Discover New Ways to Create the Perception of Pressure
A seated massage involves discovering new ways to improve your quality of touch and it requires a willingness to transform how you perceive pressure. To effectively perform an amazing, seated massage you must possess an acute awareness of magnitude and point of application. In summary these two terms address the intensity of an application and is defined by how long and strong you perform them, in addition to where the pressure is applied.
The feeling of firm pressure is defined by the client’s perception. They use their central nervous system to determine whether something feels rewarding or not. You can provide the perception of firm pressure with weak hands. This is achieved by knowing the body’s patterns of pain, communicating with the client, and by having a firm understanding of anatomy and physiology.
Your physical strength does not determine your ability to perform a fantastic massage. What does? At the core of every great massage are the virtues of humility, empathy, and creativity. They are the cornerstones of what we do, without them our massages are no more than a series of pokes, prods, and squeezes.
A seated massage removes raw power from the equation and replaces it with precision, knowledge, and patience. Many clients are surprised when they discover I am seated in a massage, because I can deliver the perception of firm pressure with very little force. You can too. How? First set aside some time to practice when you are not professionally performing a massage for a client. Find someone who will provide honest, and effective feedback. Ask them to describe how your techniques feel using better terms that “oh that feels good” or “ouch that hurts”. They must be articulate, and you must be willing to listen. Explore their muscle structures, take your time, and evaluate how the body, and they react to your touch.
Try new things, sometimes simply exploring muscle structures can be great ways to develop new techniques. Think about all the places people don’t touch when massaging the traps. A lot of massage therapists just dig in with all their strength trying to brutalize them into submission.
Muscles are like Babies
Muscles are like babies; they are primal creatures and one of the only ways they know how to communicate with us is by crying. Sure, you could yell at the baby to get it to stop, and sure you might scare it to cease for a few moments, but when it starts crying again it will be worse than before. Instead of yelling at the child, start by giving it some love, nurture it and get it to settle down. Then take some time to figure out what it wants. Does it need a bottle? Is it cold? Maybe it just needs some attention, whatever it needs, it is our job to find the answer and make it better. Once we have taken care of the baby’s needs, we must guide it back to a peaceful place.
Muscles are the same. We can dig into the traps and demand them to submit, it may feel better for a few minutes, but once that pain comes crashing back it will feel like an asteroid has collided with the earth. People hurt after a massage because they have been abused and handled like they were a nail getting smashed by a hammer. Putting people in pain to get them out of pain is a myth. Would you burn down a forest to prevent it from burning down in a forest fire? Of course not, that is ridiculous!
Seated Massage Promote Ambient Awareness
Seated massage provides you the opportunity to attune your senses and knowledge to your client’s perception of reality. It grants you the opportunity to explore and apply your techniques with wisdom and clinical reasoning. In our little microcosm we fight over the silliest stuff, everyone wants to be right, and they lose sight of what makes massage so magnificent. Massage is the greatest gift from God and is the most wonderful way to explore our humanity. Our profession in its truest form is humble, creative, and empathetic. It is the perfect harmony of art and science.
Performing a seated massage is not about finding ways to deliver firm pressure. It is discovering how to create the ultimate experience that meets our client’s expectations. It is a method of exploration that allows you to engage your imagination, to create new techniques and to adapt to every situation. I hope to inspire you to create. I hope I can convince you that you have an endless toolbox of terrific techniques at your fingertips, and that you don’t have to destroy your body, mind, and soul to help others feel whole.
