EASY
TO LEARN MASSAGE LONDON
ROUTINE - TEXT ONLY
Massage
London is proud to present our tip on how to massage your friend. It will be helpful to use a little bit
of vegetable oil as a lubricant between your hands and their skin
THE
BACK
From
the head (top) smooth down the back muscles on both sides of the
spine. This thick rope-like muscle is called the Erector Spinae
group. It actually runs from the base of the skull to the tail bone
area. Use equal pressure on your fingers and the heels of your
hands. Smooth down the Erector Spinae, and back up along your
friend's sides, shoulders, and neck. Do this several times. Move
yourself along their side and face their head. Repeat the long
smoothing strokes, going slightly deeper with each pass. Make sure
that your hands conform to their body. Your pressure should be even
and your strokes consistent in speed. Try splitting your index
finger and your centre finger, placing your hand over the spine.
Gently place each finger in the groove between the spine and the
Erector Spinae muscles. Place your other hand over the bottom hand
for extra pressure.
Again
begin making strokes down the back, but deeper than the first time.
Emphasize your pressure on the heel of your hands, stroking the
Erector Spinae, down both sides of the spine. You can try to
separate the fibers of the Erector Spinae group of muscles with your
thumb. For extra strength, you can use your other fingers to
reinforce your thumb. Firmly, but smoothly, work from the ditch next
to the spine and over the Erector Spinae muscle. Don't
"thump" over the muscle. Take it slowly, with control.
This will help to improve the fibres in the muscle itself.
After
you've worked the muscle all the way down the back, you can do
soothing circular strokes with the finger tips along the same area.
This serves to relax the muscle and increase circulation.
Now the fun stuff!
To work the Erector Spinae even deeper, now that
it is warmed up, we'll use our elbows. In the second picture above,
you can see that we use our elbow to work from the low back to the
top. Keep your elbow away from the spine. Do not work to quickly so
that you lose control. You will make several strokes (3-10) the
entire distance. Each should be slightly deeper than the first.
Remember: The deeper your stroke, the slower you should go. Let your
friend give you feedback as to how you are doing. You may even want
to use your other hand to guide your elbow. You can also work the
upper back along this muscle area from the head, facing the feet.
Work gently and slowly
When
you're done with the deep stokes, you can use your forearms,
together, to smooth up the back. Make this pass several times
Next,
carefully place the arm of your friend over their low back and your
hand under their shoulder, for support. If this hurts their
shoulder, keep their arm along the body. Gently lift the shoulder up
and use your fingers to work along the border of the scapulae
(shoulder blade). Make deep circular strokes, pausing to press on
any pebble-like spasms. With caution, you can also use your thumb to
gently push under the shoulder blade, lifting it away from the back,
stretching the Rhomboid muscle. This area will be very tender. Place
the arm back along side them very slowly.
For
a finishing touch, we will now work up and down the back with a
pushing and pulling motion, made with alternating hands. Push with
one hand, while pulling them up with the other. Then, do just
pushing stokes. Follow this with strong, supporting pulling strokes.
Carefully
use your knuckles on the Erector Spinae muscles, from the top of the
back to the low back. Stay off of the bones of the spine. Smooth the
back out again, and finish with gentle feather-like strokes, hand
over hand pulling upward from the low back to the neck. You're done!
THE NECK
Begin
the massage with gentle pulling motions, alternating hands,
squeezing the neck between your thumb and fingers. The pressure
should be placed between the white dots shown above.
Use
your fingertips alternately, making circles along both sides of the
spine. As you approach the head, gently lift the neck and head with
the fingertips, allowing gravity to slowly glide your fingers along
the base of the skull. Use alternating hands to push on the
shoulders, while using the other hand to support the head. Begin
probing, gently, with your thumb between the white dots.
Use
your fingers and thumbs to find tight muscles. These will feel like
thick spots or bands of tension. Apply pressure, gently but firmly,
to these tight areas and slowly work them out. Always stay in
contact with your friend and see if your pressure is too much or too
little. Carefully glide your fingers along the sides of the spine
until you are at the base of the skull and balance the head on your
finger tips. If your hands aren't used to this kind of weight, don't
be surprised of this causes your fingers to lockup and cramp. After
their head seems to melt under its own weight into your fingertips,
gently make small circles in these muscles.
After
you have sufficiently worked the neck areas, begin soft, circular
strokes in the temple area. While most believe that the
"temples" only consist of the area next to the ear (centre
photo above), the temporalis muscle actually extends in a teardrop
pattern beginning at this area and extending back at least four
inches along the sides of the head.
Close
the massage with gentle strokes with the thumbs across the forehead,
eyebrows, cheeks and chin. Don't forget to give the ears a little
rub with a gentle pulling.
Option
for side work...
You
can also try working on your friend's neck while they lay on their
side. It is important that they have pillows to bolster their legs
and head. Try pulling down on the shoulder, alternating hands and
pulling down on the muscles along the neck's sides. You can also do
thumb work from this position and achieve excellent results because
of the advantage of leverage
FRONT
OF THE SHOULDERS
Begin
by spreading your oil over the upper chest area with broad,
conforming fingers. Assuming your friend's breasts are covered,
don't allow your fingers to go under the sheet. You may find a
thickness in the Pectoralis Minor muscles. Use gentle pressure to
smooth these areas out. With "soft knuckles", place
pressure on the upper chest and glide your knuckes from the middle
of the upper chest to the outer edges several times.
