I initially got this book because I was looking for an erotic massage technique book but this is not really a book about erotic massage. This is a book for those who are spiritual no matter what religion you are in essentially. I don’t have any leanings towards any religion in particular (well maybe towards Buddhism) and this book was a good read. It is based on Taoism which is complicated to explain briefly.

It relates to energy within our bodies that we can use to reach higher levels of consciousness and become one with the world rather than being in our minds all the time. It explains the use of visualizing, intention, and the power of healing through touch. One thing they mentioned was that when we have sexual intercourse we are so focused on our bodies and pleasure that at the moment of orgasm we are whole in body, mind, and spirit. The book helps to focus on your body and the pleasure you can derive from your body.

The book is separated in different divisions. The beginning of the book explains what Tao is; it talks about different energy centers in the body. It also talks about the flow of energy in the body as well as blocked energy. Since the book focuses on the body rather than the mind it evidently includes breathing techniques and meditation techniques. They mention what kinds of oils are good for massages and actually give a nice recipe for aphrodisiac oil.

The second division is separated in two parts, with massage techniques for the back and massage techniques for the front of the body. What is fun is that with these techniques you must visualize the energy moving in the body depending on what part you are massaging. The book gives explanations for the reason why you must make certain movements during the massage. After massaging the back you can make love or you can continue with massaging the front of the body.

After the full body massage you have a sort of finishing techniques section which helps to settle the energies in the body. The massage focuses around the face and neck. There are some techniques for the genitals (different techniques for males depending on whether he is erect or soft!) but not many. In any case if you want massage techniques specifically for the genitals there is a load of info on the Internet, just Google it.

A fun thing is that like in yoga there are resting techniques! I find this particularly fun. You must rest your hand on different parts of the body and make sure you are relaxed. It helps to focus on your breathing. For each technique you must follow the sequence in the book so as to not disrupt the flow of energy (at the end of the book they suggest a shorter massage technique sequence for those who do not wish to do an hour long massage). For every technique the book states how long you must do that technique.

After doing such a massage you feel so connected to your partner that making love is really what it is… making love not sex. It is so intense and passionate. If you plan on doing this kind of massage it will be hard at first because you have to focus on your breathing and nothing else (everything that enters your mind must be pushed out for example: groceries, if the toilet was cleaned, or how your hair looks). With a lot of practice (which is lots of fun) it will be easier to focus.

If in your relationship your partner is not spiritual (in my case it is so) it makes no difference. If you do the massage you can visualize the energies flowing and it will be beneficial for your partner and if your partner does the massage for you, you can focus on your energies flowing as they massage you.

The only con I have about this book is that the techniques have names that are unusual and it may take some time to do them since there are so many techniques. I reread the book twice and the second time I took notes in a little booklet so that during my massage I wouldn’t put oil on the actual book. Also, I did that to make it easier to follow the techniques by squeezing them all together on a few pages. After some practice you won’t need to refer to the book anymore but in the first few times it makes it hard to focus because you may be thinking of turning the page to look and read what the next technique is.

I really enjoyed this book but it sort of disappeared onto my very full bookshelf.

It was really interesting to read all the manouvers but I never got the chance to memorize them. I found it a little bit of a hassle to have to look in the book during the massage. I didn't want to get oil on it.

Plus I was hoping to get really fun techniques for genital massage but there techniques are more spiritual based, more relaxing then arousing. It could be arousing but thats not always the idea behind it.

I will pick it to again and try to get back into it. I really loved this book when I originally got it. Maybe I'll get motivated to memorize the techniques. It would sure help my mans aches and pains from work.