Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage is the umbrella under which most massage techniques reside. It combines elements from a variety of modalities to provide a beneficial experience for the whole person. A therapeutic massage at Health and Harmony generally includes techniques to relieve muscle soreness and tension ("knots"), gently stretch muscles and increase circulation. This may include the use of myofascial release, neuromuscular therapy, positional release, pulsing and rebalancing, lymphatic drainage, Swedish, Esalan, deep tissue, and Polarity therapy.
Stress and Massage
Massage is an enjoyable experience. It increases your body self-awareness and sensitivity, reduces your stress, tension and anxiety levels, calms the nervous system, relaxes, focuses and clears your mind, helps to improve and maintain your posture, helps to fulfill your need for a caring and nurturing touch, encourages self-esteem and a general feeling of well-being and improves your emotional awareness.
Health Benefits of Massage
The effects of a massage can vary according to the techniques employed. With most methods, the circulation of blood is enhanced throughout the body, the nervous system is calmed or activated and the muscles are stretched and relaxed. Specific techniques may be employed to target the lymphatic system, the digestive tract or other body systems. Relieving physical pain and stress improves your mental health and your physical well-being. Increasing the blood flow through massage can help to flush out waste generated by your muscles and body.
Most people will feel very relaxed and experience relief from long-term aches and pains developed from tension, stress or a repetitive activity. Following an initial period of calmness, people often experience a surge of energy, heightened awareness and greater productivity that can last for many days.
Massage enhances medical treatments and may shorten the time it takes for the body to recover from injury and illness. Massage can help release chronic muscular tension and pain, improve circulation, increase joint flexibility, reduce mental and physical fatigue and stress, promote faster healing of injured muscular tissue, improve posture and reduce blood pressure.