by Rachel Fairweather
with acknowledgements to Steven Covey for his inspirational book: The Seven Habits of Highly successful people)
What makes a really GREAT bodyworker?
During my twenty-five-year love affair with bodywork, I have practised, taught, studied and received massage in many diverse parts of the world, including the UK, USA, Europe and Thailand. I have known bodyworkers from many different disciplines and walks of life, from the extreme ends of the
to the resolutely scientific. I have worked with people who work with muscles, bones, auras, Qi, cranial rhythms, Sen lines, meridian lines, organs, fascia, movement, and stillness. I have seen healing happen through work on the body, off the body, and in the body’s deepest layers.
From all of this, it has become apparent to me that some bodyworkers
they are successful, happy, have the practice they desire, feel like they are travelling their life path, and are financially content in whatever way that means to them. Others never quite get there; their practices don
t come back, and they scrape by emotionally and financially.
So what is the difference? What makes a truly great bodyworker? No single quality seems to suffice. I have seen highly gifted and intuitive therapists burn out rapidly as they become overwhelmed with the practicalities of running a business. I have seen therapists who are successful business people and know their anatomy inside and out but who have no sensitivity of touch or ability to relate to clients.
This article distils the essence of some of those qualities I have observed in therapists who live and love their work to the full: the Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Bodyworkers.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm; it moves stones, it charms brutes. Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity and truth accomplishes no victories without it
Great bodyworkers LOVE what they do. They are excited, animated and energised by their work. They love to talk about it, read about it and let others know how great bodywork is. And their enthusiasm doesn
t just stop at the bodywork; they are energetic about all aspects of their practice: how they can make their clinic room the most restful and appealing to their clients, how they can design a great business card or leaflet, how they can find the best clinic or colleagues to work with. Enthusiasm is contagious; your clients want to know that you believe in what you do. They want a piece of what makes you buzz. If you are bored by your work, your clients will know, and let
s face it, who wants to be around someone who is jaded?
One of my first teachers said to me,
I have to constantly find ways to stop myself getting bored with massage
That is what good massage therapists do: they are fascinated by the body, always finding new ways to get better results for their clients and exploring new techniques. If you are still doing the same routine you learned five years ago, you’ll probably get bored.
So if you are jaded with your treatments, go and get some training, find new ways to work and break out of the box. Find a colleague to swap with and learn some new techniques. Read a great bodywork book. Surf the internet for inspiring bodywork sites. Rediscover your passion for your work and watch your practice grow.
Victory belongs to the most persevering
I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work
If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn
t seem so wonderful after all
Like these famous characters, successful bodyworkers know the value of hard work and perseverance. Great therapists
when things don’t go their way and pick themselves back up after mistakes and failures. No matter how talented you are, building a successful practice takes time, work and perseverance. Don
t expect the phone to start ringing just because you qualify; you need effort and good old-fashioned elbow grease to get those clients. Remember the old adage,
If you love what you do, you
ll never work another day in your life
So love your vocation, work hard at it and enjoy the journey.
Secret Three: Be open to new learning
As for me, all I know is that I know nothing
To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge
The fascinating paradox is that great bodyworkers
yet at the same time are comfortable with
and are always striving to learn more. Taoist sages claim that
one who does not know actually knows, and one who knows really does not know
To be empty, to recognise how little we know, is to be abundant. Successful bodyworkers stay open to new learning and recognise we are always beginners with so much to learn. As the great Tom Myers, author of
The higher the mountain of my knowledge, the broader the horizon of my ignorance
Knowing more helps us realise how much more there is to know. In this way, bodywork becomes a precious jewel that will sustain our interest for life.
There is a wonderful story in the book
In the 1970s I gave some sessions to the late prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. After one of them, she said she was attending beginner ballet classes. I asked her,
Why are you- a famous, top ballerina- taking a beginner
s basic course with 18-year-old kids. She said,
t take this class every day, I can tell it in my performance; and if I don
t take this class for 2 days, my choreographer can tell, and if I don
t take it for 3 days, an experienced audience can tell
This is the essence of mastery: always be open to new learning, seek out inspirational teachers and mentors, and use their experience to give you shortcuts to the success you desire.
technique: (Christophe Somer; Rolfer)
Successful bodyworkers have great touch. Their work has focus, sensitivity and connection. The term
coined by Rollin Becker, describes this perfectly. A good listening touch is different from knowing lots of techniques; skills are important, but if you carry them out without focus and feeling, your work will be ineffective. It doesn
t matter whether you are doing sports massage, relaxation massage, aromatherapy, shiatsu, craniosacral work or Thai massage; the therapists who get good results and retain clients have great touch. This doesn
t mean they were just born with it: like everything else, good touch and sensitivity come from application, focus and experience.
Good teachers will teach you not just technique but how to touch
how it feels to palpate a tight muscle, restricted fascia, stagnant energy or the gentle tide of the cranial rhythm. Receiving bodywork yourself will teach you what feels good and what doesn
t. Cultivate your sense of touch by being fascinated by the body and its hidden rhythms and find yourself a good teacher whose own touch thrills your senses.
Secret Five: Outcome-oriented treatments
Successful bodyworkers focus on the outcome of their treatments, not just the style or techniques they offer. If a client wants to relax, a good therapist doesn
t just launch into the same old tired routine; they dig into their toolbox of techniques and find what they can use to help this unique individual relax. This may well be entirely different from what will be needed to enable the next client to achieve deep relaxation.
