Just take a moment to be aware of your body. Take slow calming breaths and be aware or your head, neck and shoulders. How do you feel? Do you feel tension in your neck? Are your shoulders lifting towards your ears? Moving down your back. Is it aching from postural tension? Can you sit comfortably without slouching? Do your calves and thighs feel stiff from those heels? From prolonged standing, or sitting?
When you tune into your body, you may notice areas of tension or pain. You may feel stressed or fatigued. The truth is, so many of us are constantly focused on work, family and our social lifes. We forget about our bodies, our spiritual selves. Now when i talk about spiritual self, i’m not talking about any God or religion. But rather the feeling of groundedness, and the awareness of our body sensations.
Ever so often we get so used to having aching shoulders, a pounding head and heavy legs, that we forget how it felt when our shoulders were light, or when we didn’t have that nagging pain and discomfort. Now, if you exercise regularly, you can improve your performance and recovery time. And if you are inactive due to injury, or illness , you’d like to improve circulation. Massage can make a tremendous difference.
Some benefits of massage are:
- Physically relaxes the physical body and promotes a feeling of well being.
- Calms the nervous sistem.
- Loosens tight muscles.
- Improves skin tone.
- Speeds removal of metabolic waste.
- Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
- Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
- Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
- Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
- Improve skin tone.
- Increase joint flexibility.
- Lessen depression and anxiety.
- Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
- Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
- Reduce spasms and cramping.
- Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
- Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
- Reduces tension headaches.
- Promotes effective breathing. (tight chest and back muscles can restrict breathing)
- Decreases muscular deterioration.
- Reduces mental and emotional stress.
Although massage is an effective way to address many conditions, there are some health concerns that are contraindicated. While massage can provide relief under many circumstances, it’s strongly recommended that you consult a physician if you have any health concerns.
