I will only go through the stages of back massage here, although you can adapt the moves to use on any part of the body.
Although a back massage can be performed through clothes, some of the steps are easier if you work directly on the flesh. Make sure your partner is wearing something loose that can be lifted up easily.
Place one hand on the sacrum. Stroke your other hand in a swift, smooth action up the right side of the back and around the shoulder. Glide back, then stroke up the left side of the back and shoulder in the same way.
Hold the top of the arm with one of your hands and place the knuckles of the ring and little finger of your other hand on top of the arm. Roll your wrist obliquely away from you, then roll it back onto the knuckles. Work all over the upper arm and shoulder, then repeat on the other side.
Place your thumbs and fingertips around the muscles that run down either side of the spine in the small of the back. Then, keeping your hands still, slowly rock the body. Rock for about 30 seconds, then squeeze the flesh between your fingers and thumbs, and push your hands together to create a compression. Hold for 5 seconds.
Loosely clasp your hands and rest your forearms on the upper and lower back. Then circle your forearms in an counterclockwise direction, using your body weight to achieve a deep pressure. Cover the whole area.
With your forearms in the same position, roll one of them briskly up and down the back, while keeping your other arm still. Make sure that your body weight is evenly distributed by keeping your feet apart. Then use your other forearm to roll up the back.
Place your thumbs on top of each other, just beside the spine on the side nearest to you. Press down and stroke your thumbs toward the spine. The technique, which has a strong, toning effect on the muscles, requires some practice. Stroking away from the spine relaxes taut muscles. This movement can also be done on the legs and feet.
Squeeze the flesh on the sacrum between your thumbs and the sides of your index fingers, and roll the flesh up the back by "walking" your thumbs forward. When you reach the middle of the back, glide back and repeat this movement three times. Then squeeze the flesh on the sacrum again, but instead of rolling it, pull it up sharply. Release and repeat all the way up the back.
Press your palms and fingertips together and lift your elbows out to the sides. Then, starting on the buttocks, make a hacking movement with your hands, trying to create a loud clacking sound as your fingers knock together. Work up the back.
In traditional Chinese massage, this vigorous movement is used with a special warming ointment or oil. Place one hand on top of the back as a support, and make a strong, quick, sawing movement with the side of your other hand, up and down the side of the spine. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Back Massage Guide
Laxative Herbal & Remedies
When your body becomes too constipated, you can feel extremely bloated and it might even hurt too, so you started looking for immediate sources of relief. And there are many, completely natural ways to relieve constipation too.
One of the best is to simply drink some fruit juice. Grape juice or prune juice are excellent choices which often work very fast for instance. There are also many herbs which can be used to help relieve constipation quickly as well.
Cascara Sagrada for instance, is an herb used primarily as a natural laxative. It’s been used by Native Americans for centuries, and is known to some as “The Sacred Bark”, and also the californian buckthorn.
This herb is known to help increase bile production in the liver, as well as secretions of the stomach, pancreas and lower bowel. It actually promotes contractions of the bowel, or peristaltic action, which is what causes you have the urge to have a bowel movement.
Cascara Sagrada is not believed to be habit forming, and because it is not a purgative it is considered safe for use on babies or healthy pregnant women. Most doctors and modern medical specialists will warn you about using herbal laxatives though, because they assume the affects and dangers are the same as with prescription or over the counter medications. And while this can be true for some herbal laxatives, it’s not always the case.
Senna is another strong herbal laxative, and it is a purgative. This herb is often taken in tea form, and it also causes peristaltic contractions. Many people swear by how well this herb works, but they also note that it can make you feel very sick, and you that you shouldn’t be away from the bathroom for a couple of hours after taking it. If Senna makes you nauseous, adding a bit of ginger or cinnamon can sometimes help.
Slippery Elm is another wonderful herb that works for both constipation and diarrhea, because it normalizes the stools while soothing, coating and healing the intestinal tract lining. Slippery Elm should be taken with lots of water to help move it through your system.
