Step 1: You will need
•1 Clean sheet
•3 towels
•1 pillow or cushion
•massage oil
•1 massage table, mattress or mat
•A volunteer
Step 2: Setting up
Most people don’t have access to a massage table, so the next best thing would be a mattress or find an open space on the floor, preferably with some sort of carpet or matting for comfort. Make sure the room is warm since the person must have their top off.
Place the pillow where the person’s chest will be, leaving enough space to move around the head. Spread the sheet to catch any excess oil. Have the person first loosen their pants to make it easier to access the lower back before they lie face down with the pillow underneath the breast bone. Fold one of the towels and place it under the forehead, allowing the person to keep the neck straight. Be sure to tell them to inform you if there is ever anything that is painful or uncomfortable.
Roll the other towel up and place it beneath the ankles to help support the lower back.
Spread the third towel over the legs and tuck the upper part into the pants to protect them from the oil.
Step 3: Apply the oil
Place a small quantity of oil in a cupped hand and warm it by rubbing your hands together. Come to one side of the person and spread the oil evenly over the mid and lower back to the top of the hips with smooth gliding strokes.
Step 4: Palm circling
Let the hands move down to the hips and place one of your hands over the other with both arms extended. With a motion that comes from your own centre begin making circles with the palms. Be aware that there are no ribs protecting the low back and we should always use a gentler pressure to avoid discomfort or injury. Allow the circling to move towards the head without crossing over the backbone. Once you reach the lower ribs, bring the palms around towards the sides and continue circling down towards the hips. Continue this cycle 3 or four times.
Step 5: Lifting
Without breaking contact, form the hands into “lobster claws” by keeping the fingers straight and spreading the thumbs. Now begin gently lifting the muscles of the lower
back by making a turning motion with the wrist. Now repeat with the other hand. Continue alternating hands, developing a smooth windshield wiper-like rhythm, covering the side of the back nearest you. This is a good time to check in with the person to see if you are using a good level of pressure.
Step 6: Thumb work
Finish the lifting around the lower ribs and turn towards the person’s feet. Now with the thumb extended, begin applying slow strokes down the muscles along the backbone. When you reach the sacrum where the spine connects to the hips, allow the thumb to slide off as the other begins again from the lower rib area. Carry on with the thumb strokes as you move away from the backbone, towards the sides. Start again from next to the backbone and repeat the cycle 2 more times.
Now begin muscle lifting along the top of the hip bone. As you get to centre, lay the outside hand on the sacrum and move around the head to and repeat the palm circling, lifting and thumb work on the other side.
Step 7: Knuckling
Once again come to the sacrum, but this time slowly tuck the fingers in, making fists with both hands, and with arms extended, drag the knuckles up along side the spine to the low ribs. From there, roll the fists over so that the larger knuckles are in contact and with light but steady pressure originating from your centre, slowly start moving down towards the sacrum. Then use the knuckles of the index fingers to make circles out along the tops of the hip bones. When you reach the sides, bring the knuckles back to the sacrum and repeat the cycle 3 more times.
Step 8: Back spreads
On the final cycle, when you reach the sacrum, open the hands and maintain a steady pressure on the top of the hips toward the feet. Allow the hands to slowly slide out to the sides while maintaining the pressure. Now turn towards the person again and place the hand that is nearest the head on top of the sacrum with fingers pointing towards their feet. Place the other hand just above with fingers pointing towards their head and the thumb and little finger on either side of the backbone. It is important that you don’t put any pressure on the spine itself. Keep your own back straight and begin to slowly spread the hands apart. When the upper hand reaches the mid back, move to one side of the backbone and repeat and then once more on the other side.
Step 9: Finishing strokes
After the back spreads, extend one hand across the lower back with other hand close to you. Now with a fluid motion, pull the far hand towards you as you push the near hand away. Continue alternating pushing and pulling as you cover the entire lower back and sacrum area. Allow the pressure to lighten as the hands slowly lift off the back.
And that’s one way to massaging away lower back pain.
with the permission of Videojug
Vocabulary
lobster – rák
claw – olló
sacrum – keresztizom
knuckle – izület
spine – gerinc
