Indian Head Massage

...in.

INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE
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? What is it?

Indian Head massage has been practised traditionally in India for thousands of years and is part of Ayurvedic medicine system.
This medicine is one of India's oldest systems. It promotes longevity of life though balancing of Mind, body and spirit.
It was used on women traditionally to aid and promote beautiful ...
...It becomes a circle and Indian Head massage is practised on all the family members in turn. A gentle man visiting the barbers as part of the treatment will finish off his haircut and shave with a head massage. Indian Head Massages are given on the beaches as part of relaxation by vendors.
The whole Indian culture benefits and is seen to be a reason they tend to be more laid back and less stressed.
The massage itself differs in different ... more

This review is about something I learnt at college very recently and now have just received a Diploma in.

INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE
----------------------------------

? What is it?

Indian Head massage has been practised traditionally in India for thousands of years and is part of Ayurvedic medicine system.
This medicine is one of India's oldest systems. It promotes longevity of life though balancing of Mind, body and spirit.
It was used on women traditionally to aid and promote beautiful hair. Oils were used too. They passed their knowledge and massages onto their families.
New mothers massage their babies every day until they are the age of three and then they receive one every week. The children then learn and return the massage to their mothers. It becomes a circle and Indian Head massage is practised on all the family members in turn. A gentle man visiting the barbers as part of the treatment will finish off his haircut and shave with a head massage. Indian Head Massages are given on the beaches as part of relaxation by vendors.
The whole Indian culture benefits and is seen to be a reason they tend to be more laid back and less stressed.
The massage itself differs in different parts of the country and when it was introduced here in the UK by Dr. Narendra Metha in the 1970's, it also incorporated, not just the head but also the back, upper arms and shoulders, neck and face areas too. This treatment had become westernised.
Indian Head massage is a powerful therapy and had a positive effect on the whole person, Mentally and physically and can balance the body's energy centres, know as chakras.
It is becoming increasingly popular and has many benefits.

? Benefits?

In this day and age everything is dictated by time and stress levels increase to all new heights. Indian Head Massage works on this complaint and helps to relax you. It is especially useful for people who work in the office environment as they are very often slumped over the office chair staring at the PC screen all day.
Good for tension and relaxation, good for posture and muscle tension and stiffness. It is good for promoting restful sleep, insomnia, healthy hair growth and circulation. It can help skin tone and elasticity and reduces congestion. It eases eyestrain and reduces headaches and gives the person renewed energy and also encourages deep breathing and stimulates lymphatic drainage too.
On an emotional level it can bring a feeling of euphoria and wellbeing too. It brings inner calmness and banishes mental fatigue. It aids concentration and rids mental anxiety and stress.
Indian Head Massage also works on the energy bases called Chakras. It can help unblock and clear these and give the person rebalanced energy, rid of stagnant energy and revitalise their energy too.

All these things are benefits and of course if you have regular treatments then your health will improve vastly.

? The treatment?

The treatment starts with a 15 minute consultation and introduction to Indian Head Massage. This is to put the client at ease and find out if the treatment will suit their needs. Whether they prefer oils to be used or not. Details are taken and are kept recorded for future reference and to enable me to check if the treatment is effective and whether I can change it to suit the client better. Or to check if a treatment caused a reaction, positively or negatively.

Then the client is sat down ready for the treatment.
The treatment itself lasts half an hour and any chair with a low back can be used or indeed you can buy a massage chair if you want to appear more professional. The beauty with this type of massage is that it is extremely portable and you can practice anywhere with as little apparatus or as professional as you want.
The client does not need to undress and is asked to place feet on the floor to ground themselves and then breath in and out deeply to help oxygen around the body and calm themselves.
The massage begins with the grounding process and gentle effleurage movements on the back.
There are several types of massaging types and I'll explain these later. Next the upper arms are worked on and then the neck after. The client is requested to either have powder applied to the neck or to raise their collar whilst this is carried out, as the massage shouldn't be carried out on bare skin on skin. This avoids the skin getting hot and avoids the lack of effective massage. Following on next is the head massage its self.
This part is where the oils come into play. You can either have the massage done without oils if you prefer or you can choose from one of the ones used to aid healthy hair growth and stimulation. Again I shall go into the different ones later.
After the head massage comes the face part and finally the balancing of the higher Chakras. The Throat chakra, the third eye chakra and the crown chakra.
After the treatment the client is asked to sit quietly and water is given to flush out the toxins.
An aftercare leaflet is given with advice for things to do to promote the treatment you just received and get the full benefit from it.

? Aftercare?

The most effective way to allow your body to recover from a treatment is to go easy. Rest and try not to exert yourself after.
Drink lots of water to flush out toxins and rehydrate the body.
Eat light meals as eating heavily will take the energy from rejuvenating the body and use it all up on digesting the food.
Try to avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, alcohol and cigarettes. They will hamper the full effects of your treatment.
Also deep breathing will compliment your treatment.

If you have had oil applied to your hair, there is aftercare for this too.
Leaving oil on hair for at least two hours or indeed overnight will really make a difference to the condition of your hair. Often results in a shiny, managable, soft hair and scalp.
Letting your hair rest from heat products and chemical treatments will also promote healthy hair too.

? Affects after treatment?

After receiving a treatment of Indian Head Massage you can feel mostly calm, sleepy, relaxed, a warm and feel rejuvenated.
Sometimes though and up to three days after the treatment an affect known as a contra-action occurs.
This can be anything from a dizzy feeling, nausea, headache, insomnia and feeling generally zapped of energy. This is the reaction your body can take to the treatment and although it shows that it has an effect it should be noted down in the therapist's records. As to try and ascertain what causes it and can be changes in future treatments. Also Indian Head massage should not be carried out less than three days apart. This allows the body to recover and balance itself.

