Resonance – Massage for Body & Mind

Are you curious to find out more about «God’s Breath»? — If you are, then you should go make a massage appointment with Valerie — she’ll get you sorted ;-)
Alright, so you don’t get the wrong idea — God’s Breath is the nickname for an herbal tea (some ginseng or ginger concoction), which not only tastes fantastic, but which also eased me into my first massage appointment with Val. Let me tell you a little bit more about my «encounter» with Valérie:
Val is actually a good friend of mine from uni. When I found out that she had completed her certificate as a massage therapist, all I could think was: «Well, this is kind of the thing that she was born to do; it fits her like a glove!» To be sure, Valérie is an entirely good-​hearted person and syncing up with other people comes natural to her. Which, looking back at it, is exactly why I felt so much at ease with her during the massage appointment.
As I mentioned, it all starts off with a tea: over a beverage Valerie will ask you all sorts of health & life-​related questions (after all, her approach is holistic). Along with the tea, this is already quite different from most run-​of-​the-​mill massage therapists, who usually right away invite you on the table and start kneading your muscles. Valerie, as you can imagine, is different: she wants to get to know you and your life circumstances. After all, everything that we encounter in life, has left some kind of signature on or in our bodies and Valerie makes sure to incorporate this into her practice.
The massage itself was yet another wholly different experience… it started off slowly and got progressively more intense. I really like that Val always checked back with me to see if the pressure was good. What I also liked was, that her strokes ebbed and flowed along with my breathing. (I guess her training as a soon-​to-​be yoga instructor will have come in handy here.) Along the way, she also commented on spots that were giving her (and my body obviously) trouble, which was good to know as the body is a reflection of our souls after all.
Lastly, if you do visit Valérie Hartwich at her massage practice at her house, I do recommend that you visit some of the wonderful cafés nearby. I myself tried out the Hummingbird Café, which offeres great organic food. Perfect, to finish off a journey of bliss and well-​being.
Namaste!