Quantum Metta School of Massage

Recommended Books 2

Here are a few more of our favourite books...most of which can be found on our online store:

http://www.quantummetta.co.uk/index.php?p=shop

Soft Tissue Release by Jane Johnson

Sports Injuries: their prevention and treatment by Lars Peterson and Per Renstrom

Field's Anatomy, Palpation and Surface Markings by Derek Field

The Pocket Atlas of the Moving Body by Mel Cash

The Anatomy Colouring Book by Wynn Kapit

The A-Z of Essential Oils by E Joy Bowles

Molecules of Emotions by Candace Pert

Fish by Stephen C Lundin

Fish Tales by Stephen C Lundin

Quantum Healing by Deepak Chopra

Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra

Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks

Happy reading - Doreen and Dympna

Recommended Books 1

We're often asked which books we'd recommend. So here's a little list for you...more will follow! And they all can be found at our 'Books and Music Store' here http://www.quantummetta.co.uk/index.php?p=shop

Holistic Massage:

Massage Therapy, principles and practice by Susan G Salvo

Handbook of Clinical Massage by Mario-Paul Cassar

Massage Therapy Research by Tiffany Field

Relating to Clients by Su Fox

Carrier Oils for Massage and Aromatherapy by Len Price

Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology:

Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology for Massage Therapists by Su Fox and Darien Pritchard

The Trailguide to the Body by Andrew Biel

Massage Therapists Guide to Pathology by Ruth Werner

Aromatherapy:

The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy by Salvatore Battaglia

Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils by E Joy Bowles

The A-Z of Essential Oils by E Joy Bowles

Happy reading - Doreen and Dympna

Massage Techniques: focus on Effleurage

Massage techniques are classically categorised into these groups: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement and vibration. Let's focus on effleurage...the word comes from the French word 'effleurer' which means 'to touch lightly' or 'to skim'. In a massage, effleurage is usually the first massage technique to be applied. It's also usually the last massage technique to be applied too.

 

Here's more info on effleurage...

1) it can be used on any part of the body and face

2) it's a longer gliding stroke that follows the contours of the body or face

3) it's used for massaging in a 'general' way, not 'specific'

4) it can be light or deep, but always lighter to start with

5) you can effleurage making whole hand contact, with the palms of the hands, fists, knuckles, fingertips and forearms

6) it is used to apply the massage medium (oil, cream, lotion) to the skin

7) this technique prepares tissue for deeper massage, and soothes tissue after deeper massage

8) it warms, soothes, relaxes - both body and mind

9) light effleurage helps with lymphatic drainage, flushing waste products from the tissues

10) slow effleurage has a calming effect on the nervous system, and quick effleurage has a stimulating efect on the nervous system

11) the massage therapist can use a lot of effleurage where other deeper and more specific techniques are too tender for the individual client to receive

12) it accustoms the client to the therapist, and the therapist to the client

13) it is used as a way of exploring, sensing and evaluating the client's body...finding out where areas of tightness or soreness are

14) it's used to end the massage over the particular body part; to soothe the area that's been worked on

15) it is used as a linking movement between one technique and the next, facilating a smooth and fluid feel to the massage treatment

16) it reduces muscle tension

17) it prompts dilation of capillaries and improves circulation

18) it helps with desquamation of dead skin cells, leading to a healthier looking tone to the skin

19) it passively stretches muscle when applied along the muscle fibres

20) it can lead to greater flexibility

21) it can relieve tired achy muscles, decrease oedema, help with insomnia

22) effleurage is good for us!

Happy massaging - Doreen and Dympna

How to Choose a Massage Table

When choosing your massage table...ask yourself the following questions...

How often are you going to use your massage table? If you'll have light usage then you might find that a cheaper, less substantial model, would be ok for your use. If you're planning to use the table more often, then it's probably worth investing in a more substantial and very likely more costly model.

Where are you going to use the massage table? In your home only? Is it going to be set up in a room and not likely to be moved around much? Then maybe a heavier, non-folding table will fit the bill. Or even - budget allowing - a hydraulic table. If the room has other uses and you need to set up your table, then set it down again on a regular basis, then a folding table is the one for you.

Will you be visiting clients in their homes? You'll  need to ensure that you're able to lift the table in and out of your car fairly easily; and also carry it in and out of your clients' homes (and sometimes up and down stairs) with relative ease. You can buy lightweight tables (around 6/7kg) which are really easy to transport, yet sturdy too. Though they're more costly than heavier tables.

    

If you're working in a health club, clinic or spa...do they have massage tables already? So do you need to buy one of your own at all?

When choosing a table, we'd recommend the minimum requirements you'll need are...easily adjustable height legs (so you can adjust the height up or down to suit how you work and to suit the frame of your individual clients); a face cradle (so you're able to step around to the side of the face cradle - which is attached to one end - and maintain good postural alignment; it also makes your table longer for taller clients).

Generally massage tables are 24/26 inches wide and 72 inches long (excluding the face cradle). Some tables have a facehole set in the table itself instead of a face cradle. This means that taller clients will have their feet dangling off the end which may compromise their comfort. It also means that you might compromise your posture.

Wider tables are available which will be more comfortable for clients with larger frames. The downside is they are also heavier so less portable and could be more challenging to the therapist's posture as you'll need to lean further across the table than usual.

Some massage tables have adjustable back rests which are great for clients unable to lie down, or if you practice another therapy such as reflexology. Some tables come with leg and/or arm extensions and arm slings. All these will make the table heavier to carry around.

Happy massaging - Doreen and Dympna

Did You Know?

Did you know that there are over 17000 touch receptors in the entire hand?

And...did you know that if we never trim our nails by the time we're 80 years old they'd be around 5 metres long. Pretty tricky to massage with eh?

