One of the things I see often in the massage profession are people getting massages from massage therapists and they complain afterwards that it was mediocre or even worse.
The key to getting a great massage is that you have to ask for one! Massage therapists should also be doing their best to give you a great massage by getting your feedback and asking specific questions.
Often as a client, you may find yourself hesitant to ask for what you want because you don’t want to hurt that persons feelings or you are afraid of making unreasonable demands…or whatever it is that keeps you from speaking up and asking directly for what you need.
Being honest won’t hurt a Great massage therapists feelings! Being direct won’t hurt a Great massage therapists feelings either. As much as you would like to have the therapist read your mind - it just doesn’t happen. To get a great massage is like a dance - the massage therapist responds to your body. The more in tune you are with your body and your needs, the better the chance for a Great Massage Everytime.
Here are some things to know:
1. How much pressure do you like to have applied? This will vary per body part and the amount of pain or tightness you have. Pain usually means that something is tight. Often the tightness is not where the pain is so the massage therapist will need to work on other areas that cause the pain.
2. Do you want extra time on a certain body part like the back or neck? Head or feet? Hands/forearms? You have to tell the person directly what you need worked on. Knowing this requires that you tune into your body and know your body.
3. Tell the therapist if you are too hot, too cold or it is too bright or too dark in the room. Tell them if you hate the music and better yet tell them what kind of music you like or ever way better yet- Bring your own CD to play during the massage.
4. Undress to the level of your comfort no matter what the therapist requests…and tell them about your needs for privacy and safety.
5. Try not to talk too much during your massage and stay tuned into what you are feeling. Try not to drift off to sleep either. Staying aware of the touch is what heals.
6. Breathe deeply and regularly. Focus on your breathing. Feel how your body lies on the table and feel where it touches and where it doesn’t. Feel what other parts of your body moves or doesn’t move with each breath.
7. The no pain - no gain slogan does not have to be applied to massage therapy. Staying in communication with your therapist can allow them to access deeper layers of muscles without pain!
8. Arrive on time or a few minutes early. Why are you rushing to get relaxed?
9. Getting a massage should be all about you and YOU only. If your therapist is getting in the way- let them know. If they are talking to much or not doing something that feels great let them know!
Knowing your needs may require that you try different massage therapists with different styles and techniques. You will often have to find out what you don’t like to know more about what you do like!!
Tags: massage therapy, find a massage therapist
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Colic hurts. Any parent who has an affected child will know that there is almost no pain like it - the physical and vocal response to the problem can be highly tiring and its very difficult to stand by and cope as a parent. It’s often tough to ask - what the hell is going on inside my baby?! When the problem arises, as it’s so common and many health visitors expect parents to be aware of the nature of the affliction and how to deal with it.
The fact is: NOBODY knows what colic is, it was thought for a time to be a intestinal problem, and related to trapped wind, but the only thing that even the medical profession know about the cause of such pain is that is causes up to three hours of crying a day, for more than three or four days a week. Your baby isn’t alone either: 20% of children, males and females, suffer colic as infants; usually when they are but a few months old. Apart from the application of gripewater: a, shall we say, interestingly flavoured product; there was for many, many years no cure for this elusive problem. Until now
Many parents instinctively rub their children when they are in pain. We all know that, just as we need to massage our limbs when we get cramp, they need physical stimulation so that blood flow and wind movements can be righted. Baby massage allows for intense and structured contact with colic afflicted babies - and has been accredited to the dissolution problem completely.
Flowing from the head to the toes, this specialist form of massage sees babies have full, much needed skin to skin contact with their caregiver; a soothing prospect for those suffering pain. A particularly encouraged technique for parents of colicky babies is the stomach massage, which sees the masseuse rub the babies belly in a gentle, circular motion beneath the rib cage, an action that encourages the correct movement of digested food through the body.
Classes teaching baby massage techniques are available worldwide, as many families have now begun to reap the benefits of the special, quiet times massage allows them to spend with their children. The BBC recently ran an article on the enriching quality of the exercise for mothers who have suffered from post-natal depression and their babies, noting that the bonding process can be strengthened by the intimacy of massage. It has also been suggested that the strong bond developed naturally by the exercise can prevent behavioural disorders later in life, and that the muscle stimulation involved can see children sitting, and even walking much sooner.
Available at a number of Sure Start centres in the UK, baby massage provides at last a positive solution for parents suffering the effects of a colicky child. Righting sleep patterns and ending infant anxiety, it is perfectly simple, and the perfect solution to a huge number of childhood ailments.
Lucy Curran
For further details on Baby Massage teachers in the UK visit www.busylittleones.co.uk
Tags: baby massage, baby yoga, colic, parenting, parental contact
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Massage is an excellent form of passive exercise. The word is derived from the Greek word ‘massier’ which means to knead. It involves the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. If correctly done on a bare body, it can be highly stimulating and invigorating.
As far back as 400 B.C., the great Hippocrates, the father of medicine, employed massage and
manipulation in healing his patients. Since then it has been used as a mode of treatment for
many ailments and it has restored many a sufferer to health and vigour.
Benefits of Message
The general massage, dealing with all parts of the body, is highly beneficial in many ways. It
tones up the nervous system, influences respiration and quickens the elimination of poisons and
waste material from the body through the various eliminative organs such as the lungs, skin,
kidneys and bowels. It also boosts blood circulation and metabolic processes. A massage
removes facial wrinkles, helps to fill out hollow cheeks and neck and eases stiffness, sore
muscles and numbness.
Material for Massage
Cotton seed oil is most commonly used for massaging, but butter is used for filling out cheeks
and the neck and also for breast enlargement. If the patient is averse to oil, talcum powder may
be used. Oil should not be used by persons with excessive body hair. General body massage
may be done for 40 to 45 minutes and local body massage for 10 to 15 minutes.
The oil should be washed off completely after massage.
Therapeutic Uses
Massage can be used with advantage as a method of treatment for many common ailments. The
various forms of massage and their usefulness in various diseases are described here in brief.
To learn more about the energy principle in healing, please read:
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Tags: alternative cure, natural cure, holistic medicine, massage treatment, therapeutic massage, therapy
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