Breathing mindfully during your massage

Meditation and the concept of mindfulness

Meditation and the concept of mindfulness are now fairly mainstream and we all probably know the importance of being  in the “present” moment.  Mindfulness is a mental, physical and emotional state of being where one remains focused on the present moment. It’s a way to free yourself from outside thoughts, emotions and simply exist in the “now”, providing your tired, high speed, thought processing brain a much needed and restorative break that can have lasting effects throughout your day.

Here’s what to do:

When a thought, body sensation, or image emerges in your mind, observe it loosely, without attachment. Let these things your mind creates spontaneously float on by. Think of your mind as the sky and thoughts as clouds, and just observe them.
When you catch yourself ruminating on any one thing, just take a deep breath and focus on the exhale, letting what you’ve been fixated on pass.

Mindfulness on a daily basis can lower anxiety and stress, improve sleep, and increase a sense of well being.

How can mindfulness improve your massage theraphy experience?

The mind-body connection is a powerful one. Massage therapy in and of itself naturally calms the body and mind and so does mindfulness – so the two combined can provide a deeply relaxing experience. By intentionally helping to slow down your mind with some simple mindfulness exercises during your massage treatment, you can significantly enhance the positive effects of massage on anxiety, depression and even physical well being.

For some, switching off the mind during a massage is an easy thing, but for others it’s difficult to calm the mind enough to fully enjoy the experience. This is when the idea of meditating during a massage can come into play. Often referred to as a “mindful massage”, it simply means staying present and focused on your body and breath during your treatment. There are many other ways mindfulness can make your massages even better and we’ve picked our top five.

Benefits include:

• it may improve your tolerance for pain
• it can give you an increased feeling of relaxation
• it can help your muscels to relax
• it may allow you to feelout your bodys aches and pain
• practising mindfulness can extend the benefits of your massage