Massage therapies provide relief from body aches, strengthen the immune system, and promise a healthy and good life. Massage therapy also brings about a harmony of body and mind.
A massage after a long week of working hard and running around is surely a deserved treat. As the pudgy hands of the masseuse, slowly knead your body, they entice the stressed parts of the body to relax and rejuvenate. Benefits of massage therapy aren't just limited to relaxation and rejuvenation, but they also have other medicinal benefits.
The history of massage shows that ancient Greeks used these for good health and healing. Thus, it's clear that the massaging techniques have evolved over a period of 2000 years, granting well-being and healthy living.
Types of Massage Therapies and Their Benefits
Swedish Massage
In a Swedish massage, the masseuse uses long smooth stokes for massaging. They knead the layers of the skin and muscles in circular motions using lotion or oil. The strokes of the massage makes the body feel light.
Swedish massage helps reduce back pain, arthritis, tendinitis, stress-relief, headache, migraine, spasms and sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome, respiratory problems, and assists in post-surgical rehabilitation.
Aromatherapy Massage
In aromatherapy massage, the massage therapists use essential oils for stress relief, relaxation, and energizing.
As you inhale the aroma, the essential oil molecules reach your limbic system and positively affect the heart rate, your breathing patterns, memory, and digestion. These oils have a calming effect, uplift your mood, energize, and decongest the system.
Health benefits are, headache relief, curing digestive disorders, managing premenstrual syndrome, and reducing back pain.
Hot Stone Massage
Hot stone massage uses hot stones or flat stones to massage the body. The basalt type rock, is a rich source of iron and thus retains the heat.
The heat relaxes the muscles and improves circulation in the nervous system. These stones are kept on the energy centers or Chakras in the body, which bring about a harmony of body and mind. Hot stone massages help people to deal with depression, anxiety, insomnia, Osteoarthritis and arthritis pain, back pain, and other aches.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu line of thought believes, the reason for illness is blockage in the flow of energy through the body. Basically, Shiatsu assists the nervous system to improve circulation, relieves stiff muscles, and alleviates stress. The masseuse perform this massage in a rhythm with their fingers and palms.
Shiatsu relieves the body from stress, depression, constipation, poor digestion, tiredness, headache, back pain, neck and shoulder pain and premenstrual syndrome.
It has been medically proven, that massage therapies benefits the immune system and renders a holistic cure. The biggest benefit of massage therapies is the union of the body and mind. To look at it carefully, a dysfunctional body is a result of disturbed mind. Massages calm the senses and improve thinking ability of the brain.
Once the brain begins to function properly, the body automatically gets better. Day-to-day stress cannot be escaped. Thus, the remedy to dealing with the stress is to indulge in massages every once in a while. As a matter of fact, a health benefit of massage is 'powerful self-esteem', so why not make a trip to the spa this weekend!