Breema and massage are both types of bodywork, so there are naturally some superficial similarities. If you've had massages in the past, some of the movements used by a Breema practitioner will probably seem familiar. (Others, of course, are unique to Breema.)

What makes Breema essentially different from massage is not the outward form -- the physical techniques used by the practitioner -- but the underlying philosophy and approach.

Traditional massage generally begins with the assumption that there is something wrong with the recipient's body -- tension, tightness, or stiffness, for example -- and that it is the practitioner's job to fix it. The practitioner uses his or her anatomical knowledge and physical dexterity to address the problem, often applying muscular force in measured and skillful ways.

Breema, by contrast, is nonjudgmental and nondiagnostic -- it begins with the assumption that the recipient's body is just as it is meant to be. There is no "problem," and therefore there is nothing to be fixed. The body has the capacity to find its own balance and to heal itself, and the Breema practitioner's role is simply to offer support for the body's own healing energy.

For this reason, the Breema practitioner uses no muscular force. A Breema practitioner never presses or pulls, but instead uses his or her own body weight to interact with the recipient's body. When a Breema practitioner leans back to stretch a recipient's leg, the practitioner's body and the recipient's body are engaged in a very literal partnership -- a relationship that Breema practitioners call mutual support. The recipient's body recognizes this partnership, realizes that no one is trying to "do" anything to it, and gradually abandons its defenses.

We often say that Breema is the body's natural language. As such, the practitioner's movements are not met by resistance -- they're welcomed by the recipient's body, which feels free to become perfectly relaxed.