Tri-Unity Wellife
Self Help Bodywork Facts: Yoga & Massage
Regarding what one can do for one self there are many avenues of approach. In recent years two items of interest have gained prominence in the field of self health care. These are Yoga and Massage. These two practices have been around for centuries in other cultures. They have gathered a stronger following here in America in the last fifty to one hundred years than anywhere in the world. Recently the growth has been exponential. This is largely because of the tried and true 'hands' on benefits of these two practices and research. People who have taken a hatha yoga class or received a professional massage report of the wonderful effects and benefits they have felt during and following their experience.
More recently a growing body of scientific research has accumulated producing undeniable evidence of the value of these two modalities of self health. There is both a therapeutic and a preventative value to the client or practitioner of these modalities. Both yoga and massage provide similar results, that of revitalizing the body's systems. In yoga the results are obtained more independently and in massage a therapist applies a hands on technique to the recipient. As a practitioner and teacher in both areas since the mid 70's I can attest to the results my colleagues and I have experienced. I will do my best to give some background and define these two in simple terms.
The Art and Science of Yoga:
Yoga the inner massage, has many slants and styles. The most well known and commonly practiced is Hatha Yoga or the yoga of exercise and mind/body physiology and this is the one I will explain. Simply put it is the yoga of movement, stillness and breath with balance as it's goal. Hatha means sun/moon and is an integrative effort to harmonize all systems of the body as a whole. The practice involves stretching and posturing the body to it's capacity limits so as to challenge and not compromise it in all of it's organ and tissue constructs. This process influences all systems: muscular, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, neurological, etc. In this process one breathes deeply, diaphragmatically and in league with a given stretch or posture known as an asana. The breathing process is known as pranayama. Yoga increases or improves flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, longevity, poise, self esteem, intercellular communication and general overall health.
Yoga differs from other forms of exercise in that you hold an asana for thirty seconds or more while fine tuning it with your mind's inner surveillance as you deeply breathe into every nook and cranny, so-to-speak. Indeed, you are breathing into every nook and cranny on the cellular level as the interchange transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as particulate matter, takes place throughout the body. This is why postures are held for a period of time for nuero-pathways (the body's intelligence system) to be put in place and induce mind/body balance and integration. In concert with this is positioning the physical body in many ways utilizing gravity as a helper. So you have standing, sitting, lying prone, supine and lateral and inverted postures or asanas.
I like to think of yoga as a kind of inner massage. With the aid of gravity the movement, breath and various stretching, extending and lifting of our physical structure affords a gentle, yet deliberate encouragement to circulation and a shakedown of metabolized and other unnecessary cellular matter that may have become trapped, sluggish or otherwise detained or adherent to internal structures including excess adipose tissues, cholesterol and encapsulations. In effect this process helps to clear the body and decrease obstructions, creating more efficient utilization of vital energies and forces. Consistency is important and when observed this is a very health promoting practice.
In closing many good books are available on the subject of yoga. Though it's origins are rooted in the culture and philosophy of India it is a compliment to any walk of life. For optimum results it is important to have a qualified teacher guide you in your early explorations of the practice. After a time one can venture forth more independently with a greater measure of understanding and success.
The Art And Science of Massage: A Brief History
Massage therapy as a practice of healing and soothing the ill dates back thousands of years. There is evidence of it in Europe, Egypt, China, Japan, India, Greece and Rome. Aristotle extolled its value. In the 5th century BC Hyppocrates-"the father of medicine"-wrote: "The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing...for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is to rigid". In the Europe of the middle ages contempt for the body and it's pleasures stunted the practice until the 16th century when it was revived by a French Doctor, Ambroise Pare. It wasn't until the Swede, Per Henrik Ling, synthesized a system from his research into Roman, Greek, Chinese and Egyptian techniques along with his knowledge of gymnastics and physiology that massage came back into full medical prominence. This became known as Swedish massage and in Stockholm of 1813 was established the first college offering massage as a part of the curriculum. This led to the opening of spas throughout Europe. The scientific revolution in the mid19th century with it's medical specialization again stunted massage research.
In the East massage was always considered more of a healing art and was not jaded by the differing views and ravages of religious or scientific attitudes. The desire to "rub it better" turned into a long tradition of refined skills of the "barefoot doctor" with a knowledge of Oriental medical theory inclusive of manipulative techniques and bone setting. Shiatsu (acupressure massage) and acupuncture evolved from this.
In America a most notable pioneer in the area of "alternative" medical practices some of them quite experimental revived the practice of massage in a climate of suspicion. His name was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, MD. of Battle Creek, Michigan Few in his time were really skilled in this country and one had to travel to Europe for training. After nearly fifty years of clinical practice and research with the aid of a score or more of highly trained manipulative practitioners, Dr. Kellogg proved to himself and others from his therapeutic results the value of massage. Little more then 100 years ago he compiled a book of his techniques, The Art of Massage A Practical Manual for the Nurse, the Student and the Practitioner and it is still a masterpiece that has been reprinted and again available today. He writes from that book "abundant opportunities have offered for testing the various systems and methods...to be clearly established that every organ and every function of the body may be influenced by the procedures of massage". However, it wasn't until a1902 publication of A Treatise on Massage, Its History, Mode of Application and Effects by Douglas Graham, a strong advocate of massage, that the medical professions curiosity was again aroused. Soon after, the profession of Physical Therapy was formed. This caused the cohesive upheaval between the massage therapists who wanted to become part of the medical profession and those that wanted to maintain their autonomy from the AMA which up to this point had not been very supportive.
In the 20th century it has been an uphill and roller coaster like struggle for the massage/manipulative therapies to gain scientific and artistic recognition for the applied benefits of hands on procedure. Thus in 1947 there was formed the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) in an attempt to organize massage practice in this country. Thanks in great measure to the steadfast efforts and work on the part of this organization and its members that massage has the autonomy and growing scientific respect it now claims. In the past 25-30 years we as a health care profession have been removing the practice from the massage parlor mentality through reeducating the public with therapeutic outreach and clinical research. This lingering false impression that links therapeutic massage with such places has been difficult to eliminate.
I began in this service of providing massage therapy as a compliment to health care in 1975. I have observed many profound changes with the profession in that span of time. There were two other legitimate massage practitioners in Madison and few more then half a dozen schools in the America. Today it has become a viable health care profession with more then half a dozen schools in our state, three of them in Madison, WI. Today, many health clubs, spas & salons opening have massage therapy facilities and many chiropractic, hospital and medical clinics do as well. Therapeutic massage has become an integral part of health care in this country.
Last but not least the research of Dr. Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute, University of Miami has brought the benefits of massage into the 90's. Her ground breaking work with premature birth babies, autism and her ongoing studies involving cystic fibrosis, oncology, coma and spinal cord injuries and more indicating health care progress through massage and related research is state of the art. Among other researchers are Neena Modi at Hammersmith Hospital, London, work with Brain Growth in sick preemies and Paul St. John Founder of Neuromuscular Therapy. These and others will continue their ground breaking research into the next millennia. Thanks to the lobying arms (and Hands) of the AMTA and other Associations there continues to be strong support in the profession.
Article by Ken-Adi Ring, CMT, originally writen for St Mary's Hospital Nuero Sciences News Letter.
Mr. Ring has explored and studied various forms of complimentary health care since 1970 and has maintained a thriving Massage Therapy and Yoga Instruction practice in Madison since 1975.
For further information he can be reached at 608-256-0080