Hot stone massage therapy has been used in many different cultures for
many years. Healers used rocks from the river beds and warmed them
either in hot coals or hot water. Placing the hot stones on cloth on
the body and arranging them along the energy centres of the body would
help to relax the muscles and reduce pain or discomfort, boosting a
healing process.
The placing of the stones can be followed by a massage which can be
deeper and more intense as heat penetrates the body and relaxes the
muscles.
Hot Stone therapy can help in the treatment of for following
problems; muscular aches, pains, and strains, rheumatic and arthritic
conditions, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, back pain, and insomnia.
It also helps to improve circulation and can help reduce stress,
anxiety, tension and depression.
In certain cases cold stones can also be used to help muscular
injury and inflammation. Warm stones expand the blood vessels, helping
to move blood faster round the body, sedating the nervous system. The
application of cold stones stimulates the nervous system by causing the
blood vessels to contract and increasing the lymph flow of waste
materials round the body.
During a treatment the client lies on a couch or a series of flat
hot and cool stones - covered by a thick towel - that trace the spine.
The therapist applies oil to the skin and glides the stones across the
body’s meridian lines. In some treatments large stones are placed on
the body, in the palms of the hands, and coin-sized stones are lightly
wedged between the toes. Heated Chakra stones align and balance chief
energy centres, benefiting the whole body, not just specific areas.
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Hot Stones Massage