Massage works wonders on the body, no doubt. However, in order to avoid disappointment, it's encouraged to manage the expectations of your massage. There are many benefits of massage which can appear quickly or slowly, it all depends on the condition your body is in. Let us put it into perspective for you. Like any good thing worth dedication & effort, it takes time for your body to change and really reap the rewards that massage therapy can offer you. Let's use weight loss as an example. It is so-so-so easy to eat poorly, neglect exercise, and then notice a fluctuation in our weight. As you know all too well it takes time, focus, routine, accountability, will-power, and patience to see a deficit in your weight. The same goes for a massage. If you come in after ignoring the condition your body is in upon arrival or ignoring the cardinal signs of "overdoing it" once you've made the choice to book a massage it's often going to take on a similar approach to weight loss. Your therapist has to understand the who, what, where, when, why & how of what's going on to determine the appropriate duration, frequency, pressure, techniques & home-care in order to get your body back to its natural balance.
What contributes to the condition of your body?
In today's culture, we are encouraged to push our body to its breaking point often ignoring when our mind, body, and soul are asking us to slow down & rest. It takes great self-awareness & a strong mind, body connection to hear when your body says "enough is enough". The more in touch you are with yourself & the condition you're showing up in, the sooner you'll receive the benefits. Below is a list of contributors that can knock you off course in your healing journey.
Contributors include:
Physical Stress
Mental Stress
Emotional Stress
Spiritual Stress
Financial Stress
Relationship/Social Stress
When should I be listening to my body?
It's important to sit down in silence and reflect on how your body is feeling daily. Once you notice the first signs of exhaustion, weakness, or soreness it's time to book in for a massage. Don't wait until later or to see if it gets better on its own, you'll only prolong the suffering and create a longer more in-depth treatment plan for yourself. While we don't mind long or in-depth treatment plans as that is where we find the most change, we want you to be thriving as quickly as you'd like to be. If you take initiative & are proactive when your body is talking to you, your healing process will happen quickly & you'll be thriving more often than knot!
What we recommend for reflection.
Yoga to assess your flexibility & balance
Meditation for a body scan on what areas are holding tension
Stretching to assess where you're limited in your range of motion
What we recommend for durations & frequency.
As we'd love to see you weekly if knot daily, we know that's not always possible. That's why your therapist can discuss a treatment plan that works best for you. Based on what we see regularly, here are some examples in order to manage your massage therapy expectations...
1x a month is for someone who is in a maintenance stage or looking to treat themselves. Usually, this is for the person looking for a full-body treatment, to maintain their body in specific problem areas.
1x a week for 4 weeks is what we recommend for people coming in to have an issue addressed. After 4 weeks we reassess and create a new treatment plan. This is for the person looking to make a change in their lifestyle, health & wellness and to address long term or multiple issues. We focus on one major problem area at a time and graduate to other problem areas once the major concern has been addressed.
A small issue that's making a larger impact is encouraged to be treated 2x a week with time in between, we recommend at least 72 hours in between appointments of this frequency.
Questions about your problems & the expectations of your treatment?
Email us so we can provide you with more information prior to your 75 Minute Initial Visit!
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