What are the benefits of massage?

The benefits of massage are extensive. More and more people are turning the many forms of massage in conjunction with or instead of orthodox treatments, to acquire a more healthy lifestyle.

In India children are taught at a very early age to massage family members and this really forms a close bond within the family. In Japan shiatsu practitioners call from house to house offering short treatments.

Massage is a beneficial exchange for both receiver and giver. It promotes physical self-awareness, tones muscles and makes joints more flexible. Helps reduce stress and promotes relaxation. Back pain, muscle strain are reduced during massage.

Massage is a safe medium for anyone at any age in any physical condition. The emotional benefits of massage cannot be overestimated. For some it helps relieve the sense of physical isolation if they are living alone. Many people find massage increases awareness of the body, raising their energy levels leading to an enhanced feeling of well being. 

Applications

Body Massage: Manipulation of the muscles assists the circulation of the blood and lymphatic fluid, flushes out metabolic waste, stimulates the organs of digestion and improves the performance of the lungs and skin. As the muscles improve in tone, so do the nerves that supply them. Most people find massage increases awareness of the body, raising their levels of energy and leading to an enhanced feeling of well being. The body is a physical object that responds to physical influences. Massage is one of the most natural ways to de-stress the body with ever increasing pressures of modern living, massage has the potential to reduce strain and alleviate pain.
Reflexology: This is a form of massage, which involves working with the thumbs and fingers on reflex areas, which are found in the feet and hands. By massaging these reflex points it is possible to treat the different areas of the body because every part of the foot corresponds to a specific part of the body. It is a method, which is used to treat many ailments, and most people will feel the benefit after treatment. It is used to maintain good health and help prevent serious symptoms from developing. The body has the ability to heal itself. Following illness stress, injury or disease, it is in a state of imbalance and vital energy pathways are blocked, preventing the body from functioning effectively. Reflexology can be used to restore and maintain the body’s equilibrium and encourage healing. Another great benefit of this treatment is its use as a means of relaxation. So many people nowadays suffer from stress, tension and the inability to relax, all of which can lead to ill health. This treatment is an easy, natural and extremely pleasant way of helping the body relax.
Indian Head Massage: Head massage is a touch therapy which incorporates massage of the neck and shoulders and brings about feelings of inner peace. It helps relieve eyestrain, headaches and insomnia. It releases muscular tension and stimulates blood flow, which causes a sense of well being in the body, allowing the mind to slow down and relax. Massaging the head encourages the supply of oxygen to the brain, which is one of the best ways of reducing stress; and boosts blood supply to the scalp, improving the health of hair. Tension that may be held in the jaw or neck is worked on and released. Often people are unaware that they are holding tension, massage helps to still thoughts and bring about calmness.    Sports Massage: All sports involve muscle activity as the primary motive force. Massage can remove the general aches and pains some sportsmen/women accept as normal. Used regularly, Massage is perfect for injury prevention and for treating specific injury. Sports massage is a series of soft tissue manipulation techniques designed to prepare the sports person for training, competition and post competition. Helping to avoid injury, aiding and speeding up the recovery process after prolonged training, and in the event of injury, helping rehabilitation. Sports massage is not always aimed at the sports person, the type of injuries suffered by sports people do not differ from many other activities. If muscle becomes strained, the damage to the tissues is the same.