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All
oriental massages do massage the abdomen.
Shiatsu calls it ampuku, lomilomi calls it opu
huli.
The
abdomen is the front neighbor of the lower
back. If the abdomen is not happy, the lower
back is not happy either. As simple as that.
BOTH of them need to be happy in order for it
to work.
The
abdomen is not going to be happy for many
reasons. I will list a few.
The
main thing that "gets it" is stress.
Stress makes the abdomen get shorter and
tighter. Check out work of Thomas Hanna on
Somatics. We just "cringe" to protect
our tummy when we are stressed out. All animals
do this. Watch your cat or dog when they feel
threatened.
Psoas
and illiopsoas are muscles that run from the
back, through the abdomen, and to the leg. We
can access them near the hip joint, from the
front. Obviously, when they are tight, the
lower back is tight and the tush sticks out.
Psoas is the muscle responsible for flexing the
hip, so: it has to work every time we sit.
That's most of the time, isn't it? So, not
working on the psoas (through the abdomen) is a
very bad idea.
Most
massage schools teach beginning Swedish massage
and most massage therapists don't take any more
classes. So, if a massage therapist does NOT
massage your abdomen, it is because they are a
beginner and don't know any better.
Some
massages are done on the abdomen over naked
skin (e.g. lomilomi), and some are over clothed
abdomen. In any case, only the abdomen should
be exposed.
If
a client demands that they absolutely have to
have their abdomen massaged without clothing,
and the feeling about it is a little funny,
that would make me suspicious. Run.
If
the client is pregnant, then I do NOT massage
the abdomen. Some therapists do. Perhaps when
the baby is larger, it is nice to massage the
abdomen, and in any case it is good to rub in
avocado oil and other oils that prevent stretch
marks. However, I'd rather let the pregnant
woman massage it herself.
Telling it as it is, from a lot of experience
:)
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