Massage Benefits

"You cannot have faith and tension a the same time." Gandhi

How often do you lie down in a warm room with a blanket and soft music? Add to that soothing environment the nurturing touch of a skilled professional massage therapist, and you're pretty close to heaven.

Massage is not just a luxury -- it's part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle, along with a healthful diet and regular exercise. The benefits of massage are cumulative and are enhanced by receiving on a regular basis, such as weekly, twice a month, or monthly -- as often as the schedule and budget allow.

Some of the benefits of regular massage include:

- relieve your aching back

- relax muscular tension

- ease sore muscles and joints

- improve circulation to help injuries heal

- reduce headache pain

- alleviate emotional stress

- lower your blood pressure

- slow your heart rate

- help with insomnia

- decrease depression and anxiety

- boost your immune system

- stimulate endorphin production to reduce pain and to engender a general sense of well being.

Massage also helps to counteract the effects of touch deprivation. Studies of infants in orphanages and hospitals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries showed the dramatic and often fatal effects of touch deprivation on the biological and psychological health of human beings. Similarities between the effects of malnutrition and sensory deprivation led to the coining of the term "sensory malnutrition," or "skin starvation." The need for nurturing touch is not limited to infants and children, but has come to be recognized as a basic need for the continued health and well-being of adult humans and other mammals.

Regular sessions of bodywork contribute significantly to health and quality of life for everyone, especially for people dealing with difficult transitions, depression, grief, trauma, and most of the physiological and emotional challenges we all face at some times in our lives.

The hectic pace and harsh expectations of our culture push us out of our bodies. We must make a conscious effort to reclaim our birthright of a whole and integrated being - body, mind, and spirit. Regular massage teaches us how to receive, to remember how to relax, to breathe fully and deeply, to be in our bodies and be fully alive.

Sue Redding is a Licensed Massage Therapist in Portland, Oregon. For more information about her practice, Blind Faith Bodywork, visit her web site:

* http://www.SueRedding.com
(c) Copyright - Sue Redding? All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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