Massage & Bodywork

September/October 2012

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technique CLASSROOM TO CLIENT | @WORK | ENERGY WORK | MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES Routines Done Right Opening and Closing the Massage Session By Anne Williams Great massage routines are like a beautiful dance. The famous ballet choreographer George Balanchine often choreographed dance sequences in groups of three. He felt that the first time an audience saw a dance sequence, it captured their attention but they did not have time to really see the movement. When the sequence was repeated a second time, Balanchine believed the audience studied the movement and analyzed the technique of the dancer. By the third time, the audience could simply enjoy the beauty of the movement. While massage strokes are not delivered in strict groups of threes, the same philosophy applies. During a massage routine—defined here as a series of strokes that are planned in advance, delivered to body areas in a preset order, and practiced until they flow smoothly together—a client has time to be surprised by a sensation, analyze what is happening, and then settle into enjoying the series of strokes. CREATING CONSISTENCY Some spas and massage clinics develop set routines that are delivered by all of the business's therapists. These standardized wellness sessions often 102 massage & bodywork september/october 2012

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