Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1234356
RIB CAGE This example is for the right side of the ribs (reverse the directions for the left ribs). 1. Client is prone, back undraped. Stand on the left side of the table, level with the client's shoulders. 2. Bend your knees and hips slightly. Hinging at your hips (rather than bending from your spine), lean across the body so that the fingertips of your right hand touch the sheet beneath the client's right-side ribs. 3. Wrap your right hand gently around the client's lateral ribs. Make sure your hand is in the middle of the rib cage, so that you are neither so low that you are pressing into the lower (floating) ribs nor so high that you are contacting breast tissue. 4. Lift the ribs ever so slightly off the table, but do so by leaning your hips back slightly (as if you are starting to sit down in a chair), rather than yanking the client with your arm muscles. 5. Now, wrap your left hand gently around the lateral ribs as well, but scoop those left fingertips a little farther under the front of the body. Remove your right hand as you slide your left hand into place. Your left fingertips should be on the anterior rib cage, rather than the lateral rib cage. Think of scooping and holding the tissue gently in your hand, rather than gripping or poking with your fingers. 6. Allow your fingers to mold into the intercostal spaces—the spaces between the ribs—so that you are directly contacting the intercostal muscles. 7. This step is the most important of all: do nothing. The fingertips of your left hand are creating a platform that the right-side rib cage is sinking into. Gently lean your body weight away from the client, giving the client's right side a chance to flop or sink or melt as it is ready. 8. Maintain your own slow, easy exhale as you wait for the client's rib cage to start to let go of unconscious tension. 9. If you want to amplify the results: • Add a very slow forward and back rocking from your whole body, to increase the proprioceptive confusion and encourage that muscular melting. • Place your right palm over the client's paraspinal muscles at the same level as your left hand, so that your two hands are creating a sandwich around the front and back of the ribs. Sink your body weight slowly into that right hand, so that you are compressing your left hand into the table, and compressing the intercostal spaces further into the platform of your left fingertips. You can also add a very slight undulation up and down, thus modeling that feeling of melting for the client. SHOULDER BLADE This example is for the right shoulder (reverse for the left shoulder). 1. Stand on the side of the table, next to the client's right shoulder. 2. Wrap your left hand over the top of the shoulder and lean backward to lift the shoulder slightly off the table. Then, slide your right hand fully underneath the shoulder blade. 3. Your right fingertips should be touching the paraspinal muscles between the scapula and the spine and the heel of your right hand should be touching the lateral edge of the scapula or the shoulder joint, depending on the size of your hand relative to the size of the client. 4. Sit on a stool or kneel on your knees, so that your forearm is level with the table. 5. Keep your hand and wrist as relaxed as possible. Point your fingertips up toward the ceiling. Imagine that your hand is curved into the shape of a backwards C. Or, imagine that you are creating a scoop shape with your hand, as if you are taking a sip of water from the faucet. 6. This step is the most important of all: do nothing. 7. With that "scoop" or C-shape, you have created a platform: the client's right-side paraspinal muscles should be resting against your fingertips, just an inch or two off the table. The whole rest of that right shoulder blade will be draped across your hand, also slightly off the table. 8. It may take a few seconds, but the client's shoulder will start to droop or sink or melt into your fingertips and hand. 9. Maintain your own slow, easy exhale as you wait for the client to let go of whatever position the shoulder is unconsciously held in. 10. If you want to amplify the results: • Add a very slow, undulating rocking from your whole body, to increase the proprioceptive confusion and encourage that muscular melting. • Place your left fingertips along the sternum, or your left palm over the client's pectoral muscles and lateral edge of the shoulder. Either way, your two hands are creating a sandwich around the front and back of the shoulder. Stand up and sink your body weight slowly into that left hand, so that you are further compressing the shoulder into the platform of your right fingertips. You can also undulate up and down ever so slightly, thus modeling that feeling of melting for the client. SUBOCCIPITALS/BASE OF THE SKULL 1. Sit at the head of the table. 2. Scoop both of your hands under the client's skull, so that your fingertips are making contact with the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull. 3. Repeat steps 5–9 above. 3 Places to Hold and Allow For the demanding-deeper client, there are three places I find most useful to hold: the rib cage, the shoulder blade, and the base of the skull. Here's how it works. 76 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 2 0