The contemplative journey is about going within, being at home inside, and being willing to soften to acceptance and surrender. Just as meditation can support the body’s need for physical healing, so attending to the body’s wellbeing can support the inner work of contemplation.
Offered here is an opportunity to experience therapeutic massage and meditation practice as mutually complementary and strengthening: an approach to spiritual development and physical health involving both body and spirit, all held in prayerful silence.
If you have muscular aches and problems, or if you would simply like to nurture your body through remedial massage, you are invited to come along on a Wednesday evening at St Augustine’s, before the Centering Prayer group, for a half-hour session with Olaf.
Olaf (pictured left) is a qualified and insured massage therapist. As well as having a massage clinic in London, Olaf runs an annual Health Retreat in Essex and visits clients at their home for remedial or relaxation massage. He has massaged on and off for most of his adult life, following his mother, and full time for the last nine years or so, much of it at the now closed Shrubland Hall Health Clinic. His massage includes precision and detail, can be done over clothing, and is tailored to precisely suit the situation and the individual.
Olaf says: 'I hope this opportunity may attract people to remedial massage for the benefit of both body and spirit. Working in a church setting is a new development for me, and the process will be one of continual review. In time, experience will help me refine my ideas about how the work can best support individuals in the contemplative journey. For myself, I’d be getting some answers to questions, and will have the satisfaction of working in a setting which suits my heart.'
Voluntary donations will be invited - £12 for each half-hour session is offered as a guideline. The money, less costs, will go to the Centering Prayer group/St Augustine’s.
Phone 07887 604205 or email olafmassage@googlemail.com to book. Half-hour slots are available at 5.45pm, 6.15pm, and 6.45pm.
