AMTA DEFINITION OF MASSAGE THERAPY

MASSAGE THERAPY is a profession in which the practitioner applies manual techniques, and may apply adjunctive therapies, with the intention of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client.

MASSAGE is manual soft tissue manipulation, and includes holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body.

THERAPY is a series of actions aimed at achieving or increasing health and wellness.

MANUAL means by use of hand or body.

There are many different approaches and applications to massage.

• Swedish Massage, a general whole body massage using oils on the skin to facilitate treatment. This is the basis of all Western forms of massage treatment.
• Shiatsu, with this Japanese style you generally stay dressed and are treated on the floor. This system balances all bodily systems.
• Deep Tissue, this approach is powerful and often painful although the benifits can be great. It is helpful in restructuring the body, improving posture.
• Holistic Pulsing, clothes on, you are gently rocked, the rocking or pulsing releasing tension.
• Aromatherapy, the use of naturally occuring essential oils to enhance treatment. Often used as a treatment in themselves with different oils being applied to different parts of the body. Pure essential oils have great healing properties and we will have some pages on them in the near future.

In all there are over 400 recognised styles of massage.

STRESS

Massage Therapy helps relaxation, releasing stress and tension in our bodies.

Too much unresolved stress in our lives can cause constant muscular tension. This tension or tightness reduces the flow of blood and oxygen to the muscles and organs and also restricts nerve & lymph supply. Tension creates a tendency for a build up of toxins in the body, and reduces the flow of the more subtle energy or life force (Prana or Chi). Tension can lead to symptomatic feelings of fatigue, heaviness, aches and pains, tightness of muscles and stiffness. Muscular stress can increase the likelihood of strains and injuries. Muscular stress also distorts the skeletal structure which further compounds existing problems and creates new ones.

BENEFITS OF MASSAGE

• The following are some of the beneficial results that you can receive from massage treatments
• Improve circulation Increase blood circulation and the flow of tissue fluid (lymph)
• Improve lymphatic drainage
• Help breathing Stimulate breathing Assist the flow of nutrients & oxygen to tissues
• Lower the heart and pulse rate
• Detoxify the body systems Hasten excretion or waste products
• Assist weight loss
• Nourish the skin (with the right oils) Promote nourishment, repair and renewal of body cells
• Assist in removal of deposits of tissue
• Stimulate activity in skin and its glands
• Improve muscle tone Induce muscle tone
• Soothe and relax nerves
• Relieve Stress
• Release emotional tension
• Relieve pain in certain conditions
• Relax mind and body deeply
• Give pleasure
• Create a feeling of well-being.