If You Need to Relax Massage is the Answer

Relax massage. Those two words go together like peanut butter and jam. They have a connotation that is pleasant and refreshing. Relaxation massage is like a breath of fresh air – invigorating, yet relaxing, healthy, yet indulgent. Picture yourself at a day spa with soft, sweet music playing or the sounds of nature and soft, low lighting. The temperature in the room is just right. Just settling into the massage table starts the relaxation process. The soft soothing oils warm as the massage therapist begins your relaxing massage. Just imagining it has a positive effect on your mind and body.

Some benefits of massage:

* It has been show that massage will regulate your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and improve your blood circulation.
* Massage relaxes muscles and can improve you range of motion.
* Massage releases your body’s natural pain relievers called endorphins.
* Massage can stimulate weak muscles that have been injured or suffered from lack of use.
* Massage can speed up the healing process.

Massage therapy offers both physical and mental benefits:

* Just experiencing pain relief makes you have a general feeling of well-being.
* Being able to move better and more easily relieves stress on other parts of your body and your mind.
* A relaxing massage clears your mind, relieving mental stress and anxiety.
* If you’re not receiving any physical affection, the caring touch offered by the massage therapist can satisfy that need.
* Massage will help you to understand the connection between your body and mind, giving you a sense of control over your life.
* If you let yourself go completely during the massage process your thinking will become calm and you’ll experience peace of mind and increased mental clarity.
* If you’re lucky, you have a partner that’s willing to and is good at giving great massages. They’re also great for improving couples’ intimacy.

We all want to have a sense of empowerment in our lives. Taking care of our minds and bodies allows us to feel some of that sense. Massage can be done by your spouse/partner for relaxation or intimacy, by a massage therapist for relaxation and the mind/body effect or can be used following injuries from sports or accidents in order to heal the body. If you can relax massages are an amazing benefit to everyone. There are even massage therapists that will visit your office while you’re working and do massage while you sit at your desk, easing back and neck pain, headaches, anxiety and stress and carpal tunnel syndrome. You can get great relief from tendonitis, whiplash, chronic pain and fibromyalgia.

Here are a few of the known methods of massage:

* Swedish Massage – long smooth strokes and circular kneading motions with lotion or oil
* Aromatherapy Massage – introduces scented essential oils that are known to address a particular need.
* Hot Stone Massage – heated, smooth stones placed on certain spots of the body to warm and loosen tight muscles sometimes with applied pressure.
* Deep Tissue Massage – aims at deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using slow strokes against the grain of the muscle.
* Shiatsu – uses finger pressure on specific areas using acupuncture points.
* Reflexology – applies pressure to very specific points on the foot that correspond to certain organs.
* Sports Massage – used more particularly for people who exercise, work out and are physically active to assist in the prevention and treatment of injury.