TOUCH
journeys in conscious touch
bodywork sessions
Since late 2024 I write a monthly newsletter that includes a poetic, philosophical and practical perspective about touch, and life, and their intersection. If you wish to receive this, write to me and let me know!
Each session begins by listening—to what is present in your body, your nervous system and your life. Rather than following a fixed sequence of techniques, I respond to what emerges in the moment. My intention is not simply to help you relax, but to create conditions in which you can become more aware of yourself through touch. In doing so, we encourage needed changes to emerge from inside the self.
My work is intended for people who are genuinely interested in greater self-awareness, embodied presence, emotional resilience and personal growth. It is not intended as entertainment or as a substitute for sexual intimacy.
I see my role more as a stage director who sets the stage as best he can for you to experience yourself in a different way. When I reach out to touch another, it’s with respect for your own inner processes; I seek most to encourage a subtle level of self knowledge on your part through receiving conscious, present touch and the transcendent spaces that leads to.
Whether your body needs presence and stillness or more physical flexibility through opening and expanding the body, I am ready to adjust to the needs of the moment. Every session is tailored to your needs on that day rather than following a fixed routine. I am guided to a large extent on Qi Gong principles of energy flow and seek to unblock stuck areas - be they in tight musculature and holding patterns or in emotional constriction - and especially where the two dovetail.
To understand more of my background and influences in bodywork and therapy, scroll down to the end of this section as well as read my philosphy of touch explained here.
To gift someone a meditative journey in conscious touch, simply write to me (email or via the contact form), and I’ll send you a gift certificate for a two-hour session.
What do Body Trip / Deep Listening Bodywork Sessions with Steve look like? I tend to offer two- or three- hour meetings, which begin with a brief (sometimes longer) consultation/check-in (to better align the session with your current state and needs, to ensure that you are maximally comfortable and to make sure we are on the same page). Then there is either about 90/120min bodywork followed by some time to lie in your own integrative space for some time. This last phase is often the most important of all.
I practice what I like to call Conscious Touch. I adore giving workshops on this theme, from 2 hours to three days long - invite me!
Sessions are infused with a meditative focus nurtured by my immersive tea practice and an understanding of the body profoundly influenced by shamanic journeys, and several thousand hours of practise and meditation (thanks to approx 1500 people who have received massages from me- these have been my greatest teachers!). It has taken a lot of work, study, practice and making mistakes to get there.
To give you an idea of the different modalities I practise the most:
Myofascial energetic release
Visceral stomach massage
Gi Gong massage
Thanatotherapy
Lomi-lomi Hawaian massage
Integrative massage
Hips/pelvis unlocking
Talk-based consultations are also available. These have most often tended to be with men about issues around their intimate emotional or sexual lives, body shame issuees or empowerment (more information in the About section). My designated Chinese ‘spiritual name’ bestowed upon me by teacher Wu De is Ci Ting (慈聽), which means ‘compassionate listener’. People tend to seek alternate, supportive perspectives about intimate life issues, or about how to get to the next level of growth.
Bodywork sessions take place in my massage studio (Uus tn 11, Tallinn, Estonia, inside Charen teemaja). Pricing: Generally sessions are between 100-150 euro depending on their length. Total length of the meeting/session (including initial discussion and some time to lie in stillness following the session) ranges from 100minutes to about three hours. I have been known to be open to discounted rates for those in real need but who temporarily have limited resources.
Influences - Lineages
I’ve been ‘officially’ studying bodywork and healing modalities since 1998. As a child I loved to massage cats and dogs and carefully observe the effect different kinds of touches had on their states of nervous system relaxation. Much later I graduated to humans. When I started studying, as one does, I focused on techniques and perfecting them, all the while observing bodily reactions.
I knew though, that the real transformational power of touch lies in something much deeper than applied technique. My studies since about 2008 have focused aspects of conscious touch and the importance of the relational space between practitioner and receiver.
I have diplomas in (MER) Myofascial Energetic Release and Lomi-Lomi Nui (and have been assistant teacher in these courses), as well as certificates in Visceral massage, Yumeiho, Reiki, Neuroaffective Touch, The Science of Touch, Trauma Release Breathwork, Thanatotherapy, Swedish classic, Thai, as well as chair massage and Indian Champi Head massage.
I have been studying in Taiwan and China a Daoist & Zen approach to tea ceremony since 2010, the life approach of which greatly modulates my bodywork sessions. I have since 2015 been leading workshops and retreats based on Conscious Touch at festivals and retreats throughout Europe (see Events section for a description of my training course Beyond Touch)..
Aside from my direct teachers (Roman Goldrin, Nisarga, Betty Martin, Alexander Dreljov, A. Heining, Edward Ulm, Sarita, Armin Heining, etc) my main inspirations in the field of touch and health have been Bessel van der Kolk, Mantak Chia, Lorie Eve Dechar, Edward Ulm (Science of Touch), Wu De, Gabor Mate, Peter Levine, Betty Martin, Tiffany Fields, Pat Ogden (Hakomi), Margot Annand, Loren Johnson, Aline LaPierre (Neuroaffective Touch) and the now-deceased, great master bodyworker who in many ways began this trajectory for me, Leo Legris.
The greatest embodied teachings however, have come from the thousands of hours of massage/touch sessions, often repeated, with the several thousands of people who shared that space with me. Shamanic journeys and general meditative attention have deepened my understanding of the body.
I offer…
…a range of massage services, varying in duration, mood and tempo. However what unites them all (be they slow Thanatotherapy movements, deep tissue release or fast, shamanic lomi-lomi moves) is an attempt to respond to your body at this moment in time. Often, I do not have much of a ‘plan’ in mind before someone arrives and hope to greet them with a beginner’s mind, as if for the first time. The body has much to tell us; let us hear its language.
However, many people also have specific issues - lower back pain, constricted neck or hip movement, restricted breathing, sciatica, headaches, tension in jaws, painful flexors, inner thigh tension, etc. I work with these issues frequently.
when we meet…
we see where we are and what kind of session would suit you best then - faster or slower, more muscular release or a deeper journey into your inner cosmos.
My main goal in bodywork is to help open the body from fixed holding patterns and invite its natural intelligence awaken to do its own healing. I do not attempt to ‘put’ any of ‘my energy’ into another. Our bodies are far more intelligent than what my egoic mind could think up. I try to set the stage for the person to understand their own body and energy in their unique way. I am, ultimately, but a middleman in a process which has almost nothing to do with ‘me’.