Best Self Massage Techniques
1. For Head Self MassageNothing can ruin a perfect day like a throbbing headache. Try this simple self massage technique to relieve your head pan.
What youll need Your Hands
How to do it:
- Place your thumbs high on your cheekbones, by your ears.
- Gently apply pressure in a circular motion with your fingertips to your temples.
- Continue making circles as your move along your hairline, until your fingertips meet in the middle of your forehead.
2. For Neck Self MassageSitting at a computer all day can make your neck stiff and sore, doing this simple self massage technique will help to relieve tension and ease your pain.What youll need Your Hands
How to do it:
- Place two or three fingertips on the back of your neck where your neck meets your shoulders.
- Apply firm pressure and hold the area.
- Release when the muscle feels more relaxed.
- Roll your shoulders forwards and back slowly.
- Repeat three times.
3. For Shoulder Self MassagePoor posture and hunching at a desk all day can lead to rounded shoulders and shoulder pain. Doing this simple self massage technique can help to alleviate your pain.What youll need Your Hands
How to do it:
- position the fingers of your right hand over your right shoulder .
- squeeze your upper trapezius three times and then roll your fingers over the muscle starting from the outside and moving towards the base of your neck.
- repeat on your left side.
The Complete Posture Fix
How to do it:
How to do it:
How to do it:
How to do it:
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The First Touch Is Important
To begin, have your partner lie on their stomach. You may want to put a pillow under their chest for comfort. Ask them to turn their head periodically to prevent pain or discomfort in the neck.
Even if you’ve never given a massage before in your life, it’s important to be confident. “First touch signals a lot,” Abergas says. “So be confident, mean it, and enjoy what you’re doing. They can feel your intention. Find your rhythm and breathe. If you are tense, they feel it too.”
The Answer: The Shiatsu Neck And Back Massager
Who would have thought that something the size of the Shiatsu neck and back massagers could hold inside of it so much power? With eight rotating massage nodes and three different speed settings, the Shiatsu neck and back massager will help you say goodbye to all the knots, muscle tension, and stress that linger around the top of your back and base of your neck. Theres a heating function too, so you can truly relieve those sore muscles and forget about your aches and pains. Without much thought, you buy the massager and quickly rush home so you can hopefully get a taste of relief. Once at home, you prepare a cup of your preferred relaxing beverage, sit in a comfy chair, and start your massage while catching up on your favorite show or book. Thanks to the built-in timer, you know you wont run the risk of over-massaging your muscles by losing track of time. You also have the ability to choose between two strength settings for your massage and can use the massager over your clothes for when your skin is more sensitive. While the massager is mainly for your neck and back, it can be used in many different places, including the base of the back, stomach, legs, arms, and hands.
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Ask Your Partner About Their Pressure Preferences
“Different strokes for different folks” truly applies to massage, so it’s best not to make any assumptions about how your partner will want to be rubbed. Some people need a gentle touch all over others think that a good back massage requires getting in there and pressing hard. Questions can mean the difference between unsatisfyingâor even painfulâresults, and the type that turns someone to putty in your hands.
“I always ask ‘on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being too light and 10 being too heavy, how much is the pressure in this spot?'” Beider explains. “Aim for a 6-7 in depth, and check in as you move around.”
The key, according to Beider, is to move slowly and ask your partner if they’d like more pressure on a certain area. Encourage them to let you know when you’re doing something that feels great, too.
“Use language like ‘higher, lower, left or right?’ And when you find those magical spots, STAY there for a long time until your partner asks to move on,” she says.
Where His Bladder Is
The bladder contains a very sensual acupressure point aptly named the Gate of Origin. After massaging the torso, give the area where the bladder is a slight push to really turn your partner on. He also may have to pee now, so, uh, don’t push too hard. But he’s really, really going to want to fornicate you now.
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When Can An Upper Back Massage Help
An upper back massage can help on many different occasions. Occasions when an upper back massage can help include:
Acute pain is treated using an upper back massage. Acute pain can include pains such as muscular ache and fatigue. An upper back massage aims to relax muscles, relieve pain, tension and stress. Muscles in the upper back increase in temperature resulting in an improvement in muscle elasticity and flexibility. An improvement of elasticity and flexibility reduces muscle tightness, tension and stress, therefore relieving pain. Pain can also be reduced by the stimulation of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system consists of thin tubes called lymph vessels that run around the body. The lymphatic system aids in the removal of toxins and waste products, contributing towards muscular fatigue.
