Best Type of Massage Therapy to Stress Reduction

Receiving a massage therapy is more than just pampering yourself. It is based on the principle that when the body is calm and relaxed, emotional and mental anxiety is reduced.

The use of human touch to rid the body of physical and emotional stress has been around for ages. In the modern world, we see massage therapy techniques being used that can be traced back to India, China, Japan, and Egypt to name a few.

A massage is good for the tensed and stressed individual because it improves blood flow thus increasing the amount of fresh oxygen that flows to the tissues. Further, it strengthens the immune system making the body less prone to diseases, relaxes and tones the muscles, and increases joint flexibility.

For simple enough situations such as headache, sinus, and shoulder relief, or if you’re on a budget, one doesn’t have to visit a spa as there are massage techniques that a person can do to himself. For instructions, visit various video streaming sites which have tutorials for doing self-massage.

Although self-massage is generally okay for relieving stress, receiving a massage from a certified therapist is extremely relaxing because you get more coverage. For removing tension, relaxation, and getting rid of stress from the body, the most recommended massage modalities or types are Shiatsu, Swedish, and Hot Stone Massage.

Deep Tissue Massage and Sports Massage are not recommended because their aggressive quality makes them less effective for stress relief. With these types of massage therapy, many clients have reported being sore for days which is not really comforting.

Shiatsu or acupressure uses the Chinese meridian system to locate pressure points on the body. These pressure points are massaged with the thumbs, fingers, and palms through tapping, rubbing, and applying pressure to places where there is a blockage of chi or energy.

The Swedish massage is a classic massage that uses a variety of motions to the muscles and bones: percussion, shaking, long strokes, vibration, kneading, and friction to apply pressure to the muscles. This not only gives an overall sense of relaxation but also works at enhancing the blood circulation, lessening the time needed for muscles to recover during injuries, stretching of tendons, stimulation of the skin and lowers blood pressure thereby giving the client an improves sense of health inside out.

In a Hot Stone Massage therapy, special stones are heated and placed on specific areas of a client’s body to remove the tension from the deeper muscles that a therapists fingers cannot reach. Depending on the therapist, there may be times when cool stones are alternately used with the hot stones.

For the therapist to be able to make the necessary skin to skin contact needed in any modality of massage, the client is required to disrobe and wear only minimal clothing. Clients should not worry about their modesty since a sheet will always be provided to cover areas the therapist is not currently working on.

The number of physicians who extol the benefits of massage therapy have grown through the years. This is not only because massage has been around for ages, but because the benefits are clearly seen and felt.