There are many types of bodywork from which to choose. Your selection of massage modalities is as individual as you are. In order for your body to retain its strength and resiliency, its muscles must be supple. The stress many of us carry tend to ‘settle’ into specific muscle groups, throwing off our body’s natural balance and occasionally causing injury. Bodywork relieves muscle tension, restores circulation and keeps your body conditioned so that it moves properly and supports your skeletal structure. Energy work – another type of bodywork – is also discussed here..
Japanese Hot Stone Therapy
Hot stone therapy utilizes the soothing heat of smooth stones to relax your muscles as they are massaged.
Connective Tissue Therapy
In connective tissue therapy – referred to by many as myofascial release – sustained pressure is applied to the connective tissues of the body. The goal is to relax contracted muscles, restore circulation, venous and lymphatic drainage, improve movement, and release tension. Connective tissue therapy involves direct work on muscles and tissues, and requires the part of the body being worked on to be exposed.
Sports massage and injury recovery
Massage therapy may be prescribed by your doctor to address specific concerns that result from injury or illness. Massage has been successfully used to help restore range of motion, reduce pain and assist circulation. It may accompany related therapies, such as chiropractics and physical therapy.
Sports massage is really a category of body work that incorporates both deep tissue work and general massage techniques. Methods may vary depending upon the setting and goals. In a sporting event for example, the therapist may target techniques to the sport and the injury. In a private setting, an athlete may wish to address the specific stresses their sport causes in their body.
Maternity or pregnancy massage
Pregnancy massage is a gentle form of bodywork that treats problems common with pregnancy, such as lower back pain. Massage can help relieve the stress and strain of pregnancy. Check with your doctor before seeing your massage therapist.
Geriatric Massage
Bodies that have lost muscle mass have special needs and require a gentle touch. The goal of geriatric massage is to address common issues such as muscle and joint pain, and to aid circulation. Geriatric massage techniques are suitable for any individual whose condition is frail.
Energy work
Some therapies derive their benefits from the application of techniques that direct energy, restoring a person’s energy flow and balance.
Reflexology
Reflexology is the application of accu-pressure to specific zones in the feet, ears and hands in order to improve circulation and function in other, related, parts of the body. The Association of Reflexologists claims that this treatment method can be effective for back pain, migraines, infertility, arthritis and many other problems.
Body Talk
A great alternative to chiropractic care, Body Talk is a consciousness-based, nondiagnostic therapy that works with the body in its healing process. Read more about techniques and results here: http://www.bodytalksystem.com/
Accunect
Accunect is a non-invasive therapy that takes a holistic approach, accessing the patient’s body, mind and spirit. Borrowing from quantum physics, acupuncture theory, osteopathic theory. biomedicine and neuroscience, Accunect helps restore the body’s natural healing potential and tap into universal consciousness. The therapist – using a light tapping technique – locates and removes energy blocks to restore flow. Because Accunect treats the whole patient, it can be applied to relieve non-physical complaints such as anxiety, fatigue, and allergies.
Reiki
Reiki, which was first practiced in 1922 in Japan, transfers healing energy or chi through the palm using light touch.
Cranial sacral therapy
Cranial sacral therapy seeks to restore the natural rhythmic movement found between the bones of the skull and sacram, and aid the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid throughout the central nervous system. Cranial Sacral Therapists believe that the natural movements at the skull bones come from the membrane that lines our nervous system structures, namely the brain and spinal cord. For this reason, their focus is on those membranes, rather than directly on the bones and sutures.
