What is momentum massage? Momentum massage is a soft and intuitive body approach that relies more on touch than on specific maneuvers. The emphasis is on the interiorization of the client with goal of increasing their capacity to listen to their sensations during the massage. In Momentum, the technical aspect of massage is not as important as it is in other techniques.
Skip to the headings:
History
This technique is rooted in Swedish massage in that it works on the muscles and blood flow, combining it work with a sensory approach, notably through breathing.
A Momentum massage experience values the discovery of the unknown, a space in which the recipient’s usual perceptual field is allowed to expand.
Each individual’s integrity is embedded in all of the body’s cells. Each event in their personal history, each possibility and each element of their potential is manifest there. The body thus represents the perfect means to self-knowledge.
In general, however, the client identifies with their thoughts, with an ideal or goals external to themselves and their bodies. They have difficulty recognizing that they belong to all of its constituent elements, preferring to look elsewhere for what lies within them. Unfortunately, this reality is reflected in their state of health. Malaises or disease can serve to clearly demonstrate to them the need to take care of their bodily reality, therefore.
Applications and effects of Momentum massage
Momentum massage aims to help the client unwind and relax in preparation for an awareness-building process. It awakens in the client a consideration of their physical needs, naturally leading them to forge a healthier relationship with their environment.
Since touch relates to psychological content, the recipient’s emotions are revealed during the maneuvers. The physical contact of the massage therapist’s hands on the client’s body can lead the latter to become aware of submerged emotions and the importance of expressing them. The expression of underlying emotions helps release physical blockages and promotes greater body awareness.
Momentum is a process of learning in the present moment. It can be likened to a wave in the ocean—fluid, slow, attentive and constantly in movement. It is, first and foremost, a massage that places importance on sensation, perception, intuition and emotion. As part of a continuous process, it is a self-knowledge tool. The client reappropriates their body and reconnects with the simple need to be touched.
The main effect of Momentum massage is to build the client’s awareness of the importance of their inner life and the relationship they develop with their environment. The movements as a whole help the client become more aware of their physical perceptions, and thus better listen to their bodies.
Indications and contraindications
Momentum massage is geared primarily to people who want to become more autonomous. It is recommended to people who want to foster a greater appreciation for pleasure and the value of physical contact, comfort in an atmosphere of intimacy, physical well-being, and the perspective of looking at their existence from various angles.
Momentum massage is more of a personal growth approach. It is intended specifically for people who want to discover and appreciate their body, people who are not looking solely to keep in shape and maintain a healthy appearance, but want to know the body’s essence and unlock its hidden potential.
There are no clear-cut contraindications for Momentum massage. However, please refer to the page on Swedish massage to view relative contraindications.
Conduct of a Momentum session
In Momentum massage, oil is required so that the hands can glide more effectively over the bare skin, which requires a certain nudity. However, given that respect is of the utmost importance, the massage therapist extends the same consideration to a person who does not consent to being naked as they would to someone who does, by using sheets and towels. What’s essential is that the recipient feels at ease, and the massage therapist’s role is to be attentive to the latter’s experience.
The massage therapist’s role is also to serve as a point of reference for the client, who is entering uncharted territory as the pioneer on an inner journey.
Momentum massage consists of a series of micro-movements and more sweeping macro-movements. The practice includes light touch, effleurages, enveloping movements and joint mobilizations. All these movements lead the recipient to actively listen to their body and are punctuated by pauses that vary in duration. The pauses give the client time to integrate and listen to what is happening in their body.
At the beginning of the massage session, the professional brings the client’s attention to bear on their body language. Everything is important: the shape of the body, its lines and proportions, skin colour and texture, and warm or cool zones. The practitioner listens carefully to the client’s breathing, as it accurately reflects their perception of their inner world.
When the massage therapist applies the first touches, they encounter cellular respiration as well, a movement that is barely perceptible yet clearly present. The body, as soon as the initial contact is made, responds spontaneously to massage stimuli by vibrating.
With close attention to even the smallest gestures made by their client, the massage therapist watches for signs that the body uses to describe their experience: spasms, sighs, sudden movements, and varied emotions. Throughout the session, the professional is careful to remain attentive to movements, with everything that they may imply in terms of intensity. The massage ends with sweeping movements in an outward direction to create the sensation of space and transmit it to the recipient.