Why is it important to receive Pantarei sessions now?

Monday, last week, we were back, teaching our Pantarei practitioner training program, hands-on. We have sorely missed this element of connection and touch. Over the last few months we were limited to giving online workshops. And, although we thoroughly enjoyed them, there is nothing like being in the physical presence of the people you love. Being in front of class, training together and guiding students while they give and receive sessions, is so powerful. Indeed, the smell of disinfectant gels, and seeing our students with their face-masks on is not exactly how we envisioned our classes in 2020. However, the feeling of being in class and teaching Pantarei, felt so good.

Are people even open for sessions right now?

Alongside the great joy that everyone shared at being able to meet again and continue the training course, were some professional concerns. Would clients come to receive Pantarei sessions at this time? How could they? We offer a service that is a privilege, isn’t it? People are busy with so many fundamental things right now. Would they even find time for a hands-on session?

These questions made me smile, as I knew full well how to answer them. There was no need for me to convince anyone of the importance of our profession at this time. Rather, I wanted each student to feel the significance of Pantarei themselves. And thus to answer from their own experience.

I divided the class into pairs. One person was the “practitioner”, the other, the “client”. The clients all sat on a chair, while their practitioner, stood behind them.

A 10 minute “hello”

“You have the next 10 minutes to touch your client’s shoulders, back and neck,” I told them. “Let your hands express themselves. Let yourself touch from your heart and soul. Use your hands and notice how they are connected to your feet and hips. Let your hands say: “Hello”, to your classmate and colleague. Let your hands remind them of their own body; their own existence.”

I reminded the “clients” that they could answer back, allowing their body to move and express itself. When a hand was placed on their shoulder, they could move with it. And when hands moved along their back, they could respond by breathing toward those places. When the hands of their “practitioner” moved on their body, they could move with them freely.

Sounds of joy filled the room. Some students found their space to cry. Emotions were free to flow and be expressed. I heard some students whisper: “Please, let these ten minutes never end”. Others were able to take deeper breaths. And the room was filled with movement. It looked like the students were dancing, expanding, and taking up more space.

After the 10 minutes were up, it was already clear that the initial answers had become tangible. We surely need this kind of physical communication more than we would like to admit. It might be exactly in this period of greater distancing and isolation that people need a hand, in getting back their strength; their core.

Adding a few words

“The session is not over yet”, I said, and saw such relief expressed across all the faces in the room. I invited the students to sit together in their pairs. Whoever was the “practitioner”, should get to know how their “client” felt.

“Ask questions, like: How are you? How do you feel? What has been happening in your life over the last few months? How are your current challenges impacting your life?”

What previously was an expression through movement, transformed into an expression through words. There was so much to say. Each student giving a voice to their unique situation. Each student expressing their unique challenges and individual wishes. I could hear them talk about everything, from the loneliness they faced during these last few months to the surprising benefits they gained through the Coronavirus restrictions. Some talked about challenges they had in their relationships and in their profession. Some talked about their fears. Others talked about their vision and hope for the future.

After some time, I asked them to go back to working hands-on. “Now, return to using touch”, I instructed them.

The power of touch & what it can say

Again they focused their touch on the shoulders, back and neck. Only this time with the added background information of the person they were touching. It was obvious that the clarity they had gained about their client’s challenges, added more value to their interaction. I could see their hands able to communicate with greater clarity. I felt as if I could understand what they wanted to say through their touch. One student’s hands communicated: “It is all okay”. Someone else’s said: “Just allow it”. Some hands said: “I care for you”, while others encouraged their clients to take up more and more space.

I continued to guide them in their session. “Answer your client’s wishes with your touch. Let their shoulders realize that you are listening to them. Let their neck feel you and your empathy.” My instructions helped turn their touch into real sessions. Communication became so much more than what could be said with words alone.

Being here

After the session, the students all rested for a few minutes with their eyes closed. As soon as they opened their eyes again, I could tell that it was a powerful experience for them. They had truly arrived in the class and in their body.

How was it? I asked

“So simple, yet so important.” “It was just what I needed right now,” came the answers.

We developed the conversation, and the feeling was unanimous. People need sessions these days. The thirst for human touch is everywhere. The need to be touched, to be held, to be heard is so strong. We all need a place to digest all that has happened and is still happening in us, and around us.

We all need to experience someone supporting us while we expand and feel our own body, our own emotions, our own life.

A profession that gives

We are lucky to have a profession that can give so much. Whether you need a space in which to express your sadness, your emotional or physical pain; or whether you were benefited by the Coronavirus restrictions and need a place to fully allow your excitement and joy, Pantarei sessions can give this to you.

Most of us have mixed emotions and are still trying to process the events of the last few months. There are things we can be grateful for. Things that wouldn’t have happened under the circumstances we are used to. And there are things we wish we would never have to deal with. Experiencing this mix of feelings in our own body is something we all need.

A Pantarei session for you

Feel our own being, and with it, remember who we are, what we want and how we would like to live. How would you like to use this period of time? Are you able to let it add to your unique strength? How can you allow this full range of emotions and not lose yourself in the mix?

My suggestion: go for a Pantarei session. Feel connected. Be touched. It is needed more than ever. More than you can even begin to imagine.

By Vered Manasse