The Secret to Giving a Good Massage Part 2 - How to Hit the Spot!!
People come to a massage therapist for all different kinds of reasons. But there is one thing everyone has in common when he or she is lying on the massage table - the desire for the massage therapist to "hit the spot."
When I give a massage, people are always saying, "that's it right there....how did you know where to go?" It took me a lot of trial and error to get to that point, but with a little guidance from me and some curiosity and playfulness on your part, you will be able to get right to the point. It's really not hard at all!
To get there, remember that touching during a massage has to be engaging and confident. No fluffiness!! It doesn't feel good. There is a natural or instinctual movement of the body, both as a whole and its various parts, towards health. In bodywork, we call this unwinding. There is an innate intelligence that the body has and it knows what it needs to get better. By blending or molding the tissue, the therapist feels the body's movement and knows how to follow it.
Another technique is to take up the slack tissues until there's no more give. Here it's important not to overdo it. Otherwise, the body will defend itself and tighten up....that's not what you want. Once the therapist finds this spot, he knows how to slightly nudge the barrier.
These two types of touch let the therapist give the sense of confidence and that he's there with you 100%. There's no doubt here.
With these two techniques - blending and following the tissues and to taking up the slack and giving a nudge - the therapist comes in synch with your body. With a little bit of guidance, he'll find the spot in no time.