A body massage is an ancient form of physical therapy. The massage was an important adjunct to the ceremonial bath in Greek and Roman cultures. It is widely practiced today by people from all walks of life. A massage given by a professional therapist is wonderfully relaxing and refreshing. You’ll feel like a new person after a massage, filled with a new-found energy to get work done. Most of us do know what a massage is, but there are some people who haven’t had a professional massage yet. This article will bring the body massage into closer and clearer focus.
When you have a headache you tend to rub your forehead in a massage-like fashion. Why? Because that relieves you of the ache. Spent many hours staring at facts and figures on the monitor? You massage the lower back of your neck to get relief. This is the basic principle of a massage – to create an ebb and flow of pressure in the target area. Qualified professional masseurs know exactly how to and where to massage an area of the body to generate the desired therapeutic effect. They also know the ‘why?’ of what they do. Let’s go see what a professional massage therapist does for you.
Let’s get a walkthrough of a professional massage. Once in the salon of a professional massage therapist, you’ll be shown to a private cubicle. There you’ll have to remove your clothes and lie down on a massage table with a sheet draped over you. You may have a general massage done, for relaxation and general body tone. Or, you may require more intense massage therapy, like deep tissue massage, which is, well, intense!
The masseur may use massage oils to perform the massage, but this depends on the variation of the massage you select. As the massage progresses you will find tremendous relief of stresses and tensions and aches and pains that you were not even aware of till they disappear! You’ll be amazed at how you feel – rejuvenated, restored, relaxed, and relieved! Your muscles lose their soreness, that dull ache in your head vanishes, you feel happier and at ease with the world! You begin to smile just like that, it feels so wonderful!
It is not only sportspersons who require massage therapy. We all do! Our life has become so hectic; our lifestyle has become so sedentary or lacking in physical activity that our body suffers for it. We sit in awkward positions, we slouch, we shamble around… all this unconsciously. The result is that our blood vessels get shifted from their normal positions and so also do the nerves. Knotted blood vessels means poor blood circulation, which means poor health. Knotted nerves means your very sensations are disturbed. The brain gets a lot of static from cramped up nerves. Result: tension and stress, which makes you lose concentration, comprehension, and conviction. The body massage, as administered by a qualified professional massage therapist, mind you, works the body in such a way that your blood vessels and nerves regain their normal position. Your blood begins to flow normally and your nerves function normally. The physical pressure of the massage even serves to reduce flab, if any. Your skin benefits as well. The massage itself, and the massage oils, rejuvenate the skin. The subcutaneous blood circulation improves and the muscles that lie just below the dermal layer get exercised. This results in a firmer, tauter, radiant skin tone. So you end up looking better.
We generally believe that a massage is a form of physical therapy, and hence benefits us in a physical way only. This is not true. We are benefited mentally as well as physically. Just as the muscles get tired due to the accumulation of wastes, our brain undergoes much the same effect when we exert ourselves mentally. The enhanced blood circulation washes away the accumulated toxins from the brain, and leaves it fresh and tension-free! That’s why you can get a really good, healthy sleep after a body massage.
Professional massage therapy goes beyond enhancing the blood circulation. Professional massage therapy is based on touch therapy, which states that a touch is a psychological bridge between two sentient entities. So, if a colleague is feeling down, a hug will lift his spirits. We’ve seen that happen often enough to know that it is true. A professional massage therapist knows this, and uses it to generate psychological well-being in the subject. So, now you know where to go when you’re aching and paining!
A full body massage is not a fad activity. It is based on sound knowledge and techniques. It is genuinely therapeutic. The only caveat being that the masseur must a properly qualified and licensed professional massage therapist. Getting a massage from a good masseur will help you physically, mentally and emotionally.