people
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getting started
Ifirst discovered the benefits of full body massage when I was a student at a massage school. We typically trained by working on each other and, as a result, I received four massages a week for the duration of the training. After each massage, my physical body woke up and my mind was thrilled with the new, fresh sensations. I could bend and move with greater ease. My body felt taller and more limber. My headaches were gone. My backaches were gone. I was genuinely healthier and I actually smiled more.
When I finished the training, I lapsed into my old pattern of always being tired and stressed. One day when I was especially tense, I decided to schedule a professional full body massage. It was glorious and refreshing, just like I remembered, but I knew the benefits would eventually fade. I decided to take a few minutes throughout the day to perform simple self-massage techniques on my neck and arms. Surprisingly, by the end of my workweek I wasn’t especially tired or tense.
I eventually discovered that my self-massage techniques were effectively bridging the gap between full body sessions. I was maintaining the benefits of the full body massage for longer periods of time, and I was generally less stressed and in less pain than I’d ever been.
What’s So Great about Massage?
Our modern way of life creates a tension crisis in our bodies. Our jobs often require us to make repeated movements using small, isolated muscle groups. We relax by watching television or using a computer. We only experience broad physical movement in the gym, if we ever get there. Lack of exercise, prolonged awkward body positions, and continual stress combine to put pressure on our physical and mental well-being. Over time we finally snap into muscle spasm.
Muscle pain, back spasm, and a host of anxiety-related disorders seem inevitable in today’s overproductive world. However, there is a way to counteract the damage inflicted by this harried lifestyle, and it’s so simple you’ll wonder why you haven’t thought of it before: go get a massage.
Imagine that you’re sitting quietly with your eyes closed in a lavender-scented room as you gently stroke your forehead or massage the palms of your hands. Or imagine you’re warm and cozy, lying face down on a cushioned table while practiced fingers knead your back into relaxation. It sounds like the perfect solution but you may never get around to enjoying it. Even though massage boosts the immune system, controls pain, decreases stress, and helps prevent injury, you may mistakenly believe that it is only available at overpriced health spas or in a medical setting. You may wonder how to find time for it as you juggle work responsibilities, family obligations, and money limitations.
You may also avoid massage because you are confused about the meaning our culture attributes to physical contact. Harville Hendrix, author of Getting the Love That Heals: A Guide for Parents, says, To protect ourselves from being accused of inappropriate touch, we’re not touching at all.
We avoid touching each other because we are afraid our physical affection might be misinterpreted — even by young children. Teachers and schools institute teach, don’t touch
policies. The result is that today’s children must receive less positive physical contact despite clear evidence that touch deprivation negatively affects their emotional and physical development. James Prescott, M.D., of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School, states, the deprivation of body touch, contact, and movement are the basic causes of a number of emotional disturbances including depressive and autistic behaviors, hyperactivity, sexual aberration, drug abuse, violence, and aggression.
Our cultural reservation about touching gives Americans the dubious distinction of having one of the lowest rates of casual touch in the world — twice per hour.
Lack of understanding about massage and selfmassage, cultural sensitivity regarding touch, money limitations, and overburdened schedules unite to prevent us from taking advantage of an enormously helpful and pleasurable wellness practice.
Fortunately, science is changing our perceptions about the importance of massage. We’re learning what our bodies have known all along; we need to be touched — it is a necessary part of our lives and it actually heals us. A number of universities are now doing research in this area. Perhaps the most well-known human touch studies come from the Touch Research Institute. Some of their findings are startling:
Short, daily massages increase the growth of premature babies by 49 percent. They leave the hospital six days earlier than preemies who do not receive massage.
Diabetic children who were given daily massage by their parents experienced an improvement in their food and insulin regulation, and their blood glucose levels decreased to normal range.
Asthmatic children had fewer asthma attacks and could breathe more easily after a month of nightly massages.
Patients suffering from fibromyalgia showed longterm improvements such as less pain and less fatigue as well as better sleep after five weeks of twice-weekly massage.
Children with dermatitis saw improved moods, activity levels, and skin conditions.
Infants and toddlers were twice as likely to resolve sleep disorder problems if they received massages.
Autistic children responded to a month of massage therapy by being less distracted, more attentive, and more social.
HIV-positive patients showed increased immune function and lower stress hormone levels.
If we could all take a half hour a day for professional bodywork, we’d be more relaxed, our muscles would be deeply rested, we’d sleep better at night, and our health would blossom. Unfortunately, few of us have the time or resources to afford such a luxury. As a result, we have to take matters into our own hands, literally. Our bodies need it and our spirits are parched for it.
This book focuses on quick self-massage techniques that fit easily into your busy lifestyle. Self-massage puts you in the driver’s seat because it is self-sufficient (you are the massage giver), flexible (you can do it anywhere, anytime), and free (you don’t have to schedule and pay for a massage practitioner). With self-massage you learn how to manage your stress and support your own wellness routine. Self-massage can’t replace a full body session, but it can help alleviate simple physical and mental tensions that form the bedrock of more serious problems. When regularly practiced, it can make a big difference in your physical condition and your ability to manage stress.
In this book you’ll learn about the tremendous physical and psychological benefits regular self-massage can provide. Specifically, you’ll learn how to take quick selfmassage body breaks
that help maintain overall alertness and reduce the tension that leads to muscle knots, spasms, and even injuries. You’ll be introduced to powerful techniques that work at desks, in vehicles, and after long periods of standing or walking and self-massage treatments for a variety of common physical conditions such as headaches, lethargy, and anxiety. In addition, you’ll learn about
