Maria Elenita Tetangco

Massage Your Way To Wellness by CURTIS ABBOTT on NOVEMBER 16, 2010 As part of my regular wellness routine, I go in for a massage once a week. Massage is an effective way to promote natural healing, and I find that there are a multitude of physical as well as mental benefits to be gained from getting a massage on a regular basis. It’s true that I work mainly from home, and many will argue that stress levels tend to be much lower for people like me whose work focuses on things that I love to do. But contrary to that, it can be quite tough: projects can come in all at the same time, and while I’ve disciplined myself to follow specific schedules, there will always be the added pressures from young kids being around and chores waiting to be done. Then, too, there’s the 12 or so hours daily that I find myself in front of my computer, doing what I need to do to earn a decent living. So the massage waiting for me at the end of the week is something to look forward to. The art of massage has been practiced for centuries across many cultures, and no one can dispute its therapeutic effects. There are hundreds of techniques available to target specific ailments and improve overall wellness: physical benefits include improved circulation, the easing of aches and pains in overly-worked and tense muscles, and relief from stress. Mentally, massage helps to increase awareness, improve concentration, and restores mental agility and alertness levels. Massage is oftentimes based on chi, or restoring body and mind to a proper state of balance that allows energy to move through us smoothly. This energy balance is a crucial part of living a healthy life. Let’s at look how massage helps us maintain wellness: 1. Stress often causes tension headaches and leads to muscle pain. After sitting in front of my computer for days, I discover aches in the muscles of my lower back, between my shoulder blades, my neck, and hands. A massage relaxes the body and promotes deeper breathing which improves blood circulation and allows for the more efficient delivery of oxygen to your body which helps release negative energy and hastens natural healing. By stimulating our lymphatic system, massage helps to release toxins and carry away wastes, which helps us repair the damage to our muscles. 2. Massages help our muscles become more flexible and supple, and can lead to improved posture. Better posture lessens the tension in our bodies and also aids us in breathing more freely. 3. Oils, creams and scrubs used during the massage help to improve skin tone. Scrubs help you to slough off dead skin cells, and the oils and creams effectively nourish, moisturize, and revitalize your skin—leaving you with a softer, smoother, clearer complexion. Scented oils used in aromatherapy massages also provide benefits to cure various ailments. You can discuss the benefits of these with your masseuse to pick the scent that suits you best. 4. As your masseuse works through your joints and muscles, he or she not only kneads away tension knots but also encourages joint flexibility. Have your masseuse work on tension points to improve your joint and muscle recovery. 5. As your body relaxes, so does your mind. Massage can help drive anxieties away. Traditionally, it is believed that tension spots found in specific areas of the body are directly related to anxiety—as these spots are relieved, so too is the anxiety you feel—your mind becomes calmer yet at the same time more acutely aware. No wonder that some of my best and most creative ideas and inventive solutions are hatched on the massage table. Massage also helps heighten self-awareness by relaxing my entire body: as I re-establish the connection with my body, I begin to feel more centered and enjoy a heightened state of well-being that carries me through the following week. Don’t feel guilty about getting a massage–believe me, it’s an important aspect of maintaining your overall physical, mental and emotional well being. (ghostwritten for Vestedwellness.com)