“Massage is something that you can start but you never finish. It goes on and on, and the experience becomes continuously deeper and deeper, and higher and higher. Massage is one of the most subtle arts – and it is not only a question of expertise. It is more a question of love…
Learn the technique then forget it
Then just feel, and move by feeling. When you learn deeply, ninety percent of the work is done by love, ten percent by the technique. By just the very touch, a loving touch, something relaxes in the body.
Massage is needed in the world because love has disappeared.
If you love and feel compassion for the other person, and feel the ultimate value of him; if you don’t treat him as if he is a mechanism to be put right, but an energy of tremendous value; if you are grateful that he trusts you and allows you to play with his energy – then by and by you will feel as if you are playing on an organ. The whole body becomes the keys of the organ and you can feel that a harmony is created inside the body. Not only will the person be helped, but you also.
Massage is needed in the world because love has disappeared. Once the very touch of lovers was enough. A mother touched the child, played with his body, and it was massage. The husband played with the body of his woman and it was massage; it was enought, more than enough. It was deep relaxation and part of love.
Everybody is on guard not to be touched unless he allows it.
But that has disppeared from the world. By and by we hace forgotten where to touch, how to touch, how deep to touch. In fact, touch is one of the most forgotten languages. We have almost awkward in touching, because the very word has been corrupted by so-called religious people. They have given it a sexual color. The word has become sexual and people have become afraid. Everybody is on guard not to be touched unless he allows it.
Now in the west the other extreme has come. Touch and massage have become sexual. Now massage is just a cover, a blanket, for sexuality. In fact neither touch nor massage are sexual. They a refunctions of love. When love falls from its height it becomes sex, and then it becomes awkwugly. So be prayerful.
And make it a play. Don’t do it as a job.
When you touch the body of a person be prayerful – as if God himself is there, and you are just serving him. Flow with total energy. And whenever you see the body flowing and the energy creating a new pattern of harmony, you will feel a delight that you have never felt before. You will fall into deep meditation.
And make it a play. Don’t do it as a job, make it a game and take it yas fun. Laugh and let the other laugh too.”
Osho.
