Different Massage Styles to Enjoy

Massage is one of the oldest medical practices. The ancient Chinese used to put pressure in certain parts of the body to create healing effects. You can even go back to the stone-age where people normally rubbed parts of their body that feel sore or are painful. That in essence is a massage.

Massage has many benefits but did you know that not all massages are the same. Since massage has been used to heal in many different countries and many different cultures, it is quite understandable that these countries and cultures develop their own styles of massage.

One of the oldest recognized forms of massage was developed by the Chinese in 200 AD. This massage makes use of vital points in the body to heal specific areas of the body. These massages often concentrate on specific areas of the body like the feet and hands. In theory, the feet contain enough pressure points that when you concentrate on one are you actually hear different parts of the body like the liver, heart and many other parts of the body.

A variation of this massage is when they use and instead of the feet. These massages however are the same because the target certain parts of the body to deliver a healing effect.

Another oriental form of massage is Shiatsu massage. This form of massage has existed for centuries even before the entry Chinese massage therapy but it was first referred to as Shiatsu in the 1915 book Tenpaku Tamai’s Shiatsu Ryoho.

Shiatsu massage’s focus is in pressure applied through the fingers. In theory, the therapist uses the palms, fingers and most especially the thumbs to deliver healing. The therapist’s hands are also used to help detect imbalances in the subject’s energy which manifest in the form of sluggishness, soreness and other forms of discomfort.

The scientific evidence of the effectiveness of this form of massage was reviewed by many universities and it has shown to help remove stress and muscle pain. In 2007 an independent study showed that there were long term benefits for both stress reduction and reduction of muscle and joint pain.

Another form of massage is Thai massage. Thai massage is a form of oriental massage that does not use oils. Instead it makes use of various stretching techniques and deep massage through the clothes. Through the course of the massage, the subjects are put into many yoga-like positions. In most cases, the therapists often lean on to their partners to help with the session.

In this form of massage, the prevalent theory is that the body contains air, which are observed through the lungs and travels through the body in the many vessels called Sen. Through the various yoga poses the air is pumped throughout the body causing a new level of wellness.

These are just some of the many forms of massage. It is good that you would like to learn more about massage and its many forms but there is a better way to learn more about it and that is through experiencing each style yourself. Go to your nearest therapist today and experience it first hand.