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There
are so many techniques to talk about... We
cannot possibly address them all.
Some
differences between Oriental and Western
massage therapy and bodywork are explained here.
Another
article describes deep
tissue massage. Rolfing is a special
case of deep tissue massage. It melts the
connective "filler" in the tissues
and thus remolds the body into a new shape.
That's why its official name is structural
integration. It is called rolfing for short
because Ida Rolf pioneered the work. Rolfing
involves committing to a 10-session protocol
that systematically remodels the entire body.
Rolfing is very deep tissue and can be painful,
but not too uncomfortably. It feels good. A bad
rolfer would make you scream. I know, I had
many rolfing sessions from different rolfers.
At the end of rolfing sessions, a person should
look and feel different. The posture will be
straighter. However, if a person is not
emotionally ready to sustain this new posture,
they will go back to the old habits. Therefore,
properly preparing for rolfing involves some
inner work and readiness.
Shiatsu
works by balancing the energetic meridians, by
pressure and stretching. Usually hands, thumbs,
elbows are used to press in in certain spots,
and the spots follow along certain lines. The
client is clothed and on a futon. The
practitioner wears an outfit that looks like
martial arts outfit and allows for a wide range
of movement. White gi is common.
There
is a whole science behind the meridians, and
different meridian teachings. A very common one
is the five-elements theory that acupuncturists
use as well. Another shiatsu style is Matsunaga
zen shiatsu. A style popular in Japan is very
hard, and uses mostly thumbs to press hard.
Westerners can find that very painful. Ask
before you go. There are shiatsu practitioners,
even in Japan, who provide shiatsu with
stretching. In the USA, a well known shiatsu
style that involves stretching is by Wataru
Ohashi and Ohashi Institute. There are other
shiatsu styles that I have seen that involve
rocking the body to release tension.
What
is an energetic meridian? It is a channel
through which invisible energy, or chi, flows
through the body. There are "maps" of
such channels. The points at which the channel
is more easily accessed are called acupuncture
points.
Thai
massage
works by stretching and pressing the meridians,
it is "assisted yoga" and looks quite
acrobatic. The client is clothed and on a
futon, the therapist moves and
"exercises" with the client. Thai
massage meridians are based on yoga and there
is a whole science about it. Thai massage is
effective as nothing else for stretching and
making tight tendons and ligaments and muscles
become limber. It is probably the best
technique for releasing tight pelvis.
Hawaiian
lomilomi
massage can have many forms, some use oil and
some don't. Some lomi looks like chiropractic
adjustments, cracking the body all over. The
form that I know is oil over bare skin. It
looks like flowing sweeping motions from the
trunk to the extremities, with stretching. In
the old Hawaii, people would come home form
working the taro fields and fishing, and
families would sit around and massage each
other, so each family had their own massage
style. Today, the most popular style are Aunty
Margaret's from Big Island, because she has had
a big school for many years and trained many
teachers. Okazaki restorative massage is
basically lomilomi as well, but without the
spiritual and herbal components.
The
entire lomilomi
package is a comprehensive healing
practice and is done only by highly trained
individuals supervised by experienced teachers.
It includes administering of herbs, as well as
psychological and spiritual counseling and
forgiveness practice. There is much more to
this, it is already in the realm of shamanism.
For example, the forgiveness practice is done
in a wide range, from spiritual exorcism all
the way to physical people sitting down in a
mediation process. In other words, ho'oponopono
includes what today we consider priestly
endeavors of exorcising spirits all the way to
what we would call personal counseling and
family and marriage therapy. In any case,
everything is done from the point of view
"I wish only for health and happiness for
me, and also for you. I am returning to my God
state, and I wish you the same."
That
is why the lomilomi massage part is done with
prayer and is considered to come from God. That
component is different from any other massage
technique, because lomilomi is part of a Sacred
Teaching and thus when you evoke it, you evoke
the ancient healers who are in charge of the
tradition. In other words, lomi is a spiritual
practice.
Since
lomi is comprehensive, it is expected to talk
about things other than massage. Each
service provides education in terms of
exercise and nutrition, as well as deeper
insight into areas of one's life that might be
causing pain or discomfort versus joy and ease.
Shiatsu
and lomilomi can be performed as a relaxation
massage, with a lighter, more relaxing
touch, with emphasis on gentler and slower
myofascial release and cranio-sacral therapy
techniques, as well as a deep tissue or
sports massage, where areas with knotted
muscles and tension can be worked more deeply.
