KEY POINTS:
The Anu Spa menu describes Polynesian Floor Work as "similar to Thai massage".
Now, if you've had a Thai massage before and found it a little too adventurous for your taste, don't let it faze you: while similar in technique, this treatment is not nearly as rigorous, and you can rest assured that you won't be flung through the air or break into a sweat.
In fact, it's part two of the spa menu description that really fits the bill, as I'm about to experience first-hand: "A gentle massage that stretches the body to help realign and balance it. It lengthens the muscles. Leaves you feeling invigorated and alive". Feeling a tad unmotivated (probably a case of seasonal defective disorder) and stiff from too much running with too little stretching, PFW sounds like just the thing for me.
So, here I am, clad in a bathrobe (loose clothing or stretchy jeans are fine too) lying prostrate on my tummy on a mattress, covered in warm, snug blanket. My therapist, Emma Pryor, begins the treatment with what I experience as a mixture of gentle yet firm stretches and acupressure massage, where vital energy points are stimulated to boost energy flow.
She works her way up from my feet, lifts up my legs, rotating them, gently pulling them this way then that, then does similar things to my arms, back and shoulders. Along the way, I become aware of some unexpectedly tight, sore spots around my hips, glutes and calves (immediately, the lack of post-jog stretches spring to mind). Emma, fully in tune with what's happening, gently urges me to take a deep breath in and out through my belly each time I (unconsciously) resist a stretch - as a result, like a miracle the tension in that area completely melts away.
During my hour with Emma, the most gratifying experience I have is on a more metaphysical level. With nearly each release, a question pops up in my mind that I accumulate on my list of "things to ask Emma later". Then, as she applies pressure to my neck and head, the unexpected happens: I strike a blank - a mini memory wipeout. The strangest part about it is that it feels fantastic, as if a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders.
For the remainder of the session, Emma works on my stomach, and the front of my arms, legs and feet as I lie on my back.
It's all a bit of a blur, really, as I continue to revel in my utterly relaxed, meditation-like state. The only downside is having to get up afterwards!
So what is Polynesian Floor Work exactly? Emma explains to me that it's a form of bodywork based on an ancient Kahuna (Hawaiian) form of healing. On a physical level, it works on flushing toxins from the lymph system, restoring energy flow, boosting the immune system and keeping the fascia (the connective tissue that protects and supports every single part of our body, including our muscles) relaxed and supple. Interestingly, fascia also holds memory - which may explain my reaction when Emma began working on my head.
Emma stresses that breath is a crucial part of this therapy.
On an in-breath, she explains, we open ourselves up - it's when the subconscious rises. On the exhale, we release _ and people can experience this release on many different levels, be it physically, mentally, emotionally or a combination of these.
Let's take me as an example. Why am I tight in my hips, glutes and calves? It can be purely physical - Anya being naughty not stretching after running, or it can have deeper reasons. Our glutes, Emma puts it poignantly, is the container of life, it's where our emotion and passion lives.
Our calves, on the other hand, are a stabilising factor and stiffness in this area can be a sign that we're holding on to old emotions. "Our pelvis is what connects us to the earth and what grounds us. In the West, we often lose that connection, and it's all in our heads," Emma says. She may have a point.
Anybody who feels a bit stiff-limbed or down in the dumps will find Polynesian Floor Work more than rewarding, but it's a must for those stressed busy bodies who have trouble shutting off and de-cluttering their minds - and whose bodies are in agony because of it.
- Detours, HoS
