The Mind Body and Soul Inter-connect

Have you ever wondered why, when you are sad, down, or stressed out that you tend to feel sore, achy, or comfortably numb?

Our bodies are fascinating machines that will try to cope through all of our physical and emotional ups and downs. Certain emotions not released in a verbal or physical manner can manifest themselves in our bodies.

For example, someone who has difficulty in expressing themselves may manifest chronic anterior neck discomfort, or difficulty swallowing.

The key is to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us. Don’t ignore the signs; pain is your body’s way of saying something is wrong. Imagine what would happen if you ignored the “check engine light” in your car. Bad news if you ignore it for too long.

What does all this have to do with massage?

Massage is a wonderful tool for creating great body awareness. Many people are unaware of how tight their muscles are until they receive a few treatments and feel the difference. People forget that they are carrying their shoulders around their ears or their glutes and hamstrings are tight causing low back discomfort.

Massage creates body awareness showing people that different areas of their bodies are tense or over-stretched due to muscle imbalances. Releasing tight muscles with massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises for weak or stretched muscles are all part of a great massage experience.

How does massage work?

Massage is based on increasing circulation and decreasing hyper tonicity. When tissue is affected due to injury, repetitive exercises or stress, the muscle becomes tight in order to protect the body; therefore there is a decrease in circulation.

When circulation is decreased, there is a build-up of waste products, and a decrease in oxygen and nutrients to the tissue, causing pain. Pain causes tissue to tighten further, creating the pain tension cycle.

Massage helps break the cycle by increasing circulation to the area, flushing out waste products and decreasing hyper tonicity (knots) of the muscle tissue.

What does healthy muscle tissue feel like?

Muscle should feel like a balloon filled with sand, pliable, and easy to manipulate. Muscle tissue is not hard unless it is being flexed.

Large muscle groups such as glutes, quads, hamstrings, biceps, and triceps should all move freely when in a relaxed position.

When you are lying around and your kids hit your bum and they tell you it moves like a big bowl of Jello…………..just laugh and tell them it is healthy and it is supposed to move like that!