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Holistic Massage

The effects of massage are deep and far-reaching, for it works on many levels. Physiologically it helps the flow of blood and lymph in the body and aids the removal of waste from the tissues. It relaxes muscles and, depending how it is done, can either soothe or stimulate nerves. It can help to lower blood pressure and, by decreasing tension, it allows the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system to prevail, bringing a sense of peace, relaxation and ease to the body.

Holistic massage can also have a profound effect on us emotionally and spiritually. Feeling nourished and cared for creates trust and optimism and nurtures self-acceptance and body awareness. Through letting go and making a deeper contact with ourselves, we may also experience feelings of expansion and lightness of spirit and come into a state of heightened awareness.

What you can do at home

Getting started

Massage is a wonderful skill to develop, and not difficult to learn. You can master the basic strokes from a book – or better still, go on a massage course. But even without training, with a little time and willingness to experiment, you will soon find that you can bring comfort and relief to your partner, children or friends by simply using your hands intuitively. And on those occasions where no-one else is available, self-massage can be surprisingly effective.

There are no end of uses to which massage can be put. Apart from the pure pleasure of giving and receiving massage to relieve the stress and muscle fatigue all too common in everyday life, it is of immense value to provide comfort and relaxation during pregnancy and labour, for exam nerves, and in bereavement, recuperation and old age. To get started, you will need:
  • A room that is warm and peaceful, preferably softly lit, in order to provide a relaxing environment.
  • A massage table or a futon or other firm, padded surface, covered by a sheet or towel.
  • Towels to cover the receiver, and pillows to support parts of the body, if necessary.
  • Oil to enable your hands to glide smoothly over the body.
  • Short fingernails and clean hands, free of watches, bracelets and rings.

Working with feeling

It’s important to understand that private massage is far more about feeling, awareness and sensitivity than about technique. It is a way of communicating through touch, rather than words. The hands become sensory organs, listening to the body, receiving its messages and responses in the form of tension or relaxation, quality of tone or vitality. The more you can be fully present with your hands, allowing them to relax, the more messages you will receive and the more healing you will be able to impart.

Giving massage at home, you will often want to work with oil directly on the receiver’s skin. But you can also do much to relieve pain or tension working through clothes, simply using the energy and sensitivity of your hands to feel into what the body needs.

Before beginning any private massage, no matter how short, spend a few minutes grounding and centering yourself. Close your eyes and really feel your connection with the floor. Then take several slow, deep breaths into your lower abdomen, the seat of the “hara”, the body’s centre of gravity and vitality. This will help to focus you and bring you into the present moment, both of which are essential if you are to make proper contact with the receiver.

Everyday uses and applications

Since the majority of health problems are stress-related, massage is an incredible tool to have up your sleeve, both to prevent and to treat common ailments. When we get stressed, the “fight or flight” response is set in motion. Adrenaline released into the bloodstream raises the blood pressure and quickens the heart rate and muscles tighten to deal with real or imagined dangers.

Massaging someone on a regular basis can do much to counteract the effects of stress. You need to be aware of individual needs, however. Stress affects us all in slightly different ways. When massaging someone, ask the receiver to let you know where he or she is feeling tension or tightness and what degree of pressure feels most effective. Sometimes hands that just rest and hold with awareness can bring the greatest healing warmth and comfort.

If you are new to massage, the best way to build up confidence is by practising and experimenting. Using feedback from your receivers, just see what works best, which kind of strokes feel most soothing, how you can keep up a steady flowing rhythm. Be present and creative, and keep your mind focused on what your hands are doing.

What follows are some guidelines on specific strokes you can use with a few of the commonest complaints you will come across. But don’t be bound solely to these routines – be guided by what your hands feel.

Aching neck and shoulders: With the receiver lying face-down, use your whole hands to squeeze along the muscles on the top of the shoulders, working outwards from the neck. Circle with your thumbs on either side of the spine between the shoulder blades. Knead and stroke the back of the neck and press along the base of the skull.

This can also be done with the person clothed, leaning over a cushion on the back of a chair.

Backache: Try working up the long muscles on each side of the spine, using long gliding strokes, followed by circling outward with the palm of the hands. Then do some small, spiralling circles with the thumbs on specially tight spots. With one hand on top of the other, make slow deep circles over the base of the spine, the sacrum.

