exercise · all tools
Massage
Depth · what it can open●●○○2 — reflective
Holding · facilitation1 — host
Trust · group readiness★★some
Disclosure · what is sharednone
The circle turns and everyone gives the person in front of them a shoulder massage, then turns around and returns it. The source adds that judgement is needed about what is appropriate for the particular group.
Hold with care
- Touch on the shoulders of the person in front, given and received without either person facing the other — consent needs to be asked for out loud, not assumed from participation
- The source's own note is the right one and is easy to skip past: use judgement about what is appropriate for the group you are with
- The paired variations the source suggests — temples, calves — are considerably more intimate and should not be treated as the same exercise
Practical
- Time
- — min
- Group
- ?–∞ · large-group
- Settings
- in-person
- Mechanisms
- somatic-awareness
- Change scope
- state · repeatable
Instructions
- Where
- improvencyclopedia.org/games/Massage.html — Improv Encyclopedia, open
- Availability
- Open online — published at the link, free to read
Source link checked 1 Sep 2026 — reachable
This directory describes and points home; the instructions stay with the people who made them.
Origin
Unattributed; compiled by Improv Encyclopedia — Improvisational theatre
In this directory via Improv Encyclopedia
status: checked · added 2026-08-31