Cranio-Sacral Massage

I've never had one of these before. I had one on Saturday from Shaw at Cavallo Point Spa.

BEST. THING. EVER.

It's not technically a "massage" so much as it is a manipulation of pressure points to free up tension and areas of stuck energy and get that energy flowing again. That's my personal interpretation of it. There may be a better, technical one out there. Google it. Or simply just try one for yourself.

To some people who are not as open to more esoteric forms of healing, this may seem like some of that mumbo jumbo hippy dippy new agey stuff with no basis in science and therefore . . . fake or a sham, a way to rip you off and take your hard earned money. To those people I say, look, I'm a big fan of science. BIG. I need facts and evidence to prove things to me. But, I've also learned that personal experience is pretty damn conclusive. I don't think science disputes the fact that we are all, at our fundamental levels, made of energy. Yet, most of us never really do anything to ensure that our energy is flowing freely.

For months now I've had a difficult to explain tension in my neck area, just at the base of my skull. I know I hold all my muscular tension there as many people do, but this isn't the tension I am describing. This is in addition to the muscular tension, because even when my muscles were in a completely relaxed state, I could feel this internal gripping tension even more clearly. It's difficult to explain other than a gripping feeling in the base of my skull as if my body was desperately trying to hold onto something I didn't want to lose. (Uh, you know, like control over every minor aspect of my life, including the ones you can't control.) I named it chaos. An anxious feeling that things in my life and around me are careening scarily out of control.

I've been working this past month with a Reiki practitioner on balancing my chakras and learning to let go of the need to control every little thing in my life. (We all know that in reality you cannot do this, but it doesn't stop me from stressing out about it nonetheless.) I cannot control what others do, only my reaction to their actions. This is working; but that gripping tension remained. So, when it came time for our office holiday spa trip, I opted for the cranio-sacral massage hoping that it would focus on the tension in the base of my head. It did. And then some.

During the session, as he worked on different pressure points, I could feel all the energy centers in my body start to open up and really feel the flow of energy. The best way I can describe it is by saying it's a rush. You can feel a pulsing, sometimes tingling feeling throughout your body and limbs. Almost like feeling your blood pulsing through you and the beating of your heart. It's a wonderful feeling. You feel completely relaxed and yet completely invogorated all at the same time. By the time I left, I could move my neck in directions that I didn't think were possible to move in any longer. Without pain or tension. Not only did my head feel open, but so did all of my other joints and muscles. I followed that with 15 minutes floating in the warm meditation pool. Bliss.

Two days later, and I still feel very much open and energized. I highly recommend this treatment for everyone during this stressful, busy time of year. For me, this is the busiest December I've ever had in my life. But, I'm handling it with a calmness that I've never experienced before. It'll all work out, or it won't. Either way, I can only do what I can do and I can only control what I do or how I respond. My energy is flowing and I'm feeling less chaotic amongst all the chaos that is my life right now.

All I can say . . . cranio-sacral massage . . . BEST.THING.EVER.