Massaging In The Back
- Sit at your partners head, preferably in a kneeling position. Sit on a pillow for extra knee support. Rub a few squirts of oil between your hands. Place your hands, palm down, at the base of your partners neck, with the spine between your thumbs.
- Glide your hands down your partners back, staying next to the spine. At the top of the buttocks, glide your hands out to the top of your partners hips, then slide your hands up their sides and onto their shoulder blades.
- Make several circles with your whole palms over the shoulder blades.
- Starting with hands-on their shoulder blades, glide your hands down their back with your hands moving toward each other so they come together over the top of your partners buttocks. Again, glide over the top of their hips, then slide your hands back together over their low back.
- Slide your hands up their back with the spine between your thumb edges.
- At the top of the shoulders, slide your hands out over the tops of their shoulders and then slide them back together to the base of your partners neck. Repeat 3 5 times.
- Starting at the base of the neck, slide your palms out over the tops of your partners shoulders. Slide onto their very upper arm and then slide each palm all the way down their arms, onto their hands and then slide off their hands with your fingers going between theirs.
- Repeat these strokes 3 5 times, varying direction and combining them as you like. Use more oil as needed.
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You Have Poor Posture
Many people think poor posture is a result of laziness. Or maybe its even something out of their control. The reality is, most poor posture stems from tension held in the back and neck in combination with poor muscle strength.
Massage will naturally relieve this tension. Not only promoting better spinal and postural health but allowing muscles to move freely into their natural positions.
It will also help increase the flexibility of the muscles. Meaning, if any of the muscles in the back or neck have shortened over time, regular massages will can assist in lengthening them. Increasing the flexibility for muscles to move as they should.
Try Out Different Types Of Massage
Experimenting with different types of massage that use different tools and different parts of your body can be helpful for avoiding putting too much pressure on any one part of your body. Lomi-Lomi massage, for example, uses more forearm work, which is great if your hands need a break from repetitive movement.
Hot stone massage is a popular form of massage that should put very little pressure on your body. Cupping therapy has gained more attention recently, but it also allows you to use cups rather than just your body in order to perform massage, which can give you a break.
Or to try out something completely different, experiment with chavutti thirumal massage or ashiatsu massage. These types of massage allow you to use your feet and legs to perform massage. Youll simply have to be careful, and not put too much pressure on your clients. Balance is important when performing these types of massage.
Other types of massage that you may want to alternate with include the following:
- Swedish massage
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Massaging Back Of Legs
How To Give A Full Body Massage
This article was co-authored by Justyna Kareta. Justyna Kareta is a Certified Master Massage Therapist and Owner of Lush Massage, a massage studio based in San Francisco, California. Justyna has over nine years of experience as a therapist and specializes in Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage and CranioSacral Therapy to soothe the nervous system and facilitate deep healing. She received her massage therapy training from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, is certified by California Massage Therapy Council, and is a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 45 testimonials and 97% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,038,300 times.
Giving a full body massage is a wonderful way to help a person get rid of stress and sore muscles. It can also help two people become more intimate. Read this wikiHow to learn how to give a full body massage.
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Let Your Partner Determine The Pressure
You can ask them if it’s too much or not enough. “If they tense up or wince it’s probably a sign that they are uncomfortable,” says Dwyer. “…You never want to intentionally hurt each other, even playfully.”
Though you don’t want to push your hands into your partner so much it’s uncomfortable, Dwyer says that there are a variety of strokes and techniques you can put to use. “Heavier pressure is good for tight muscles. A gentle firm touch may develop more trust and help your significant other relax more. A light touch can be much more sensual,” Dwyer explains.
She also adds that listening and communicating with your partner to figure out their needs can build deeper trust and connection.
You Can Use Props Like Music And Candles To Set The Mood
Once you’ve picked your location, you’re going to want to elevate your setting by playing soft instrumental music , lighting a candle, or using essential oils. Doing this can make your partner focus on the here and now by appealing to their senses, says Dwyer. You’ll also want to eliminate distractions by turning devices, like your phone and the TV, off. Dwyer also suggests sticking with dim lighting, so avoid any fluorescent lights.
