"Everyone needs this."

If there's one thing I've heard consistently from people who've received Thai massage from me it's this:

"Everyone needs this."

Sure, I love the idea that my clients feel like everyone needs to come experience this sacred work from me, but I don't think that's what they mean.

They mean that everyone needs loving, safe touch from another person. They need to feel loved.

We all deserve to feel that.

My teacher anchors the practice of Thai massage in the Buddhist concept of metta, sometimes translated as “loving-kindness.”

When I have someone on the mat, I see them as a whole human being, deserving of love, peace, and joy. That then gets put into every move I do during the session. Even in the moments where my hands and body are still.

(For the record, this is all translating to my sessions on the table, which are evolving in all the best ways.)

In a world that has so much of the opposite -- abuse, degradation, hate, anger -- being able to provide this space for another person is truly a gift. For both myself and them.

Though I'm partial to this practice, it's not the only place to find metta in your life. But it can help you seek it all from all places, and give it back any and everywhere you can.

Off the mat, where can you offer and receive more loving kindness in your life?