Tag Archive for: Massage Therapy Bundaberg

3 Things Your Massage Therapist Wants You To Know 

There’s nothing worse than leaving the spa feeling unrelaxed or still tight in muscles. Even though we are trained to help your body, however massage therapists can’t read your mind, The best way is to tell us your preference of therapists, pressure, or massage types when you book your appointment. This will help ensure you’re matched with someone who will be able to best work with your needs—for example, relaxation vs. deep tissue injury work.  Here are 3 things every caring massage therapist would want you to know before you come in to get a massage.

1) Speak Up

As a massage therapist, we try our best to understand your needs and your preference of massage. Either the room temperature or massage pressure, so please Speak Up! We love to hear you asking us to do “more of this” or “less of that,” and it will be great opportunity for us to understand you so that we can plan your long-term treatment plan.  During the massage, please don’t be afraid to tell us if something we are doing is uncomfortable, the pressure is not right, or if you have a question about a particular treatment. We will give you a form to fil to try to undertand you better at the start of session and we plan to work on your sore or tight area more but please Be sure to ask us to spend more time on a certain area if that is what you want—at the end of the session is too late, and this is your massage!

2) We Don’t Judge

As a health services provider, we care only for you, without any kind of prejudices. All of our treatment is focused on making sure you feel good and relaxed. not only about yourself, but about your own skin and bones, and improving your body so you can live a fuller and relaxed life after meeting with us. Sometimes, the society that often judges people based on their size.  I promise you that I am not passing judgement on your lifestyle or what you look like. I am just happy that you are taking time to do something good for yourself no matter what size you happen to be. Massage can actually be a great tool to help people reach and maintain a healthy weight, and it makes me sad to think of how many people don’t utilize it out of fear of judgement.  Whether you feel that you are too big, or too small, never let your size be what keeps you from getting a massage. 

3) It Is Perfectly Fine To Just Let Go And Snore a little

I feel most satisfied when I hear my clients have deep sighs or breathing or falling sleep and snore. That way I know that you are getting relaxed and already let go. I am most certain that after the massage session you will feel rejuvenated and recharged. I take it as a compliment that my place is comfortable enough, and my treatment skilled enough that you feel comfortable to drift off. It takes much more than a little snoring to offend a trained professional and you obviously need the rest anyway. Might as well catch a few sleeps on the table and wake up feeling refreshed. When you fall asleep, your nervous system still regulates, your muscle tissue and ligaments still soften, release, and let go. The manipulation of joints still creates more space, and the lymphatic and circulatory systems are still stimulated. When you awake, you may have no memory of massage. We assure you that all the glorious benefits are still reaped by physical, emotional, and mental states. With the right therapist and treatment you should wake up feeling refreshed like someone has pressed the reset button. Give yourself permission to let go and drift off. We gently wake you up when the treatment is over. At the same time, we will be here, taking care of the rest of you.

In Need For A Massage? Here’s a $25 Massage Voucher!

We would love to welcome you at our Bundaberg Massage Clinic! To help you get started, we’d love to send you a $25 Massage Voucher that you can use for any of our treatments and massage packages. Click here to claim yours now!

Traditional Chinese Massage Therapy Bundaberg

What Is Chinese Massage? Bringing Holistic Healing to Bundaberg

Practitioners have developed and refined Chinese massage, including the tui na and zhi ya traditions, for more than 4,000 years. These styles share similar techniques with Western massage but also take a Chinese medicine approach. You can find Chinese massage practitioners in Bundaberg who specialise in more physical or more energetic healing modalities (depending on their particular type of training) to suit your unique needs and situation.

What Is Chinese Massage?

Na Chen, a traditional Chinese massage therapy practitioner in Bundaberg, says body energy must continuously flow to prevent stress and disease. Over many millennia, these therapists have developed a variety of related bodywork therapies, including acupuncture, acupressure, and Chinese massage.

Traditional Chinese healers manipulate the meridian system (inner energy points and pathways) to encourage the flow of “qi” (body energy) and blood throughout the body. Not only does “qi” flow through bodies, but the belief is that it also animates the entire world. Practitioners balance their clients’ “qi” by clearing energy pathways called jing luo of blockages that cause pain and disease. Massage practitioners identify pathways with limited flow and use hand pressure to restore balance and energy circulation.

