Massage Therapy and Bodywork

Various types of massage and bodywork are among the oldest forms of healing with hands that are known to man. Although the very first mention of massage and bodywork techniques can be found in Chinese writings from as far back as 3000 years, this art is much more ancient than that.

What Is Massage Therapy and Bodywork

1) Massage Therapy: A massage is a form of healing through touch, wherein the soft tissues in the human body are kneaded, rubbed, pressed, stroked, and touched with the hands (and sometimes feet) of the massage therapist, so as to enhance the circulation in the body, thus bringing many therapeutic benefits.

2) Bodywork: Bodywork refers to a broad classification, under which are included different kinds of touch therapies. These therapies and techniques are used to bring about various alterations in the structure of the human body, in an effort to bring it back to as close its natural form as possible.

How Do Massage Therapy and Bodywork Work

There are many different types of massages and bodywork that can be used to treat the problems of an individual. While these are different in the techniques and methods used to perform the massage and bodywork, the fundamental principles that govern the workings of massage therapy and bodywork remain the same, regardless of what kind of therapy is being talked about. Here are some of these main principles of massage therapy and bodywork.

• Toxin Removal: Because of physical and mental stress and tension, the human body accumulates many harmful toxins. Massage therapy and bodywork manipulate the tissues in the body in such a manner that these dangerous toxins are not allowed to remain in the body and are removed through natural elimination processes.

  
   

• Increased Flow of Blood: Enhanced and unencumbered blood circulation could be considered as the chief principle of massage and bodywork therapies. Tension and stress, once again, are responsible for inhibiting the free flow of blood through the body. Because of this, a person can experience many health problems and illnesses. With massage and bodywork therapies, the circulation of blood is increased, which in turn has a host of therapeutic benefits.
   

• Decreasing Stress: Even medical experts will agree with the fact that physical and emotional stress is the root cause of many a health problem. Reducing stress is often easier said than done. But with the techniques used in massage and bodywork, total relaxation is almost achieved. Because these therapies can help to reduce physical and physiological stress, they are very effective in treating many stress induced problems.
   

• Amalgamation of Body and Mind: A person’s body and mind are very closely related. Any problem in one area often causes a problem in the other. If your body is not healthy, you cannot have a healthy mind. Similarly, if your mind is not functioning properly, your body loses all its energy. In this manner, massage and bodywork therapies can be used along with talk therapy to bring about total body healing.

Thus, by ridding your body of stress, tension, toxins, and trauma, and by enhancing your energy and blood circulation; massage and bodywork aim to bring back equilibrium in your body. And a body that is balanced is a body that is healthy.

Types of Massage and Bodywork Therapies

There are various kinds of massage therapy and bodywork, which use different methods and techniques for healing. Here are some of the different types of massage and bodywork therapies.

Deep Tissue Massage
As the name suggests, deep tissue massage requires the application of a great deal of pressure and kneading to reach deep within the many layers of the body. Such massage therapy is not a general massage but tends to be more area precise, with the therapist often concentrating his efforts on the problem areas only.

Swedish Massage
This is the most popular kind of massage therapy in the United States. A Swedish massage does not use as much pressure as is required in a deep tissue massage. It is also not very area specific and is typically a full body massage. Use of oils and lubricants is common in a Swedish massage. The inventor was a man named Per Henrik Ling from Sweden, thus the name.

Rolfing
This is a bodywork therapy. In this type of bodywork, the therapist aims to make the tissues in the body move freely over the muscles (as they are supposed to but may not because of injury or tension). As the tissues are loosened, the movement of different parts of the body becomes freer. The rolfing techniques are used with the aim being to bring the head, shoulder, thorax, pelvis, and legs in position with one another, thus creating a healthy balance in the body.

Apart from the above mentioned therapies, there are many more massage and bodywork therapies such as shiatsu, acupressure, aromatherapy, polarity therapy, reiki, trigger point therapy, Alexander technique, Rosen method, and reflexology; which are all known to be very beneficial to human health.

Finding A Massage and Bodywork Therapist

With the re-emergence of massage therapy and bodywork as a popular alternative form of healing, many massage and bodywork therapists now practice various forms of massage and bodywork therapy. With their ever increasing numbers, it becomes difficult to zero in on a particular therapist.

One way of ensuring that you get a qualified and professional massage and bodywork therapist is to find one who is Nationally Certified as a masseuse and bodyworker. With such a certified therapist, you can rest assured that you are in the capable hands of a practitioner who knows what he is doing and is trained in the many techniques of massage and bodywork.

Whether you want to go in for massage and bodywork therapies to lessen some physical aches, or for relaxation, or for achieving balance and harmony, or even for treating some chronic illnesses; with a Nationally Certified therapist, you know that you can expect the best kind of therapy, which will help you to maximize your healing.

Isn’t the simple touch of a loved one often enough to make you forget your worries? That is the power of touch, which is what massage therapy and bodywork is based on.