It’s an art to give a massage that makes the recipient feel good, and there are many different forms of this procedure designed for specific purposes. Some forms are intended to address a physical problem and others are to relieve stress. Even the person who is not educated in any particular type of massage technique can provide some comfort and well being to someone else with just a few basic instructions.
Here are some primary aspects of massage that are important to remember.
1. How firm and intense a massage is given depends on what it is being administered for. A person who wants it done for relaxation doesn’t need deep and vigorous strokes, but just basic slow rhythmic motion. Attempting to stimulate muscles or loosen tension requires harder strokes with more pressure applied. 강남안마
2. Generally the heaviest strokes are delivered in the direction of the heart and return strokes are lighter.
3. Strokes should always be smooth and continuous, not short and jerky. Administering the massage should involve the use of the entire body, not just the fingers and arms. This provides more control and pressure when necessary.
4. No matter what type of massage is administered, it should begin with gentle strokes and build up in intensity as the application continues.
5. It is best to use different kinds of strokes through a massage. A straight back and forth application is good, but mixing in circular strokes and kneading at tight muscles is important to deliver the best rounded treatment. Kneading focuses on a particular spot, muscle group, or area of concern.
6. Draining is a special stroke that uses the heels of the hands or thumbs for successive strokes up the limbs. The object is to stretch the muscles of the legs and arms.
7. Friction and percussive strokes are for reaching deep to work out knotty tissue. Another reason for percussive strokes is to increase the flow of blood. The familiar chopping with the sides of the hand is a percussive stroke.
It is best to use massage oil so that the hands glide over the body. Some lotions don’t work well because they gum up and flake off under the massage pressure; a product designed specifically for massage works best.
An overall light stroking of the area to be massaged is the typical way to begin. Slow gliding strokes with the hands outstretched marks the area and prepares the subject for the procedure. The long strokes are followed by circular movements that stretch and relax the muscles.