Holistic Healing Bodywork combines Eastern and Western philosophies of health and balance and takes into consideration the emotional and spiritual "bodies" that we all carry around with us in addition to the physical body. We feel the effects of these more subtle energetic bodies manifesting in our physical bodies, in our relationships, our sexuality, our moods, and in our ability to engage effectively with the world. In a Holistic Healing Bodywork Session we address not just your whole body but your whole being, paying close attention to all the factors that contribute to your state of balance and sense of wellness throughout the day, treating your subtle body with the same care and attention that your physical body receives during a Standard Bodywork Session. Passionate energies within your system will be awakened and blocks removed, creating feelings of deep bliss and openness and fostering greater connectivity in your relationship with yourself, with those close to you, and with the world around you. Benefits of a holistic approach to healing include an overall decrease in stress and tension, profound relief from muscular aches and pains, a loosening of stiff joints and support for greater mobility, fortification of the immune system resulting in greater resistance to infections, the stimulation of circulation and the improved removal of waste products via the lymphatic system, noticeably nourished and supple skin, and a more smoothly functioning digestive system, all of which promote joie de vivre ("feel good factor ") and psychological health.

PRACTITIONERS: All Practitioners

Esalen is set apart us a unique style because it also reflects an attitude about touching, caring, energy awareness and emotional, spiritual healing besides just physical manipulation. The Esalen Institute opened in the 1960's on the California Coast.  To tie the parts of the body together, coverings are removed and  long flowing "connecting" strokes that are among its hallmarks. These sessions can have a very "watery" feel and with water being the element of the Second Chakra (our sexual energy center) they tend to be sensual and pleasurable.  Also part of the attitude of Esalen is that touching is a basic need, as essential as air, food or water: that caring about others is natural; that getting in touch with one's own body leads to a more effective way of loving and relating to others.

Bodywork has an undeserved bad reputation since it has been improperly used as a cover up for sex and prostitution. Therefore we are often hung-up over massage and touching. Touch has been shown to be a very basic human need. Skin hunger is as real as stomach hunger, yet it is so restricted by our society and equated with sex, that Americans have lost the ability to nurture through touch. Most of us were taught to express such intimacy only in sexual relationships. But intimacy doesn't necessarily include sex, any more than sex necessarily involves intimacy.

Check out the Esalen Institute - Highly recommended for a get away for urban life 

PRACTITIONERS: All Madison practitioners incorporate elements of Esalen

Tantric Bodywork is a specialized sensual modality that builds on the ancient Indian art and science of Tantra. Tantric philosophy teaches that by recognizing and stimulating our inherent sensual spirituality, we discover parts of ourselves that have remained asleep or have been repressed by our experiences as humans in the external world. Familiarity with Tantra can help a person enjoy life to the fullest. It can help to do away with guilt or fear, break down self-imposed or limiting cultural boundaries, and guide us in our search for solutions to many of life's challenges. Tantra teaches us to become familiar with our mystical nature so that we might expand our boundaries and enter into new domains of awareness and fulfillment. In a Tantric session at Madison, we will work to foster a sacred union between your physical and spiritual experiences of self. Through intention, ritual, breath work, and meditation, your practitioner will create a space of heightened psychic and physical awareness in which your session will take place.  Tantric philosophy teaches us that everything is to be experienced playfully, yet with awareness and a sense of sacredness in every gesture, every sensory perception, and every action.

For more on Tantra we suggest you read this wonderful article by a colleague Anna Marti, WHAT IS TANTRA?

ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS: Una, Audrey, Lily

Ladies.... Call and book a session for your self today and take advantage of this great offer.**  A call to NYC's bold and playful women. Awaken and indulge the Goddess with Esalen style sensual healing session! At Madison Holistic we respect and hold feminine energy and mystique in the highest regard. We know where and how to touch the female body to achieve exhilarating and soothing relaxation and we believe that all women deserve this level of deeply sensual care and attention. Ladies, we invite you to experience a deliciously sensual, truly healing bodywork session, designed to provide you with the deep relaxation and full body bliss that you deserve. Achieve your highest state while reaching a deep inner calm. As women, we are constantly misrepresented in the media and in the workplace. We inherit stereotypes and dogma that are unnatural to our gender, and our bodies are often objectified and under-appreciated. Who better to help reverse those injustices and provide a deep and sensual caring touch than another woman?    Know that you are in caring gentle hands and that verbal communication and a safe environment is at the top of the list.  Your practitioner will speak with you in detail about what you feel comfortable with answer any questions you may have. Join us in our movement to unleash the goddess within and give yourself the gift of sheer bliss at Madison Holistic.

PRACTITIONERS: Nuri, Cali, Kamia, Una & Audrey

Conscious deep breathing is one of the most simple ways to calm and integrate the mind and body. The body is always breathing. You are always breathing. The first step toward having the breath be your ally is to become more aware of it. At Madison your practitioner will help you establish a connection with your breath by making you physically comfortable and verbally and physically guiding you in directing your breath to specific areas of your body. She will breathe with you, allowing the rhythm of your inhales and exhales to fall into sync. Relaxing into this deep state of synchronicity, she will be able to lead you in a deep exploration of how breath truly connects us to the source of life that as humans we depend on to live. It is one of the most basic human functions and one that we spend most of our time unaware that we are engaging in. By focusing our awareness on our breath, we can tap into a profound understanding of our own bodies, isolating places that hurt, that feel good, that need work, or that simply could use some attention. When we become aroused, excited, nervous, angry or overjoyed it can always be evidenced in our breath. By learning to control our breathing and connecting with its source we are able to feel these sensations more deeply, or, in the case of negative reactions, help to subdue them through controlled breathing exercises. Conscious breathing can enhance a sensual bodywork session in unexpected ways, as the body is opened up to new sensations through the power of harnessing its own breath.

