advancedcpd

THE SEVEN SECRETS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BODYWORKERS

entirely different from what will be needed to enable the next client to achieve deep relaxation.

Secret Four: Great Touch

“Good bodywork is 90% perception and 10% technique: (Christophe Somer; Rolfer)

Successful bodyworkers have great touch. Their work has focus, sensitivity and connection. The term “listening touch” coined by Rollin Becker describes this perfectly. Good listening touch is different than knowing lots of techniques- skills are important but if they are carried out with lack of focus and feeling, your work will be ineffective. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing sports massage, relaxation massage, aromatherapy, shiatsu, craniosacral work or Thai massage, the therapists who get good results and retain clients have great touch. This doesn’t mean they were just born with it: like everything else, good touch and sensitivity comes from application, focus and experience.

Good teachers will teach you not just technique but how to touch –how it feels to palpate a tight muscle, restricted fascia, stagnant energy or the gentle tide of the cranial rhythm. Receiving bodywork yourself will teach you what feels good and what doesn’t. Cultivate your sense of touch by being fascinated by the body and its hidden rhythms and find yourself a good teacher whose own touch thrills your senses.

Secret Five: Outcome orientated treatments

Successful bodyworkers are focussed on the outcome of their treatments not just what style or techniques they offer. If a client wants to relax, a good therapist doesn’t just launch into the same old tired routine but digs into their toolbox of techniques and finds what they can use to make this unique individual relax. This may well be

At Jing, our advanced clinical massage courses look at how to reduce pain within 1-6 treatments from a combination of advanced techniques including trigger point, myofascial release and stretching. Being outcome orientated builds practices and retains clients as they know exactly what they can expect to achieve from the treatment or series of treatments. Being outcome orientated also relies on good consultation and assessment skills so you know what your client needs and expects.

Secret Six: Beautiful Body mechanics

“The energy is rooted in the feet, developed in the legs, directed by the waist and expressed through the fingers” (Tai chi classics)

Employing good body mechanics while you work not only helps you to avoid injury but also enables you to use more sensitive and powerful touch. The equivalent of a secret handshake, we like to joke that good massage therapists are able to spot each other across a crowded room by the grace, composure and sense of focus of their body mechanics. A good massage therapist moves with ease and fluidity, avoiding techniques that place strain on hands, wrists, necks and back. In this way massage becomes a dance and moving meditation, following the principles of tai chi, using breath and energy and from a firm rooted foundation.

Good body mechanics relies on several basic principles:

• Power of grounding: As expressed in the quote above, Tai Chi Masters understand that power, strength and grace comes ultimately from the connection with the earth. Before you start working, take time to establish a strong energetic connection with the ground through your feet, legs and belly (known as the Hara or Tan Tien in the East). In Traditional Chinese medicine the Hara is the “centre of being” and martial arts emphasise moving from this place to achieve graceful power and strength.

A good visual to help establish a strong connection with the ground is by imagining roots extending from the soles of your feet and penetrating all the way down into the centre of the earth. On the in- breath imagine you are drawing up light, warmth and energy into your belly. On the out -breath imagine that energy is shooting up your spine, down your arms and out of your hands. This is a great visualisation to help you work deeper without working harder and encourages you to operate from your legs and belly rather than the upper body and arms. In this way you are able to give a deeper and more sensitive massage without strain. It does however mean that you will develop muscular horse riding thighs from doing massage rather than buff Madonna arms!

• Use of the Hara: A good principle of body mechanics is to ensure that your hara points in the direction you are working. Imagine your hara as a strong light attached to your belly that functions to illuminate your workspace. This helps you to avoid twisting your body into uncomfortable positions while massaging.

The Seven Secrets Of Highly Successful Bodyworkers

• Use your body weight not muscular strength to work deeper. If your table is at the correct height you should be able to lean into the body to achieve depth rather than pressing and straining with the hands and arms. As Ida Rolf, founder of the deep fascial technique known as Structural Integration said “Strength that has effort in it is not what you need; you need the strength that is the result of ease.(Rolfresearchfoundation.org, 2014)

• If your client needs deeper work, avoid the temptation to strain and instead bring yourself back to your breath and hara. Soften your body, shoulders and arms, breathe out and imagine the breath flowing down your arms as you lean into your clients body to achieve depth. This approach also keeps your body in a sate of receptivity where you can sense changes in the tissues. Tight muscles and locked arms reduce our ability to actually feel.

• Keep your joints stacked but soft. Avoid techniques that place the hands or wrists in ulnar or radial deviation or cause the elbows to bend excessively. The wrists should be in line with the elbows and the elbows in line with the shoulders. However at the same time, ensure your joints are not locked but have a slight softness within them.

• Feet, Breath, Belly: When we work it is easy to get completely caught up in the task at hand both psychologically and physically. This can lead to us working harder or faster than we need to and lessen our capacity for listening to the body and using the principle of less is more. Using your own breath as an anchor is a good way to avoid this. Always find the quiet part within yourself by re-connecting with the breath flowing in and out of your belly and by noticing the sensation of the feet against the floor. Keep checking back into your own body and noticing how you feel. A good mantra while you work is “Feet, breath, belly” . This really helps you to remain grounded at all times

• Keep your chest and heart area open and avoid the temptation of hunching over or staring at your client’s body. The massage therapist’s quest for X- ray eyes doesn’t help- honest!

