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 The Breath in the Stone

Karyn Chabot,D.Ay.,LMT

“ Stones are alive, but they are in a sweet coma.”
Dr. Vasant Lad

 What is stone massage? Some of the most progressive healers in the world are using stones, not to replace the healing hand, but as an adjunct to traditional massage, facials and healing treatments of all kinds.  It is an ancient, enduring form of synergistic therapeutic bodywork, using heated and cooled stones as extensions of the hand.  Pointed, textured stones are used as tools for deep sports massage.   Round, flat, warm stones are laid upon the chakras (wheels of color & energy within the body) as balancing agents.  Smooth, velvety stones are heated in water, then, glided with firm pressure along oiled sore muscles.  Cooled white quartzite stones refresh the face (especially after waxing), refine the pores, and soothe inflamed skin.  Stone bodywork is a harmonious collaboration between the client, the therapist, the divine and the stones.  Be mindful that the beauty of this therapy, and all therapies, is manifested by the transference of deep compassion and trust between the therapist and the client.  This compassion becomes imprinted within the matrix of each stone.

For some people, stone therapy can bring deep tissue release and alignment in body, mind and spirit.  For others, it means gently allowing the heat of the stones to soften tension and melt worries away.  Stone massage doesn’t have to be a slippery, light massage geared to pacify spa junkies.  If you are open and receptive, you can experience an eloquent, deep, structurally restorative, spiritually uplifting, transformational stone massage.  It is paramount that your stone therapist uses proper techniques, highly charged stones at a comfortable temperature, the power of patience and intention, and incorporates highly textured stones in combination with traditional hand and elbow massage.

If you ask anyone who has experienced a really powerful stone massage, they will typically use the adjective, “grounded” somewhere in the description of how they felt as the stones were glided and laid upon their body.  Ms. Meghan Greer, a stone massage addict shares her testimonial. Smiling widely, “I have more awareness in my legs…I can feel them supporting me as I walk…I can feel my feet touch the earth…this is profound!“  Skilled stone therapists are taught to work with earth energy, which enhances the downward flow in the body, called apana vayu.  Apana vayu is a Sanskrit term derived from the ancient ayurvedic texts of India. 

The focus of stone massage is to anchor the root (muladhara) chakra and the second (svadhisthana) chakra.  These are the chakras that help our bodies stay connected to the earth.  Most people, in our technological, urban society feel disconnected, rushed, high on coffee, chaotic, over stimulated and stressed out.  The quietude we are in search of comes from within, especially if we can observe our thoughts, then, observe the observer.  The warmth, energy and texture from the stones help distract us from our busy, scattered minds, imparting a tangible, quiet focus.  This is especially true if you use sea stones.  Sea stones sooth the body on all levels, similar to the waves of an ocean.  When a stone therapist works with the downward flow in the body and anchors the lower chakras, the client will experience one of the highest platforms for restoring wholeness and balance in a world where people eat their lunch while they are driving and read their email while listening to their voicemail.

The Shakti Factor in the Stones
Among many definitions, Shakti can be described as cosmic prana.  It is also the counter part to Shiva, in Vedic traditions. Shiva would be the vibration of the male aspect of the cosmos and Shakti would be the vibration of the feminine aspect.  Prana can be regarded as ki or chi, as described in oriental medicine.  Literally, prana is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘before breath.’ So, to make it simple and relevant, Shakti is the divine breath of the Mother within the stone.

Healers are vessels for Divine light and energy. Similarly, stones are conduits with the same dharma, which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘one’s mission in life’. We can infuse the stones with the power of mantra, breath, prayer, love, good intention, color and compassion. We know that atoms are made of swirling microcosms of energy, of life.  Holding a stone is analogous to cradling a living stone galaxy within the palm of your hand!  It is a microcosmic house of energy we can call divine, a house of God. It tells us that life really matters, since matter has life. In Latin, by the way, the word matter is cognate to mother (mater). 

