Massage Therapy and Rock Drumming
As a kid I was often taught the phrase; “If you do what you love, money will follow.” So I have always chased ambitions which have affected my soul.
For two decades, I have played drums in rock bands. For a decade, I have been a professional massage therapist. How the heck did that happen? Why would a professional drummer become a massage therapist?
In comparing my passion for writing and performing music, and the passion I have for executing balanced massage therapy sessions for my clients, I have stumbled upon some similarities that punctuate how following ones passions will bring fulfillment and joy to the self and to aspects of humanity that need it. When I examine the similarities, I see that becoming a massage therapist wasn’t that much of a stretch from aspiring to rock stardom.
Playing music with others has taught me many things. One of my jobs as a drummer is to keep tempo for the band. Every song feels different depending on how fast or slow it is played. Being mindful of each song’s tempo brings about an awareness to the music that is sometimes easily overlooked. I have worked for hours on end with a device called a metronome to keep me locked into the set tempo of a song. Likewise, in a massage session, every body has its own sense of tempo. It is my job to follow the metronome innate in each session. I must listen intuitively to the body of everyone I massage each and every time I work on them. Each body maintains its own tempo and rhythm and the massage session can feel very incongruent if that tempo is overlooked.
Learning the nuances of writing drum parts took many, many years. Transitioning from merely hitting things in tempo with sticks to creating complex rhythm patterns helping to guide pieces of music is not necessarily a quick evolution. I can listen back to recordings I did 10 years ago and now hear ways that I could’ve more subtly played drum parts to better accentuate the songs. There were times I overplayed instead of keeping it simple. Now after a decade of performing massage, I see that a similar evolution has taken place. There is no need to show off myriad massage techniques just for the sake of it. The most important aspects of my massage sessions now revolve around simply doing what is best for the body in that moment and omitting unnecessary movements. If each massage session is like a piece of music, it is important that I use the correct techniques and tools with the appropriate nuances and necessary pressure in order to best care for my clients’ individual needs for that particular session.
Several years ago I realized that the ability to play music was not something that should feed my ego. More so, I realized that perhaps I was actually the instrument! Perhaps some greater consciousness was using me to express the music that my body was creating through the pieces of wood and metal I played.
Such is the same with my work in massage. I do not ake my training and abilities for granted. I am passionate about music and massage in the same way because I truly believe that both abilities have been gifts given to me to help humanity. Through music, I give enjoyment with performances and recordings. Sharing the art of music with people who love it creates a strong human connection. And the sense of community and comradery that comes from playing music with others is a magical bond. Through massage, I give care, pain relief, relaxation, rejuvenation, equilibrium, joy, and a sense of well-being to my clients. Relationships that I have made through helping my clients are just as strong as those I have made through playing music. I am grateful that I have been able to do what I love. As for the money? Yes, indeed, it has followed. But the passion for what I do still remains the most important aspect of the phrase.