Balinese Massage - a slice of heaven from the island of the gods.

In 2011 I spent the summer in beautiful Bali training in Traditional Balinese Massage and Spa Treatments.  The Balinese massage is a favourite among my clients.

I’m often asked “What is different about a Balinese massage”.  So I will explain it for you….

The first and most important factor is the attitude towards massage in the Far East being very different to that of most Western countries.  

In Bali (along with many other Asian countries) massage is used for health and healing rather than pure relaxation or a special treat on birthdays or mothers day like it is here!  

In Bali mother’s will massage their children DAILY and adults will receive massage a few times per week. This is because they know that massage helps the flow of Prana (or chi or energy) the lifeforce that runs throughout our beings and keeps us in perfect balance.  

When this energy becomes blocked or stuck then problems will arise in the body and also in the mind and emotions.  To keep a perfect healthy balance, massage (or Reflexology, energy healing etc) is essential.

Traditionally in Bali, massage was only performed by men – healers known as Balians (traditional Balinese healers who work with divine energy).  The Balinese still use these healers to this day and they will use massage (along with herbal remedies and energy healing) to treat anything from a headache to cancer to a broken leg – Something that is unheard of in this part of the world.  

The thing that struck me as truly awesome is that the Balinese live equally in two worlds: the seen or conscious world called sekala and the unseen or psychic world, called niskala. So they truly do live in spirit and they understand the importance of holistic healing techniques which work on the mind, body and spirit.

The Balinese massage begins with a process of gentle stretching and acupressure.  These techniques immediately work on the Sen lines (or meridians) which restore the flow of energy throughout the body.  Pressing these points stimulate energy flow in the Sen, and release blockages or stagnation which result in pain in the body.  

This is a process that is used in all Asian massage, but has been lost in Swedish massage which I view as a more “physical” massage, although on some level ALL massage works on the energy of the person, not just the body.

Traditionally a Balinese massage from a Balian would be very painful.  They go straight to the cause of the pain and begin to clear the blockage – often using elbows, fists, knees and feet to work deeply into the tissue!  

You’ll be pleased to hear, this does not happen in the Balinese massage that is now taught to students like myself. When tourism began to grow in Bali in the 1960s, they took notes from their neighbours in Java, Indonesia – who are famous for their indulgent spa flower petal baths, and luxurious massages which were originally only performed for Royalty in Java.  

The Balinese incorporated these more relaxing parts of massage, along with techniques from Ayurvedic massage in India, and later still took elements from Swedish massage for those Western tourists who were not used to very deep massage pressure.  

While some techniques are similar to Swedish massage, the difference is in Balinese massage these techniques are performed very slowly (for deep relaxation) and very deep (to clear energy blockages).  

We then incorporate some traditional Balinese techniques which include in very technical Balinese terms “The Spider”  and “The Kecak” (named after a traditional Balinese dance) and the Lomi-Lomi (traditionally used in Hawaii).  

Traditionally Balinese massage is performed with deep pressure, but this can be lightened up for you here at Devata if you wish.  Also the Balinese will always massage the stomach as this is so beneficial for colon health and for the reproductive system – another thing which is often left out of Swedish massage mainly due to some people’s embarrassment of their wobbly bellies!  

I don't just recommend abdominal massage, I insist on it!  Over the years that I've been practising Balinese massage, and later the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage, I have learned just how important it is, especially for women.

Abdominal massage will help promote blood flow to ALL the many organs that live in that region and you'll agree there are some pretty significant ones - your liver, stomach, pancreas, duodenum, large and small intestines and of course your womb!

Good blood flow leads to these organs working more optimally.

And because we tend to store a lot of emotional trauma in these organs too, abdominal massage can work on the deepest layer - your emotional body.