Aching legs: Leg-ache can often be a problem after long hours of standing or vigorous exercise. You can help clear lactic acid from tired muscles with long gliding strokes from ankle to top of thigh, using firmer pressure on the upstroke, lighter on the way down. Follow this with alternate draining strokes, pushing upwards in rhythmical movements using the whole of the hand.

Headaches: Spend a few minutes circling the temples and jaw muscles. Stroke out across the forehead, pressing around the eye sockets. Be guided by your partner. Try massaging the whole scalp with your fingertips to disperse pain and constriction in the head. As tension in neck and shoulders is often linked to an aching head, work there is also helpful.

Insomnia: A massage done last thing at night, preferably with the receiver already in bed, can work wonders. Gentle, soothing strokes on the back, face or feet for as little as 15 minutes can create a state of relaxation that sometimes causes the receiver to drift off before you’ve even finished.

Menstrual pain: A woman can often experience relief from menstrual pain by having her lower back and sacrum slowly circled, accompanied perhaps by some gentle stroking over the belly. Allow her to be your guide as to pressure and location.

Cramp: Start by stretching the limb (i.e. suggest walking about if it’s cramp in the leg) and then thoroughly massage the muscle groups involved, encouraging them to loosen and release.

When to seek professional help

Physical problems

There are obviously times when it is inadvisable to use home treatment and you should consult a professional massage therapist, or indeed go to your G.P. Common sense should dictate not to work over broken skin, sites of infection, inflammation or swelling, or painful varicose veins. But you should also seek advice if you think the person might have a slipped disc, torn ligaments or tendons, or where there are any areas of acute pain.

Emotional problems

In the hands of a skilled practitioner, massage can also be of tremendous value in helping to relieve and resolve emotional problems, such as depression, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, and physical or sexual abuse. Painful experiences from the past are stored in the muscle tissue, causing energy blockages, tension and holding. By working sensitively on these patterns, the practitioner can aid the client’s own self-healing process, enabling suppressed emotions to be released and negative beliefs to be made conscious and changed.

by Sara Thomas & Lucy Lidell (positivehealth.com)
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Our Recommendation Massage:

Private Massage ~ Man Massage ~ Expat Massage ~ Private Massages ~ Massage ~ Pijat Sehat ~ Pijat Kesehatan

Body Massage Treatment - A Holiday Treat

A truly relaxing holiday for me is a holiday with body massage, private massage, or any other form of natural treatments (not necessarily tactile).

My experience of such natural treatments experienced abroad date back to 1988 when our family holiday took us to Bulgaria. The warm weather, sunny beach, good food and balneology with massage contributed to a fully relaxing time. Mud treatment helped the skin to accept the harshness of conditions such as the sea salt, wind and sun. My treatments included thermal waters with healing properties, and body massage with Pure Essential Oils

(Rosa damascena purchased in Bulgaria has relaxing and peace-inducing properties). The Body Massage or Massage Service in Bulgaria was performed to the standards taught in England and I had a medical check-up at the medical centre. My blood pressure was taken and so was my medical history. I also received advice on the type of treatment best suited to me and the benefits as well as contra-indications. At the end of the holiday, my muscles and joints were more supple and toned. My skin was glowing.

My next memorable holiday destination was Cyprus. There, by the swimming pool, I discovered a little treatment room tucked away from the main building and a “youngish” male therapist. I approached the young man and enquired about body massage treatment. We agreed to go ahead with the appointment on the following day.

The treatment room was simple and must not have been used for some time. The towels were “tired”, the bottles of body lotion and oil a bit dusty, and the curtains not very fresh.

I explained that I was a therapist myself and that I trained practitioners in body massage at the Lancashire Holistic College in Preston. He acknowledged this information and mentioned that he learned his skills himself via his yoga teacher because he suffered whiplash as a result of a motorbike accident last year.

I offered my osteopathic treatment to ease the discomfort in his neck. We parted as good fellow therapists. I enjoyed his body massage treatment and he enjoyed my osteopathic adjustment to his misaligned neck vertebrae.

Reporting back for my next massage treatment the following day, I found the room spotless. Clean bottles were positioned in a row on the table and the couch was covered with fresh and clean towels. I congratulated him on the professional look and received a “soap massage”. I gleamed all over after this treatment. I was so clean, I almost felt “opaque”. After the “soap massage”, I was taken to the adjacent room with three small marble pools of water. First, I was guided through a warm water pool, then a tepid temperature water pool and lastly through the cold water pool. What an experience! I felt rejuvenated and refreshed. My treatments followed every day (bar Sunday) and as I came to know the procedure, the treatments brought my body and mind back to life. I was relaxed, calm and very, very lively!

