The Power of Touch with MASSOGA® by Wallis Murphy-Munn

The Power of Touch

“Touch…our primary language of compassion, and a primary means for spreading compassion..”~ Dacher Keltner

The sense of touch is one of the most powerful yet underestimated tools of compassion that we all have access to. It’s the first language we learn at birth, and we use it without bias as a child, because we instinctively know that touch can transmit emotion better than other methods of communication.

Touch soothes heals and connects us. It reduces heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels in our bodies. Touch teaches us empathy and compassion. It’s one of our most powerful and important functions. For long-term wellbeing, touch is as important as food and security. Yet, as we age, we build walls and barriers to touch, using it less and less as society becomes more and more disconnected.

Touch is not always accessible for everyone, and I know when I’m feeling lost and alone, I simply place my hands on my heart or belly, and sit for a moment. This brings me back to self-compassion, a deeper awareness of where I am at without all the noise, and closer to the truth of who I am.

Touch is the beginning, and it’s the reason we created Massoga®, for a deeper, more immersive and rewarding expression of self-love. Where do you allow touch into your life?

So what is Massoga®?

This practice combines the best of both worlds – massage and deep stretching all at once. It is ideal for anyone needing to improve their recovery rate and learn to rest deeply. The Yin yoga component cools the body, lowers the heart rate, increases circulation in the joints, stretches deeply into the soft tissues, and calms and balance the mind and body. With consistent practice greatly improves flexibility and mobility. Layer on the benefits of massage which include the above, plus a reduction of stress hormones, reduced muscle tension and deep relaxation.

Massoga® is a practice for the nervous system as well as the tissues of the body, inviting you into a mindful space as you hold the poses for 4-6 minutes, creating an opportunity for mental and emotional release and reset. This is Massoga®.

The practice is ideal for those who are new to yoga, who love adjustments in yoga, and those who enjoy one on one guidance.

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Wallis Murphy-Munn
Massoga® Founder & Facilitator

You see the world differently when you hang upside down for a small part of every day. Wallis has been practicing yoga since she was a teenager. Being a Libran, she says she has always looked for balance in body and mind, and yoga has provided a counterbalance to the intensity of life, keeping mind and body flexible, open and calm.

She started teaching 10 years ago and her experiences have taken her to the sea where she taught yoga privately to yacht owners around the world. Now based Melbourne she teaches a group class at KH on Monday’s, she teaches privately, and online for her other business FORME Yoga Pty Ltd.

Wallis is a 350+ ERYT, having taught over 10 thousand students as a full-time teacher in Melbourne over the last decade. Originally trained in the Barkan Method, she then studied Yin Yoga Level 1 and 2 with Jennifer Crescenzo and completed a Vinyasa Training with New York yoga studio Laughing Lotus. She studied to become a meditation teacher with One Giant Mind in 2019 and has made meditation a central part of her teachings. She is excited to be undertaking training in breathwork practices in 2024.

Her hands on experience in yoga adjustment throughout her yoga training, along with an introduction to massage course at Discover Massage, W.A. has provided the basis for a nurturing hands-on experience for her in clients in Massoga®.

Over the last several years, she has been exploring the power of massage combined with Restorative Yin Yoga. She has always been hands-on as a teacher, adjusting and giving massage through class, and realised it was something people were actually attending her classes for! Students spoke about how much deeper the experience of relaxation became even when in an ‘uncomfortable’ shape. And so Massoga® was born and continues to grow as she discovers more about Yin Yoga, massage, and the human body.

Wallis believes the power of touch is incredible, and recounts her deepest experience of this while working with Prahran Mission. She says, “Once I had established trust with the group over the first few months of working together I was able to place my hands on their shoulders in savasana and visibly see them relax back into the mat. The same group of people has attended my classes at Prahran Mission for two years, we connected in a very special unspoken way.”

Wallis specialises in helping with