Back Massage

Back pain is one of the most common ailments for which people turn to massage therapists to alleviate. There are even a number of massage therapies that pay special attention to the back. You do not have to set an appointment with a massage therapist, however, to get a simple but relaxing back massage. A back massage is something you and your partner can learn for yourselves and give to each other whenever you feel that it is needed.

Enumerated below is a step-by-step routine on how to massage your partner's back. But before you proceed to work on your partner, make sure that the atmosphere in the room where you will be doing the massage is conducive to relaxation.

A clean room is a relaxing room, so make sure that the room is clean.
Toss a CD of relaxing instrumentals into your player and, for added effect, light some scented candles.
Also, take a shower and warm your hands before giving a massage; you need to be in a relaxed state yourself in order to be able to give an effective massage.

The back massage routine listed below makes use of effleurage, which is a massage stroke that is long and sweeping. It is meant to loosen and relax the muscles and to make each part of the body feel connected to each other.

Since this is a back massage, make your partner lay on his or her stomach. If you have a massage table at home, that would be awesome, but the bed or the couch will do as long as it is firm and your partner would be comfortable laying there. Rub some massage oil in your hands to warm them up. Then, using both hands, apply massage oil to your partner's back and make firm strokes from the lower back up to the neck. Trace a circular path on your partner's back with your hands when you return your hands to the lower back. Press the heels of your hands to the lower back of your partner, one at each side of the spine, and move them in a circle starting from the lower back, coming upward to the center of the back and then outward until you get your hands back to your starting position. Slowly move your strokes upward until you reach the shoulders. With your fingertips, and with one hand lying on top of the other, press against the muscles of the back on the side opposite where you are standing. This means that if you are standing to the right of your partner, press to the left side of his back. Gradually move from the lower back to the shoulders, and then repeat on the other side. Using firm and deliberate pressure, let your thumbs travel the length of both sides of the spine, moving towards the shoulders, then returning to the lower back. Find the knots and the bunched up spots on the area being covered. Using your forearms this time, apply pressure to the lower back, and then rub your arm that is closer to your partner’s head towards the lower end of the shoulder blades. While performing the massage thus far, you may have noticed some knots and bunched up spots on your partner’s back, or he/she may have told you about particularly painful areas on his/her back. Press your thumb on each painful spot until the pain lessens or disappears. Repeat steps 2 to 4, and then lightly tap your fingertips along your partner's back. After wards, give your partner a glass of water or two and then leave him or her to rest and relax.

Aquatic Massage Therapy

Floating on water is very relaxing. Even if you cannot swim very well, you can still benefit from the freedom of movement that you can get from just floating on water. It does not take much effort, floating on water; all you need to do is to lay back on the water’s surface and let the water carry your body. The water instantly washes away your cares and worries, and it lets you move in ways that you cannot move when you are on a solid surface.

The relaxing effect of water on the body and the wider range of movement that water lets people do while floating on it is something that massage therapists have taken advantage of in promoting health and well-being with their clients. A particular technique has been developed that relies exactly on this, and it is called aquatic massage therapy.

Aquatic massage therapy is done while the client is either floating or soaking in a therapeutic pool. To further relax the body, the water in the pool is always kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat of the water seeps into the skin and helps loosens the muscles. It also calms the nervous system and makes the patient feel good.

Aquatic massage therapy is recommended for people who suffer from muscular ailments that limit their movements. Such ailments include, but are not limited to, arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatism. It is also done on patients who have sustained injuries after operation and nerve damage. This type of massage is also favored by pregnant women. It is also good for people who are afflicted by insomnia and other sleep disorders.

In aquatic massage therapy, the patient is made to float or is submerged in the water. Sometimes, his or her legs are propped up in some form of support, like a pool-noodle or a paddle. The patient’s body is supported by the therapist, who massages the patient and coaxes him or her to make stretching movements.

There are two main forms of massages that therapists use in aquatic massage therapy, namely watsu and Jahara. Watsu is derived from shiatsu, and so the strokes, the application of pressure and the stretches are all designed to activate the acupoints of the body and release the flow of energy through the body. Because water provides the body with a wider range for movements, the stretches are gentle and coax the body into increased flexibility, something that could be painful if done on solid surface.

The second form of massage typically used in aquatic massage therapy is the Jahara massage. The Jahara massage is designed to help lengthen the spine. This is also done through joint stretches that are proven safe and gentle. The musculature of the body and the alignment of the spine are taken well into consideration in the performance of a Jahara massage in the water; all strokes and stretches are made to be suited to the body’s musculature and alignment.

Aquatic massage therapy is great not just for relaxation but also for healing. Through aquatic massage, the body regains the freedom of movement that was taken from it. It makes the body more limber and flexible.

Acupressure

If you watch martial arts movies, it is highly likely that you have seen a character in such a movie take down his or her enemy through the simple act of pressing certain points in the enemy’s body. The application of pressure on these particular points on the body of the enemy can debilitate him or her in many ways, like making him or her paralyzed or blind.

In defeating his or her enemy through the simple power of the fingertips, these martial artists apply the principles of what is called acupressure. Acupressure, however, is not a mere combat maneuver; it is actually an ancient massage technique used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. And by ancient, we mean that acupressure has been around for around 5,000 years.

In acupressure, it is believed that the body has 14 meridians running through it, and through which energy, also called as chi, flows through the body. An imbalance in the hot and cold elements of the body, more known as an imbalance between the yin and the yang, can cause this flow of energy to be blocked, leading the body to experience pain and illness. The purpose of acupressure is to remove these blockages in order for energy to flow more freely by pressing certain points along the 14 meridians. In releasing this latent energy, the natural ability of the body to heal itself is revived and the body becomes rejuvenated and healthy.

Acupuncture actually works on the same principle followed in acupressure. However, unlike acupuncturists, a massage therapist who specializes in acupressure does not have any need for using needles. Acupressure is a non-invasive healing technique, and the massage therapist only uses her fingertips, hands, elbows and knees in manipulating the pressure points on her client’s body.

Whichever pressure points are manipulated by the massage therapists depends on the client’s condition that is being treated through acupressure. Certain pressure points correspond to certain parts of the body. For example, it is said that applying pressure to specific acupoints on the soles of the feet can relieve migraine. Abdominal problems are treated by pressing some parts of the abdomen. The application of light pressure on the backs of the knees is claimed to be a treatment for lower back pain.

Acupressure is said to be effective in treating various types of illnesses, not just stress and muscle pain. There are claims that such ailments as eyestrain, nausea, motion sickness, morning sickness for pregnant women, arthritis, fibromyalgia and a host of other illnesses can be healed through acupressure. This is not proven yet according to conventional scientific means, but there are tests that prove that applying pressure on specific focal points of the body encourages the release of endorphins, the body’s feel-good hormones. Acupressure also stimulates increased circulation of cell-nourishing blood through the body, not to mention lymph fluids that take away the cell’s waste materials.

Acupressure, however, is not a miracle procedure. Whatever pain the body feels will not go away in just one session. Treatments often take as much as eight sessions, and sometimes even more depending on the seriousness of the condition being treated. Acupressure is nonetheless quite easy enough to learn, and you can do it on yourself if you need to.

Some people who suffer from certain ailments should avoid acupressure; in particular, people who are afflicted with infectious diseases and skin ailments; pregnant women; and people who have problems with their heart, lungs or kidneys.