Guide - Massage therapy colleges commonly provide academic programming that can be completed in as little as 6-9 months, and sometimes as long as 4 years (subject to individual schools, state regulations, schedules and curriculums). As opposed to regular course offerings, massage therapy colleges may afford students with extensive training options in a vast array of massage forms.

Baby massage is great for providing comfort and relief to your baby as well as acting as an important bonding exercise for the both of you.

However before you begin baby massage you need to be sure the location you are using for the massage is prepared and ready for your baby, to ensure they get the most benefit from the baby massage session.

Below you will find the steps to check for when preparing a room or environment where you will perform the baby massage.

Room Temperature

Babies like to be warm, so remember that some babies do not like to be naked and if this is the case with your baby it is perfectly fine to massage over their clothes or to only remove clothes from those areas that will be massaged.

Lighting

When your baby is being massaged they will be looking upwards so keep overhead lights low or turned off altogether if possible. Use lamps or a dimmer switch on the main lights. You may like to close the curtains and doors, which also has the added benefit of stopping any draughts that may occur.

Noises and Distractions

Do not answer the telephone during a baby massage and if you can turn on the answer phone or pull out the telephone plug altogether. No television or background music is preferred unless they have become acceptable to both you and your baby; look out for visual clues if sounds or music relax or annoy your baby accordingly.

Guide - Upon successful completion of a standard massage therapy school educational program, students may go on to pass their licensing or certification exam to become a certified or licensed massage therapist. It is recommended that students examine specific coursework and state requirements, so to locate the massage therapy school that is appropriate for their particular interests and career goals.

Try and make the baby massage time just for the two of you and avoid having other people around during this time. If other people are around, talking or moving about the room it will distract your baby or yourself.

Smells

If you are massaging in a different environment than usual or a strange environment, try and use towels, blankets or waterproof changing mats with a “home” smell as this will avoid over-stimulation associated with the smell of a new or different item.

Time

Avoid rushing a baby massage or trying to “squeeze” a massage in when you are short of time. Find the time that is right for you and your baby so that the both of you will enjoy the session and gain the most benefit from the time invested.

Guide - Always be prepared with an ‘elevator speech’. When you meet new people talk about the benefits associated with receiving a massage - NOT the actual techniques you use to achieve the outcome.

Watch your baby during each massage session and you will soon learn the “cues” of when they are happy and relaxed or irritable and distracted.

One to One

Only one person should massage a baby at any one time. Do not have one person massaging arms and another massaging legs for example. Focusing on your baby yourself is a strong part of the bonding process which is benefited from baby massage.

Strength of Stroke

Babies like to feel that their care providers are strong, capable and in control.

Make sure all your massage strokes are long, slow and rhythmic and use just enough pressure so that it is comfortable yet stimulating for your baby.

Follow the tips above and both you and your baby will enjoy the benefits and interaction which baby massage provides.

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Guide - Two of the most often confused massage modalities offered at massage therapy schools are Acupressure and Shiatsu. Interestingly enough, both techniques are based on acupuncture points (meridian channels), whereby pressure is applied to these particular points with finger, palm and thumb as opposed to acupuncture needling.

The art & science of Ayurveda (a close cousin to Yoga) perceives, maps & speaks of the human body in terms of the three Doshas ~ Vata, Pitta and Kapha ~ each of which governs a different aspect of our lived experience. Though all three Doshas operate within every (living) person, each of us manifests a unique (and ever-changing) combination of their attributes. The predominant pattern of this combination within us gives rise to what is known as our Tri-Dosha “type,” or “constitution.”

The Vata Dosha, which will be the focus of this article, corresponds to the elements space and air. As such, it governs all movement in our human physiology, from the subtle, fleeting movement of thoughts across the screen of our mind, to the coursing of blood through our arteries and veins, to the movements of our limbs and pranic body in a yoga asana practice. The Vata Dosha can be, within this system, divided further into five sub-doshas, each of which represents the functioning of Vata in a specific part of the body. These sub-categories (which correspond to Yogic divisions of Prana) are: prana, udana, vyana, samana & apana.

Guide - Some massage therapy schools prefer to provide an array of massage techniques to better accommodate the expanding field. For example, massage therapy schools may also provide instruction in Deep Tissue massage, which is unique bodywork used to release chronic muscular tension.

When Vata is in balance, we are alert and spontaneous in our mental, emotional & physical movements. Our intelligence is active in a relaxed and fluid way. We are spacious without being “spaced out.”

