Stress can have all kinds of negative impacts on our health and well-being. Among numerous ways of coping with stress massage is the one which is both highly effective and relatively easy available. Some countries have their own local massage traditions, but today this basic wellness procedure is highly popular all over the world, and even European massage will do the job.
Apart from helping to deal with the stress, massage can have a lot of other benefits. The psychological benefits are as important as the impact on the body itself, as it is proven that a good massage can improve your mental well-being. Also there are specific techniques of massage which can target particular problems such as fat tissue reduction and weight loss.
A good massage can help a great deal and is not difficult to do. However, it is important to keep in mind some simple rules about what should and should not be done during massage.
Dos
- Start the massage with an effleurage in which you gently fondle the muscles and let the massage oil sink in and start working. Use light and soft movements to warm up the muscles.
- Frictions or small movements usually performed in small circles are perfect to target specific parts of the body with hardened muscles. Frictions should be fine but targeting, so the best way to do it is to use your fingertips or ball of the thumb.
- Another widespread technique is called petrissage. Here you need to use more strength to work the muscles and to knead the skin between your fingers. This technique helps to rid the muscles of hardenings and it helps to stimulate the blood flow.
- Tapping or clapping the muscles takes less physical strength and helps to improve the blood flow. Use your palm for tapping particular muscles. This technique is mostly used at the end of the procedure.
- Vibration can be caused by soft touches of fingertips or palms. The goal of vibration is to provide relaxation of muscles so there is no need to use a lot of strength while performing this technique.
Don’ts
Massage should do no harm, so it is equally important to avoid doing certain things which can ruin the massage experience.
- The goal of massage is to target the muscles so avoid working the bones. Even if you don’t damage them, it will not make any sense.
- Never neglect the communication with the person you are massaging. Adjust your techniques to their needs and their sensitivity. The same technique can never work in exactly the same way for everybody.
- Don’t forget about oil. Massage oil is essential to make your movements soft enough and to make the skin sensitive for the massage, so energy is transferred properly to the muscles.
- Don’t perform a massage if your fingers and hands are cold. It will make your touches unpleasant, furthermore it will not let the muscles relax and warm up so the positive effect of the massage will be spoiled.
- You should not give a massage to someone who has clear medical problems. Acute pain in the back, thrombosis risk, cardio-vascular diseases or pregnancy should be taken seriously and treated before getting a good massage. Don’t forget about proper priorities.
- Last but not least don’t forget about the ambience of the room where you give a massage. The atmosphere must be nice and relaxing. Try to avoid too much light or noise and think about nice background music.
Some Final Words
Massage can be a wonderful experience with significant benefits for physical and mental health. By keeping in mind some simple rules, you can make sure that you and your partner will enjoy it.
