“To every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” – Sir Isaac Newton
Our ministry host, Dave, is a man who is well versed in the arts of holistic healing in the form of massage therapy as well as martial arts. So it was we were to receive a crash course on both. First we were instructed in a heavenly two-hour massage therapy class and the following day my team and I participated in an Arnis fighting class.
We partnered up in our living room and pulled out our sleeping pads. Taking turns giving and receiving the massage we proceeded to learn a plethora of fascinating techniques. We began by slowly applying pressure to the persons back and working our way down the spine, stopping and holding pressure on six different points down the back and then back up. Next we took a similar approach working the pressure down along the shoulders and back in warming up the muscles and breaking up the lactic acid build-ups. We then proceeded to pick out about eighteen points along the spine to apply pressure and massage to tissue in a circular motion. By this point in time the person on the sleeping pad is totally passed out in a pool of their own sweat and drool. Okay, time to turn over and learn the head and neck portion to re-center ones energy. The person on the mat turns over and the masseuse begins working their way up the neck using the same pressure point method coupled with a circular motion if desired. We then learned how to find a location on a person referred to as ‘the gates of consciousness’. We were instructed to hold pressure on this place for at least two minutes then massage the temples, apply light pressure to the back of the head and the forehead using a single finger, and then move our hands to the sides of the persons face, hold for a few seconds and then slowly move away. The whole session created a much-needed atmosphere of peace and relaxation. I don’t think those who wish to practice their technique and continue to prefect this skill will find it hard to get a volunteer.
The next day was ‘Arnis in the Plaza’ day. To give a bit of insight, Arnis is an ancient form of martial arts that involves the use of bamboo sticks as the weapon. We partnered up, grabbed two sticks per person and found space in the plaza to practice our moves. We learned several different types of hits and attack moves as well as a few tricks to disarm a person. Some local Filipino children joined us and we continued to practice our newfound art of defense. Our slow calculated movements quickly escalated in to flat out battles which spanned across a court yard, up several flights of stairs and finally finished on the balcony of the town hall over looking the town center. I felt like we were accurately acting out an intense battle scene from the Disney cartoon, ‘Mulan’.
First of all, I think it is safe to say we are all accomplished worriers now, secondly, we do have footage.
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