Have you ever had someone that you don’t know come right up to you, just mere inches away from your body and start talking to you and it felt like they were way too close for your comfort? That if you could just back away from them several feet, it would be much more comfortable for you? This is called infringing on your ‘personal space.’ So if anyone gets too close to you and it feels uncomfortable, they are in your ‘personal space’. This space is what we reserve for close friends, significant others and, possibly, family, and is anywhere between 18 inches to 4 feet from your body.
For anyone that hasn’t had a massage before, it can be a frightening idea. The thought that someone you don’t even know will be touching you, touching your skin and be in your personal space, is enough to make anyone run screaming from the room. The same can be said about anyone that has experienced abuse–be it physical or sexual abuse or even emotional abuse, the very thought of having someone in your personal space and touching you can be very scary and intimidating.
The very nature of massage screams vulnerability, intimacy and, most likely, fear for someone that hasn’t experienced it before or for someone that has been abused at some point in their life.
There is also a space that is even closer to your body than your personal space. This space is called ‘intimate space’, which is within 18 inches of your body. This space is reserved for those people that are the closest to you. You typically trust the person that you allow in this space. I, however, prefer to call this space, ‘Sacred Space’.
Why do I call it ‘Sacred Space’? I feel deeply honored and blessed that the person that is on my table trusts me and allows me to work on their body. This is not something that I take lightly. It is deeply personal, vulnerable, intimate and, sometimes, very frightening. To be invited into that space is an honor to me. When I make my initial contact with someone’s body, I do so with respect, humbleness, love, presence, kindness and compassion. Consciously coming in contact with the body this way lets the person on the table know that I respect and honor their trust and it also lets the body know that I also respect and honor it. It is very sacred to me because I am invited into their inner sanctum.
Being allowed into someone’s ‘Sacred Space’ is truly an honor to me. I feel so very grateful for my clients that trust me to allow me into their ‘Sacred Space’ each and every time they get on the table. For someone that hasn’t ever had a massage or hasn’t been on my table before, please keep in mind your ‘Sacred Space’ and how it feels when someone touches you in the course of your day, be it someone you trust or someone that you don’t know. Can you tell a difference? Does it feel like they are infringing on your space or does it feel kind and gentle and loving?
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