How to Give A Back Massage

With fast paced lives and the continuous chase to meet deadlines, the tired mind and body tends to seek out for a stress buster. People bogged down by stress find it affecting not only their minds but their bodies as well.

Massage helps you eliminate stress to bring about a relaxed you. It is a relaxing experience by artistic hand strokes on the body to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress scientifically.

To give a back massage, follow these steps.

- Ask the person to lie face & belly down on flat surface with his/her head turned to one side. Avoid straining your back when you giving a massage. Stand or kneel beside the lying person

- Start off gently by spreading oil over the entire back, so that your hands dont'' stick to the massage receiver''s back.

- Begin with light strokes at the base of the neck. Move your hands on the either side of the spine, applying gentle pressure. Rub up and down the length and sides of the back. Repeating this several times starts the relaxation process.

- Apply the fleshy part of your thumbs to the shoulder blades on either side of the spine at mid back. Move up to the base of the neck by applying small outward strokes. Apply pressure away from the spine.

- After the warm up, move to the spots that feel tight or hard under your hand. Again with the fleshy part of your thumb, work in small circles. Adjust the pressure accordingly to serving the purpose of relaxation. This will loosen up the tight spots.

- Next pay full attention to the shoulder area. Place your palm on one of the shoulder blades, shaking it gently by moving your palm back and forth. This will create a nice loose movement of the shoulder blade and arm. Repeat on the other side.

- Next move to the bottom of the shoulder blade, near the spine. With your thumb, push all the way across the shoulder blade from the spine applying pressure suitably. Cover the entire shoulder area with the horizontal stroke. Switch to other side and repeat.

- Knead gently in small circular motions with the fleshy part of your fingers the tender spots along the top of the shoulder and collar bone.

- Use the heel of the hands to apply pressure down the sides of the spine, starting from upper shoulder and moving down to the lower back.

- Apply soothing finishing strokes by gently rubbing your hands up the center of the back on either side of the spine and down the sides of the back.

Kevin Pederson manages sites related to Massage Therapy., Massage Therapy was used by early physicians to treat fatigue, illness and injury based on their basic understanding of how the body functions.