Victoria Stone - The Worlds Best Massage Techniques The Complete Illustrated Guide: Innovative Bodywork Practices From Around the Globe for Pleasure, Relaxation, and Pain Relief

THE WORLDS BEST
MASSAGE
TECHNIQUES

THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE

THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE

INNOVATIVE BODYWORK
PRACTICES FROM AROUND
THE GLOBE FOR PLEASURE,
RELAXATION, AND PAIN RELIEF

VICTORIA JORDAN STONE, N.C.M.T.

Text 2010 Victoria Stone

First published in the USA in 2010 by

Fair Winds Press, a member of

Quayside Publishing Group

100 Cummings Center

Suite 406-L

Beverly, MA 01915-6101

www.fairwindspress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-430-8

ISBN-10: 1-59233-430-X

Digital Edition: 978-1-6105-9383-0
Hardcover Edition: 978-1-5923-3430-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Cover design by Kathie Alexander

Book design by Kathie Alexander

Photography by Luciana Pampalone

Printed and bound in Singapore

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health care provider before beginning any new health program.

This book is dedicated to Lloyd Winfree Stone, who instilled in me the habit of lifelong learning, and to Susie Schulze, who personified the spirit of giving.

T ouch is our earliest sense, primal and pleasurable. Being able to skillfully touch a person you care about is a great blessing for both of you. You can provide your child, spouse, parent, sibling, or friend with comfort, relief from discomfort, relaxation, harmony, wellness, and balance.

Are you one of those touchy-feely people who cant recall a time you were not massaging other peoples aching necks or backs? Perhaps youd like to try some new techniques and are curious about the differences in massage from various cultures. In this book, you will learn how to skillfully apply a wide variety of techniques from other cultures and enhance the well-being of those with whom you share massage.

We cannot touch without being touched, and this applies at all levels: physical, emotional, energetic, spiritual, and relational. One of the great blessings of massage is that the giver frequently receives as much benefit as the receiver. For that reason, we often refer in this book to the person receiving the massage as your partner. This book is not intended as a manual for therapeutic massage, which is best left to certified and licensed individuals, nor is partner meant to indicate a level of intimate relationship.

These massage techniques are meant to be used for relaxation, stress relief, and wellness for healthy individuals. If your partner has any health problems, a physician should be consulted to provide a release for her to receive massage. The techniques are not meant to be treatments but rather to enhance the general well-being of the people you care about. If you find there are parts of one form you and your partner enjoy, there is absolutely no reason why you cant integrate those parts with another massage modality.

I highly recommend you learn the Swedish massage sequence before the others and especially before hot stone massage and lomi lomi. As you read each chapter, set up a practice area and keep the book at hand. Try a form several times before moving to the next one, so you really get a feel for each modality of massage. Four of the forms are practiced on a mat and four are table-based, but you can adapt most to mat or massage table. To understand some of the less-familiar terminology, please refer to before you continue with the specific forms of massage. There, you will also find useful information about setup and preparation for massage.

Although the instructions are very specific, you always may modify them according to your partners preferences and what feels right for your own body. Massage is an art; enjoy learning and practicing in ways that will feel good for you as well as your partner. Exercise your creativity and have fun!

I n the West, what most people think of when they hear the word massage is Swedish massage, a system directly applied to the skin that includes gliding, kneading, and percussive strokes; friction; compression; vibration; and range of motion. Lubricants such as creams, lotions, or oils are used to facilitate smooth movements of the hands over the skin of the receiver. Swedish massage is performed on a massage table, and most sessions are between thirty and ninety minutes long.

The room should be warm72F74F (22C23C) is optimaland with at least 3 feet (91.4 cm) of cleared area on each side of the massage table. The table height should be set where you can place the backs of your fingers from your knuckles on the table surface as you stand up straight and allow your arm to hang down loosely. If you find you are elevating your shoulders when you apply massage strokes, you should lower the height of the table; if you are bending over, bring the table height up. Have a chair or stool ready at the head of the massage table. Its height should allow you to place your forearms on the surface of the table with your shoulders in a neutral, not elevated, position.

It may be useful to perform some hand and arm stretches and do some lunges and squats to warm up your legs before you begin massage, as flexing your knees is the best way to adjust your own height relative to the table height as you are massaging.

Use mostly cotton or flannel twin sheets on the massage table; your partner will lie on the fitted sheet with the flat sheet covering her body. A blanket or bath towel measuring about 4 x 6 (1.2 x 1.8 m) may be used over the sheet if your partner becomes chilled as she relaxes, which often happens. A pillow for use under her knees should be close at hand. Some people enjoy having a rice or flaxseed-filled eye pillow or neck roll, which may be microwaved to provide soothing heat. The eye pillow may also be placed in the freezer for a refreshing, cool eye compress.

Receivers Should Bathe, Not Eat, before a Session

Your partner should not have a large meal immediately prior to a massage session and may want to shower or bathe so that the lubricant, which is nutritive for the skin, may remain on her body and be fully absorbed, preferably for several hours or overnight.

Use Light Pressure and Slowly Deepen

Swedish massage begins with large, broad movements and gradually moves into smaller and more specific actions as the tissues warm up and become soft. You apply massage lightly, or superficially, at the beginning of a session, while you are spreading the lubricant and introducing yourself to your partners body; you gradually deepen the pressure as you palpate or feel for inconsistencies and issues in the muscles.