"Not until we experience it
                is it more than just words.
    
After we experience it,                             
there is no need for words."          

~ Milton Trager


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about the session,  the form,  and  the practice...





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Ayres leads courses and facilitates ongoing development in Massage and Integrative Bodywork…

            










erissage
Esalen™ Massage and Integrative Bodywork

massage

Often called ‘the mother of all therapies’, what we call ‘massage’ is as old as human contact.  Countless clinical studies have proven the benefits of massage as a safe, non-invasive, and effective tool for relaxation, detoxification, injury and illness prevention and recovery, and supporting a healthy and balanced lifestyle.  Skilled touch is undoubtedly a vital nutrient for nourishing and educating the human body.


Esalen™  massage

I don't think it's uncommon for someone to complete a 28-day intensive, residential Esalen massage certification course and leave saying, "that was fantastic, but... what exactly is Esalen massage?"

When I studied Esalen massage – first in an informal 'apprenticeship', then as a member of the internationally-renowned massage crew, and finally as a student in the classroom – I soon realised I was not acquiring another 'tool for my toolbag', but the bag itself.  Esalen and all of the bodyworkers, innovators, and artisan practitioners that have been touched by that form have most deeply influenced the overall approach and style of my practice of massage and other bodywork forms.  Yet, I still find it quite hard to make a definitive statement able to encompass this meditative, boundless, experiential practice of Esalen massage.

As Brita Ostrom, head of the Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association put it, "at the heart of the session is a sense of empowering each individual to regain a sense of harmony, reverence, and balance, and to awaken inner resources for healing. It is not unusual to hear, 'That was the most amazing massage I've ever received.'"
More about Esalen massage here...


Integrative Bodywork

‘Integrative Bodywork’ is the unique combination of touch therapies I use in every session.  Flowing Esalen™ massage is the foundation form, as various bodywork techniques, such as craniosacral, polarity, and reiki therapies, shiatsu, thai, and sports massage, myofascial release and deep tissue bodywork are blended fluidly to meet the specific needs of your body.

I work with the body’s systems of proprioception and muscle memory – helping you to reset the ‘baseline of tension’ in your body.  Through my hands I converse with the innate intelligence of fascia and connective tissue to help you align, balance, and unwind your body, heart and mind.

When applied, deep muscle work is effectively combined with the gentle touch required for myofascial unwinding and approached with precision, sensitivity, and practiced patience. Conscious breathwork and sensory awareness practices may occasionally be used in the session.



breath and body awareness

Anyone who has a body will benefit greatly from this work.  The beauty of this practice is that it (and I) will meet you exactly where you are.  You can set an intention to 'work' very specifically or deeply, or simply enjoy the relaxation and sensuous celebration that comes from honouring the body in this way.

Simply put, this integrative form offers a moment-to-moment invitation for you to fall into space.  As one client described, "it is hypnotism for the body."  The result is most often a felt sense of spaciousness in your body and being – the feeling of a greater capacity for body, heart, and mind to hold breath, vitality, and spirit.






focused session
This session is ideal for those who wish to experience a combination of forms for the purposes of treating or rehabilitating specific areas of injury, pain, or discomfort.
Or choose this session to experience specific forms like Craniosacral Therapy,
Sports (pre-event, post-event), Lymphatic, Prenatal, or Esalen massage.
set aside 1 hour 30 minutes
 
integrative session
This is the distinctive erissage session – highly skilled and deeply intuitive –
a bespoke, spontaneous, multiple-modality, eclectic, and
explorative bodywork experience.
set aside 2 hours
   
deep integration sessions
These sessions are for true lovers of bodywork who wish to have lots of time on the table for slow fascial unwinding, shared meditation, and integration or extra
time to dialogue.  The space is held for you to enter very deep states of
release and relaxation should you choose to do so.
set aside 2.5 – 4 hours




Clients have said:

"I feel better."

“That wasn’t a massage.
That was an experience.”

"It is 'hypnotism' for the body."

"I'm not sure what people are
talking about when they say,
'healing', but I'm sure that was it."

"AYRES,  banana!  What a fab treatment.
Have been waiting many years for
your level of work."

"I have to say, your treatment is probably
about as close to the womb as I think
I'll ever get in this lifetime!"
 
“I felt a sense of ‘active relaxation’
versus collapsing into bed and
not really resting.”

"The best massage I've ever had..."

"That was real 'bodywork'."
“I felt challenged and met…
and truly held.”

"That was better than sex!"
“Amazing…”




another satisfied punter