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Health & Fitness

Tips For Getting the Most Out of Your Massage

A quality massage is a wonder to experience. But did you know that the patient has a role in his or her own massage experience? Learn these tips for getting the most out of your next massage.

“Always say “yes” to the present moment. Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.” ― Eckhart Tolle

What can you, as a patient, do to get the most out of your massage?

Be Present.  A massage can provide instant relaxation that is hard to find elsewhere. Massage is a healthy outlet for stress that has long-term benefits. As a patient, make sure you’re present for it. It might feel tempting to fall asleep or drift off, but if you can stay present and alert in your body, that’s where the healing happens.

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Notice any shifts in tension—does one part of your body tense up as another muscle relaxes? Make a conscious effort to let that muscle relax. Do any emotions or images come to mind as you experience the massage? Our muscles hold our physical tension as well as our emotional tension, and a massage can be a wonderful opportunity to release feelings you might not have known you were holding onto—but to do that, you’ll need to be present.

Hydrate. Without enough water before a treatment, your blood flow may be somewhat stagnated and sluggish to process the lactic acid and any toxins that emerge from the muscles during the massage. It’s true that you should drink plenty of water after a massage to flush out these toxins, but if you enter the appointment readily hydrated, you'll experience less aches the following day.

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Breathe. It’s common for your massage therapist to guide you to take deep breathes during particularly rigorous parts of a massage. As deep tissues are worked on, breathing will help you focus on relaxing the muscles and help the therapist release each muscle’s tension. But there is another important aspect to breathing during a massage that is often overlooked. Yogis are familiar with this concept: breathing is our link to the present.

Focusing on breathing puts the patient consciously in the current moment, and enables you to become an active participant in your own massage. This doesn’t mean you have to practice deep breathing for the duration of the appointment. The focus and intent on the breath is more important than the form it takes. A patient’s conscious breathing will help bring awareness to each area of the body that is being worked, and lead to a fulfilling healing experience.

Communicate Effectively. As a patient, don’t be bashful. If something is really working, let your massage therapist know. If a technique feels like too much pressure, let your practitioner know that as well. Like any healthy exchange, communication is key for a memorable massage. 

Savor. When a massage is complete, it’s okay not to rush. Before you depart the room, take note of how you feel after a massage. Do you feel lighter? Happier? Sleepy? Energized? Whatever you feel is a sign of the release you just went through, and is normal.

Savoring and staying in that post-massage “space”, or sensation, will help you to access that feeling even after you return to your daily routine. So much of our stress is caused by patterns of thought and action we have created for ourselves in our daily lives: from work to home to relationships. A good massage can help break those stressful patterns. Take time to notice and stay aware of any positive changes after your massage.

Be in the driver’s seat of your own relaxation; with these tips, the positive impact of a great massage can last long after you leave the table.

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