Relaxation massage can also include deeper work
on selected areas, typically shoulders and
lower back.
Shiatsu and lomilomi can be performed in a
traditional way, on a futon, or on a massage
table. All traditional Asian bodywork
modalities are performed on a futon, and can be
modified to fit on a table. The futon provides
the practitioner with better leveraging of the
pressure, the client gets better grounding to
the magnetic field of the Earth and thus more
healing energy, and it is more plasant and
cooler closer to the ground in the tropical
climate of Hawai'i. For cold days and for
clients for some reason cannot lower themselves
and/or do not prefer to be closer to the
ground, a massage table is available.
All
Oriental massages start from, or at least
address, the abdomen. Shiatsu calls it "ampuku",
lomi calls it "opu huli". Another
article describes abdominal
massage.
Swedish
massage
is oil over bare skin, and consists in
kneading, pulling, rubbing, towards the heart.
I have not seen Swedish massage with any
stretching, and/or abdominal work. I suspect
there must be some; that most therapists just
took Swedish 101 and never learned any advanced
techniques.
Osteopathy
is a Western practice that can be amazingly
effective. Osteopathy SHOULD be a form of
bodywork practiced by medical doctors. So, it
is much more than just massage therapy and
bodywork, one needs to be an MD, and I am
mentioning it here just for completeness.
European osteopaths are amazing bodyworkers and
can work with anything - muscles, connective
tissue, organs, spine, ... American osteopaths
often have no special hands-on skills and are
just like regular MDs, or maybe can adjust the
spine like chiropractors. Too bad!
Craniosacral
therapy is a very gentle method of working
with the spine, head, and sacrum. It can
promote a deep sense of relaxation and well
being, and leave the receiver feeling
rejuvenated and clear headed. It is excellent
for working with head injuries or problems
(e.g. tight jaw, sinus problems, etc.) autism,
headaches, allergies, etc. The idea is that the
brain and the spine are in a tough waterproof
sack, full of cranial fluid. This fluid
pulsates and nourishes the brain, which contain
some of the major glands that regulate the
entire hormonal system, and the spine, which
feeds the nerves to all major organs.
Craniosacral therapy restores proper movement
of the cranial fluid and releases tight areas
that restrict proper movement. It is extremely
gentle and uses 5 grams of pressure, which is
the weight of a nickel! So, in a massage
session it is often done as the last technique,
when all tissues are released by using some
other modality. Sometimes the entire session in
craniosacral therapy is appropriate. If there
is muscular tension, then regular massage is
required first.
Orthopedic
massage
is a mix of various techniques, specially
formulated to be very effective for injuries.
Consists of combination of myofascial release,
neuromascular therapy, and stretching. It is
very specific for healing certain problems, for
example frozen shoulder, etc.
Reflexology
treatment focuses on massaging only hands and
feet, where internal parts of the body can be
accessed through their corresponding reflex
areas. There is also reflexology of ears.
Pregnancy
massage:
a gentle whole body (except abdomen) relaxing
shiatsu or lomilomi massage for pregnant women,
focusing on reducing the stress on the lower
back, sacrum and legs, induced by the extra
weight of the baby. There are certain points to
avoid, like the little toe or the middle area
between the neck and the shoulder, because they
cause uterine contractions. Also, pregnant
women should not be getting too deep of
massage, because we don't want the baby to be
overwhelmed with the released toxins. All
detoxing should be done before pregnancy, if
possible.
Hot
stones massage is
an ancient practice. During this massage,
comfortably warm stones are placed on the body
to release tension and improve circulation. A
light massage is then performed with warm
stones. This massage is ideal for people with
very tense muscles, arthritis, or anyone in
need of deep regeneration and warmth. People
suffering from fibromalgia benefit a lot from
it.
Raindrop
Therapy is
an aromatherapy treatment using high-quality
essential oils, where the highly anti-microbial
oils are applied around the spine to eliminate
any potential dormant microorganisms. This
treatment is ideal for people with scoliosis,
and those experiencing or recovering from
infections. It has to be done with high grade
therapeutic oils, e.g. Young Living oils.
Any
massage can be enhanced by aromatherapy.
Essential oils are deeply relaxing and have
other healing properties, like helping sore
muscles and injured tissues recover, or being
anti-bacterial and anti-microbial and good for
healing infections.
In
short:
No
matter which technique you pick, at the end you should feel like new!
Telling it as it is, from a lot of experience
:)
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