Nora Matten
Esalen®Massage
View of the Big Sur Coast from the deck at Esalen Institute
Women receiving a massage, practitioner has one hand on her heart the other below her neck
Women receiving a massage in the side lying position with practitioners hands on her back.
View of the Big Sur Coast from the deck at Esalen Institute
“How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its
Beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its Being.
Otherwise,
We all remain
Too
Frightened”
― Hafez
In today's world there are so many modalities and practices to choose from why choose Esalen Massage?
Esalen® Massage is a holistic approach to bodywork in which the whole person is considered, contacted and worked with. Esalen Massage is best known for its long flowing strokes and quality of touch and contact. It integrates many techniques, including soft rocking, passive movement and joint mobilization, stretching and deeper work on specific parts of the body. It encourages a greater awareness of one's body, stimulates the skin, circulatory and lymphatic systems and relaxes the muscular and nervous systems. It invites a fuller sense of fluidity, spaciousness and vitality.
During a session we work with long, flowing strokes over the entire body, creating a sense of wholeness and deep connection to one's body. It is as if the practitioner sees the body as a canvas: the beginning strokes prime the canvas and give the client a sense of their whole body, then slowly filling in the colors by giving attention to specific areas, exploring the range of motion of joints and the density and malleability of tissue, to then return our attention back to the whole. The receiver learns to sense and experience his body as a whole while also becoming intimately familiar with its parts.
The Esalen Massage practice allows each practitioner to integrate the tools and practices they brings to the table and allows for a creative responds to the clients needs in the moment. In this way each session becomes unique and tailored to what is needed in the moment. I believe that when touch is connected to our sensing and feeling nature and responds to what is here in the present moment, massage moves beyond technique into the art of healing.
Many times I have heard clients say:".... this was the best massage I have ever had"
The Roots of Esalen®Massage
Esalen Massage was developed at the Esalen Institute in the mid-1960s.
Emerging from the Human Potential Movement, it was influenced by the evolving Gestalt Therapy work at Esalen and by some of the great pioneers of bodywork, including:
-
Charlotte Selver – Sensory Awareness
-
Ida Rolf – Structural Integration
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Moshe Feldenkrais – Feldenkrais Method
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Milton Trager – The Trager Approach
Located along the cliffs of Big Sur, with hot springs and massage rooms overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Esalen Massage was also shaped by the rhythm and sound of the ocean.
The long, flowing strokes reflect that rhythm — continuous, connected, and deeply attuned.
About my Sessions
If we haven’t yet had the pleasure of working together, let me share a little about my practice.
In my Esalen® Massage sessions, I integrate a range of modalities including deep tissue, Thai massage, craniosacral work, and subtle energy awareness.
My intention is to meet you where you are and to invite change through awareness.
Whether you are experiencing aches and pains and are looking for focused work to release tension and discomfort, or you simply wish to reconnect more deeply with your body in a nurturing and spacious way, I will tailor the session to your needs.
Our time begins with a brief check-in. This allows me to learn about you and anything important regarding your body, and it gives you time to arrive in the space and ask questions.
Once on the table, I begin by making contact through the sheet before moving to direct contact with the skin. During the session, I work from the general to the specific and back to the general — applying deeper work where needed and pausing at times to allow for integration.
At the end of the session, I fully drape your body, wipe your feet with a warm cloth, and give you time to rest and integrate before we close.
