People are often stumped when asked if they know what a Swedish massage is?
Typically this extremely relaxing, therapeutic massage is known by this name in most English speaking countries. The rest of the world, including Sweden of course, knows it by the name ‘Classic Massage’. It was developed by the Swedish physical therapist Pehr Henrik Ling sometime in the nineteenth century.
Pehr Henrik Ling was a renowned developer and teacher of medical-gymnastics. He designed this therapy by combining a series of calisthenics-like exercises which focused on the connection between the mind and the body. Have we answered the question? No, not even close. So, what is a Swedish massage?
The massage is a combination of five unique motions which are meant to manipulate your muscles and help in relaxing your mind to relieve tension. These motions are meant to stimulate your muscles which lie dormant in our daily lives due to lack of physical exercise. The fact is that in the hectic lives which we lead these days, our mind gets a little too much activity, while out bodies get too little.
Let’s discuss the traditional muscle movements a little more closely and try to understand the basics.
1. Effleurage- Effleurage is the use of fan style and circle style stroking of your body tostimulate sliding as well as gliding movements.
2. Petrissage- This technique uses the classic kneading of soft tissues to compress them together. The purpose of this movement is to release knots and dissipate toxic substances accumulated in body cavities.
3. Tapotement- Tapotement is a rhythmic tapping of your body parts using the edge of the masseur’s hand to release tension and heighten blood circulation.
4. Friction- This is simply rubbing of the body parts to create heat, which is applied to relax the nerve endings and soothe sore muscles.
5. Vibration- This helps in relieving pain by enhancing blood flow.
These techniques are used with varied degrees of intensity and frequency to stimulate muscles in the body, open blocked blood capillaries, detoxify sore parts and enhance oxygen supply by increasing blood flow.
Swedish massage is highly popular and is prescribed all over the world by professional therapists. Although it is used mostly as a full body massage, it can even be applied for specific body aches, injuries and stress. As far as massage therapies are concerned, the Swedish massage therapy works wonders to rejuvenate your body and mind. An experienced masseur knows how to identify the vital points of your body and treat them in the perfect way to relieve pain and release stress.
Now that you know what is a Swedish massage it would be prudent to first consult a practicing therapist before opting for it to make sure that it is the best option for your particular requirements. If you wish to learn Swedish massage techniques, some fitness training academies in India also offer such massage therapy courses.
Typically this extremely relaxing, therapeutic massage is known by this name in most English speaking countries. The rest of the world, including Sweden of course, knows it by the name ‘Classic Massage’. It was developed by the Swedish physical therapist Pehr Henrik Ling sometime in the nineteenth century.
Pehr Henrik Ling was a renowned developer and teacher of medical-gymnastics. He designed this therapy by combining a series of calisthenics-like exercises which focused on the connection between the mind and the body. Have we answered the question? No, not even close. So, what is a Swedish massage?
The massage is a combination of five unique motions which are meant to manipulate your muscles and help in relaxing your mind to relieve tension. These motions are meant to stimulate your muscles which lie dormant in our daily lives due to lack of physical exercise. The fact is that in the hectic lives which we lead these days, our mind gets a little too much activity, while out bodies get too little.
Let’s discuss the traditional muscle movements a little more closely and try to understand the basics.
1. Effleurage- Effleurage is the use of fan style and circle style stroking of your body tostimulate sliding as well as gliding movements.
2. Petrissage- This technique uses the classic kneading of soft tissues to compress them together. The purpose of this movement is to release knots and dissipate toxic substances accumulated in body cavities.
3. Tapotement- Tapotement is a rhythmic tapping of your body parts using the edge of the masseur’s hand to release tension and heighten blood circulation.
4. Friction- This is simply rubbing of the body parts to create heat, which is applied to relax the nerve endings and soothe sore muscles.
5. Vibration- This helps in relieving pain by enhancing blood flow.
These techniques are used with varied degrees of intensity and frequency to stimulate muscles in the body, open blocked blood capillaries, detoxify sore parts and enhance oxygen supply by increasing blood flow.
Swedish massage is highly popular and is prescribed all over the world by professional therapists. Although it is used mostly as a full body massage, it can even be applied for specific body aches, injuries and stress. As far as massage therapies are concerned, the Swedish massage therapy works wonders to rejuvenate your body and mind. An experienced masseur knows how to identify the vital points of your body and treat them in the perfect way to relieve pain and release stress.
Now that you know what is a Swedish massage it would be prudent to first consult a practicing therapist before opting for it to make sure that it is the best option for your particular requirements. If you wish to learn Swedish massage techniques, some fitness training academies in India also offer such massage therapy courses.
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