Therapeutic Massage

Massaging The Upper Body

In practice since ancient times, massage is a relaxing experience of hand strokes on the body to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress. Using hands and fingers, the therapist alleviates any kind of muscular pains and discomforts and relaxes the muscles.

Stress related areas in the upper body are shoulder and neck area. Do not massage the front of the neck area around the throat as it is the most delicate of all.

When the person is lying down, massaging the upper body is easier. If someone has headaches, neck or shoulder pains, start by massaging the upper torso. Rub your fingers in circular motion over the temples, cheek bones and forehead lightly. The massage receiver feels relaxed.

Continue the massage along the cheek bone and jaw line, rubbing softly but firmly. Use gentle pressure around the eye socket area with finger tips. Massage the scalp areas, especially along the base of the head and temple using your finger tips for great effects.

To massage the shoulder and chest muscles, stand in front of the massager receivers’ head with your fingertips facing their toes. Rub the chest with your hands in flat position, moving your palms up and down and side ways leading to the shoulders.

Cup your hands underneath the shoulders. Use your fingertips to relax the muscles of the arms. This alleviates socket pain and helps to relax more. Move your hands up and down the arms; continue massaging the muscles so that your arms will relax further. Repeat the same with the other arm.

Rub the back in the same manner that you massaged the chest. Standing at the head of massage receiver, press your palms into the back muscles, rubbing it in a circular motion with your finger tips. It will relax the muscles and provide relief from stress and pain.

Massaging The Upper Body / Kevin Pederson

Kevin Pederson, webmaster of http://www.massagehealthytherapy.com > Massage Health Therapy sites provides information on massage and its benefits. Massage was used by early physicians to treat fatigue, illness stress and injury and rejuvenating the mind and body.

Aromatherapy while traveling

Whether you are on business trip, a romantic holiday, a family trip or simply want to experience outdoor life, aromatherapy essential oils come useful along the way. Take along carrier oils for diluting the essential oils.

Are you going away on business trip? Whether you have to meet clients, give presentations, hold seminars, business meetings, etc, one can surely feel stressed out. Take along with you lavender, peppermint, marjoram and Neroli essential oils.

- Massage your body with 1 drop of marjoram and lavender oil each mixed with sweet almond or calendula oil after a warm bath to lessen the jet lag effect.

- Are you jittery before a big presentation or a meeting? Inhale few drops of Neroli oil to settle all the butterflies and ease all the nervousness.

- For headaches or migraines, concoct 1 drop of peppermint & lavender oil each with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil and massage it on your forehead, temples, sides and base of your neck. It will ease the headache away and let you stay alert. Few drops of lavender oil on your pillow will allow for peaceful night of sleep.

- Eating out and upset stomach go hand in hand. Massage 1 drop of peppermint & lavender oil each with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil on your stomach to help you with indigestion. Or you can try a peppermint tea.

Holidaying with your sweetheart or going for your honeymoon? Make sure you smell desirable all the time. Rose & jasmine oil are considered romantic oils. – 1 drop of rose and jasmine oil each in 100 ml of jojoba oil makes a nice personal perfume for your holiday.

- A single drop of Ylang Ylang with its oriental scent is heady potent seduction perfume. – For a romantic bath, add little of your personal perfume to the bath gel or water. You can use the perfume as massage oil on your partner.

Out with the kids. Calendula oil, lavender oil, chamomile essential oil and tea tree oil are some of children’s oil that comes handy. – Inhale a drop of lavender or peppermint oil from kerchief or tissue to ease the nausea and travel sickness. – Got a tired kid on hand. Get your child to relax and inhale lavender oil. – For small babies, apply lavender oil on your neck and shoulders so when you carry your little one around, the fragrance stays with baby. – Stomach upset or colic trouble – 1 drop of chamomile mixed with 1 tsp of sweet almond oil rubbed clockwise on tummy will ease the stomachache. – Lavender oil rubbed on the body helps to keep insects away. – Few drops of calendula, lavender & chamomile oil is good for cuts and bruises. – Aloe Vera gel or lavender oil applied to sun burn will soothe the pain.

Aromatherapy while traveling / Kevin Pederson

Kevin Pederson manages aromatherapy sites offering information on Aromatherapy Essential Oils ,concentrated extracts of plants and their roots, stems, flowers and fruits.

Having A Relaxing Day At A Spa

These days our bodies and minds are under increasing stress due to our hectic lifestyles. Trying to balance work and home life can lead to us feeling tired and irritable. Our muscles ache and many of us suffer with a bad back. What we long for is to take some time out for ourselves and be pampered at a spa health club. Afterwards we would be rejuvenated and ready to tackle what the world
throws at us again.

A spa is a wonderfully relaxing experience and involves treatments for every inch of our bodies. You simply choose which you want to indulge in and tailor-make your own spa routine. There are usually different types of massage, mud baths, manicures, facials, steam rooms and all the latest techniques available for you to choose from at the spa.

The majority of spas are part of an entire health resort where you can also indulge on other activities and give yourself a holiday away from the hustle and bustle of
everyday life.

A spa retreat could work out to be very expensive if you wanted to indulge in absolutely everything possible. We can’t all spare that kind of cash and if you look into the different services and facilities that the spa resort offers and which packages they offer you will find that prices can vary greatly. You can spend a day or a month at a spa so you can always find a deal that suits you, and your pocket.

A trip to a spa is often seen as an extravagant indulgence and we try to justify our reasons for not attending to one. Our wellbeing is more important than most of the other, more trivial items, that we spend our money on but we often feel guilty at the thought of treating ourselves. We need to get out of this ridiculous mindset.

Visiting a spa, even for an afternoon to have a massage can have amazingly beneficial effects on our whole state of mind. If we are more relaxed then we feel happier and are actually able to perform our daily duties better. We owe it to ourselves to take a spa, at least once in our lives!

Having A Relaxing Day At A Spa / Sandra Stammberger

D. Goldberg is editor of Beauty Supervisor. Get homemade beauty tips, beauty secrets, acne treatments, and more.