Massage & Bodywork

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

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L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 81 In an irony of all ironies, to make the best use of your hands, take them out of the equation. one rule in mind: You are not allowed to use any part of your hand or forearm from the elbow down. You can use your upper arm, your shoulder, your head, your feet, your knees. Obviously, we are keeping clear boundaries and a respectable practice, so stay in communication if anything feels weird—for either of you. This is where getting creative kicks in. You might fi nd yourself using your shoulder to release their shoulder. Or your knees to sink into their glutes. Or your feet to lengthen their hamstrings. You may also catch yourself a handful of times with your hand in "go mode," ready to lend a hand. But your job is to resist. Your lesson here is to understand what the rest of your body is doing to help. Your takeaway is to assess how much you are dependent on your hands and to fi gure out what else you might be able to rely on. As you are calling on your shins, your back, or your calves to do the work your hands are normally charged with, ask yourself how easy (or not easy) this exercise is for you. Does it feel incredibly awkward and make you want to stop as fast as you can? Or does it open doors to new ideas you never knew were right there at your fi ngertips? Then—and here is the most important part—when you go to use your hands again, think beyond them. LEAN ON THEM In an irony of all ironies, to make the best use of your hands, take them out of the equation. No matter what this exercise feels like for you in the moment, your ability to lengthen the life of your most important tools lives in the energy (for lack of a better word) that reaches past your elbow. The muscles and tissues that SCAN AND WATCH "MASSAGE TUTORIAL: THE HAND" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch! congregate to create the rest of you are there to support your work. Lean on them. They will surprise you. "And so she woke up Woke up from where she was lyin' still Said I gotta do something About where we're goin'." —U2, "Running to Stand Still" Allison Denney is a certifi ed massage therapist and certifi ed YouTuber. You can fi nd her massage tutorials at YouTube.com/RebelMassage. She is also passionate about creating products that are kind, simple, and productive for therapists to use in their practices. Her products, along with access to her blog and CE opportunities, can be found at rebelmassage.com.

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