When Vata is out of balance, we manifest symptoms such as: worry, stress, anxiety, fatigue, an over-active mind, restlessness, agitation, difficulty sleeping and mood swings. There are also physical symptoms of out-of-balance Vata, such as dry skin or constipation � though my focus here is more on the emotional/mental aspects. [Just an aside: these are symptoms which are often given, within western medicine, the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD � hmmm �]

So how do we bring an out-of-balance Vata back into balance? Ayurvedic suggestions for doing this include:

(1) Maintaining a regular daily routine with respect to meal-times, exercise & relaxation, and sleeping times. Early to bed & early to rise tends to be best for Vata � and if you’re having trouble sleeping, try drinking a cup of warm milk with a pinch of ground nutmeg, right before bed.
(2) Eating warm cooked meals (as opposed to cold or raw foods) which include oils (e.g. ghee or sesame or sunflower oil) and/or oily foods (e.g. nuts, seeds, olives, avocados).
(3) Living in a warm moist climate with lots of fresh air and sunshine (e.g. Hawaii � or at the least, buy a humidifier!).
(4) Wearing clothing that is either warm (e.g. red, orange, yellow) or calming (e.g. green) in color.
(5) Choosing for leisure calming activities such as walks in nature or parks (see my previous post on “Walking Meditation”!)
(6) Treating yourself to a warm oil massage � the really yummy thing which will now be described in a bit more detail �

Guide - With a wealth of rewarding Massage Therapy Classes available, students will be able to choose from a vast assortment of diversified massage technique training programs that are quickly gaining in popularity among the health care community. Fundamentally, Massage Therapy Classes focus on individual natural healing modalities such as Swedish massage, Shiatsu (or Acupressure), Sports Massage, Prenatal Massage, Chair Massage, Deep Tissue Therapy, and Reflexology, among many other types of massage.

A delightful way of calming an out-of-balance Vata is to give yourself a warm-oil massage. The oil that is best to use for Vata imbalance is sesame oil (organic un-roasted cold-pressed is the very best). So buy yourself some oil; warm up about 1/3rd cup or so (in a small pan on your stove, medium heat); turn up the heat in your house; spread a large towel or a sheet on the floor; and then ~ from head to foot (including your hair and scalp!) ~ work the warm oil into your skin, using circular massage-strokes. When you’ve finished, cover up so that you stay really warm, and let the oil soak into your skin for a half-hour at least. After you’ve relaxed like this for a half-hour or hour, then take a warm shower, washing off any excess oil (which hasn’t by this time been absorbed into your skin). Apply a light moisturizing lotion after the shower (to “seal” the oil that’s already there) � and notice how you feel!

Guide - Because they encourage stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, avoid fast and firm strokes, as well as percussive massage techniques.

If you do this weekly or even daily, when you’re experiencing Vata-imbalance symptoms, you’ll very likely notice a shift � notice the balanced-Vata qualities of relaxed alertness and joyful spontaneity emerging once again.

Enjoy!

And to end (this article, and begin the rest of your day), what feels to me to be a very “Vata” poem (you can decide if it’s balanced or imbalanced!) by the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore (from his Gitanjali):

I am like a remnant of a cloud of autumn uselessly roaming in the sky, O my sun ever-glorious! Thy touch has not yet melted my vapour, making me one with thy light, and thus I count months and years separated from thee.

If this be thy wish and if this be thy play, than take this fleeting emptiness of mine, paint it with colours, gild it with gold, float it on the wanton wind and spread it in varied wonders.

And again when it shall be thy wish to end this play at night, I shall melt and vanish away in the dark, or it may be in a smile of the white morning, in a coolness of purity transparent.

Elizabeth Reninger holds a Masters degree in Chinese Medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. She is a student of Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For more essays on yoga-related topics, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

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This is a 
massage technique that is commonly used in all aspects of sport. It 
assists the athletes to stay limber and flexible- which in return helps 
prevent them from injury. Deep Tissue Sports Massage is one of the most 
important types of massage to learn about.

Deep tissue sports 
massage is a very important form of massage, it is generally used 
before, during and after athletic events. The purpose of this massage 
is to prepare the athlete for peak performance. Deep tissue sports 
massage manages this by draining away fatigue, loosening up the 
muscles, relieving swelling, and! reducing muscle tension through the 
body.

There is a variety of different massage techniques that are 
incorporated into Deep tissue sports massage. This is important as 
depending on the type of sport the athlete competes in, and the demands 
on the body, will result in how the massage should be administered.

The Techniques of Deep 
Tissue Massage

If you 
are planning to become a certified massage therapist or want to learn 
how to give a deep tissue sports massage to a friend, the process is 
not as hard as it seems. The persons lower body is a good place to 
begin if you are trying to learn how to give a deep tissue massage. You 
will initially start with using your fingertips and then begin 
incorporating your hands, elbows, and knuckles.

If you want to have a career in 
massage therapy, the only real way you are going to get a decent number 
of clients is by getting certified. The best idea, especially if you 
have ! no experience in massage therapy, is to get a trained 
professional to help you out. They will be able to help get you 
started, show you the tips and tricks of the trade, and make sure that 
you are doing everything correctly.

A career in Massage Therapy is not only an enjoyable career 
where you meet lots of new people, but it is also very financially 
rewarding. Although it means you would have to undergo the required 
training, it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Including in the training you 
should get some useful information on massage oils which is possibly 
one of the most important tools in an massage arsenal.

It is necessary to 
learn Deep Tissue massage if you want to make massage therapy your 
profession. It is a type of massage well worth learning. Even if you 
just end up massaging people you know here and there, this will be one 
of the best things to learn.

Tags: Deep Tissue Massage, Massage Therapy Technique, Massage Parlor, Massage School, Massage Therapy Schools

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