Everyone loves getting a good massage. Do you have the desire to increase your knowledge about the topic? If you need some tips from the best in the business, this article is filled with just the information you need to begin.
If you often experience chronic muscle pains, do some research on trigger points or find someone who can give you some information on neuromuscular therapy. Tight muscles are prone to small knots known as trigger points. These trigger points may send pain and swelling to other areas in the body. A book about trigger points, or your skilled masseuse can show you how these points can be massaged away.
Feeling a little blue? Go get a massage! The health benefits of massage are numerous, and studies have shown that one of the benefits of massage is elevated serotonin. Serotonin is a neurochemical that makes us feel happy, yet lack of sleep, hormone fluctuations, gloomy weather and poor diets can lower your body’s natural serotonin stores.
Petrissage is the best way to relieve stress and make pain disappear. This method requires you to use your fingertips and your thumb. Grab hold of a muscle and squeeze it for a few seconds before moving on to a different area. Go over the same areas several times until the pain disappears.
Make sure the person you give a massage to is comfortably installed. Ideally, you should use a massage table or at least a comfortable mat. If you do not have this equipment, have the person lay down on a comfortable couch or a supportive mattress. Make sure their head is properly supported.
If you have arthritis then you know it is painful. While medications do work, it doesn’t truly get rid of the deep aching feeling in your bones. Massage may be able to help this affliction. It stimulates circulation and flexibility, plus it helps release endorphins to battle pain.
Your massage therapist needs to be capable to get to your skin in order to do the massage, so you need to be prepared to disrobe. You will be able to do this in the room alone, and you can leave on your underwear. Once you are undressed and face down on the massage table under a sheet, then the therapist will return to the room.
Look for a massage therapist who can make home and office visits. There are some traveling therapists who don’t retain a business residence. Typically, their services costs less and you don’t have to spend money on gas!
If your goal is to calm the massage recipient, use movements that are slow. If you move your hands too fast or generally attack the back, you’ll definitely not create a relaxing atmosphere! Instead focus on being calm yourself. Slow down your pace and move slowly but deliberately. Wait for cues from the massage recipient as to whether to speed up or slow down even more.
Avoid holding your breath while your massage therapist is working. You may have knots that are extremely painful, yet the therapist cannot massage them out effectively if you hold your breath. Try to breathe through the muscle pain, and use a combination of deep breathing and visualization. In your mind, picture the area and imagine the knot is a lump of butter, melting in the warm sunshine.
Most hard-working athletes are aware of sports massages. Exercise fiends will find this advantageous as well. This type of massage helps to build your body and strengthen it against future injury in addition to repairing your current injury.
To perform a pregnancy massage, have the expectant mother lie on her side and gently rub her back using a circular motion. A pregnancy massage is especially beneficial during the third trimester when the weight of the baby creates pressure points in the expectant mother’s lower back and buttock areas.
If you feel as though your complexion is looking a little dull, or you are noticing little wrinkles forming in places around your face, you do not have to run to the plastic surgeon! Giving yourself a daily face massage will promote blood flow to your skin, brightening it up and making those wrinkles virtually disappear.
When you go out for a professional massage, be open with your masseuse. Make sure they aware of areas you would like them to stay away from and areas you would like them to focus on. Don’t be shy about speaking up if something doesn’t feel right. After all, this experience should be relaxing.
A great massage to relieve strained shoulders is a bear hug. To begin, cross your arms over your chest. Grab your shoulder with either hand. Then, squeeze a shoulder and release it about three times. Do this for both of them. After that, move down your arms, squeezing and releasing them until you reach your wrists.
Shiatsu massage is used by gently applying firm pressure into affected meridians then quickly releasing it. This type of massage is perfect for those suffering from tired muscles that need immediate relief. Unlike other types of massage, this massage does not leave the person feeling sore afterwards; instead, they feel refreshed and renewed.
Learn the proper finger techniques for doing a back massage at home. It’s true that you will be mainly massaging using a finger and a thumb on each hand. However, massaging using only those digits will cause you to wear your thumbs out, so try using the other fingers on your hands to support them.
With the information here, bad massages should no longer be part of your life. Make sure you take note of the information you’ve learned, and refer back to the article from time to time. If you just keep this in mind, you will enjoy massages for a long time to come.