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massage is very similar to Swedish massage. They
are straightforward massage treatments that can
incorporate many different massage movements to
make a massage vigorous or relaxing depending
on the client’s needs. They can cover the whole
body or focus in on specific areas depending on
the client’s needs. For example, people often
hold a lot of stress and tension in their back,
so are drawn to having a back and shoulder massage.
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are just some classic massage movements:
- The long flowing relaxing movements
of effleurage.
- Deep kneading and picking up, called
petrissage.
- Vigorous tapotement (aka percussion)
movements such as hacking, cupping, pounding,
and beating.
- Movements involving fast rubbing of
the skin, known as friction movements.
- Movements involving vibration of the
hand or fingers.
- Applying pressure to certain points,
using thumbs or fingers.
The most common medium used for body massage
is oil, however other mediums can also be
used, such as cream, gel, and powder.
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The benefits of body massage are
as follows:
- Can be deeply relaxing, invigorating, or
both, depending on the massage movements used.
- Improves blood and lymph circulation, aiding
removal of toxins.
- Relaxes and tones muscles.
- Reduces muscle tension and can help with
injuries such as muscle strains.
- Removes dead skin.
- Improves skin and hair condition.
- Improves mental and emotional well-being.
Please note that a good Massage Therapist will
always do a thorough consultation before commencing
a treatment, and will also provide advice about
aftercare and homecare.
Bibliography
The following books were referenced for this
section and are all available (via the links)
in association with Amazon.co.uk:
Encyclopedia
of Natural Healing by Anne Woodham and Dr David
Peters
Holistic Therapy – A Practical Approach by Francesca
Gould
See our full range of Holistic
Therapy books in the Further Exploration
section. |
