My Tips to Get More Out of Your Massage

#5: Fall asleep? So many people are worried about falling asleep and missing out on the experience. But here’s a newsflash—you don’t have to be awake to experience the full effects of the session. In fact, many times you’ll get a better massage if you doze off. Why? While sleeping, your body is relaxed and your muscles surrender more easily to the massage. So if you feel like you could doze off, don’t fight it—just let it happen. Massage therapists take it as a compliment!

#4: Breathing. Don’t stop and hold your breath if you feel pain. Breathe through it. Deep inhales and exhales can help manage any painful spots we discover. It also brings more oxygen into your bloodstream and helps you relax. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth in nice, big dramatic breaths. No, you won’t sound silly and I won’t laugh at you. 🙂

#3: A Big Sigh. Speaking of sounding silly (even though it’s not!), one of the best tips I have to release some daily stresses is to get on the massage table and take deep inhales through your nose, hold for a moment, then exhale through your mouth with a big, dramatic sigh. This is a great thing to do to prepare for your session before I enter the massage room. It’s also wonderful to do at night as a way to help you doze off more peacefully.

#2: Talking is OK, but so is being silent. It is entirely normal to be silent for your full session, chat for the full session, or fall anywhere in between. But as a tip, the best way to get the maximum benefit from your session is to just get lost in your own breath. Even if you’re normally a chatter, try a silent session every so often. It’ll make a big different in your experience.

And my #1 tip for getting the most from your massage sessions:

#1: Don’t help. When you lift your arm or turn your head for me, you’re activating the muscles I’m trying to relax for you, thereby reversing the work. Do your best to surrender to the session. Let me do the work.

Until next time!