Feet and Legs Massage

Few things in life are more relaxing, than a good foot massage. Tired feet suddenly feel light again, and as the sole of the foot contains thousands of nerve endings, a foot massage can stimulate the whole body. Whether you lead an active or a more sedentary life, a leg massage can benefit anyone. And, as backache can be caused or aggravated by problems in the legs, a leg massage may actually help your back!

First the feet

I usually start a leg massage on the feet, since most people love to have them massaged, and it's a great way of relaxing the whole body. However, if your partner has slightly swollen ankles, I would recommend starting on the thighs with the aim of clearing the ankle swelling, by stimulating the circulation. Then the order of massage would be thighs, knees, calves, and feet.

Preparing the foot

Kneel at your partner's feet and work first on one foot then on the other. You don't need to use much oil; if you have too much, your fingers will slide around, which can be ticklish. If your partner has ticklish feet, use very firm strokes for the massage; alternatively, if you massage the legs first, by the time you reach the feet they may be less sensitive. Ticklishness seems to be linked to tension, so if you can release some of the tension through massage, your partner may be more relaxed and better able to enjoy the foot massage. Work through the whole sequence of massage moves on one foot, and then go back to the beginning and start on the other foot.

The Foot

Leonardo da Vinci referred to the foot as "the greatest engineering device in the world." The feet contain almost a quarter of all the bones in the body, each having 28 bones. The bones are arranged in arches that help the foot support the weight of the body and provide leverage when walking. An intricate web of muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounds and supports these bones.

Stroking

Start the massage by stroking one of your partner's feet to get it used to your touch.

Sandwich the foot between your hands and stroke firmly with both hands from the toes toward the body.

When you reach the ankles, swing your hands round and return them to the toes with a light stroke. This a warming movement, and is ideal for anyone who suffers from cold feet. Repeat at least four times.

Thumb stroking

In this move, you will apply more localized pressure with your thumbs.

Support the foot with your fingers underneath it, and place your thumbs on top of the foot at the base of the toes. Stroke up the foot with your thumbs, fanning out to the sides and gliding back to the toes, ready to start again. Repeat three or four times.

Now stroke with your thumbs working alternately. Stroke, up with on, thumb as the other glides back down the side. The movement can go a little higher than before, reaching up to the ankle. Again, repeat several times.

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The Benefits of Baby Massage

Many cultures have used massage as part of baby care for centuries, and research shows it can have many benefits. Not only does massage enable you to learn about and respond to your baby's body language. But it is also a wonderful way to make your baby feel safe and secure by showing that he or she is loved and cared for. There are no hard and fast rules for baby massage, other than to ensure you are doing it safely.

Your baby and you will discover together what works best for you both. Please bear in mind that massage is something you do with your infant, not to your infant. It is strongly suggested you seek guidance and education on massage techniques from a qualified baby massage therapist, midwife, or other healthcare professional to ensure you are doing it safely. A ten minute massage, two or three times a week assists in strengthening the parent-infant relationship, babies love it and it can assist in alleviating baby ailments too.

In today's society, parents have heavy workloads and both their jobs and at home which can directly affect quality time spent with children. Infant massage, an age old tradition, is simple, free, can be administered almost anywhere and has a host of emotional and physical benefits for both parents and baby. A child with a strong sense of attachment is more likely to grow up confident, assured and happy. The parent-infant attachment is rooted in the very early months of life, so by its very definition infant massage has a deep effect on the emotional well-being of the infant and can be used to attain a sense of security for the growing child. The emotional benefits of infant massage, such as quality, one-to-one loving touch, can also be experienced by fathers.

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Chest Massage

What is Chest Massage?

A chest massage is very beneficial in relieving congested chests when the drainage points in the circulatory system tend to be very active during certain acute illnesses such as influenza or during menstruation among women. A chest massage is also rendered to infants to relieve congestion due to excess mucous accumulation.

Weakening lungs, palpitation and heart disorders can also be minimized through a chest massage. Emotional stress may cause contraction of chest muscles and leads to difficulty in breathing and reduced ability. Other than health disorders excessive heat can also cause stress and tension in chest and thoracic area leading to discomfort. A chest massage thus relieves physical and emotional stress and tension in the chest area. Chest massage has also been popularly used by women to develop bust and mammary glands.

A specific chest massage apart from a full body massage can benefit the chest in more ways than one. The chest massage works on the chest muscles to strengthen them, improves blood circulation, and relieves stress and tension in the chest, heart and lungs. Releasing the tension in the ribs and out of the chest helps eliminate tension, calm the chest and brings about a comforting ease while breathing deeply. The deep massage strokes applied to the chest area in a chest massage releases stress and tension and has a calming effect on the body.

How does one benefit from a chest massage?

Here are some benefits a chest massage is known to provide:

• Elimination of stress and tension in chest area.
• Ease in breathing and relief from chest congestion.
• Improved blood circulation and strengthening of chest muscles
• Improved sense of physical and emotional well being

How does one render a chest massage?

As a rule it is necessary to know that chest massage is usually rendered around the Pectoral major muscle and pectoral minor muscle only. It is suggested not to place pressure on the breast tissues. Some common techniques used in chest massage include: cupping, effleurage, percussion and frictions. Here is a step by step guide to self massage and rendering a chest massage to another person.

Self Massage:

• Choose a comfortable location and position. Chest massage can be done either in a seated or while lying down.

• Use either a vegetable or massage oil to lubricate the skin and for effective strokes.

