Whew! My finger's all better - healed, but missing the outer tip of the pinky. I'm back at full strength now and have been keeping very busy making up for the appointments I had to cancel while my finger healed. I didn't realize how much the pinky moved and was used during a massage.

This month, I'm covering an easy way to get more from your massage, and I'm talking about a form of massage done in a pool called "Watsu."

Enjoy the rain and the cooler weather. I don't know how long it will last!

- heather wibbels (615.294-6672)

What’s the one thing you could be doing that takes your massage from being a “fair” massage to “fabulous” massage? Do you arrive for your massage on the dot, winded from sprinting up the stairs, closing the cell phone as you open the door, rushing into the room and apologizing at the same time?

So what’s the simple tip? I’ll give you a hint – it only takes five minutes:

Arrive five minutes before your appointment time.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it’s never easy since massages are scheduled around children’s school schedules, work responsibilities and family time. Unfortunately, many times when we schedule self-care we have to fit it in between other commitments. It’s possible to receive a wonderful massage and miss the benefits if your mind is elsewhere. Rushing in to a massage leaves the mind on other things as you start your session. Those few minutes of quiet time before you walk in to the massage room let you decompress and move into self-care mode.

Why does it matter?
Being in the right frame of mind makes a world of difference to how your body receives the massage. Often, I can feel muscles tighten when clients are on the table talking about something that causes them stress. This makes the muscles feel tender, bringing the client’s focus to them, and preventing the client from relaxing into the massage.

The mind and the body are intertwined, both influencing the other and interacting in complex ways. Sometimes work on a particular part of the body brings up something stressful in the client’s mind. Sometimes thinking about something stressful causes all those relaxed muscles to tense up again. Coming in to the massage in the right frame of mind can lessen that negative interaction.

Five minutes of quiet time gives the mind time to realize that it can “shut down” or relax while on the table, and it gives the body time to start breathing and preparing for the touch of the therapist. Once someone starts receiving massage on a regular basis the body starts to respond immediately to the environment of the massage – the smell of the room, the music during the session, the sight of the table warmed and ready. All of these things can queue up the body’s relaxation response before the therapist lays a hand on you. Rushing in to your massage with something serious or stressful on your mind keeps your body and mind from realizing they are in a safe place to start that relaxation response.

Those few minutes of extra time help your therapist give you a better massage. A good massage therapist plans to spend some time before and after the massage talking to her clients. This enables her to get a good feel for her client’s expectations, priorities and mindset. It also lets her communicate her ideas and plans for the session so that the client understands what will happen during the session. Knowing what’s coming next in a massage can be very comforting to people who like to be in control, and it keeps the body from tensing up as the therapist moves along in the session.

Five minutes isn’t a lot of time. But it makes a huge difference in the way you receive your massage. Leave five minutes early for your next massage. Take a few minutes in the waiting room to relax and get into “massage mode.” You’ll feel a difference in your experience of the massage and in your ability to relax during the session. Just try it.

More on Massage: Watsu
Aquatic Bodywork

How would you like to a get a massage in a pool? Watsu (WATer shiatSU), a form of aquatic bodywork, combines Swedish massage, Zen shiatsu and other movement therapies to treat the body in a weightless environment. Because it takes place in warm, body-temperature water, and the therapist is supporting the body and moving the body, an element of trust and connection forms between the client and the therapist.

Invented by Harold Dull in Middletown California in the early eighties, Dull sought to combine Zen shiatsu with water work. He developed the technique and began to train therapists at the School of Shiatsu and Massage in Harbin Hot Springs.

During a session, the therapist cradles the client in his/her arms to support the head and the legs. Though the support and buoyancy of being in the water, a deep sense of relaxation ensues. As the therapist rocks and moves through the water with the client, the therapist stretches, massages and applies acupressure to his/her body. In many cases, the client reaches a very deep state of relaxation and tranquility. Sometimes, therapies like Cranio-Sacral Therapy or other Myofascial modalities are included during the water work.

For more information, see the Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association website:
WABA