Physical Disobedience by Sarah Hays Coomer

Author:Sarah Hays Coomer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2018-08-20T16:00:00+00:00

MASSAGE

If “life force energy” is a step too far for you, massage is a version of healing touch you can probably get your head around. Relaxed muscles and healthy blood flow are good things for everybody. Also, massage is used extensively in sports medicine, and if it’s recommended for Lindsay Vonn and Michael Phelps, it’s got to be good for the rest of us, too, right?

It is my sincere hope that everyone reading this passage has had a massage in his or her lifetime, preferably within the last few months. If that is not the case for you, put the book down, and ask your friends where they go. Make an appointment as soon as possible, and go lie down on a table under the skillful hands of someone who is trained to help relieve your body of stress. Everyone can benefit from healing touch. Even animals respond to it. Give your dog or cat a massage and watch what they do—roll over, purr, stretch, yawn, and release.

Massage can take many forms. The most common is Swedish massage, which is all about relaxation. It can be administered with a light or firm touch and often involves aromatherapy oils mixed with oil or lotion. Hot stone massages are also super-relaxing. They oil you up and rub smooth, round, hot stones over your aching muscles. Oily, hot, and fabulous. Shiatsu is the one where they pound on your muscles rhythmically. It makes me want to go, “ahhhheeeeeeoooooh” to hear the sound vibrate in my chest cavity like a little kid.

More intense methods include deep tissue, trigger point, and myofascial work. Deep tissue massage digs into knots or adhesions in your muscles to help them let go. Trigger point targets small areas of tight muscle tissue that can refer pain to other areas. Myofascial work can be done by a massage therapist or a physical therapist. It involves slow, sustained pressure to break up or elongate fascia, a weblike tissue that runs between our skin, muscles, and all of our organs. It holds everything together but can clump up, causing pain and stiffness.

If a massage hurts to the point where you want to recoil from it, it’s probably a step too far, though in some prescribed medical settings, pushing through the pain can be useful. Either way, you always have the right to ask your therapist to lighten up.

Any massage therapist should be able to work with you fully or partially clothed if you like, but I highly recommend getting naked if you’re comfortable with it. You should always be able to dress and undress in private before and after a massage, and the majority of your body should always be draped with a sheet. The therapist will unwrap each arm, leg, back area, and so on, as needed. Private parts should never see the light of day. If you have a bleeding disorder or acute injuries or wounds, check with a doctor before seeing a massage therapist. For everyone else, if you

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