The benefits of massage have long been recognized. Around 2,400 years ago in ancient Greece the physicial Hippocrates recommended “a scented bath and an oiled massage every day ” as the way to health.
Massage as a structured therapy is thought to have originated in China and Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago. It continued to be an important part of conventional medical practice for hundreds of years and it was not until the rise of “scientific” treatments in the 19th century that it slipped out of the textbooks.
Most methods of massage used today stem from the work of Per Henrik Ling, a Swede, who came across Oriental forms of massage while visiting China in the 19th century. Ling brought these techniques to Europe and developed what is now known as Swedish massage. This system employs four basic techniques: effleurage or stroking, percussion, petrissage or kneading, and frottage or friction. All these massage techniques are easy to learn and form the basis for most types of therapeutic massage.
A masseur will probably use a massage oil or aromatherapy oil to carry out the strokes smoothly, without pulling at your skin. Any pure vegetable oil or baby oil will be effective in lubricating the skin.
Touching and your skin
One of the most natural, instinctive forms of human communication is touching. The skin, with its millions of tiny nerve endings, is the largest organ of the body. Touch develops early in life – it is the unborn child’s principal way of investigating its surroundings. Research shows that babies and young children who are not touched and stroked are less likely to thrive.
Regular body massage can reduce anxiety, unlock tense and cramped muscles, ease stiff joints and generally results in increased vitality and a heightened sense of wellbeing. Massage as a therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of conditions and is excellent for back pain and neck pain. Other conditions that massage may help include muscle or joint pain or stiffness, anxiety and depression, stress-related disorders, headaches and migraine.
A massage can last for anything from a few minutes to half an hour or more. If you are giving a massage at home choose a quiet, warm room with subdued lighting. The person to be massaged, or receiver, should lie on a firm couch or on a mattress or blankets on the floor. You should wear comfortable, loose clothing that does not restrict your movements. Use large towels or bathrobes to cover areas of the receiver’s body that are not being massaged. You can use oil – either a carrier oil or diluted essential oils – or talcum powder to reduce friction during the massage. If your hands are cold rub them together to warm them up before beginning. Keep your strokes rhythmic and flowing and try to merge one stroke into the next. If you are giving a full body massage, begin with the back before moving on to other areas.