Massage Therapy - once considered a primarily 'sensual' and even 'erotic' practice is today a widely respected and widely sought out 'therapeutic' method for managing physical, mental and emotional stresses, and maintaining health and wellbeing.

Within the field of massage therapy, there is a whole universe of different massage modalities available including Swedish, Sports, Remedial, Hot Stone Massage, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Shiatsu to name but a few.

However, no matter which 'style' of massage therapy you talk about, they all have one primary goal and that is...relaxation!

Why is relaxation so important?

Well, 'tension' in it's many and varied forms is actually the root cause of all illness and dis-ease, so to relieve tension in the bodymind is to 'treat' illness and dis-ease.

Massage therapy, through the laying on of loving hands and the pushing and pulling of the muscles and joints, promotes very deep and very healing 'relaxation'.

This relaxation encourages the recipient to return to their natural state, which is one of health and wellbeing.

No matter what condition ails you, whether it be physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual, massage therapy from a skilled and caring practitioner can have tremendous benefits in aiding the natural healing process.

Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage

- Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation 

- Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness 

- Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy 

- Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; 

- Reduces pain and swelling from injury

- Reduces muscle spasms 

- Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion 

- Enhances athletic performance; Treats injuries caused during sport or work 

- Promotes deeper and easier breathing 

- Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids 

- Reduces blood pressure 

- Enhances the health and nourishment of skin 

- Improves posture 

- Strengthens the immune system 

- Treats musculoskeletal problems 

- Rehabilitation post operative 

- Rehabilitation after injury 

(Source: AMTA)

Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy

- Fosters peace of mind 

- Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness 

- Helps relieve mental stress 

- Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately 

- Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity 

- Emotional Benefits 

- Satisfies needs for caring nurturing touch 

- Fosters a feeling of well-being 

- Reduces levels of anxiety 

- Creates body awareness 

- Increases awareness of mind-body connection 

(Source: AMTA)

The art of massage is important when it comes to achieving well being without the frequent use of traditional medications, but if you're not sure which therapeutic massages are for you, this guide will help you to decide which body massages you need in order to be healthier.

If you enjoy deep kneading massages, you may want to try methods like the foot massage, in which your massage therapist will knead and massage different areas of the foot in order to help clear the sinuses, reduce headaches, and relieve stomach problems. It is believed that there is an area of the foot that correlates with each of the internal organs, and your massage therapist will use the ancient Chinese method of reflexology to help cure your discomfort by massaging your feet properly. This is perhaps one of the most unique 'body massages' since you will only feel the massage in one are of the body, but will feel the effects of the massage even during your session in other parts of the body.

Another one of the therapeutic massages that you may want to try is the hot stone massage. For this process, warm stones, which are usually made of marble, are placed on certain areas of the body in order to loosen the muscle and make it easier to massage by increasing the blood flow in that part of the body. The heat also works to stimulates the nervous system, which makes your time on the massage table especially relaxing.

Trigger point therapy is another massage technique you should talk to your therapist about. During this process, specific points in the muscle are touched with minimal pressure, since these trigger points can transfer pain to other parts of the body as well. The technique of this massage process is especially important, since the amount of time the muscle is touched, the location of the muscles, and the time it takes for pain to be released from the muscle determine how well you feel when the massage is over.

You can also receive certain therapeutic massages such as the Thai massage or the sports massage, which is ideal for athletes and those who do significant physical labor for work. You can also use massage as a way to cut down on taking painkillers, so be sure to talk to your doctor or physical therapist about ways that each of these therapeutic massages can help you to achieve overall wellness.

On the day of your massage appointment there are some things you can do to really get the most out of your massage therapy treatment. Afterall, you are spending both your time and your money, which are valuable resources.

1) Free up your time

If possible, allow one hour either side of your massage treatment so that you can arrive in good time without feeling stressed. This will also give you time to start the unwinding process before you get on the massage table.

Leaving time after your massage allows you the space to ground yourself again and slowly step back into your life, instead of having to jump off the table and rush off.

2) Drink water

Throughout the day make sure you continually sip on your water bottle. This will keep you hydrated and reduce any detoxing effects that having a massage can bring on. Massage can release toxins from the body's tissues, sending them into the bloodstream for removal. The body draws on water to help this removal.

It's also important to keep drinking water after your treatment to aid this process and also help you to centre yourself.

3) Be clear about what you want

If there's an area you really want worked on, if the massage therapist is not getting the pressure right, or you're feeling uncomfortable at all, please tell them. Massage Therapists are generally very eager to please and will not mind at all making the necessary adjustment. They want you to be happy so that you will come back again and also tell your friends.

