How do I apply more pressure?

Hi Katapult.

Try using your body weight. You could hurt yourself if you try too hard using your hands and fingers. Make sure your couch is low enough to keep your posture good.

Hello Katapult

Agree with Derek. Use your bodyweight. Instead of pushing with the arms and hands keep your knees bent, your body relaxed and gradually lean into the area you're working on. Get feedback from a friend or another student. Takes practice but will help you give a better massage and avoid injuring yourself if you work a lot.

Once you're qualified there are add on courses eg 'no hands massage' which teach you to use other parts of your body such as forearms and elbows so you're not putting too much pressure on your hands.

Hope that helps

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question, much appreciated!

The client sits up on a chair during the indian head massage so lowering beds is not an option. Although I will definitely take onboard your advice on using my body weight to apply more pressure.

Thanks again and take care.

I often have IHM, and am treated sitting in a chair. It's always bliss, and I appreciate the different pressures that my therapist uses. Sometimes it's up to the therapist to dictate the pressure, rather than the client. If they want deeper pressure, perhaps they need something other than IHM.

I agree with Jinx - try and get on a No Hands course - this is a fantastic technique, and can be used for clients both seated and lying.

Another thumbs up for no hands massage here. It will really help you.

I lower my couch down a notch and lean my body in, really saves on hurting your hands, also elbows are great too 😀

I know this isn't going to go down well, I think no-hands massage has some useful techniques, but it is more therapist-centred and less client-centred!! 😮

As for what you can do Katapult, for a start studying Yoga or Tai Chi helps to build stamina and body awareness. Then you can be more aware of your postionings to deliver more pressure. As been mentioned, you can use your forearms and elbows and lower the couch slightly, but considering that you will be soon doing your exam, better to stick to the programme for now. When you qualify, there are plenty of courses out there to develop technique.

RP

PS Since you are qualified in IHM, use more forearm and elbows on the trapezium 😉

As an advanced practitioner of NO HANDS Massage, I agree that it is in ways more therapist centred and not client centred. However, given that it was devised by someone who had been injured and was unable to work properly because of the nature of his injury and lso given that it focuses greatly on prevention of injury to the therapist, I don't think that's a problem. I've many colleagues who have been injured as a result of work related practices, which could have been limited by learning injury prevention techniques (it astounds me that so few massage teachers even teach their students to get the chairs and couches to the correct height, or to use their posture / balance to improve their techniques).

Sorry, that was long, but I agree, that NO HANDS may really help you to develop techniques to protect yourself AND improve your massage. There are other schools, Injury Prevention Massage is also well known and favoured by many, although I've not learnt that method myself.

Returning to my original line, since I did NO HANDS, I've had significantly improved outcomes from treatments and more returning clients than I ever had previously..

Moving on to the depth of massage, sometimes slowing your technique can help deliver a deeper more profound treatment, keep it methodic and rhythmic.

Jinx explains how to use your posture well, imagine you are doing Tai Chi whilst you massage, move your feet, your body, keep your wrists soft and supple, don't bend your wrists or thumbs back thinking you can press harder, this will increase the risk of injury. Your hand can be fairly flat here. Use yur body weight and move towards the client to deliver the pressure, I can only describe it as if you are dancing, moving / swaying as you do the movements. This is how you really get the pressure.

Above all, work within the realms of your body.. your client may want more pressure, but sometimes, too much can cause localised tissue damage and slow their own healing. It's more important to get the technique right for the tissues. You may find something like a deep tissue massage course would suit you well, as you could intersperse the gentler techniques with a little of the nitty gritty when you hit a tight spot, which needs additional techniques to loosen up.

I'll shut up now.. 😉