Our society embraces the thought of "do more, go faster, push harder..." Ironically, the ways in which we relax often reflect this same belief. Many people find centering and relaxation in activities like running laps, biking for miles, or pumping iron. All of these activities are beneficial, yet active. Unfortunately, little value is placed on the type of balance that is achieved through stillness and complete relaxation. I invite you to consider and experience balance and true relaxation through receiving a massage. Massage is a healing activity that improves our well being physically, mentally, and emotionally. It also gives us permission to take a much needed break in order to receive the care we deserve.
As we move through our busy lives, we can become accustomed to feeling disharmony in our muscles due to repetitive use of muscle groups. In fact, we can become so accustomed to the disharmony that we do not recognize that parts of our bodies are out of balance until we feel discernible pain. Stress is another symptom of disharmony in the body that people often overlook. Stress can trigger many issues that include muscle tightness, agitation, insomnia, and inability to focus. Stress can also lead to physical conditions like hypertension and depression and can be linked to outcomes like cancer and stroke.
Massage offers myriad benefits on multiple levels. It helps to relax muscle tissue, beyond what can be achieved with stretching after a workout. It can heal and re-invigorate the muscles so that the muscle group can continue to be worked at a reduced risk of injury. Massage increases the circulation of blood, nutrients, and oxygen through the body which helps to improve and maintain muscle health and support proper immune system function. Incidentally, because massage increases circulation, it can be ideal for individuals who are recovering from injury, illness, and surgery. Massage positively affects chemical levels in the body. For example, it naturally raises serotonin and endorphin levels; increased serotonin levels help to enhance a positive mood and increased endorphins help to reduce the perception of pain. Massage also lowers levels of stress hormones like norepinephrine and cortisol. These hormone shifts are, in part, why people often feel varying levels of happiness and euphoria after receiving bodywork.
Studies have proven that massage provides great benefit to many different communities of people. For example, massage helps babies, both healthy and premature, to grow and thrive faster. Massage helps pregnant women to feel more comfortable as their pregnancies progress and to deliver their babies more effectively and with less pain. Massage is fabulous for people who suffer from eating disorders because touch helps them to accept their bodies as they are, more readily. Massage is valuable for HIV and AIDS patients because it helps to reduce pain, nausea from taking medications, and feelings of isolation. Massage is wonderful for the geriatric community as well because, in addition to it helping to ease aches and pains, massage provides them with much needed connection and interaction. Even 15 minute chair massage offered in the work place lowers the number of sick days taken by employees and raises worker productivity during the work week.
Massage is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. More important, massage requires that we do little more than show up. Giving ourselves permission to receive completely can be extremely challenging, especially in a tight economy; how can we be "deserving" of something so "self-indulgent?" However, we can only be the most productive and give the best of ourselves to others when we have really cared for ourselves.
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