Secret Seven: Good interpersonal and listening skills

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo Buscaglia

Whether you are a medical doctor, massage therapist, talk therapist or acupuncturist, a key component of facilitating wellness in your client is this therapeutic relationship or alliance. This refers to the sense of “collaboration, warmth, and support between the client and therapist”.

In other words that warm fuzzy glow you get when you think about a professional who has shown kindness and concern for your wellbeing.

Research shows that if you have a good relationship with your doctor for example, this in itself means that you are likely to have an improved healthcare outcome regardless of what treatment you receive. This is just as true for our work with musculo-skeletal pain- studies have shown that positive therapeutic alliance ratings between physical therapists and patients are associated with improvements of outcomes in low back pain and increased treatment satisfaction for clients with musculoskeletal problems. Really? Can our client’s bad back be improving just because they like us? Is being smiley more important than soft tissue release? Research suggests that the interpersonal dynamic is certainly a factor and points to the importance of the practitioner- client bond as part of a competent and truly holistic healing process. jingmassage.com | 01273 628942

Good bodyworkers have a kindness and concern for their clients and excellent interpersonal and listening skills. Take time to develop these and your treatment outcomes will improve considerably.

Rachel is author of the best selling book for passionate massage therapists –‘Massage Fusion: The Jing Method for the treatment of chronic pain”. She is also the dynamic co-founder and Director of Jing Advanced Massage Training (www.jingmassage.com), a company providing degree level, hands-on and online training for all who are passionate about massage. Come and take part in one of our fun and informative short CPD courses to check out the Jing vibe for yourself!

Rachel has over 25 years experience in the industry working as an advanced therapist and trainer, first in New York and now throughout the UK. Due to her extensive experience, undeniable passion and intense dedication, Rachel is a sought after international guest lecturer, writes regularly for professional trade magazines, and has twice received awards for outstanding achievement in her field. Rachel holds a degree in Psychology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work, an AOS in Massage Therapy and is a New York licensed massage therapist.

© Jing Advanced Massage

The Pocket Atlas Of Trigger Points

Written by Simeon Neil-Asher

A simple, go-to guide to treating chronic pain with trigger point therapy for physical therapists, bodyworkers, and patients.

From the bestselling author of The Concise Book of Trigger Points.

This pocket-sized guide covers practical information about the trigger points— the painful knots that can form in tissues like muscles and fascia— that are central to addressing acute and chronic pain with massage, bodywork, and physical therapy. Fullcolor illustrations and charts help practitioners, students, and patients identify trigger points and address referred pain pat- terns with ease. The first chapter introduces relevant information on fascia and myofascial meridians and provides an overview of trigger point symptoms, classification, and formation. Subsequent chapters are organized by muscle group and feature concise—yet comprehensive— sections on each of the main skeletal muscles and their trigger points. Common conditions, such as headaches and back pain, are explored for all of the muscle groups, including the muscles of the:

• Face, head, and neck

• Trunk and spine

• Shoulder and arm

• Forearm and hand

• Hip and thigh

• Leg and foot

Written in clear, accessible language, this essential guide offers a wealth of knowledge to the lay reader, the student, or the practitioner.

ISBN: 978 1 913088 12 5

PRICE: £12.99

Available www.massagebooks.co.uk

Evya London

Review by

Iam excited to share this exciting new brand with the massage community. Evya London is a 100% organic and veganfriendly oil brand. They ethically source their ingredients from certified organic farms throughout the world and bottle them in the United Kingdom to bring you products that make you feel good from the inside out. Evya stocks a variety of carrier oils, essential oils, and readily blended oils to help promote relaxation and rejuvenation.

Jojoba and Lavender Essential Oil

Evya stocks a variety of carrier oils that are extracted from nuts, kernels, or seeds of plants that are mixed with essential oils to reduce the potency to avoid irritation or burning to the skin. The client’s needs will determine what carrier oil and essential oil you will use during your massage.

I most recently blended Evya Jojoba Oil with a few drops of Evya Lavender Essential Oil sourced from France for a client who mentioned they held a lot of tension in their upper back and neck. Lavender is known for its ability to calm the nervous system, lift mood and reduce pain and inflammation, while jojoba oil is deeply hydrating and moisturising for the skin.

It was my first time mixing my own oil and with the instructions provided by Evya made sure it was safe and effective for my massage. The scent was wonderful, and the consistency of the oil made the strokes of my massage flow smoothly.

Muscle Ease Oil

Lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus are the three essential oils mixed with grapeseed carried oil to create this blend which I absolutely love. The essential oils complement each other well to create a scent that is warm and soothing while the consistency makes it an enjoyable blend to use for massage. It is my favourite blended oil from the Evya collection that I have tried so far and ensures a relaxing a rejuvenating massage for the client.

Credit for photos:

Photographer: Mert Can Dogan Insta: @agrobacter