4) Don't talk

During your session is 'you time' so make the most of it by allowing yourself to go internal and really let go and relax. You can't do this effectively if you are having an ongoing conversation with your therapist.

Talking also is a distraction to them and you may not get the best treatment possible because they are not 100% focused on the bodywork.

5) Allow yourself to receive

Although it's very important to state your needs and desires to your therapist, it's also important that you allow them to help you by being open to receiving the bodywork. This means that you don't try and control every single aspect of the treatment. This will only serve to create tension between you and the therapist which is the exact opposite result that you want.

Allow yourself to let go, to recieve and to enjoy!

With massage therapy providing such fantastic and very much tangible health benefits, it's no surprise that the demand for highly skilled and caring massage therapists is higher than ever.

This presents a wonderful opportunity to the person who has a genuine desire to give to others and a desire to work with their hands, to embark on an exciting, satisfying and potentially lucrative career.

A career in massage therapy can enable you to create a balanced lifestyle where you have flexible work hours, build wonderful relationships with your clients and at the same time be paid on par or even more than other professionals who have had to study for years and invest heavily in their education.

Massage therapy is one of the few career options that allows you to invest a only a modest sum of money and time into your education and training, before you can actually begin practicing and earning an income.

So What Does It Take To Become A Successful Massage Therapy Practitioner?

Well, in my experience in addition to being a giving person and totally passionate about your work, it takes 'quality training' in massage modalities that are both very 'effective' and very 'popular'.

Having quality, 'in demand' skills is only going to help short cut your way to massage therapy success.

Two of the most effective and most popular massage modalities in recent years are Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Hot Stone Massage.

I myself have specialized in these 2 modalities and in all honesty I can say that 9 out of 10 of my clients have hopped off the table saying that their massage was the best they'd ever had.

Here's a link to an article my partner Tania Hodder wrote called: '5 Benefits To Choosing A Career In Lomi Lomi'

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Hodder1.html

Hawaiian Lomi Lomi is my absolute favourite massage modality to both give and receive. It is totally energizing for both the practitioner and client and can take you to very deep levels of relaxation.

Lomi Lomi is more than just a massage - it is a truly powerful healing modality!

Hot Stone Massage is a powerful and ancient healing art. The heat from the stones melts away tension quickly and without effort, sending the receiver into very deep levels of relaxation.

As the stones are used as massaging 'tools', they give the Hot Stone Massage practitioner a lot of leverage, empowering them to give a very deep massage without putting strain on their hands and fingers.

Here's a link to a Hot Stone Massage article I wrote recently:

'Hot Stone Massage - An Ancient & Powerful Healing Art!'

Here are links to quality training courses in these Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Hot Stone Massage modalities if you're interested in learning.

http://www.touchofaloha.org/lomi-lomi/

http://www.touchofaloha.org/hot-stone-massage/

In addition to quality training in effective and popular massage modalities, you will also need to learn how to market yourself. This is essential to your success as it is your marketing that brings in your clients.

No massage clients equals no business!

If you are serious about making a successful career out of massage therapy than you need to consider yourself as a 'marketer' of excellent massage therapy first and a 'provider' of excellent massage therapy second.

These are the 'twin pillars' of success for every professional massage therapist!

Would you like to know how to get endless word of mouth referrals for your massage business?

Here's a FREE massage marketing ebook (valued at $27) that will teach you how to get all the massage therapy clients you can handle.

http://www.touchofaloha.org/support-files/endless-referrals.pdf

This is my gift to you to say "Thankyou" for visiting my massage therapy hub today!

Once you have established yourself as a successful massage therapy practitioner, the key to maintaining this is to continue striving to be better.

This is best done with continued practice and experiementation of new methods but most importantly through continuing your education.

New discoveries are made about the human body all the time and new methods are developed to help the body maintain health and wellbeing. There is always more you can learn, whether it be new techniqes and styles of bodywork, or whether it be learning more about the body itself.

By continuing your massage therapy education you will keep yourself on the leading edge of your field and will avoid becoming complacent where your massage becomes rigid and routine oriented.

Other than participating in further training, you should also practice working with your intuition, for your intuition can often guide you to the best treatment for your clients.

Trust yourself as you receive information in this way and allow yourself the freedom to work with it. I guarantee you will experience some wonderful and very powerful results and so will your clients!

Thanks for visiting my massage therapy hub today. I will post more massage therapy information again soon!