There are some things that greatly reduce the Shakti in the stone.  Be sure to ask your stone therapist where their stones are from and if they have been polished or mechanically tumbled.  Mechanically tumbled stones have less healing power than stones that have been naturally tumbled by ocean waves.  Polishing a stone can be synonymous with sun-burning.  If you can compare the surface of a stone to the skin on a human, you can understand why this mechanical process is weakening.  The adept practitioner will keep stones raw and not polish them.  For the expert, a refined stone loses some if its beneficial effects and powers. 

When a stone is polished, the surface undergoes a sealing process, greatly reducing or even eliminating its frequency altogether. The matrix, which is the internal, sub-atomic material within the stone, will be damaged and the electromagnetic field weakened.  Fluorite and jasper are especially vulnerable to losing power when they are polished.  Polishing a stone can prevent it from reaching its highest vibration. A stone’s chemistry, frequency at which they vibrate and geometrical form will determine it’s healing potential. 

There are six things that reduce the Shakti factor within stones. 

1) Storing stones in plastic bags without thought or exposure to the elements.  2) Harvesting stones without prayer, gratitude and reverence for mother earth.  3) Mechanically tumbling or polishing stones.  4) Overusing bacteria-ridden stones that have never been recharged.  5) Using harsh chemicals on the stones. 6) Using the stones without respect.

There are seven things that increase the Shakti factor within stones. 

1) Instilling your stones with mantra, prayer or Reiki.  2) Harvesting your stones according to the cycles of the moon with reverence, gratitude and honor to Mother Earth. 3) Storing your stones in sacred geometrical patterns or piling them in the form of Buddhist stuppas.  4) Exposing your stones to the elements at least once a week for at least 3 days.  5) Exposing your stones to an electrical storm. (Notice they subtly vibrate in your hand!) 6) Cleaning your stones with gentle soap and recharging them.  7) Using your stones for healing.

Thermal Radiance Quotient
Stone massage is a form of thermal hydro-therapy.  If you integrate cool stones, then it’s a form of cryo-therapy as well.  When you alternate the temperatures, it’s called Contrast Hydro-Therapy.  This will expand and constriction the blood vessels, stimulating vascular gymnastics and supporting lymphatic drainage. Consequently, the skin will appear rosy and firm, pain and swelling will be reduced and vitality restored. 

 Stones are like little radiators of heat. According to clinical research, the term Thermal Radiance Quotient can be described as the measured length and rate of time in which a stone gives off heat.  Stones are rated in terms of high, medium and low thermal radiance.  New England sea stones, typically classified as metamorphic, tend to give off heat at a slow, steady rate, for an enduring period of time. They would be considered to have a high thermal radiance quotient.

Stones found along the inland rivers, near dormant volcanoes, tend to get hot very quickly, increasing the burn factor.  The rate at which they give off heat is intense, accelerated and sometimes unpredictable.  Basalt stones would be considered to have a low to medium thermal radiance quotient.  Stones being sold over the Internet or in magazines are typically basalt.  This does not mean basalt stones are inferior to sea stones, merely different.  Ninety percent of the stones used at spas around the country are basalt.

Mafic basalt, generally an igneous stone, is dark-colored and high in iron-rich minerals.  Hence the name mafic, which means a dark colored, iron/magnesium rich stone. They can become metamorphic if after their igneous origin, they are subjected to high temperature and/or pressure.  In that case, their mineralogy and texture would change.  These metamorphic basalt stones are called greenstones.  All basalt stones originate from hardened volcanic ash.          

Where to Find Healing Stones: Sacred Geology 101
People who wish to use stones for massage, should find them within close proximity to their homes, healing centers or spas, along beaches or riverbeds.  New England beaches are blessed with an abundance of smooth and textured stones of all colors, which are ideal for heated and cooled stone massage.  Stones found along the coastlines reflect the kind of bedrock at their source (usually not too far away). Since the local bedrock may be quite diverse, the stones at the coast may also vary from one locale to another.  For example, coastal areas near Narragansett Bay are dominated by schist and phyllite derived from the Rhode Island Formation just to the north.  Along the west Rhode Island coast, most of the stones are various granites and metamorphic gneisses derived from the nearby stones to the north.

