Just Relax

I know I've alluded to the fact that I have a hard time relaxing.  The more I think about it, I realize it actually is a pretty dominant theme in my personality... though I may say otherwise, I'm really not that easy-going.  I have a routine and I like to stick to it.  I have certain classes at the gym I like to take every week, I eat the same two things for breakfast every weekday, I walk to work so that I know exactly how long it will take me, when cooking, I want things chopped a certain way, I like ordering sushi from only one place...  It's not so much that I won't change.  I just prefer not to.  And now I sound crazy.

A few months ago, I purchased a massage/fitness class package at Exhale Spa through Urban Daddy.  The deal was a 60-minute massage and 3 of their Core Fusion classes for $130-- considering that a massage alone is that much, it was an offer too good to pass up. 

When booking, the first question they asked was "male or female"?  Umm..male!  Not that I'm sexist...I'm sure that a female would be great.  I just.. have a lot of tension in my back and needed someone huge to get out the knots.  I went to the Exhale Spa on Madison Avenue.  It was really nice, but not as big, spacious, or serene as I expected.  I was left waiting in the "zen room" for about 10 minutes and I started to worry my massage would now be only 50 minutes.. thankfully my masseuse, Justin, still took me for the full hour.  We were just beginning and he asked when my last massage was-- I instantly said "ohh, about a year ago".  Which is a total lie.  It just came out.  I've had one massage before in my life, when I was in high school.  And I think he knew it was a total lie after about 7 minutes. "Breathe...Lisa, you need to breathe...relax.  You're pushing back against me.  Breathe in through your nose.  It's ok to make noise".  And I'm sweating.  And there are waves crashing.  And in my head I'm thinking: "Ok.  Yoga breathing.  In. Out.  Relax.  Stop holding your arms up.  Wait a minute...am I seriously BAD at getting a massage??"

It took me a good 40 or so minutes to actually get the hang of it, which on one hand I could think of as kind of a waste... but instead I'm looking at it as something I just need to practice.  I need to learn that although life, work, and the city can become stressful and all-consuming, it's so important to take some time to completely focus on yourself.  A massage is not something we normally think of buying for ourselves, but I want to start budgeting it in to treat myself every couple of months.  I think it's something I can get used to...

photo courtesy of Exhale Spa