PRACTITIONERS: Audrey, Lily, Cecilia & Una

Two's company but three is NOT a crowd in this highly sensual session. Take our standard  Bodywork Session and multiply x2 as you will be joined by two of our experienced professionals to have your entire body worked on by four magical hands. We don't miss an inch in this session (four hands can do a lot more than two!) so you are sure to leave feeling completely revitalized and satisfied all over! Something strange happens in the mind when being worked on by 4 caring passionate hands. It struggles for a moment to figure out what is happening and then it realizes it can't. Next you find your self surrendering to the bliss of not know exactly what is going to come next, only that it will feel wonderful. Please call to book a four handed session one full day in advance so we can be sure to have four hands available to sooth and relax you!

PRACTITIONER PAIRS: All of our practitioners are happy to pair up upon availability. Advanced Booking is generally required.

Almost all indigenous cultures had direct, hands-on methods of healing, and the Cherokee were no exception. The Cherokee culture developed a comprehensive, sophisticated bodywork system that encompassed a form of osteopathic work and manipulation, breath, and energy work. Explore the Cherokee emphasis on breath as a means of restoring spirit to all parts of the body. Experience the Cherokee art of healing touch, a form of bodywork that is rarely encountered today. Using ritual, ceremony, storytelling, sage burning, and essential oils  brings a tradition to the session that can help connect us physically and spiritual to the Great Spirit. Bringing elements of Cherokee bodywork into your session will create a memorable and sacred event while reminding you of the simple and special experience of being human.

PRACTITIONERS: Audrey

Polarity therapy is a synthesis of ancient Eastern and alternative medicine health care ideas centered on the concept of a Human Energy Field. When working with a polarity perspective all of the channels of energy in the body is addressed.  The emotional, mental, spiritual, and sexual energy channels are opened. Practitioners of Polarity Therapy seek to balance and restore the natural flow of energy which flows from the universe and into the body through the meridians, chakras and endocrine glands. A primary focus is on re-establishing balance in the central nervous system. This deep nervous system balancing and unblocking allows a release of stress and permits the body to relax and heal itself naturally. The result is increased energy and vitality.

PRACTITIONERS: Audrey 

The term Reiki literally means "UNIVERSAL ENERGY". It is a Japanese system of relaxation and stress reduction that was discovered in Japan in the early 1900's. Reiki is a form "hands on" healing similar to techniques have been practiced for thousands of years. Reiki is powerful,yet very gentle and often provides great stress relief in a body. It is consider to be a part of the larger field of Energy Work.

PRACTITIONERS:Olivia  & Micah

The easiest way to understand meditation is to think of how you are when sitting quietly in contemplation, repose, or restfulness. It's that perfect moment when you don't have 20 different thoughts racing through your head at one time: no to-do lists, no replays of conversations, no jumps to the next minute of your day. It's that rare moment when you look at a leaf on a tree and see only the leaf, and nothing else. You are in the present.

Now imagine 10-to-20 minutes of that one perfect moment.

That's the basis of meditation, and guided meditation expands on that foundation to help individuals magnify their capabilities. Sometimes coming in after work or in the middle of the day can have you carry a bundle of thoughts with you to the healing session. Starting with a guided mediation can allow you to begin to let go and get connected to your entire body which sets the tone for a calm and relaxing session.  Helping you leave all of what you do not need to the side and give your self to a true vacation from all life's stress, even if just for an hour. An intense and deliberate focus on  breath is of utmost importance, for breathing is the gateway to softening the body and opening the mind. Using imagery, awareness and  your ability to acknowledge and become mindful of certain places in your body are just some ways that guided mediation can be incorporated into a session.

PRACTITIONERS: Audrey, Una, Lily, Cecilia, Nuri

Stretching, in its most basic form, is a natural and instinctive activity; it is performed by many animals as well as humans. It can be accompanied by yawning. Stretching often occurs instinctively after waking from sleep, after long periods of inactivity, or after exiting confined spaces.

Why stretch? Stretching is useful for both relieving tightness due to physical activity or inactivity (sitting at the computer at work for a few too many hours sound familiar) and injury prevention. If done properly, stretching increases flexibility and this directly translates into a relief of  tightness in specific muscles. The reason is that a muscle/tendon group with a greater range of motion passively, will be less likely to experience tension. Stretching is also thought to improve blood flow and circulation threw out the body. Additionally, increased flexibility of the neck, shoulders and upper back may improve respiratory function.  At Madison, upon request or if your practitioner notices the need for certain stretching, she will incorporate it into the session in a graceful and sensual way.

PRACTITIONERS: Nuri, Cecilia, Audrey

Thai Massage creates an energetic dance between giver and receiver through its sophisticated system of deep rhythmic acupressure to muscles and sen (energy) lines during assisted stretches and yoga postures. Its integrated approach stimulates the body’s natural healing by unleashing the flow of blocked energy resulting in an energized calm to the recipient. By using all parts of the body as a tool the therapist is able to mindfully stretch muscles further than one can accomplish on their own. In this process, joints are also mobilized further than if operating under the body’s own power. One is able to move more deeply into their body, experiencing a deep sense of relaxation, allowing the body to restore balance for optimal health and well being. Check out an online demonstration video on YouTube to understand more.

PRACTITIONERS: Cecilia