Without effective body mechanics, an otherwise promising career is destined to be cut short in spite of a desire to continue. While there are many principles to performing a massage with excellent body mechanics, a component often inconsistently applied is continuous, full-body motion—especially in local, focused work.
Every stroke requires a transfer of energy and momentum originating from the floor, regardless of whether the stroke is long and broad or short and narrow. If your stroke is moving, you must be moving as well. When energy and momentum originate from any location other than the floor, they are coming from somewhere in your body that is working too hard. Guaranteed, your client will feel the difference (even if they don’t know what the difference is), and you will feel tension and/or pain in your body.
In this companion video to her article in the July/August 2019 issue of Massage & Bodywork, Cindy Williams, LMT, demonstrates how you can incorporate fluid dance steps into your massage strokes to keep your work in healthy motion. Enjoy the video and read the full article at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1128556-july-august-2019/34.