At Jing, our advanced clinical massage courses focus on reducing pain within 1-6 treatments using a combination of advanced techniques, including trigger point, myofascial release, and stretching. Being outcome-oriented builds practices and retains clients, as they know exactly what they can expect to achieve from the treatment or series of treatments. Being outcome-oriented also relies on good consultation and assessment skills so you know what your client needs and expects.
Secret Six: Beautiful Body mechanics
The energy is rooted in the feet, developed in the legs, directed by the waist and expressed through the fingers
Using good body mechanics while you work not only helps you avoid injury but also lets you use a more sensitive, powerful touch. Like a secret handshake, we joke that good massage therapists can spot each other across a crowded room by the grace, composure, and focus of their body mechanics. A good massage therapist moves with ease and fluidity, avoiding techniques that strain the hands, wrists, neck, and back. In this way, massage becomes a dance and moving meditation, following the principles of tai chi, using breath and energy and from a firm, rooted foundation.
Good body mechanics relies on several basic principles:
Power of grounding- As expressed in the quote above, Tai Chi Masters understand that power, strength and grace come ultimately from the connection with the earth. Before you start working, take time to establish a strong energetic connection with the ground through your feet, legs and belly (known as the Hara or Tan Tien in the East). In Traditional Chinese medicine, the Hara is the
and martial arts emphasise moving from this place to achieve graceful power and strength.
A good visual to help you connect strongly with the ground is to imagine roots extending from the soles of your feet and penetrating all the way down into the centre of the earth. On the in-breath, imagine you are drawing up light, warmth and energy into your belly. On the out-breath, imagine that energy is shooting up your spine, down your arms and out of your hands. This is a great visualisation to help you work deeper without working harder, and it encourages you to work from your legs and belly rather than your upper body and arms. This way, you can give a deeper, more sensitive massage without strain. It does, however, mean that you will develop muscular horse-riding thighs from doing massage rather than buff Madonna arms!
Use of the Hara: A good principle of body mechanics is to ensure that your hara points in the direction you are working. Imagine your hara as a strong light attached to your belly that illuminates your workspace. This helps you to avoid twisting your body into uncomfortable positions while massaging.
Use your body weight, not muscular strength, to work deeper. If your table is at the correct height, you should be able to lean into the body to achieve depth rather than pressing and straining with the hands and arms. As Ida Rolf, founder of the deep fascial technique known as Structural Integration, said,
Strength that has effort in it is not what you need; you need the strength that is the result of ease.(Rolfresearchfoundation.org, 2014)
If your client needs deeper work, avoid the temptation to strain and instead bring yourself back to your breath and hara. Soften your body, shoulders and arms, breathe out and imagine the breath flowing down your arms as you lean into your client
s body to achieve depth. This approach also keeps your body receptive so you can sense changes in the tissues. Tight muscles and locked arms reduce our ability to actually feel.
Keep your joints stacked but soft. Avoid techniques that place the hands or wrists in ulnar or radial deviation or cause the elbows to bend excessively. The wrists should be in line with the elbows and the elbows in line with the shoulders. At the same time, ensure your joints are not locked but have a slight softness.
Feet, Breath, Belly: When we work, it is easy to get completely caught up in the task at hand both psychologically and physically. This can lead us to work harder or faster than we need to and reduce our capacity to listen to the body and use the principle of less is more. Using your own breath as an anchor is a good way to avoid this. Always find the quiet part within yourself by reconnecting with the breath flowing in and out of your belly and by noticing the sensation of the feet against the floor. Keep checking back into your own body and noticing how you feel. A good mantra while you work is
This really helps you to remain grounded at all times
Keep your chest and heart area open and avoid the temptation of hunching over or staring at your client
s body. The massage therapist
s quest for X-ray eyes doesn
Secret Seven: Good interpersonal and listening skills
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all
of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Whether you are a medical doctor, massage therapist, talk therapist, or acupuncturist, a key component of facilitating wellness for your client is the therapeutic relationship, or alliance. This refers to the sense of
collaboration, warmth, and support between the client and therapist
In other words, that warm fuzzy glow you get when you think about a professional who has shown kindness and concern for your wellbeing.
Research shows that a good relationship with your doctor, for example, is associated with improved healthcare outcomes regardless of the treatment you receive. This is just as true in our work with musculoskeletal pain, studies have shown that positive therapeutic alliance ratings between physical therapists and patients are associated with improved outcomes in low back pain and increased treatment satisfaction for clients with musculoskeletal problems. Really? Can our client
s bad back be improving just because they like us? Is being smiley more important than soft tissue release? Research suggests that the interpersonal dynamic is a factor and highlights the importance of the practitioner-client bond as part of a competent, truly holistic healing process.
Good bodyworkers are kind and caring, with excellent interpersonal and listening skills. Take time to develop these and your treatment outcomes will improve considerably.
About Rachel Fairweather and Jing Advanced Massage
Rachel Fairweather is co-founder and director of Jing Advanced Massage. An acclaimed teacher and guest lecturer, she has been a massage therapist for 25 years and is co-author with Meghan Mari of an upcoming book
Massage Fusion: the Jing method for the treatment of chronic pain
to be published this year by Handspring Publishing. Based In Brighton, London and Edinburgh, Jing run a variety of courses in advanced techniques to help you build the career you desire including a BTEC level 6 (degree level) in advanced clinical and sports massage
the highest level of massage training in the UK.
Our short CPD courses include excellent hands on learning in a variety of techniques including advanced stretching, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, pregnancy and hot stone fusion. For the first time you are now able to learn these techniques at your own time and pace with our revolutionary new online courses and webinars.
Want to find out more? Please contact The JING Institute!
