Throughout my years as a practitioner, I have seen and experienced different ways in which bodywork releases tissue and how different styles have different effects. Although there are many techniques that work, there is an underlying principal that can be applied to all of them. Some people ask specifically for Deep Tissue massage and others dread it due to bad experiences. In either case, it is a general term used for any technique that works to open up the deeper layers of tissue. There are different ways to achieve this. Some people feel that the old saying “ no pain no gain” is what they need to experience to get benefit from the work. In my experience, if you have to hold your breath or tense up to be able to “handle” the pressure, it is way too much. This is the point where tissue damage can occur and your body responds by trying to protect itself from being hurt. Deep Tissue work CAN sometimes be intense, but it should always be something can you can easily breath into. There are many layers to our tissue/muscles and, like peeling away layers of an oinion, one must first open up the superficial layers to reach the core or center. If you can imagine the sand on the beach right near the wave line, it feels very compacted. If you try to tap your foot down on it, it resists and feels like cement, however, if you sit there with your feet in one spot for any length of time, you will notice that the sand becomes soft and your feet begin to sink into it. Muscle tissue is very similar. If you dig in to it forcefully, it will resist you. You can “force” the tissue into submission, but I have found that this typically just pushes the issue deeper into the body. If, however, you are patient, the tissue will open up and soften underneath you.
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