Almost all cultures in this  present age have forgotten that physical manifestation throughout the universe, including the human body are much more than vitalized dead matter: Each form is spirit incarnate. Because of this forgetfulness of  planetary Alzheimer's proportions, we worship the abstract: Concepts,  beliefs, ideas, doctrines, dogmas and opinions. We also look down on and despise the manifest world. We rape and plunder the planet's resources with as much abandon as we rape and plunder our own human resources and  the life force, which is our very sustenance. All cultures throughout the  world, even if they perceive what is happening, are seriously sick. We are  in the process of being eaten with accelerating speed from the inside out by the "ego/mind virus", and at this point most are not even aware of it  yet.

Today, it is essential that any  true spiritual path address the needs of manifest creation, the needs of  our own human bodies, as well as the emotional and mental pollution we  carry in them. A spiritual path for our day and age needs to embrace the  Earth, and it also needs to embrace the body.

This is why bodywork is so important, why exercise and massage is important, and why meditative practices involving the body are important. They address the aspect of  spirit that has for the most part been lost and relegated to the fringes due to our current preoccupation with the concepts in our minds.

Very often, in the cultures that once embraced it, bodywork and massage are not taken seriously. This is not the fault of massage but due to the ignorance inherent in a misguided  perception, which denigrates everything physical by thinking of it as "merely physical". The physical is as much a vehicle of spirit as the mind, and most often it is the more honest and less puffed up and self-important vehicle.

The more enlightened forms of  modern psychology speak of the body/mind as an integral whole. They propose that by healing the body with certain physical techniques, they will also promote psychological balance and a general sense of wellbeing.  This in fact, is the purpose of any good therapy, using the bodywork approach.

Massage and bodywork are not necessarily geared to simply relaxing or whipping inert matter into shape.  Making "you feel good" is not the only concern. It is important to "feel good", as "feeling good& will infuse your life with a much-needed dose of  enthusiasm and positive attitude. However, one of the main purposes in  bodywork is to assist the body/mind in releasing all of the blocked  emotions and memories that usually prevent you from feeling good. It can  also help heal sports injuries and reduce post-operative scar tissue. It helps increase blood and lymph circulation.

Bodywork is an excellent tool and  support for any practicing psychologist or health care worker, which will greatly enhance his or her ability to help others. Body psychology is a significant element in any complete system of bodywork because it enables the therapist to read a patient's overall condition by reading where his  or her emotions are stored in the body. In other words, by directly  perceiving where in the body blocked emotions are stored and feelings are withheld, a bodyworker can choose an appropriate technique to help the  patient make a major energetic shift in his or her life. Moreover, by going through a professional level course of study in massage and  bodywork, the psychologist or participant will have the chance to experience emotions and feelings stored in his or her own body. Through  this first hand experience the student will be better equipped to then apply these direct insights in his or her practice.

Therefore, there is much more  substance and impact to good bodywork and massage than first meets the eye. Good massage and bodywork often incorporates emotional release work.  It can liberate the psyche from the effects of old traumas, and release the charge of unpleasant memories. It is a complete and very fascinating branch of psychology that addresses the whole person. It goes to the root  of a problem, instead of just rearranging patterns of mental projection  (as in classical psychotherapy). It definitely is superior to numbing  symptoms with antidepressants, which all have deleterious side effects.

Bodywork can be of invaluable  help to regain a sense of balance in one's life and then maintain it. The  saner and more balanced individuals are, the happier all of society will be. Happy and sane individuals take care of their environment and share  generously with others. They don't get caught up in the ego's illusory  survival tactics because sanity infers the direct knowledge of  abundance.