However, I noticed that I had to book my appointments well in advance because more and more tourists were booking for treatments. My therapist had to call his friend to help him with the demand. He thanked me for guidance and practical hints by contributing to my birthday. This time, however, he brought his guitar with him and entertained our party at the table.

I received several types of body massage or private massage treatments in Cyprus. The “soap” massage was the least favoured, simply because my skin was sensitive, due to the effect of fresh suntan, but the Ayurvedic massage was the most enjoyable.

Another example of body massage treatments I have received when abroad was in Italy. This type of treatment was performed by a fully qualified therapist in a clinic adjacent to the hotel. Again, a medical check-up was performed and advice rendered on the type of treatment most beneficial for me. This was a therapeutic body massage with manual lymph drainage at the end. “Fango” (a mud treatment) was most enjoyable and a swim in volcanic spring water was kind to the skin. My family did not recognise me at the airport upon my return!

The trip to Turkey, however, was a different experience. There, I received an intuitive body massage, on a couch positioned in a shaded corner of the swimming pool area, in the open air. What a delight! This treatment blended therapeutic manual lymph drainage and “Turkish” body massage strokes. The movements concentrated around the skeletal structure of the body. It was decongesting and relaxing with profound draining action: aiding lymph drainage throughout the body. However, to receive mud treatment we had to book an excursion. The original mud treatment was a D.I.Y. job and it took place in the open air, with a similar procedure to the one experienced in Italy, but on a much more simple level.

Simplicity is the word in Turkey. The spring water was heavily sulphurated and warm! All in all it was a magical experience!

Whenever I travel abroad I try to depart from what I do for a living, but because I enjoy what I do, I like to be the recipient of it myself. A holiday is the time for my own delight and pleasure.

As a therapist, on holiday, I experience what other therapists have to offer. I hope more therapists change roles on their holidays. All therapists should try it – it is unforgettable! No, not the holiday! The treatment which you receive on holiday, in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere! That is the holiday for you, my dear therapist friend. With your mind and body in balance upon return, you can give your best to others!

by Jolanta Basnyet (positivehealth.com)
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Our Recommendation Massage:

Private Massage ~ Man Massage ~ Expat Massage ~ Private Massages ~ Massage ~ Pijat Sehat ~ Pijat Kesehatan

Massage: It’s A Necessity, Not A Luxury

Most of us look at our budgets, and then we cross our therapeutic massage treatments off our list. What we don’t realize is how important therapeutic massage is to our overall health and how this inexpensive preventative method that can pay off big in the long run.

One of the biggest challenges to our health in the early 21st century is stress. We probably face more stress than our predecessors did. Even though our lifestyle has become easier in some ways, it has become more challenging in others. The speed at which we move and the challenges that we face every day (like driving traffic, working long hours on the computer and being on the telephone) stress our bodies in ways that they were not engineered to handle. Our bodies are wonderful because they compensate for all of our activities, but sometimes they need help.

Stress has also been shown to be the cause of many health problems, and one of the best ways to handle it is to have a balance of rest/relaxation and activity in your life. During a therapeutic massage, your therapist massages your muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, organs, skin, joints, and sometimes your bones. Massage introduces oxygen to places that might not have been receive adequate supply, and thus brings healing to that area. Here are some things you may not know about massage. Massage improves your immune function, so you don’t get sick as often. It improves your ability to tolerate pain and stress. It may stop a cold or flu before they start by detoxifying the body. It helps broken bones heal faster and improves posture and intestinal regularity. It has also been proven many times to improve your outlook on life and your mood.

Feeling good makes you more productive at work, in your relationships and in your creative pursuits. Feeling balanced helps you be more aware of the direction in your life. Feeling relaxed gives you an entire new foundation from which to approach life. Make time in your life for massage. Your investment will return to you many times over.

By Ariel F. Hubbard, Holistic Health Practitioner

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Our Recommendation Massage:

Private Massage ~ Man Massage ~ Expat Massage ~ Private Massages ~ Massage ~ Pijat Sehat ~ Pijat Kesehatan