The world of nutrition has become quite complex, and it is very common to hear people talking about particular dietary restrictions, what to eat, when, where, and how much. Often the information is complex and contradictory. The complexity of nature and of the human body is mind-boggling in comparison, and might be better understood in simpler terms. Eat real organic food, and drink plenty of clean water. In providing good fuel, and good nutritional building blocks, the body in it’s infinite wisdom will decide how best to use it’s resources. One thing that is vitally important in this equation is free movement and circulation of the blood.
Blood is the carrier of oxygen and all nutritional elements to every cell, every minute, of every day. Blood stagnation, areas where the free movement of blood is not allowed, is detrimental to the health of tissues and cells. It is of vital importance that the good nutrition we put in our bodies be able to reach its destination. Movement, breath work, and bodywork of all kinds are the best ways to insure that your consciously nourished blood is moving well. Each bodywork modality has it’s way of achieving this goal — the patterns of deep compression and stretching of Shiatsu, the yoga-like movements of Thai massage, the flowing circulatory strokes of Swedish massage, the focused release of restriction in Deep Tissue massage, or the gentle encouragement of fluid movement in Craniosacral therapy. Each of these are a joy to receive, and they all promote relaxation, balance, and the free movement of blood. When we give our bodies the gift of massage and bodywork that opens the channels of blood-flow, then the body can go about the business of nourishing and healing itself in an elegant manner with few side effects, and there is no limit to the vitality we can achieve.
Carl Johns, LMT
Director, ASIS Massage Education