New England stones are made from bedrock that was spit out from deep within the earth’s core millions of years ago.  These stones can be classified as mineral composites, consisting mostly of granitic, metamorphic minerals.  Some granites contain small amounts of magnetite, which makes them slightly more magnetic.

Magnet therapy is a highly effective way to re-align the electromagnetic field of the body, reduce pain and accelerate healing.  People are wearing them in their shoes, adhering them on their spines, and strapping them around their torso’s to help alleviate back pain.  They are even putting them in mattresses and car seats.   The most prestigious medical doctors around the country are successfully prescribing magnet therapy to their patients for pain relief. 

Stones act like magnets on a subtle level, drawing out repressed emotion, deep sorrow and pain, transforming them, if the client is ready for transformation. They help re-organize the structure of the energetic human anatomy and assist in polarizing imbalances within the physical body.  Nearly all minerals possess some magnetic character. 

The darker colored stones tend to get hotter and stay hotter for longer periods of time. The darker ones have the most iron and the highest magnetic intensity. The grayish stones can get very hot too, but they don’t get as hot as the darker one. The differences are very subtle.  Beware that using the hottest stones can also increase the potential to burn. The gray stones are very safe, predictable and easy to work with.  Therefore, it is best to use a mixture of many different colors, shapes, textures and minerals.

 Personality Shapes the Stone
Stones are not just conductors of heat or magnetism; they are radiators of the vibration, disposition and personality of the therapist.  The geological constituents within a stone are valuable pieces of information, but more importantly, the therapist behind the stone is what will make or break the stone massage. Nevertheless, the therapist and the stones have distinguishing personalities, and each of them should be carefully considered before you begin a stone massage.

Basalt stones are residue of volcanic eruption, so their personality and energy is eruptive, stimulating and activating.  Anyone searching for a new direction in life or in need of a change would do well with an active stroking basalt massage.  This will also help alleviate stagnation on all levels.

The shape of a stone is something to consider as well.  Herbalists know that the shape of an herb, bush or plant, can often resemble the part of the human body that it would have an affinity to heal.  We can incorporate this principle into stone healing.  Hence, a stone placed under the sacrum, would ideally resemble the shape of the sacrum bone.  A stone placed on the heart would ideally have the shape of a heart.  Stones placed along the erector spinae would ideally have the long shape of those muscles and so forth. 

Many of the stones found in New England are round and flat. They simulate the feeling of an old fashion flatiron smoothing over the surface of the muscles, covering a lot of space with one stroke.  We can call them nature’s flatiron.  They are very easy to grip and manipulate.  Typically, the stones sold inexpensively in magazines are all the same size. They are usually small, round and spherical.  They are difficult to grip and don’t cover as much surface as the flat stones.

          Please Take Caution With These Conditions:

Children, pregnant women and the elderly should be treated more gently and with less extreme temperatures. People with skin conditions, such as eczema, rashes, acne, psoriasis should avoid the heat.  People with numb skin due to skin graphing or neuropathy should be extra cautious.  Anyone on medication that causes skin hypersensitivity, i.e., antibiotics, accutane, should wait until they are off the medication.  People who are extremely obese, perspire profusely, have a fever or swollen glands should avoid thermo-therapy.  People with heart conditions should avoid the extreme contrast between heated and cooled stones so as not to shock their delicate systems.  People with varicose veins, open wounds or infected skin conditions should request that the therapist avoid these areas. People should not wear bulky jewelry during stone massage, as it interferes with the work of the stones. 

