Get More from Your Massage with Stretching

Did you know that stretching can improve not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health? And, when paired with massage therapy, stretching leads to positive, prolonged results. The best outcomes are achieved when stretching becomes part of a person’s daily routine, as well as adding it to your routine massage.

Regular stretching makes our joints and muscles more flexible, counteracting the shortening and tightening that comes with aging. Better flexibility and reduced tightness lower the risk of tension and injury. By stretching regularly, you’ll help balance and increase your body’s range of motion, improve your posture, and even increase circulation.

Here are four simple stretches to add to your daily routine:

1. Forward fold – Simply stand and fold forward, placing hands on a chair for support.  Try to relax the neck and shoulder area.  Keep your knees bent if you have tight hamstrings.
2. Knee hold – Lay on your back and pull one knee to your chest as your other leg is bent with the foot flat on the floor.  Hug the knee into your chest and place a little bit of pressure into the heel of the foot that is on the floor.  Switch sides when ready.
3. Cats and cows – On all fours on the floor, round your back like a cat for the cat pose. Then, for the cow pose, lift your head, roll your shoulders down your back to open the chest area.
4. Standing arm pull and bend – In a seated or standing position, cross your right arm across your chest and gently pull the arm toward you with your the left hand near your right elbow.  Switch sides when ready.

Incorporating stretching into your daily routine can help you feel better, as well as helping you get more out of your massage treatments, too.

Deep tissue massage stimulates our muscles in the same way exercise does, increasing blood flow and friction between the muscle fibers. Adding stretching to a massage can further improve circulation, and increase mobility and flexibility. This helps reduce any pain or soreness after a massage and helps extend the massage’s benefits.

Stretching during a massage is assisted by the massage therapist, making the stretch more pronounced and deeper. The more range of motion we have in our joints, the more we can take advantage of increased flexibility in those joints, and the more we can do the activities we love!

The stretches received in a massage session can be continued after the appointment. Ask your massage therapist to demonstrate some stretching techniques. When booking your next massage at The Floating Lotus’s day spa, ask your massage therapist about adding stretching.  We are here to support you in your lifelong well-being journey!