Circulation Boosting Massage

This is a massage for arms and legs and feet and hands only. If you have ever suffered from the midwinter big chill, you will know why. When you get into bed and your partner screams 'Don't touch me', when you put your feet on a hot water bottle and it goes cold, or when your hands are numb even though you have just stoked the fire, you know you have a problem. The problem is slow circulation and it affects the unlucky all year round. Even at the height of summer, there are some of us who turn over in the night and unwittingly put two blocks of ice in the middle of a loved one's back. However, this massage is not just for the cold-handed, warm-hearted types.

Boosting the circulation is a way of making the whole body healthier. First it stimulates blood flow, so that wastes are swept away and fresh oxygenated blood rushes to every body cell. Then it brings a warm, rosy glow to the skin, so that you look healthy and happy. And finally, it wakes you up, makes you tingle with energy and puts a skip back in your step. So this massage is equally wonderful, whether you plan to be warmly tucked up in bed or want to have the energy to go out and dance after a long, hard day. It uses lots of fast, firm friction rubs to warm the body and stir up the blood, mixed with firm, slow pushing strokes to make sure that the blood flows rapidly back to the heart. It is also quick to do, easy to master and very beneficial.

How to Do a Circulation Boosting Massage
When doing friction strokes, always keep the movements short and fast, so that one hand moves up and works against the other which is moving down. You need lots of extra oil as the rapid rubbing and heat drives it into skin. Hands can lose slip and drag on the body very quickly. As it is important to catch all the body heat being generated, have lots of towels or blankets handy to wrap over the parts of the body that you are not working on. The best position is for the person being massaged to lie on the floor or a firm, low bed, and for you to kneel beside her. For steps one to five, she should lie face up, and for steps six to eight, she should lie face down.

1. Do steps one to three on the right leg, then repeat all steps on the left leg. Sandwich the foot between the palms of your hands and do a fast, firm friction rub, so one hand moves forward as the other moves back. After several minutes, change to stroking the foot from toes up to ankle, still with one hand on the top and the other on the sole of the foot.

2. Raise the right leg and support it by placing your right hand around the back of the ankle. Place your left hand palm down, thumb to front and fingers around the back, and push it firmly up the leg from ankle to knee. Repeat and after the sixth stroke, swap hands so that the right one slides up the other side from ankle to knee for six strokes. Swap and repeat twice more.

3. Kneeling by the knees of the person being massaged, place both hands, palms down, on her right thigh. Keeping hands flat, do a fast, firm friction rub all over from knee up to the thigh top for several minutes. Then do some slow, deep, firm strokes in the same area, with fingers relaxed and curved so that you use the heel of your hand. Now repeat steps one to three on the left leg.

4. Kneel by the waist of the person being massaged and pick up her left arm, bending it at the elbow. With palms down, hold her wrist so that your thumb is over her pulse and your fingers are wrapped around the forearm. Slide the other hand down towards the elbow, using light finger/thumb pressure. As it reaches the bottom, take it back to the start to hold the wrist while sliding your other hand down to the elbow. Repeat rhythmically for several minutes. Then do step four on the right arm.

5. With her arm down by her side, place your hands, palms down, around her left wrist with your fingers pointing in opposite directions. Push both hands up the arm, slowly and deeply, to the shoulder. Curve your top hand over and back under the shoulder, then slide both hands lightly down the sides of the arm from shoulder to fingers. Repeat rhythmically for several minutes, then start again, this time working on the right arm.

6. The person being massaged should turn over so that she is lying face down and you should kneel by her toes. Do a full leg stroke. Start with palms down, one hand on the sole of each foot, fingers pointing inwards. Then with a slow, firm pressure, push up the sole of the foot, over the heel, up the calf, gently over the knee, then up the thigh and sides of buttocks to finish at the hips. Repeat ten times, moving up the body as you push slowly and firmly.

7. Kneeling by her waist, place her hands at her sides. Do a full arm stroke. Start with your palms over hers, fingers pointing upwards. Using a medium pressure, slowly push your hands up her arms, gently over the elbow, and across the shoulders to finish at the neck. Repeat ten times, bending so you move up the body as you push slowly and firmly, keeping the pressure even throughout.

8. Pick up one hand, palm upwards, and sandwich it between yours. Do a short, fast, firm friction rub from fingertips to wrist for several minutes. Finish off by pressing your hands in to squeeze hers for a count of ten, then slowly slide your fingers down and off the tips of hers. Repeat all of step eight on the other hand.