Workshop Details

Spiritual Massage is a hands-on healing practice that works directly on the energy body, balancing the chakras, cleansing old thought forms, and gently facilitating release of emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages. Born into a family of healers with a generations-old tradition, Maria Lucia Bittencourt Sauer studied with healers in her native Brazil, where Spiritism—receiving healing knowledge from the spirit world—is familiar to much of the population. In 1979 she came to Esalen and was sponsored by Esalen cofounder Richard Price to learn Spiritual Massage from Brazilian healer Luiz Gasparetto.
Maria presents practical methods for using the hands as instruments of physical and spiritual healing. Incorporating both hands-on and energetic work, Spiritual Massage emphasizes intentionality as the fundamental tool of any healing art designed to move energy. The workshop includes exercises for grounding and attuning to energy, as well as Afro-Brazilian shamanic practices for self-protection. Special exercises help prepare the group energy field for channeling sessions done by Maria Lucia (please bring questions). Emotional release work and group healing process are integrated as they emerge.
This work is accessible to anyone, including health professionals, bodyworkers, businessmen, counselors, and all those interested in working with energy and people's bodies.
This workshop can be taken on its own or in combination with Maria's Spiritual Massage and Shaman Ways five-day workshop, February 17-22.
Recommended reading: Kardec, The Spirits’ Book and The Book on Mediums; Richelieu, A Soul's Journey.