NEWSLETTER

SATVIC TOUCH

When I was a massage student I remember learning about the three levels of touch. There is the tamasic touch, which is a deep pressure employed to release difficult tension, rajasic touch, which would be like a Swedish massage; stimulating to the nervous system. Then there is the satvic touch. The satvic touch is simply holding the area, being still and present. During the last month of my father’s life he was in tremendous pain. Each time he had a pain we would give him a dose of morphine. I stayed with him, holding my left hand on his forehead and my right hand on his chest, until the pain subsided. It hastened the calming process and was a way to transmit love and let my father know that I was right there with him.

So often we feel we need to be in motion in order to achieve a result. It is easy to forget the power of stillness, the power of presence. There are times in life when the only thing we can do while our loved ones go through their pain is to be there with them. It is hard to be present with pain. It is uncomfortable to watch and not be able to relieve their pain. Stillness was the last thing I wanted to be doing as my father writhed in pain but it was the only thing left for me.

I stood beside my father with my hands on his head and chest and assured him, by my presence, that he was not alone. My hands became warm, soft and loving in their stillness. A transmission of love and confidence was passed through my hands to his body and his body spoke back to me by becoming still as well. We stayed together in silent physical communication.

Sometimes we need to be firm and go down into the layers of pain with a tamasic touch. These are times when the blockages have settled deeply over a longer period of time and need to be pried open. Sometimes we need a physical rolling presence like the sea, a rajasic presence, sure, steady movement, to awaken something sleeping within the nervous system. Sometimes, when our loved ones are burning off their karma and in so much pain they are beyond words, all we can do is be there like a mountain. Simply being there can create a powerful transmission. We need to watch our thoughts carefully at these times making sure the predominate thoughts are of love rather than fear. To hold a person in stillness and love demonstrates our commitment to stay even when we feel like running away. We are saying we will walk with them through their hell and not be swayed or altered by the darkness they are experiencing. This allows them to relax. They do not need to take care of us. We are there to remind them with our presence that this too shall pass, that they are walking through this territory not setting up camp. We remind them with our still, sure presence, that there is another way of being, other, kinder territory, and that they are not alone in the fiery depths. When we offer this still presence to our loved ones as they battle their demons we not only give them a great gift we become empowered.

Jacqueline

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