Step-by-step guide to massage at home

September 17, 2020 11:45 AM

There are those who dedicate a weekend to stay in a hotel with a spa and park their worries for a few hours. others give away a visit to a masseur looking to relieve the tensions in your body. Thirsty for physical contact, we forget that the simplest thing is behind the door of the home.

In this article intends to bring those feelings home, extend them to the whole family to incorporate them as a pleasant routine, a place of contact, meeting and play. and, given the healing value of massagesa very useful treatment routine is suggested.

prepare to enjoy

What surrounds the massage itself adds value to the experience. The wrapping of a gift is the door to illusion, to imagining, it is suggestive. So, prepare the space for the massage it increases the capacity to let oneself be carried away by the one who receives it and to give oneself to the one who gives it.

When you are going to do a massage at home, it is advisable to pay attention to these basic aspects:

The warmth of the environment, light and support. The ambient temperature must be ideal. Feeling cold when receiving a massage can break all the charm. There is no need to fear excess heat. When receiving a massage, the body loosens up and the body temperature drops, just like sleeping. The areas that are not being massaged should be covered with a light blanket., especially the feet. The ambient heat helps to loosen the muscles. Take a hot shower before you start it can also be a great way to facilitate it. A dim light invites even more to disconnect from thoughts and open up to sensations. We can lean on some candles instead of electric light. Or brighten the nose by lighting incense or burning essences. We already have the space ready, but where should we put ourselves? The optimal thing would be to have a futon-type mat, thin and made of natural fabrics such as cotton and wool. It can be a thin mattress. Another simple solution is to stack two or three blankets and put a sheet on top. If they are big, better: whoever gives the massage will be more comfortable and will be able to move around barefoot. It is also useful to have a cushion on hand to rest the receiver’s head or place it under his knees or feet, depending on whether he is face up or face down. The last detail is the oil. You can try one of sweet almonds and add a relaxing scent, such as chamomile or lavender, or an invigorating one, such as rosemary. Here another huge field opens up in which to experience and feel.

Massage session at home: how to give a complete massage

We offer you a complete massage session at home so you can try. Then you will find more information on how to give massages at home for the whole family:

How to start and end any massage sessionHow to apply the basic techniques Recommendations to do massages with children and the elderly.

Let us begin!

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Starting the massage: Contact and first movement

Circular stroking of the sacrum. This smooth movement allows a first contact to be made. We kneel next to the person who is going to receive the massage –preferably on the side where the heart is– and place one hand in the center of the back, in the dorsal area, and the other hand, on the sacrum. . In this position, we make contact with the skin –or try to feel it through the clothes– and We take the opportunity to relax and focus attention. Once prepared, with the right hand we begin to caress the sacrum making circles in a clockwise direction, without exceeding the extension of the sacrum. This maneuver prior to the massage, which can last about two minutes, It has a very pleasant sedative thermal effect.Run your fingers down the back. To begin with the massage, we kneel in front of the head and slowly slide the fingers of both hands upwards, from the sacrum to the neck, to relax the nerve endings in the skin. Repeat for two minutes.

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Arm and back massage

Slide down the arms. Without moving from place, with the same movement, we gently place our hands on each other’s hands and slide our fingers up the arms to the shoulders, covering the entire length of the arm. The movement must always be slow and touching with the tips of all the fingers. It is repeated between three and five times.Cross hand slide. In the same position, and making a smooth crossed movement, we slide our hands all over the back so that they draw two eights. It begins at the hips and buttocks, and reaches the shoulders through the shoulder blades. Two passes are made using both hands and making contact with all fingers.Pressure with the palm of the hand. Positioning ourselves at the height of the buttocks, we walk with our hands from the buttocks to the shoulder blades, letting our own weight fall on the person. When we reach the shoulder blades, we do the reverse path and go down again to return to the buttocks. The entire route must be done with a rhythmic and constant movement, always using all the body weight. The sequence is repeated up to two times without rest.