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Should You Wear A Bra For Bed
Theres nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if thats what youre comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girls breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer. Your best bet is to choose a lightweight bra without underwire.
Massage Fingers: How To Give Massages Without Overworking Your Hands
All the latest from DaySmart to you
26 July 2021 Written by Brock Wackerle
Are you struggling with hand cramps or other problems while giving massages?
Its important to protect your health while you work, particularly as a massage therapist. Around 72 percent of massage therapists work as sole practitioners, which means they may not be protected by company health insurance. So, you need to do what you can to keep yourself healthy while you massage.
Read on for the top ways to rest your massage fingers.
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Pick The Best Massage Oil And Soothe With Scent
You don’t have to use oil, but it’s standard in most professional sessions because it helps hands glide over tight muscle groups with ease. Since you may be applying generously, it’s best to use a neutral “carrier oil,” if there’s a essential oil scent you know you love, add a couple of drops into the mix.
“Try using a plain carrier like coconut oil, grape-seed oil, or sweet almond,” suggests Beider. “In my own practice, we use a blend of oils specifically for massage, including jojoba, lavender and rosemary.”
Massaging Neck And Arms
- Turn your partner face up and sit above their head. Rub some oil on your hands. Place your palms at the base of your partners neck, with fingers facing your partners upper back and palms against the base of the neck where it meets the shoulders. Glide your hands out to the tops of your partners arms, then glide down over the outside of their arms down to the elbow. Slide your hands under their arms and then glide back up under their arms, under their upper back and up to the base of their skull. Repeat 3 5 times.
- With your fingertips at the base of the skull, on either side of the spine, make small circles, letting the fingers move the muscles slightly. Check-in with your partner about pressure, the more you press your fingers up, the more pressure they will feel. Continue making small circles on the neck muscles, moving downward toward the upper back.
- Slide your hands under your partners upper back, with your fingers on the muscles between the shoulder blades and spine. Glide your hands up to the base of the skull. Repeat 3 times.
- Sit at your partners side near their hand. With oil on your hands, place one hand on your partners wrist. Slide that hand up their arm to the shoulder, followed immediately by your second hand. Slide one hand under their shoulder and keep the other hand over the front of the upper arm. Slide both hands down the arm to the hand while squeezing your hands slightly to create pressure. Repeat 3 5 times.
- Repeat on the second arm.
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Pick A Good Massage Oil
“Pick the right massage oil or lotion. Put some thought into this,” says Abergas, who recommends unscented coconut oil. “Don’t just grab the plain body lotion, which is super emollient like you’re greasing a turkey. You don’t want anything super slippery either, so there’s not enough skin-on-skin contact.â She suggests heating the oil so the initial contact is less surprising.”Microwave some water in a bowl, and keep the oil lotion bottle sitting in the bowl of warm water and cover with a towel to keep the warmth,” Abergas says.
If youâre comfortable with scents, Cooper recommends massage candles, which melt into a warm oil that can be safely used on your partnerâs skin. And once the massage has found its rhythm, thereâs no harm in experimenting with a cold compress to âbring the receiverâs attention to a higher level of alertness,â Cooper says.
Tips For Giving Your Partner The Hottest Massage Ever
Try one of these moves ASAP.
A good massage can feel damn near orgasmic, regardless of whether you’re in a spa or on your couch. But if you’re looking to up your amateur masseuse skills for someone you care about, these tips from New York City acupuncturist Jill Blakeway, author of Sex Again: Recharging Your Libido, and sex expert Ava Cadell, PhD, will feel absolutely sublime.
Using two fingers from each hand, press gently into your partner’s temples for several seconds simultaneously. Then, slowly glide your fingers down their cheeks at the same time, making tiny circular motions as you inch down their face. When you reach the jaw, trace around their lips softly with one index finger. The outer edge of the lips are packed with sensory neurons, which elicit strong surges of pleasure.
Caressing here stimulates the thyroid, a tiny neck gland that regulates body functions, including energy and sex drive. Start by tracing circles around their Adam’s apple if they have one with one fingertip in wide, fluid motions. Next, brush your lips along the hollow of the throat and massage the area with your tongue via wide, soft circles.
Gently squeeze and pull the earlobe between your thumb and forefinger, while simultaneously using your tongue to trace the C-shaped zone on the outer edge of his ear. If it tickles at first, go lighter and slower.
This post was originally published in 2012 and has been updated.
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