Our everyday lives can be very stressful. Lots of people feel like time is passing too quickly, running, rushing, working all the time with a whole load of responsabilities on our shoudlers. And on top of that, because of that same fast pace, a great deal of us end up with chronic pain. Tight shoulders, aching necks, tired lower backs; most of them caused by stress and tension. This is why we seem to get sick more than we used to before.

Step 1: STEP 1: Knowing the Areas of the Massage

Before choosing a training program, one of the first things massage therapist should investigate are the requirements for becoming a massage therapist in the area they wish to practice in.

Every state or city or town has different requirements for massage therapists.

If the person is unsure where to gain information about practice requirements, that individual should contact the school/training program they are considering, or contact a local massage therapist. Either should be able to point them in the right direction.

Step 2: STEP 2: Starting From the Top

*Start with face-up chest, with the patient's arm down to the side.
*Prop their arm up on your knee or pillow to loosen the pectoral.
*You can start at the center of their chest by the clavicle and work towards you to clear the area thumb-width by thumb-width like combing through their muscle bit-by-bit.
*Then change their arm position to above their head and prop it up again; this changes the fibers of each muscle area, go through the area again for a more detailed, deeper effect. Place arm down to the side and go through again.

Step 3: STEP 3: Arms

* Biceps worked both from and to the heart several times over.
* Forearm flexors and extensors and then the hands, working with steady pressure in the palm, and gentle twist/pull for each finger.

Step 4: Step 4: Thighs

* Top of legs, to and from the heart, you can face your body to their face and turn toward their feet when you change direction to make it easier for you.
* Working knee to hip then hip to knee, then knee to hip slowly clearing the muscles deeper as they let you go through, like a wave in water, letting the muscle relax and move as you go through with your thumbs.
* If you work the inner or outer thighs, proceed with care, as they tend to be quite sensitive.

Step 5: Step 5: Start Again With Their Legs Straight, Knee to Hip...

* Calves the same way, including the muscles lateral to the shinbones in front, then feet; they are easier since the bottom of their feet can be propped up on a firm pillow.
* Use a couple run-throughs of increasing pressure in the arch and ball of the foot, then the toes as done to the fingers;
* You can have them turn their knee out and bend their leg out so that their illio-tibial band is up to work on;
* this also changes their hip to work on again around their trocanter (leg bone).
* End with their legs straight of course.

Step 6: Step 6: Warm With Lotion or Oil Feeling for Tight Areas to Concentrate

* You can start with their shoulder or hip, it doesn’t matter, all will be worked on.
* When a person is turned on their side, the muscles change their structure, some loosening, some tightening, work on the loose muscles deeper and slowly, concentrating and clearing those areas.
* Have them place their arm down to side to get at infraspinatus and rear deltoid easier; this also loosens trapezius as well

Step 7: Step 7: Temples

* Here, start at the temples and work your way out, then through the ocular region, down onto the cheeks and jaw, and where the jaw meets the neck below the ears.
* Then work outward from the center of the forehead, and slowly running your fingertips longitudinally around the skull from front to back.

Step 8: TIPS

- Since the touch given in massage can be an intimate experience, be sure to pay attention to the receiver's boundaries. If in doubt, ask "Is this okay?"
- Always back your hands up. This means always have one hand support the other, it is like a one-handed massage at times but only when you are working deeply and then for medium to light work you can use both hands separate.
- Remember music, preferably something that is mellow.
- Every person has different thresholds for pleasure/pain. Encourage the receiver to give feedback on what's good or if anything hurts, and then listen.
- Remember this technique cannot cure illnesses but may help you deal with them.
- It may take a while to get used to doing this massage technique.
- Massage oils and lotions work great. Warming them will also help relax the muscles. Do not warm oils to the point that they will burn or scald. (Follow instructions presented on the bottle.)