If you have a ruptured, herniated or deteriorated disk, or bony protuberances, or osteoporosis, be sure the stone therapist doesn’t use heavy stones directly over your spine.  Do not receive a micro-dermabrasion, waxing, glycolic acid peel or any other professional peel within one week of a heated stone facial.  Your stone therapist should not put cold stones and crystal in your hands.  The hands are extensions of the heart.  Cold temperatures constrict and repress emotions, shutting down the heart chakra.  Exceptions: high pitta conditions.  Pitta represents the fire element, according to the science of ayurveda.  If you are in an angry mood, ask your stone therapist to turn the temperature of the heating unit down or do a traditional massage without heated stones.  Using cool white quartzite stones on the face will help reduce anger.  

If you are in the early stages of pregnancy or if a person is experiencing diarrhea, be sure your stone therapist doesn’t spin your belly stone clockwise.  The clockwise direction will release and loosen an already loose chakra.  Conversely, the counter clockwise direction will tighten the chakra.  So, avoid the counter clockwise direction if you are experiencing constipation.   Don’t allow anyone to manipulate your chakras unless you have given permission.  In any case, it is the body’s innate intelligence (the divinity within) that ultimately heals the chakras.  The stones merely create a space for this natural intelligence to unfold.

 If a stone slips off an area more than once, use your intuition as to why.  It may be an indication that the stone doesn’t need to be on that body part.  Stones have consciousness and awareness.  Consider that a particular stone that has fallen or slipped off should be removed because it needs to be recharged or it should be placed on a different area of the body.

Several Ways To Recharge Your Stones:

At the end of everyday, the stones and the heating unit should be cleaned with a biodegradable, gentle soap.  At the end of every week, the stones should be recharged and cleared.  This can be done several ways.  You may leave them outside for 3 days in the sun and rain.  If your stones are from the sea, bring them to the shore and give them a quick bath or fill a bucket up with sea water to pour over them. You can also smudge the stones with frankincense or sage. Placing them on top of a large amethyst geode crystal cluster for 3 days will automatically clear your stones and crystals.  According to Dr. Vasant Lad, placing them in the freezer for 3 days will renew the stones.  Arrange them in a "Buddhist Stuppa", which is piling them one on top of the other with a prayer intention.  Surround them with white light, or use Reiki symbols directly on the stones once each day for 3 days.  According to ayurveda, soaking a crystal in milk for 3 days will remove negativity.  Music and mantra will allow your stones to sleep sweetly in their comas.

 The Benefits of Stone Bodywork:

• Increases circulation, lymph and vitality.

• Promotes the release of toxins and eliminates excess.

• When used with castor oil, it reduces cellulite dramatically.

• The residue of sea salt from the sea stones, purify and balance the electromagnetic field.

• Irons out tight muscles, softening the tissue with heat.

• Balances the chakras when the stones are spun correctly.

• Sedates the central nervous system when the stones are laid upon the spinal column.

• Relieves sinus pressure.

• Reduces puffy eyes.

• Firms the skin on the face by alternating hot and cold stones, stimulating vascular gymnastics.

• Grounds the body by reducing the wind (vata) element within the body.

• Improves the tone of visceral organs.

• Aids in elimination by alternating hot and cold stones, stimulating peristalsis.

• Increases kinesthetic awareness of the body by alternating textured and smooth stones.

• Gently exfoliates the skin, enhancing liver function.

• Incorporates sound and vibration, i.e., clicking, tapping.

• Reduces inflammatory conditions with the use of cool stones.

• Reduces the “tickle factor”.

• Adds more energy to the session since stones are living, swirling microcosms of energy.

• Renews the sweetness of life.

Karyn Chabot,D.Ay.,LMT is the owner of Sacred Stone Healing Spa and School in Newport County, RI.  She is a graduate of The Ayurvedic Institute in NM, and has her bachelor’s degree in alternative health and fitness.  Contact Karyn at 877-832-1372 (toll free)  Karyn@sacredstonehealing.com    www.sacredstonehealing.com