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walk on legs

We kneel between the two legs of the person who is receiving the massage, at the level of their feet and ankles. We rest one hand on each heel, with the palms of the hand open and relaxed to cover the skin with the whole hand. Next, we go up both legs, taking steps intermittently with one hand and the other, as if we were walking with them. moving upwardsgoing up the legs from the heels to the buttocks, using your own body weight and always trying to exert the same pressure.This pressure has to be pleasant for the person receiving it. – it is important that you do not feel any pain – and it must also be comfortable for the masseur. Repeat three times in an upward and then downward direction.

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Draw eights on the legs

We move slightly forward to place ourselves at the level of the shins, between the ankles and the knees. From here, also on our knees, we ascend with the palms of our hands up one leg –from the ankle to the groin– drawing three eights and without ever separating the hands from the skin. Once at the top, we descend again. The cycle is repeated twice on each leg.

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How to give a hand massage

We ask the person to turn over so that they are lying on their back and, if necessary, a cushion is placed under their head to make them more comfortable. We stand to the right of her, at hip height. With one hand, hold the hand by the wrist and, with the other, gently pull the fingers one by one as if you wanted to lengthen them. To do this, you have to slide each finger up to the nail, exerting a small amount of pressure on each one. traction until the limit of the joint is felt. The process is repeated on the other hand.

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Relaxing foot massage

We sit in front of the feet, in a comfortable position so that our backs are not strained. Holding the right foot with both hands, the middle part is kneaded as if we wanted to open and expand it, and the movement is repeated from the toes to the base of the heel. This manipulation induces relaxation through the nerve endings in the feet.

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Pressure massage on head points

We get back behind the head, in a comfortable and ventilated position. Both hands rest well on the face, covering it entirely but leaving the nasal space free for the person to breathe comfortably. The hands give off heat and induce relaxation. Then the hands are slowly separated from the face and with the thumbs a slight rhythmic pressure is made from the beginning of the scalp to the occiput (behind the neck).Start by drawing a line down the center (as in the photo) and then another four are drawn one by one, two on each side of the head. On each line, about 5 pressure points are marked, one second per point. A medium pressure is exerted by feeling the skull bone.

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With child: dance on one

When involving the child in the massage, we must let him know that it is a game in which we are going to have fun. It is important to remain patientbecause it is easy to lose balance. To start may be suggested to dance on our feet and hands with the heels creating a rhythmic and slow dance. It is convenient to put on relaxing and at the same time stimulating music that bores him. It will be a pact of calm and well-being for all.

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bear step

Without losing sight of the game context, you may also be asked to se kneel on the buttocks and rest the feet on the thighs.Next, without moving your knees, you have to move up and down with your hands simply, to the rhythm of music suitable for movement.

The basic movements of a massage

The intuitive wins. Doing what we would do to ourselves when a part of our body hurts is correct. However, there are some guidelines to start experimenting.

Start and finish. When starting, you have to awaken the skin of the recipient. The simplest thing is to pass with the tips of the fingers, like caressing, the area that is going to be massaged. With both hands, one starts and goes up and down, and from there returns to the beginning, without touching. Meanwhile, the other hand does the same, but alternately. For the recipient, the sensation must be of continuity, as if they were bicycle pedals: while one hand descends, the other ascends, without empty spaces. When you decide to end the massage in the area, you say goodbye again in this pleasant way.Slide. We apply oil in the palm of the hand, place it on the skin and, supporting our own weight a little, we take it forward. It is preferable to do it in the direction of the heart: for the legs, for example, go up them from the ankle dragging the hand with a little pressure and when you go back, the pressure is softened, but without stopping contact with the skin. We can do the movement repeatedly, slowly warming up the area, and matching the rhythm with which one advances to one’s own breathing or to that of the recipient. In this dialogue that is being created between the receiver and the masseur, asking how the hands feel, what pressure and what rhythm are most pleasant, helps and inspires confidence in the person who is giving.Press. We drop the weight on a part of the body in a static way. We are changing the pressure of the right hand to the left, while we take the opportunity to move the one that does not press. It’s like walking but with your hands. Each part of the body and each person accepts a pressure, although the usual thing is that one can support oneself with all the weight on the back. Those who give can enjoy the sensation of entering the muscles with their hands, as if they were opening the tissues, which respond by relaxing. On the joints you have to be careful,…