Tonight we have a special topic to cover in circle. A few students had their first nursing home visit, and we honor their experience by listening and helping them fully process what that meant for them. The visit is never easy, but always rewarding. During this fieldwork project, students are exposed to a particularly fragile and touch-starved population. Gradually, they learn to provide gentle bodywork to the elderly residents confined to beds and wheelchairs.
We also talk about time management. The hour feels shorter and shorter now that the students have so many tools and techniques to incorporate. We are starting to focus on intent, applying strokes in a purposeful, meaningful way. As I talk about this, I reach for - what else? - a food analogy. "You can take a bunch of ingredients, put them in a pot with some water and boil for an hour. You end up with soup. Or, you take a pot of water and add chicken for lean protein, carrots for vibrant color, snow peas for crunch, spinach for nutrition, brown rice for fiber and spices to give it all a nice zing. Which soup would YOU rather eat?" I know my metaphor hit home when a student looks up from her homework folder and sheepishly says:"Oh, wow, I've been boiling my clients...".
The new techniques tonight are tapotement and vibration. I demonstrate a few ways to use them in a session, as well as areas to avoid while working with these tools. Tapotement can be a very invigorating experience for both the practitioner and the receiver, and we make a lot of noise while practicing. Students from Levels 2 and 3 stop by, attracted by the familiar noise, and watch as we do percussion on each other's backs. Forget cooking school, this class should start a band!
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