FAQ: What the heck is “bodywork”?

Glad you asked.

“Bodywork” is just the overarching name for a whole lot of different therapies and practices for dealing with the whole person. You’re a person, ergo you live in a body, ergo working on your body is probably good for the person trapped inside of it. Have you eaten your vegetables yet today? Vegetables are like caulk for the bathtub of your soul. Brussels sprouts: Excellent for regrouting your self-esteem.

Bodywork = Roof repair.

Chocolate donuts? Aluminum siding. I KNOW it looks good right now, but SUCH a bad idea in the long run.

Okay okay whatever, we’re not here to tell you how to eat. The point is, being nice to your body is good for your soul, and there are a LOT of different ways to be good to your body with bodywork.  The quickest association is massage therapy, but that actually means a lot of different things! So, for your convenience, here’s an on-going list of quick definitions of bodywork options for your personal renovations. You will find others under the “FAQ” tag:

Massage Therapy: This covers a lot of things that generally involve someone putting his or her hands on your body and manipulating the muscles and what will possibly be called “fascia” to your face, in an attempt to release what common mortals refer to as “knots” or “that hurt-y spot.” Basically, massage therapists use a lot of different pulling, pushing, and tapping techniques in a very soothing manner in order to bring blood back into “frozen” or tight parts of the muscle, in order to tell your muscles to stop tightening up into fists. It’s like rocking a baby to sleep. Or an angry drunk. They use lots and lots of techniques to do this, many of which are defined here. You will probably be asked to take off your clothes and lie under a sheet for most massage therapy, and they will probably use some kind of oil to reduce friction on your skin while they work on you.

Shiatsu: Defining shiatsu is a great way to make yourself really unpopular, particularly in Japan, where it’s taken very very very seriously and requires THREE YEARS of training. If you ever find a Japanese shiatsu practitioner in the United States, don’t let him get away! Shiatsu is sometimes not regulated in the same way as the rest of massage therapy (from state to state) because shiatsu practitioners are more interested in qi (life energy) than in the muscles by themselves. They can use very little or a lot of pressure and often quite a bit of stretching to help release your qi and get it flowing properly again, altho for most westerners it will feel a lot like either a very intense (the walk on your back kind) or very gentle massage, depending on who taught your practitioner. If you do veer toward Shiatsu, be sure to ask your practitioner how they practice. Shiatsu, like most “traditional” Eastern forms of bodywork, is usually administered with your clothes on.

• Ohashiatsu: Shiatsu as taught and practiced by Wataru Ohashi, popularized in New York City and spread throughout the country. Probably the form you’re most likely to encounter, primarily because he’s done the best job of anyone in America of popularizing a form of Shiatsu. Known as fairly light and relaxed compared to other styles.
• Tokujiro Namikoshi style is the earliest form of codified Shiatsu, and if you’re looking for something more intense, seek these people out. 
• Zen Shiatsu is also interesting, but also relatively hard to find. I don’t have personal experience with either, so I’ll leave it to you to have an adventure. Pls report back.

Swedish Massage: Probably the most common form of bodywork in America. Very “spa.” If your image of a good massage is have someone stroke and knead the knots out of your body, you probably want to look for Swedish. You are probably also envisioning a rosy cheeked blonde person in a white outfit, which is also more or less on track.

Reflexology: Usually practiced entirely on the feet, this is nothing like your standard foot massage. Reflexology is known for its “hurt like hell” intensity that leaves you feeling blissed like a tuna fish afterward. Reflexologists and their adherents believe that points on the hands and feet correspond to all aspects of the internal organs and the psyche, and that lots of ailments can be dealt with by “stimulating” those points. If someone has a better description, please let me know.

Rolfing: Lesser known and thus less understood, Rolfing is in some ways closer to chiropractics than massage. Rolfers believe that by pulling the muscles to their longest extent, the bones will have a chance to realign, posture will automatically improve, nerves will cease to be pinched, and the body will naturally re-adjust into health and continual comfort. Rolfers usually like to do a series of ten sessions in a well-established routine, after which you may expect a noticable improvement in your overall quality of life. Unfortunately, Rolfing got a bad rap in the 70s for being one of THE most intense forms of bodywork, and despite having since mellowed considerable, many people fail to give it a shot. If  you’re looking for lasting results from your bodywork, and if most kinds of massage are just too soft for you, you might want to talk to a Rolfer.