• Take the hand opposite to the one to be massaged, begin by gently applying moderate pressure and circular strokes moving out from the center and working into the underarm area as well as the center of the chest (sternum). The oil can also be spread in the same fashion.

• Move the fingers around in a gentle motion.

• Gently massage by kneading and using lifting and slight compressive movements.

• Use the flat underside of the fingers to gently lift the tissues beginning from the underarm area and move in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, with medium pressure directed toward the center.

• Finish by applying light touch smoothing the tissue away from the center. Breathe deeply.

Rendering Chest Massage I

• Make the person lie down face upwards, with a small pillow under the shoulders.

• Effleurage the arm, with the palm gliding along the chest beneath the collarbone. Gently move towards the breastbone. Gently walk fingertips away from the breastbone to the armpit.

• Make strong returning strokes to the armpit.

• Support the arm and move it gently around the shoulder, gently stretching it away from the body to release tension in the chest muscles.

• After massaging both the sides of the chest, ask the person to breathe deeply to compress the rib cage when exhaling.

• Place hands against the outsides of the chest and gently squeeze releasing only to allow a deeper breath in.

Rendering Chest Massage II

• Use either a vegetable oil or massage oil as a lubricant between the hands and the skin.

• Begin by spreading oil over the upper chest area with broad fingers.

• Use gentle pressure to smooth pectoral minor muscle out. With soft use of the knuckles place pressure on the upper chest and glide the knuckles from the middle of the upper chest to the outer edges several times.

• Repeat the steps on both sides.

• Grab the Pectoral major muscle and gently pull outward, away from the chest wall. Allow the thumbs to move towards the armpit pull the muscle over the thumbs with the fingers.

• One can then use one thumb to hold, or pin-down, the upper Pectoral minor muscle while the other thumb stretches it lengthwise.

• Finish with gentle smoothing strokes with the palms over the upper chest muscles.

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Massage Therapy Schools Online - Earn Your Certification at Home

If you wish to earn your certification in massage therapy from the comforts of your home, you should check into massage therapy schools online. There are several advantages that an online course has that traditional educational methods do not.

Advantages of Online Study

One advantage that massage therapy schools online have over their traditional counterparts is the availability for you to learn at a time that fits into your busy schedule. You can "attend class" whenever it is convenient for you, unlike traditional classroom settings in which class begins and ends at a specific time. Many working students prefer this method of learning as it is the easiest work in around a busy career.

In a classroom setting, you must keep up with the teacher's schedule and you may find that he moves too quickly. Another advantage that massage therapy schools online have is giving you the ability to work at your own pace. If there is an area that you do not understand or have difficulty with, you can take the extra time to review the information until you fully comprehend it.

With today's soaring gasoline prices, the largest advantage that massage therapy online schools may have is the fact that you never have to leave your home in order to attend class. Many students at traditional universities are struggling with the financial strains that the long commute to their school is placing on them. This problem is totally eliminated by attending massage therapy schools online.

Finding an Online Massage Therapy Program

Finding massage therapy schools online is right at your fingertips. You can simply search the Internet to discover the numerous massage therapy programs that are available. You need to research these programs to ensure that they are accredited by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. While this will not pose a problem when attending online programs affiliated with universities, you may want to be leery of classes that are offered by independent organizations.

For more ways to get into massage therapy be sure to visit Massage Supplies Online - a website that provides you the information & equipment you need to get started and offers massage therapy tips.

Elizabeth T. James is a freelance journalist, writer and health enthusiast.

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What is Thai Massage in Massage Therapy?

In the holistic community, the term Thai massage is referenced by many names. Some of those names include Ancient Thai massage and Yoga massage. In Thailand, Thai massage is referred to as Nuad Phaen Boran.

The focus of a Thai massage is to align the misaligned energies of the body. Contrary to European style massage, Thai massage stresses circulation and pressure points thus enhancing internal health as well as muscular flexibility. The main difference between Thai and Western massage is that Thai massage involves peripheral stimulation; i.e. it acts as an external source of stimulation to create specific internal effects inside the body.

In a traditional Thai massage, the massage therapist will make use of their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to apply different pressures to the energy lines, also known as sen, along the body. These energy lines are considered the keys to a happy and healthy lifestyle. If an energy line becomes occluded, or blocked, the client can suffer a range of sicknesses that include chronic pain, disease, and potentially death.

In Thai massage, there are about 72,000 energy lines inside the human body. However, there are ten (10) that take priority over the rest. Perfect harmony and health within the body can only be achieved by the freedom of energy that flows through all the energy lines.

Thai massage is practiced on a firm mat on the floor in place of a massage table. The massage therapist will only use her body weight to apply various pressures to the energy lines. In this particular kind of massage, the client normally remains clothed with the exception of their feet.

The pressure applied in a Thai massage varies with each massage therapist. Compared to the pressure used in Western massages, Thai massage may be harder on people than what they are accustomed to. Thai massage can be too strenuous on the client. The last thing a client would want to do is tense up in order to guard himself against the pressure of the therapist's strokes. This can damage the client's muscles and cause unnecessary strain. For a Thai massage to be effective, the client must fully relax and let the therapist freely manipulate the client's extremities to promote blood and lymph flow and promote the removal of blocked energy lines.

Micaela Romualdez is a freelance article writer for DFWChiroMassage. She enjoys writing on topics such as chiropractic, rolfing, massage therapy benefits, homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, nutrition, and other types of alternative health care.

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