? Oils?

In Indian Head massage oils can be used to help the treatment work to its full potential. Applied to the scalp and massaged in to the hair it works both on the inside and on the outside and there are several oils that can be chosen depending on the effect you desire.

Sesame oil
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Is a very popular oil in India. It is a good for balancing and is more suitable in the summer months. It is said to be good for the delay of grey hairs as well as nourishing and protecting the hair.
Excellent for dry skin and hair and it contains Iron, phosphorus and calcium. It can also ease muscle stiffness and pain.
It can unfortunately irritate sensitive skins though.

Coconut Oil
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Used in Southern India mainly. Comes in block form and melts in the hands before application.
Excellent for hair and does really gives hair a glossy finish and shine.
Also brilliant for dry and brittle hair and is especially beneficial to those with coloured or treated hair.

Mustard Oil
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Used mainly in the North of India and is a strong smelling oil.
More suited for winter months.
It is used for people with circulatory problems, colds, muscle stiffness and tension. It can help bring down swelling.
It also can apparently cleanse the blood and increase heat and generate warmth.
It can be an irritant to sensitive skins though.

Olive Oil
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Easily available and is popular. This oil is good for moisturising dry skin and hair also increases body heat and can relieve muscle stiffness and pain.

Sweet Almond Oil
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Another popular oil and is easily available. It is high in nutrients, protein and vitamins A,B,D and E.
Good for hair and moisturises and protects it.
The oil also has a warming effect on the body so helps muscle stiffness and pain.
Unfortunately it is not suitable for people with nut allergies.

? Massage Movements?

There are several types or massage used in the Indian Head massage. Here are the names and the benefits.

Effleurage
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This movement is the introduction to Indian Head Massage.
It is also the finish movement.
It is used in the linking of movements and continuity. The movement uses the whole of the hand and is gliding, smoothing and stroking action. It can be deep or superficial and is a medium spreader as in the use of oils. It is used in preperation for deeper moves and also aids the removal of dead skin cells.

Frictions
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This movement either uses the whole of the hand the heel or the fingers. It is a rubbing movement and is good for localised pressure movements and helps to break down adhesions, frees up restriction in muscle fibres and aids absorption of fluid around muscle joints. It also creates heat.

Petrissage
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Is a deep movement including use of thumbs, heel rolls and finger pulls. It's used to reduce stress and tension, increase circulation and improve muscle tone and elasticity.
It helps to remove waste products and promotes fresh oxygen and nutrients to the area.

Taptoment
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This is mainly a drumming action by the fingers on the area.
It is brisk and rhythmic, hacking or tapping movement.
Alternate hands are used and the move is also light, springy and stimulating.
It helps muscle tone and elasticity, stimulates the nervous system and muscle contraction and also increases sweating.

? Contra-indications?

Unfortunately Indian Head Massage is not suitable for everyone, or sometimes part of the treatment has to be adapted so as not to cause damage.

If there is a contra-indication then the therapist can refer the client to their GP with a covering note and seek advice from them. This is mainly to cover the therapist.

Cuts, bruising, skin and scalp disorders, recent operations, skin infections and infestations, high temperature or fever, high or low blood pressure, Thrombosis, Heart conditions, recent blood haemorrhage, Nervous system disorders, Epilepsy, Migraine, Head and neck injuries, Diabetes, Cancer, undiagnosed lumps and swellings and intoxication.

All of these are considered local or general contra-indications and need guidance from the therapist to follow the right course of action.

? My thoughts as a newly qualified therapist?

I enjoy the whole experience of Indian Head Massage and during my training I have both received and given Head massages. The feeling is so lovely and relaxing from both ends.
I like making people feel calm and relaxed and re-energised and feel like I have helped that person in a way other conventional way of medicine has maybe not been so successful. I like the whole idea of touch and massage as benefitting the person inside and out. And is indeed a complementary therapy I am so glad I have learned and will hopefully use for many years to come on clients and on my own family.

? Further information?

You can find any therapist in the yellow pages, or indeed in any alternative clinic up and down the country. They may be part of a hairdresser's salon or beauty salon.
Average cost of a treatment is £25 and includes consultation.

If you want to learn the art of Indian Head Massage for yourself then I highly recommend you obtain a college guide book and see what courses there are running on the subject.

? My course?

I started off by learning an introduction to Anatomy and Physiology .The course lasted twelve weeks.
Then I enrolled onto a VTCT Indian Head Massage Diploma level 3. This course lasted twelve weeks too. In this time I completed more anatomy and physiology and also had to complete tasks involving health and safety, Doctors referral letter, a case study and two full Indian head massages in front of the assessor. All of this had to be totally 100 per cent correct. So it was very daunting and quite stressful too.
Two exams had to be taken and my work put forward in a portfolio to be verified by an external verifier. I can also now be asked to attend college up to seven months after passing the course to do a further Indian Head Massage to make sure I am totally competent.
I have now got my certificate and can now get my Insurance sorted out to start practising.
One on the course the materials you need are a beauty tunic and trousers, and oils and white towels.
You can also purchase books or indeed borrow from the library.
My top book is Indian Head Massage by Helen McGuiness and is pictured at the top of this review. Of course there are many others too.

The total cost of my course was £155.

? Websites?

http://www.vtct.org.uk/welcome.htm

http://www.fht.org.uk/home.asp

I hope you found my review helpful and has given you an insight into this wonderful treatment. Thanks for reading this and looking forward to your comments.

Shirley.

 

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