The way you touch someone can make a great deal of difference to how the person feels - it can be a healing touch, a feel good touch or even a sensual touch,.... that is the power of touch. Gentle holding, stroking and touching with feeling and tenderness can result in both physical and psychological affects on the person receiving a massage. Caring touch and massage also helps the flow of blood in our bodies and this in turn can decrease our blood pressure, heart rate as well as reducing tension and in general producing a state of well-being. Receiving massage can be beneficial in a number of ways, and giving massage can also be rewarding. There can be great pleasure in the physical contact and in feeling the contours and curves of your partner's body. This can also provide a very sensual side of massage which can greatly improve a couple's sexual relationship. Touch can also assist with healing or improving recovery as well as preventing illness. In today's fast and hectic lifestyle it is very easy to lose touch with reality. Massage can be a great way of getting back in touch with ourselves. People get sick and often it is a manifestation of the body's attempt to heal itself. Generally there are 3 levels of massaging which is used for most parts of the body. For each part of the body there are a variety of strokes available, but generally a 7 step pattern is followed - gradually moving from light to medium to heavy and finishing with a light stroke. The 7 steps are:1 settle yourself and your partner by making contact
2 define the area to be massaged and apply the oil or in some cases baby powder.
3 do some light surface stroking (called "effleurage")
4 begin kneading & squeezing (called "petrissage") - medium pressure required.
5 start some deep pressure massage (called "friction")
6 going back to light surface pressure.
7 Finish by either moving to the next area or take your hands away to finish completely. Massage is a way to use the power of touch to assist the body's natural healing process. Wouldn't it be great if YOU had this power in your hands. |
