Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/77400
AUTH METHOD Many people store tension in their upper back and shoulders, a.k.a. "the weight of the world on your shoulders" syndrome. In truth, many of my clients who chronically complain of tightness in the back of their shoulders are unaware of how much tension they are storing in the front of their shoulders. Accumulating tension in the shoulders can actually start a step deeper, in the tightening of the chest muscles. Many clients who have upper back and shoulder tightness have shoulders that round forward. This rounding can be caused by a tight chest and diaphragm pulling the shoulders forward over the heart. In this case, the backs of the shoulders work doubly hard to hold themselves up, since there is no longer support from an open and functioning front body. I've had many clients who just wanted me to pound away on their tight shoulders and upper back. This approach, though I'm sure it would feel good for the client, is only treating the symptom and not the cause. When the front and back bodies are balanced, the shoulders can slide down the back. The shoulders have no real job in our overall structure; they just hang. The shoulder doesn't need to support anything—it's simply a shirt on a hanger—unless the front is collapsing, in which case the back of the shoulders become responsible for themselves. In short, tight shoulders are a symptom and a tight chest may be the root cause. There is a popular adage in Chinese medicine about the importance of treating the root and not the branch. If you treat the branch, in time your client will develop the same complaint again and again; if you treat the root, your client will come to you the next time he or she has an ailment, knowing you have solutions that work. AUTH METHOD The Auth Method is a system of massage that takes the practitioner's body into consideration. The method was developed with the belief that with the right tools, technique, and body mechanics, performing massage can be effortless. One of those tools is using the forearms instead of the hands as your primary massage tool. When using your forearms, it is advised to use the upper third of your forearm, because you'll have more leverage than when using the middle or lower forearm. The forearms are perfect for chest massage because they are less pokey than the fingers or elbows and they allow the practitioner to work a larger portion of the chest at once. When practicing the Auth Method, it is not necessary to use muscular force; simply drop your body weight onto the tissue, and you'll naturally sink to the most superficial layer of tight tissue. As that tissue releases, you will sink into the next layer. This patient process of working layer by layer creates a massage experience that is deep without being painful for the client or strenuous for the practitioner. WORKING THE CHEST Position your client comfortably in the supine position. Undrape the arm and upper chest by folding over one corner of the sheet or towel. Begin with basic effleurage and spread oil over the upper chest, arm, and hand. Standing alongside the client, abduct the client's arm out to 90 degrees with his or her elbow bent to 90 degrees as well, holding the client's right hand with your left hand and vice versa. Give a gentle rocking of the arm to ensure it is relaxed. Rest the client's 64 massage & bodywork march/april 2011