How To Restore Energy and Balance With Massage

There’s something about massage that draws us in despite the usual hefty price tag it bears. Imagine that you will have your senses soothed by the age-old wonder of touch therapy and you are likely to be more resolute and faster than a speeding bullet to bid an end to your long drawn-out and tiring day.

If love could move mountains, evocations of a relaxing massage experience can move financial and time constraints. We can get lost in the experience, we know that all too well.

Massage is a go-to pampering activity for many who experience a host of ailments from chronic back pain and insomnia to stress and anxiety.

Different types of massage target specific desires ranging from relaxation to being energized.

Common benefits derived from massage are pain relief and improved bodily motion, enhanced immune system, developed muscle strength, tissue regeneration and stress and anxiety relief. Getting a massage is indeed a priceless indulgence that do wonders for the soul, mind and body.

Massage is an instinctive healing art that has been around for millennia. It is common instinct that we rub and massage parts of our body that hurt, and upon this instinct the healing practice of massage came to be developed across time and space, catering to specific needs of the body.

Most of us go for a massage because we are dealing with pain, whether it manifests physically or emotionally, hence massage is probably most known for its ability to soothe our discomfort. Pain is a manifestation of blocked energy pathways and imbalances in the body. It is a tell-tale sign that our body is unable to optimally heal itself and it needs our help, or more precisely it needs to be touched, kneaded and stroked to enhance its own healing functions.

There are hundreds of massage modalities practiced throughout the world nowadays, with some more popular than the others. While several contemporary massage modalities promise to revitalize the mind and body one way or another, there are some massage practices that have made their mark as catering specifically to restore energy and balance.

Shiatsu

This ancient Japanese technique stimulates the pressure points or energy centers with the use of fingers, which has earned for Shiatsu the moniker “Acupuncture without the needles.” Massage therapists trained in the art of Shiatsu will employ varying techniques of finger pressure, kneading and rubbing using different intensities of pressure to encourage the flow of Qi or energy through the body’s meridians or energy pathways.

A good Shiatsu therapist can distinguish subtle inconsistencies in the energy flowing through the body and where energy imbalances are located. Shiatsu restores balance and relieve pain and other symptoms. It also promotes relaxation and rejuvenation as a manifestation of better energy circulation within the body. Unlike most massage types, Shiatsu is a dry massage as it does not involve the application of oil on the body.

Healing Touch

Used extensively in the nursing profession, Healing Touch massage uses the energy therapy approach to healing and wellbeing, which is hinged on the belief that the human body is composed of energy fields that are in a perpetual interaction with other human beings and the environment.

Healing Touch therapists use gentle hand strokes and massage techniques to stimulate the flow of energy to clear energy blockages, restore the energy field and enhance the restorative abilities of the body, mind and spirit.

Deep Tissue

This type of massage goes where no other modalities dare to go by reaching beyond the skin and its underlying soft tissues to the deep areas of the muscles. Deep tissue therapists are trained to manipulate the fascia, a web-like connective tissue that runs through the entire body. When the fascia is inflamed, constrained or traumatized, the body experiences great pain and restricted motion.

Therapists work towards opening up and restoring balance to the fascia by releasing deep-seethed toxins and realigning ligaments and tendons through deep and slow strokes using the fingers, hands, palms and elbows. When having a deep tissue massage, be prepared to experience a fair amount of tenderness or soreness a day after your therapy session.

Hawaiian Lomi Lomi

This massage technique is based on the belief that restoring balance necessitates the healing of all the aspects of a person including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It is a ritualistic practice that often involves the therapist reciting a prayer or saying a series of chants during the massage session to restore harmony, energy and balance.

Literally meaning “rub rub” in Hawaiian, Lomi Lomi applies a great deal of oil to facilitate continuous, broad and fluid strokes and pressure using the hands, forearm and elbows.

Whichever type of massage you choose, bear in mind that different types of massage offered by different therapists provide equally varying effects on the body. To maximize the potential of your massage therapy session in restoring energy and balance to your body, it is also good to keep in mind that as with any other healing practices, it is ideal to get a regular massage so you can efficiently counter the effects of stress and toxins on your health and wellbeing.