Being
careful not to rest your fingers on the breast itself, use your
thumbs, alternately to smooth along the blue area (Pectoralis Minor
muscle) with pressure that is agreeable to your friend. Work both
sides. You can also grab the yellow area (Pectoralis Major muscle)
and gently pull outward, away from the chest wall. Allow your thumbs
to slightly enter the armpit area and use your fingers to pull the
muscle over the thumbs. Your thumbs shouldn't move much... just the
fingers pulling the muscle over them. Be careful not to pinch!
You
can then use one thumb to hold, or pin-down, the upper Pectoralis
Minor (blue) muscle while you use the other thumb to stretch it
lengthwise. For a nice stretch, you can press a "soft"
fist on muscle while you gently pull their arm over their head.
Finish with gentle smoothing strokes with your fingers/palms over
the upper chest muscles.
BACK
OF THE LEG
Begin
smoothing oil from the ankle to the buttock area. You can also
include the back in the stroke by making a series of hand-over-hand
strokes or single strokes that travel all the way from the ankle to
the shoulder area. This style is a Hawaiian Bodywork technique
Holding
the foot with one hand, scoop the sole of the foot with the knuckles
of your other hand. Use your thumbs and work the sole of the foot.
Include the heel, arch and ball of the foot by direct pressure,
small circle strokes and short gliding strokes. Bringing the foot
directly up in the air, use one hand to support the ankle and the
other to press down on the ball of the foot. Give it a good stretch.
With
alternating hands, begin lifting and scooping the muscle away from
the leg. Scooping should be toward the heart only. Work the inside,
top and outside of the entire leg length.
With
alternating thumbs, make short "J" strokes up the centre
of the lower leg starting at the "Achilles" tendon and
working toward the back of the knee (careful of the soft spot behind
the knee). "J" strokes glide an inch or so and then hook
toward the inside (inside hand) or outside (outside hand). In this
case we are lengthening and broadening the muscle fibres of the calf
area.
Carefully,
use your elbow to smooth up the back of the upper leg. Stay away
from the soft spot behind the knee. Keep your forearm fairly level
with the leg (don't lift the hand up because it makes the elbow too
pointed and uncontrollable). Remember, the deeper you apply
pressure, the slower your stroke should be. Finish with smoothing
strokes and then "feather strokes". Feather strokes are
light finger tips, gliding down the leg, hand-over-hand, from hip to
foot.
FRONT OF THE LEG
Begin
smoothing oil from the ankle to the upper thigh. Be careful to avoid
the groin area. Work the entire leg to the hip area. Don't put much,
if any, pressure on the inside of the lower leg (this is bone).
You can continue the gliding stroke up the leg and under the back.
Reach as far under the low back as is comfortable and with a broad
hand, smooth back down along the leg to the foot again.
With
firm broad hand, smooth along the outer lower leg and along the
inner, top, and outer thigh areas. Place the pressure on the heal of
your hand. Remember, the deeper you go, the slower you go.
Using
the curved heal of your hand, gently conform it to fit the top of
your friend's foot. Smooth the top of the foot with deep gliding
strokes toward the ankle while supporting the foot with the other
hand. As if you were breaking a pop sickle in two, grip the foot and
squeeze it "apart". Gently rub each toe with small
circular motions while gently pulling on it.
Using
"J" strokes, work along the outside of the lower leg.
"J" strokes glide an inch or so and then hook outward,
toward the hand that is stroking (alternating thumbs). In this case
we are lengthening and broadening the muscle fibres of the Tibialis
Anterior. Then take your thumbs and make circular motions around the
knee. Make your thumbs mirror each other rather than have one at the
top of the knee while one is at the bottom.
Using
the flat of your hand, smooth firmly from the knee to the hip with
deep, gliding pressure. Work the inside, tip and outside of the
thigh. Remember, deeper strokes = slower strokes. Finish with light
smoothing strokes over the whole leg, and then "feather"
strokes. Feather strokes use the fingers to brush lightly along the
leg from the hip down to the foot, hand-over-hand.
SIDE
LYING
Supporting
your friend as shown above, use your hand to smooth along the upper
shoulder to the side of the neck and back. Gentle, gliding strokes
feel great here.
When
smoothing, you can gently tug back on the shoulder and use the flat
of your hand to press along the side of your friend's neck. Careful
of your pressure as to not injure their neck! With alternating
hands, pull back on the shoulder while gliding away from the neck
with your fingertips
Use
your thumbs to gently work the side of the neck. Stay toward the
BACK side, however. Directly out the side of the neck are bony areas
called Transverse Processes. These do not feel good when massaged.
Work the area with small, deep circular motions.
Lift
and scoop along the side of your friend. You can also cross your
hands and smooth away from the mid-point of their side so that one
hand goes toward the hip and the other hand goes toward the
shoulder. This smoothing motion feels great!
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