A Closer Look Into Hot Stone Massage

If you suffer from anxiety, stress, back pain, headaches or poor circulation, hot stone massage could be the treatment for you.

Hot stones were used as healing therapy for thousands of years. In 1993, the technique was formally introduced as LaStone® therapy by Mary Nelson, a massage therapist from Tucson, Arizona. The concept of using hot stones was to bring the body to a deep relaxed state, therefore allowing the body to self-heal. When the treatment is applied in the most effective way, this style of massage can be both relaxing and therapeutic at the same time.

The stones are smooth black basalt, which retain heat very well. They are placed in water and heated to approximately 120 to 130 degrees. The therapist can adjust the temperature of the stones to meet the needs of each client to assure they are comfortable. A sheet or towel is placed between the stones lying directly on the client as a protective cover. The direct heat penetrates into the muscle tissue causing it to soften and relax to a lengthened state, while bringing oxygen and blood to the area. As a result, the pain starts to decrease. The therapist can apply deeper pressure if necessary to easily melt away the knots with minimum discomfort to the client. The therapist will also be massaging with the stones using Swedish techniques to introduce the heat to the body. This increases blood and lymph flow, which promotes the detoxification process.

A typical hot stone massage will last for 90 minutes, giving the therapist enough time to do a full-body treatment. A wide range of stone sizes are used depending on the area of the body being worked on. The client will be lying on their back to start, with larger stones placed on the abdominal area. This is helpful to relieve any digestive discomfort or menstrual pain for women. Stones are also placed between the toes and under the palms of the hands. Both of these areas have reflex points that affect the entire body, and when exposed to heat, the body begins relax. A large oval stone that contours to the curve of the neck is placed under the head for the client to rest on. This will help to alleviate any tension caused from headaches and stiff neck muscles.

Once the stationary stones are in place, the massage begins with warm stones applied to the face to loosen the jaw, temples and forehead. Cold marble stones are then placed above the brow to relieve sinus pressure and below the eyes to reduce puffiness. The stones on the face and under the head are removed after a few minutes. The therapist begins massaging with the stones, using a series of applications to loosen and soothe the muscles of the neck, upper shoulders, chest, arms, hands, legs and feet.

Massage may give your immune system a boost. According to a 2010 studyTrusted Source, a single session of Swedish massage therapy had a positive and acute impact on immunity. Blood samples taken before and after the massage showed a decrease in arginine-vasopressin, a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure and water retention.

Studies show that a hot stone massage may be a helpful way to reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation, and ease pain and muscle tension. It may be helpful for a variety of conditions and circumstances.

To make sure you have a positive hot stone massage experience, only use a massage therapist trained to work with hot stones. You may feel sore during your massage or the day after. This may be due to deep tissue manipulation and pressure. You shouldn’t feel pain. If you are uncomfortable or experience pain during your massage, let your massage therapist know right away.

Unlike exercise, yoga addresses more than just the physical body.

Yoga Creating Well-being For All Stages In Women’s Health

Yoga can play a vital role in creating health and a sense of well-being through all the stages of a woman’s life. Women go through three main transformations in their lifetime: menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. These stages of a woman’s life are more than just physical changes. They encompass every aspect of a woman’s being: physical, physiological, mental, and emotional.

Unlike exercise, yoga addresses more than just the physical body.

Yoga poses, or asanas, affect all the vital organs and systems of the body, such as the digestive system, the respiratory system and the endocrine system. The endocrine glands secrete hormones which circulate through the body. A healthy physical and mental state depends on the balanced secretion of hormones.

Iyengar yoga has a long tradition of paying special attention to the needs of women and the stages of the reproductive cycle. In the Iyengar yoga system, certain poses and sequences of poses stimulate the endocrine glands to ensure their proper functioning, while other poses and sequences of poses help normalize the overfunctioning of the hormones and maintain balance in the system.

Iyengar Yoga helps restore hormonal balance, soothes the nervous system, and promotes a broad range of other physiological and emotional benefits that address every stage of a woman’s cycle.

Menstruation

Menstrual sequences of poses are designed to help the student develop a practice which is responsive to the hormonal activity that they experience each month. The supported poses are very helpful for such problems as PMS, menstrual cramps, excessively heavy periods, and absence of menstruation. A menstruating student should not engage in strong abdominal or twisting poses, or go upside down.

Prenatal Yoga

Prenatal/postnatal classes are designed for expectant mothers and for those who have recently given birth. Poses are tailored to accommodate individual needs and different stages of pregnancy. The classes include poses to help create space for the baby and increase the comfort level of the mother.

• Increase emotional and physical well being

• Create space for baby

• Reduce backaches

• Relieve digestive disorders, headaches and fatigue

Yoga helps to maintain strength, flexibility and calmness during pregnancy and helps to relieve backache, fatigue, digestive disorders and headaches which often appear sometime during the pregnancy. Students also learn breathing exercises which will help calm the nervous system.

One month after childbirth, women can attend class and learn how to transition back to a yoga practice in a safe, systematic manner. Women who have had a c-section need to wait 6 months before returning to class.

Perimenopause • Menopause

Yoga can help to navigate this critical phase of life with a practice that calms the nervous system and brings emotional balance. Issues covered include hot flashes, depression and fatigue, as well as the rewards that present themselves once the perimenopausal transition has passed.

Iyengar yoga is uniquely qualified to help manage all the transitions and transformations in a woman’s life. Make sure to study with a qualified instructor and participate in classes that are set up to address the issues and stages of your life. The studio should have a range of props such as chairs, bolsters, blocks and straps to accommodate everyone.

Susan Goulet is a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor at the Senior I level. She owns and teaches at the Milwaukee Yoga Center which she opened in October 2000.