Any kind of bulk fiber supplement or food source will usually get your bowels moving fairly soon too. If you’ve been constipated for several days though, this approach might take some time. A faster approach would be to take herbal supplements which are high in Chlorophyll content, such as Parsley or Alfalfa. Chlorophyll acts as a “broom” inside your colon, and helps get things moving fairly quickly after taking it.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)
Developed in the 1930s by a Danish massage therapist, Dr Emil Vodder, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is a gentle, but amazingly powerful, technique that consists of slow, delicate, repetitive movements. Dr Vodder and his wife discovered that gently palpating and moving the skin could stimulate the lymphatic system and improve congested conditions. This led them to develop a system to treat the whole body.
Consult a qualified medical practitioner if there is a serious or persistent condition, such as swelling that occurs in heart failure, cancer, or thrombosis.
Why MLD?
Healthy connective tissue nourishes every body cell, but when it is congested, cell nutrition and the flow of waste products to the bloodstream slows down. When the lymphatic system is stimulated by MLD, this stagnation is reversed, the body functions more healthily, and the immune system is strengthened.
MLD is an extremely versatile treatment. It can help reduce swelling and bruising, minimize scarring, speed up healing, relieve sinus congestion, reduce water retention and cellulite, help ease arthritic pain, and is useful as a first-aid treatment for minor burns, bumps, and scratches.
Whatever the condition you are treating with MLD, always begin on the neck. This area has the greatest concentration of lymph nodes in the body, containing approximately 30 percent of the total.
Self-treatment
Stationary circles are the easiest and best movements to use in self-treatment. The following treatment is designed to reduce puffiness and firm the skin. There is no need to use oil. The movements should be repetitive and gentle, so that the skin is moved superficially.
Neck and shoulders
Raise your elbows so that they are at right angles to your body, and place your hands on either side of the neck. Straighten but relax your fingers, and use the middle part to gently circle the skin back and down. Release, and let the skin gently pull your fingers upward to complete the circle. Repeat four times, then move your hands a finger's width." down your neck and repeat another five times. Now cross your arms in front of your chest and make five stationary circles at the tops of your shoulders, bringing the skin toward your collar bone. Repeat the entire sequence three times.
Race an Jaw
Place your hands on either side of your chin, and make five stationary circles at three overlapping positions, working toward your ears. Move the skin down toward your body and release out toward your ears. Repeat the sequence three times. Then make stationary circles over the rest of your face, using the length of all your fingers on the flatter areas, and one or two fingers on either side of your nose.
Eyes
If you have puffiness or discoloration under your eyes, make stationary circles in three positions along the edges of the semicircles just above your cheekbones, starting beside your nose. Use the pads of your fingers and apply half the pressure used elsewhere. Finally, make stationary circles down each side of your face and repeat step 1 three more times.
For MLD to work successfully, it must be used on a regular basis.
Treating a partner
The slow and repetitive moves of MLD can have an incredibly soporific effect and may be used as a calming technique, sending your partner to sleep within minutes. MLD takes practice to master, but you can use the following key movements as an introduction and keep practicing on your partner until you feel the moves are really flowing and you can see the results. Stationary circles are used mainly on the face and other sensitive areas; pump and scoop techniques on the limbs; and rotary movements on larger, flatter areas, such as the back and abdomen.
Stationary circles
Place your fingers on either side of the jaw, and complete five stationary circles at three overlapping positions, working toward the ears: move the skin gently toward the body, then out to the ears, then allow the skin to pull your fingers back. Repeat three times.
Place your fingers on either' side of the mouth, and make five stationary circles with relaxed, straight fingers. Continue on the rest of the face.
Pump and scoop
Before working on the leg, clear the groin area with stationary circles toward the body. Then bend the knee and place one hand on the front of the leg and the other on the back.
For the pump action, use the hand at the front of the leg to stretch the skin gently out toward each side. Then ease the skin up toward the body.
Follow with a scoop: use the hand at the back of the leg to push the skin upward in a light, scooping motion. Continue up to the knee with alternate pumps and scoops, doing three pumps and three scoops.
Rotary movements
Place your hands on the lower back so that your thumbs are at right angles to the spine. Gently move the skin forward and out with your palms, then release and let the skin bring your hands back. Lift up your wrists, glide your fingers forward slightly, lower your palms again, and repeat. Work up the back with these rotary movements.
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