Happy pondering - Doreen and Dympna

10 Good Reasons To Have A Massage

1.  Massage helps reduce stress, nervous tension and anxiety.

2.  Massage gets rid of any tension and tightness in your muscles.

3.  Massage helps still and quieten your mind.

4.  Massage helps your skin look and feel healthier.

5.  Massage increases local blood circulation.

6.  Massage accelerates muscle recovery after excercise.

7.  Massage helps reduce pain.

8.  Massage helps the lymphatic system and encourages the elimination of waste products.

9.  Massage balances the autonomic nervous system by 'switching on' the parasympathetic nervous system (that's the bit that helps with stress).

10. Massage helps promote sleep.

This should have been '100 Good Reasons To....' - another time :-)

Happy massages - Doreen and Dympna

Something To Ponder - Facts About The Body

A baby has 300 bones at birth. By the time he or she matures as an adult, some have become fused together and they only 206 remain.

The human heart beats around 35 million times a year. That's a lot!

Happy pondering - Doreen and Dympna

Interview with Dympna O'Brien

What Holistic Massage Means To Me

This first appeared in 'In Touch' magazine - published by The MTI (Massage Training Institute) www.massagetraining.org.

Dympna O'Brien co-founded Quantum Metta School of Massage in 2003 after a successful and enjoyable career as a PE specialist and special needs teacher, head of department and head of year. She talks to Karen Chagouri about how she continues to explore her passion for teaching by sharing her passion for holistic bodywork.

How long have you been practising? Since 1993 and teaching massage since 1996.

How did you find holistic massage? I would say, 'by accident'! I went on a one day workshop with a friend and enjoyed it...so signed up for a diploma course even though at that point, I was very happy in my teaching career and had no intention of becoming a practitioner...famous last words! Looking back it was one of life's wonderful serendipities.

Describe your experience of holistic massage (in 3 words). What? Only 3!! Connecting, Healing, Evolving (but also in the small print...intuitive, balance, replenishing, allowing, spirit, uplifting, flow, dance, simple, profound, open, change, inner peace, sharing, belonging.)

Do you feel that you receive anything from your clients/students when working with them? Yes - both clients and students teach me on lots of levels. I would say words like: allowing, open-ness, trust, willingness, honesty, sharing, fun, enthusiasm, health-ful, wellbeing, relating, laughter, curiosity, interaction, choice, change, opportunities to learn, growth...

Does holistic massage enhance your daily life? Yes, in the sense that anything that consistently 'feels good' enhances every-day wellbeing. I'd put holistic massage right up there with meditation, exercise you enjoy (running and swimming are my favourites), chi kung, great nutrition (I love juicing at the moment), being around positive people, laughing, stroking the family pet..and so on. Holistic massage keeps me in my body, in the moment and bestows a great sense of wellbeing, whether giving or receiving.

Why do you believe holistic massage works? I know from personal experience that it works for me and from years of positive feedback from clients, students of holistic massage and colleagues. It makes complete sense to me - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

With what do you enrich your massage practice? Lots! Meditation, chanting, chi kung, good nutrition, exercise, time in nature, time with loved ones, writing, hugs, learning, holidays, fun, music, regular bodywork. I've learned that to work from a replenished source keeps me happy and healthy and 'good to go'.

What do you believe makes holistic massage different from other forms of the practice? I feel the important thing is the practitioner's intention and awareness. For a holistic practitioner, a massage can never be a set routine of techniques that you 'do' to someone. For me, the key is that holistic massage happens in the magic of the moment. it is responding to the individual's whole being 'with' them - right now.

Why do you what you do? Easy...because I love it! I love teaching and I love massage. How lucky am I?

www.quantummetta.co.uk

Getting Well Oiled

How many of us who are massage therapists or aromatherapists, use the same oil to massage with…day in and day out?  Popular oils with therapists are sweet almond, sunflower or grapeseed.  How about changing from the usual suspects and experimenting with different types of vegetable oils?  Pure vegetable oils have amazing therapeutic properties and can greatly enhance the massage we're giving, as well as providing a good 'slip' over the skin.

Jojoba, for example, is actually a liquid wax, and leaves the skin feeling ultra- smooth and silky.  It's particularly good for facial massage and can be equally as beneficial to oily skin as well as dry skin.

Avocado pears, so yum and good for us when we eat them, and so good fo us when we apply the oil to our skin (make sure it’s the unrefined version and that means it is a gorgeous sludgy green colour and not pale yellow)…perfect for dry skin or mature skin, acting as an emollient.

Do check out Borage and Hazelnut oils as they are both great for dry skin.  Rosehip can be used to help reduce the appearance of scar tissue and for burns as it helps stimulate skin cell regeneration.

Calendula, St John’s Wort and Comfrey can all be used as anti-

inflammatory agents, so helpful for dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, burns and even arthritic joints.

By the way, do use pure vegetable oils and not mineral oils or refined vegetable oils.  That way you can be more certain that the vitamins and minerals are more intact.  Refined oils have to be heated at really high temperatures to extract more oil from the plant material and nutrients are destroyed in the process.  Then usually the colour is stripped and the oil is deodorised (that means the odour is stripped from it).  Sounds nice, eh?

Also be aware that it isn't possible to produce ‘pure’, unrefined versions of some vegetable oils.  St. John’s Wort, Calendula and Carrot are what are known as macerated oils.  This means that that the raw plant material is steeped in another carrier oil during extraction.  So really what you end up with is a mixture of the, for example, Calendula oil and the original carrier oil.

For massage, some of the  more viscous carriers would benefit from being mixed with a lighter oil like sweet almond or sunflower.  Otherwise they tend to absorb into the skin too readily. 

Enjoy 'getting well oiled' - Doreen and Dympna

www.quantummetta.co.uk