It is a system of bodywork designed by Australian trained Naturopath Brandon Raynor to find and get rid of tension. It is a modern day holistic deep tissue meridian massage that can affect the skeletal, endocrine, lymphatic, nervous and eliminatory systems and the emotions as well as the muscular system. This is not just a massage to feel good but a massage that gets rid of tension and gets the chi moving smoothly through the body.
Raynor holistic deep tissue massage is a hybrid multi-cultural massage - as well as being a unique form of massage that incorporates many forms of eastern and western techniques: Thai, Shiatsu, Lomi Lomi, traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Reflexology, Swedish, Sport, Deep Tissue, Yoga breathwork. All these techniques are integrated and evolved to fit in with the simple philosophy of find every bit of tension in the body and get rid of it. It is not a routine massage but tailored to each person's needs at the time. One of the most important aspects of Lomi Lomi that Raynor massage incorporates: is the principal of the therapist coming from the spirit of Aloha when giving a massage. Aloha is used for saying hello, or goodbye, or be happy with, but its deeper meaning is the joyful sharing (oho) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo). If you share this energy you become attuned to the universal power that Huna's call Mana. This is the life force energy used in a Reiki treatment as well.
Certain parts of the body such as abdomen, sacrum, hips, feet, hands and head are areas that hold a lot of stagnation and blockage of the life force and freeing them up is of great benefit not in the areas concerned but also to the whole being.
The goal of Raynor massage is to find any residual tension or blockage and get rid of it. (Residual tension in the body comes from emotional stress or stress related reasons.) A blockage in the flow of Chi/energy causes an area of the physical body to become tight, inflexible or forced out of position in the case of bones. The body is one holistic organism so the massage takes into account the whole person – mind, body, emotions and spirit. If one part of the body is tight, that area is being held tight by another area which could be held tight by another area again. The subtle body of emotions and the gross physical body are related. So some tension may not be got rid of in the body unless the corresponding emotion is also released.
Raynor massage recognises the importance of the healing crisis: this is when toxins or old emotions are stirred up and a person feels worse before they get better. Deep body work is a massage that gets rid of tension and can be very uncomfortable as it can result in a healing crisis – but as the person's healing crisis finishes their body should feel a lot better, have more mobility and a general feeling of being more relaxed. Relax means to bring back to a state of looseness (re – to bring back and lax means loose). So Raynor Massage is actually a form of deep relaxation massage.
How often should I get a Raynor massage? Initial treatments are called "excavation" treatments that access old deep-seated tension that tends to produce the most pain and discomfort. For many people there may be 10 or 20 hours of treatment required to get them to the stage where maintenance massage will be required. This depends on how much tension is in the body and the working together between client and practitioner. Once a person has had enough excavation massage to bring them to the point of having their muscular tension released then they are ready for maintenance massage. Some people need a maintenance massage every week, some once a month. It depends on the individual body and psychological types as well as the amount of stress a person accumulates. If at the end of a session you do not feel total body relaxation, then the maintenance sessions need to be closer together. Maintenance massage does not usually hurt and generally feels good as the tension has not set in deeply.
Raynor massage is not your general feel good massage as it involves the recipient breathing and working with the therapist. It may take a fair number of treatments to show results. There is often a healing crisis which can take a few days to pass: a dull headache, to flu like symptoms – once these go you feel amazing. It does however work within your pain threshold and is a great massage to experience just as much as it is for the giver to administer.
All contra-indications from Shiatsu apply to Raynor Massage.