Wholed It Together – W.I.T
Blog entry 7 of many
Entry: Coconut
Coconut oil is fun to use for massage. It solidifies and turns into this chalky white that looks delicious and silky. When it’s heated up the solid white turns to liquid gold. It has a sweet and nutty scent and is healthy for the skin with its detoxification properties and is nourishing with vitamin E and lauric acid.
I don’t get any financial kickbacks for selling coconut oil, I know that sounded like a hard sell, but it’s not. What I realized today, while massaging a client with coconut oil, is that if you forget to melt the oil in hot water, it stays solid and can be impossible to use if it’s stuck in the bottle!
So here I am with this amazing oil that I can’t get to because of my own oversight. Quickly I became resentful of the oil. If only it wasn’t solid. If I just used crème or another oil this wouldn’t have happened. My client expected a Swedish massage and I didn’t have oil. All these “what-if’s”, “if only’s”, and “why now’s” were popping up. I felt frustrated and embarrassed and that made me unable to focus. There was no way to turn the oil into a liquid so I had to decide: do I panic or do I change course?
I decided the latter (after a couple minutes of panic). I communicated to my client that the oil was not heated and that I’d like to try a different modality with him if he was open to it. He seemed unsure at first, but then I assured him he could let me know if he needed something different at any time. He agreed and we began. I decided to use the coconut oil bottle as a roller for a type of myofascial release. The bottle was soft and warm and big enough that I could have good control while rolling his calves, hamstrings, shoulders, and erectors. I checked in with him regularly and he seemed to be enjoying the session. He mentioned that it felt very different but that he liked the new style. We ended up communicating much more than usual, as he usually fell asleep during sessions. This new exchange was fun and encouraging. He seemed to receive the bodywork differently and his energy was shifting in ways I hadn’t seen with him before.
About twenty minutes before the end of the session, the coconut oil had melted from the warmth of the body and the friction of the massage. So, I asked if he’d like to finish the session with a Swedish neck, scalp, and shoulder massage – using the oil – and he emphatically said, “Sure! Although this has felt wonderful.” I poured the coconut oil into my palms, rubbed them together, and let the warm liquid puddle up. I began some compression and skin rolling and did a little point work. The nutty scent steamed from my hands and I felt a sense of relief. I breathed into a fist compression of his upper traps and pushed the energy toward his feet.
It was then that I realized that good things remain good whether they are in our reach or not. We don’t have to rush. We don’t have to force. Mostly, we can still be appreciative for the vessel they are carried in and within time they will come to us. This is the wisdom of the coconut.