Massage Benefits

The spa business is booming all over the world, and more and more people, women and men alike, are becoming enamored with the comfort and relaxation that massage brings to their bodies.
We all know that soothes aching muscles and relieves pain, but are there other benefits to having our bodies massaged?
Here are some fast facts on what benefits we can get from massage.
Massage helps remove the feeling of pain in the body by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good hormones. Because massage relieves pain regardless of cause, it also lessens the body’s need for pain-killing medication.

Breast Massage

The breasts are always a point of concern for women, a focus of physical feminine beauty. Aside from the need for the breasts to be healthy, most women desire to make their breasts appear beautiful – firm, shapely and perky. There are many women in the world who would not hesitate to spend thousands of dollars going through breast augmentation or breast reduction surgery or any other cosmetic procedure available just to get their breasts molded into the shape and size that they want.
To be in possession of a pair of healthy and lovely breasts, a woman does not always have to turn to surgery to attain this. Massaging a woman’s breasts is a practice that has been done for centuries in India and the Orient. Such a practice is documented in the Ayurveda, a medical system that originated in India and has been around for ages.

Breast massage can be tricky because breast tissues are quite delicate. However, if done properly and with exerting only moderate pressure, massaging the breasts are perfectly safe. Not only does massaging the breasts make them firmer, it also makes them healthier and aids in maintaining the balance of hormones in a woman’s body. The procedure is also quite simple.

Oriental Massage

Oriental massage is based upon the principles that are rooted deep in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine has many different elements involved with it as well as oriental massage, including herbal medicine and dietary therapy. In basic terms there are two types of oriental massage that are commonly used in more modern times. These are Tui na, and Zhi na.

Massage For Babies

step-by-step guide to giving babies a massage.
1. Lay the baby on his or her back and then begin work on the face. With light and gentle strokes, massage the forehead with your fingers going outward to the temples. Afterwards, proceed from the nose to the ears, and then from the cheeks down to the chin.
2. Place your hands on the baby’s chest and rub your hands upward and then going outward to the arms.
3. Stroke the baby's belly, around the navel in particular, in a clockwise direction. After that, gently wring the baby’s belly and work your way upward.
4. Raise the baby's arm and stroke it with both hands from the shoulder to the wrist. Squeeze the baby’s hand and then rub the palm with your thumb. Remember to rub and rotate each finger.
5. Wring the baby's legs, one at a time, and then squeeze each leg starting from the ankle to the thigh. As you go back down to the ankle, make the return stroke as feather-light as possible.
6. Gently lay the baby on his or her stomach and begin stroking the back. As with the chest, move your hands upward and then out towards the arms. Knead the shoulders lightly.
7. Massage the baby’s buttocks by pinching or kneading.
8. Lightly rub your hands along the spine of the baby, starting from the neck to the tailbone.
9. Glide your fingers along the legs. To massage the baby's feet, bend the leg at the knee and clasp the ankles. Slowly rotate the foot, and then rotate and pull at the toes. Squeeze the baby’s heel and then rub your thumb along the arch and sole. Repeat these with the other foot.
10. End the massage by letting your fingers glide from the baby’s head, down to the toes.
Massage is good for the baby's well-being. If you do this to your baby on a regular basis, you will find it an enjoyable way to bond with your baby. However, always remember to keep your touch on the baby’s skin gentle and feather-light. Warm your hands first before starting the massage. The baby may squirm a lot so you just have to keep patient with him or her. If the baby is showing discomfort at what you are doing, just end the massage. Avoid doing this if the baby is a little feverish, because massage may make the fever worse, or if the baby has just eaten.

Massage Strokes

There are many strokes used in giving massage, and each stroke has its own purpose. Each stroke used by a massage therapist in giving massage is chosen for a specific reason and not on some random whim. The therapist uses a particular kind of stroke depending on what her client wants out of the session of treatment, whether he or she wants to be relaxed or energized. That is how it is: a particular stroke can act like a calming sedative or a refreshing stimulant depending on the speed and pressure with which it is applied.
In massage, each stroke is done rhythmically, with one stroke flowing fluidly into the next. Also, massage strokes are ideally done with firmness towards the heart, and with lightness when moving away from it.
Below are the names of the massage strokes that a therapist often uses, and what these strokes are for.