Today, therapists practice Chinese massage all over the world. Western clients enjoy the mental and physical benefits of this practice, including stress relief and musculoskeletal realignment. Chinese massage practitioners typically focus on the therapeutic benefits of massage, as opposed to the Western model of stress relief and relaxation. Chinese massage therapists address and balance their clients’ entire holistic health, not just specific symptoms.

Tui Na and Zhi Ya

People in the West may refer to Chinese massage as tui na. However, this is only one of two main styles of traditional Chinese bodywork. Much like Western massage, tui na involves pushing, kneading, and stretching muscles. Zhi ya practitioners, however, use pinching and pressing techniques similar to acupressure, reflexology, and qigong.

Both tui na and zhi ya practitioners use a variety of shou fa (hand techniques) that may either stimulate (yang) or sedate (yin) the patient. Chinese massage practitioners try to balance the yin and yang energies to encourage health and lifestyle benefits.

Acupoints of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Male Chart

Acupoints of Traditional Chinese Medicine – Male Chart

Chinese Pediatric Massage

Because children have fewer physical and emotional barriers to care, xiao er tui na (Chinese pediatric massage) practitioners find their qi easier to treat. Xiao er tui na therapists often treat kids more quickly than adults, use a different system of acupoints, and typically use massage oils.

Experts have found regular holistic massage therapy improves children’s health in many ways. For example, one researcher discovered kids with cerebral palsy benefited significantly from a combination of this technique and music therapy. Chinese massage practitioners provided pinching, footplate, and segmental massage along with soothing background music to participants. The researcher found significant, measurable differences in gross motor function, range of motion, and spasm control in participants.

Benefits of Chinese Massage

Chinese massage can remove layers of emotional stress while breaking down scar tissue, increasing range of motion, and reducing pain. Other benefits of Chinese Massage Therapy include:

  • Renewed energy, vigor, and strength
  • Soothed lower back pain and sciatica
  • Better cardiovascular health
  • Lowered hypertension (blood pressure)
  • Opened up frozen shoulders
  • Relieved rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
  • Increased immunity
  • Better sleep
  • Healthier organ function
  • Hormone release
  • Improved respiration and circulation
  • Released lactic acid buildups
  • Accelerated injury and surgical recovery

What to Expect from a Chinese Massage Session

Both tui na and zhi ya sessions typically last more than a half hour and can take up to an hour or more. Talk with your therapist before the session to establish appropriate communication and trust. It is advised to first discuss your health history and goals, and it may also be beneficial to find out which techniques your practitioner will use.

Chinese Massage Therapy in Bundaberg

A Chinese massage therapist practicing acupressure on a patient.

Your practitioner will allow you privacy to disrobe and drape a sheet over yourself before your session. You always have the option to wear what you are most comfortable in during a session, pause or end your massage at any point, and ask for changes of music and scent.

Chinese massage practitioners may be more likely than other massage therapists to encourage talking during your massage. Not only does this provide them with feedback and increase your comfort, it may also help you release emotions that arise during the session.

Your Chinese massage therapist will likely work on your jin. This soft tissue connects the body and can affect the flow of chi. Practitioners also typically work on xue (acupoints), which connect the body’s various organs via the meridian system. In Chinese medicine, the meridian system is a distribution network that resembles a web and links the body’s various parts together.

Some ancient massage techniques bear similarities to Western massage, like pressing, stretching, squeezing, pushing, and kneading. However, your practitioner may also knead, dig, knuckle, and gently pluck your soft tissue. Your practitioner may even employ hammering and vibrating methods, or even walk on your back.

Chinese massage, with its wide range of treatments, thousands of years of tradition, and a unique set of techniques and approaches, can offer the benefit of improved health and an overall sense of greater well-being to many.

 


References:

  1. Arellano, V. (2015). What is Chinese massage? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/119168-chinese-massage/
  2. Braverman, J. (2013). Chinese massage benefits. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/123084-benefits- chinese-massage/
  3. Chinese massage. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://learn.healthpro.com/chinese-massage/
  4. Liu, Z. (2011). Clinical study of traditional Chinese massage combined with music therapy in treatment of cerebral palsy. Pediatric Research, 70, 336. doi:10.1038/pr.2011.561
  5. What to expect at your massage session. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.amtamassage.org/findamassage/expect.html
  6. This article first appeared on https://www.massagetique.com/types/chinese-massage/