23/02/2026
Me this morning, in my mid sixties if you are curious on Monday 23rd February 2026 practising what I preach. Now attempting to describe some of my massage philosophy.
Don’t worry I don’t want you all to put on your Lycra and get down the studio, gym or wherever! But we do all have to move as comfortably as we can through life.
Neither, just so you know, do I attempt to teach my massage therapy clients how to move; because that is a whole different world of expertise best left to those whose profession it is do so. Lots of tiny detailed instructions have been researched to find that they are not helpful to people. Especially when someone is a bit zoned out after a massage!
Having said that, I will however answer any specific questions with generalised principles of neuro muscular biomechanics because there are some fundamental basics that really do apply to us all and that reigniting will support you in your own hobbies and interests.
This of course does not excite most of you very much as most feel they left the ‘basics’ behind long ago.
Well from what I see on the massage table, is that many did indeed leave those basics behind…both mentally and physically quite a while ago.🙂
Left behind broadly speaking because:
Mentally, in the average non pro mover the detailed details of movement must of necessity, function subconsciously otherwise you would not be able to move very well. Bringing the tiniest part of a tiny detail to the forefront of your mind mostly results in inhibitory muscular efforts.
There are also emotional triggers buried in our muscular habits as well that our subconscious mind is caretaking. Then the rest of the non conscious left behind ‘good basics’ get neatly filed under life in general!
For me personally: Along with all the massage therapist work, nursing etc; there have been many physical accidents over the years resulting in broken bones, muscle tears, ligament strains whilst engaging in numerous sporting endeavors and much personal learning in how to recover from those injuries and integrate the changes they wrought into my personal physiology.
So. Yes I ‘know’ a lot about myself and I can certainly feel a lot, on every level in other peoples bodies…but for all of us, in our own bodies personally knowing and actually doing are entirely separate functions.
During your massage I am never thinking about my ‘massage technique’. It is a moment by moment action reaction subconsciously informed by all that I ‘know’ entirely focused on you not me and my moves.
Our amazing brains or rather our minds can still mostly only fleetingly conciously capture one second or two of a tiny detail out of the vast whole body array of details at any time. Our subconscious however has no such time limitations.
Your mind might like to think it is in charge, you can certainly intend to do something but in reality you are the ‘last to know’ what actually happened!
So here I still am in my mid sixties on a Monday morning in February 2026 practising what I preach and it may not look like this for you and how you go about your day.
But as a massage therapist; what I would like for you too and indeed what I hope you get a glimpse of from your own self during your massages is this:
To remain curious, enthusiastic, appreciative and inspired by your own physical personal lifelong journey, the downs as well as the ups. Because you really are mind body and spirit all wrapped up in one unique to you personal package!
