Realignment and rejuvenation

One of the weekly places I visit is Touches De Siam, a licensed Thai massage therapy centre, I have almost every joint and tendon worked on to release fascia tension and realignment.

Usually beginning with the feet, the masseuse skillfully works on lengthening and aligning the musculature from the soles of the feet to the hip joint. They block off the blood flow at the hip momentarily then slowly release the pressure and you can feel the warmth returning to the leg after a few seconds. It's very relaxing. By now, my wife would be remarking that I'm snoring loudly as I would have been deeply relaxed, making the masseuse's job easier as I don't move about or tense the body part that she is working on.

An added benefit is that a skillful masseuse will also work on the meridians located along the body, helping to unblock areas where there is high tension (usually around the neck, shoulders and trapezius muscles) and for folks who workout using weight resistance a lot, around the rotator cuff and between the shoulder blades.

Using a combination of thumb pressure, pinching, elbow pressure, forearms, knees and heels, the masseuse selects the appropriate tool to work on different body parts. Sometimes it can get a little painful (especially around muscular or tendon areas) as injuries and tension has to be slowly worked away but the relief a thorough session provides can last as long as a week before I go in again.

Another benefit is that the masseuse will fold in the arms, legs or position the body in such a way that when pressure is applied, the posture provides a deep stretch, almost like yoga.

After a thorough leg massage involving meridian points, tendons and ligaments massage the hands and arms are pulled, rotated, stretched and pressed on all the stress points and large muscle groups. The same blood block is sometimes applied on the shoulders. It really feels great.

Working on the back is just a great feeling, with pressure applied on the muscles on either side of the spine. Here is where I can feel the joints and vertebrae pop and click back into position after a long week of conditioning, boxing, and BJJ.

In any case, for those who only work for strength and endurance, seriously consider a weekly massage session for the muscles and joints. It will do wonders for the workout and energy levels.