerve. That pain really comes into play after long bouts on the road, with the right big toe feeling as if a nail had been driven through it. In some circles, that is called “suffering for one’s art.”
All of this knowledge of my body, of course not known by the students, who were learning new ways of separating the skin from the muscle.
I was face down on a massage table, and a man named Jason started to work on my back. There were several different styles of moving the skin, thus the muscles they were learning. Each had a name, from the “C” technique to the “S” technique to the quaint “Duckbill.” Occasionally the instructor, Bobby, would correct Jason’s approach. What was amazing was to sense the different energies that came from these hands. Bobby’s touch was totally honed into the technique, like the veteran she is. While I thought Jason had the technique down, I would then find it amazing that he needed to do something subtle, such as how he was standing, to get the technique right. They would both confer over my back as the various techniques were practiced. I found this humorous to hear conversation about my muscles and skin being discussed in my presence but not directed at me at all.
Later that afternoon, I had work done again on the back and sciatic nerve by Becky. Again, the talk literally behind my back was fascinating to hear, though I couldn’t understand the various muscles and fascia terms they were using. Occasionally, a muscle would start vibrating on its own as Becky found where a blockage was on the sciatic nerve.
Her hands had their own energy and even a warmth that was different. As an artist, it made me appreciate the dedication of each of these experts. But it also made me aware of how important we are as individuals. That it is that indelible essence of who we are that ultimately matters in whatever we do. That all that matters is a dedication to doing good in this world. How wonderful that for a lot of us, doing good comes down to our hands. Our souls are expressed by how we move them, whether with a scalpel, a whisk, a brush, a guitar, a hammer or a computer.
All of those actions require discipline, knowledge and a sense of humility. Art is not just being artistic, but mindfully connected, body and soul.
I came out of both sessions groggy, my sinuses flush and looking like I had just awakened from a deep slumber. My hair was askew, and I was embarrassed at the gratitude these students had for me giving up some to be practiced upon. I told Bobby that if she ever needs a volunteer in the future, I am there as it was nice to be in good hands.
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