So I always like to start just with the basic kind of rub down to the neck to figure out where all the tension is.
A lot of people that are sitting at desks all day— which are the people ninety percent of people that we work on— they're going to have tension in their traps.
They're going to have tension in their levators which are right here, and they're also going to have tension in the in the clavicle muscles and up in the mastoid which is the jaw muscle.
So that's why I like to have people sitting up rather than leaning forward to do their neck muscle because then you have full access to the muscles in the front as well, where if they're leaning forward those muscles are kind of blocked for
you.
So I usually just start up in here. As always, let me know if the pressure is
It helps a lot if you pull the shoulder back while you're working on it because it helps to release a little bit of the tension and a little bit of the pull and you just kind of come in and get a feel for where the tension is, get a feel for where the knots are and once you figure out where the knots are you can kind of get in into the individualized knots, grab ahold of them,
put pressure on them until they go away.
I also like to support the head with one side and stretch it with my thumb put my thumb up under the skull stretch the
neck down. As I'm stretching the neck, I'm massaging the muscles with the other side.
You can do that with your fingertips. You can also do it with your knuckles and then you just switch hands and do it on the other side one of the biggest things to remember with the neck is symmetry whatever you do on one side you need to do on the other or else you're going to leave them feeling grossly imbalanced and they'll kind of feel like their neck is pulling one direction.
The suboccipital muscles which are the eight little muscles up underneath the skull.
It's absolutely crucial that you work on those. A lot of people will stand in front of their clients and pull on the base of the
skull that's a great way to release the tension in those.
a lot of times I'll just move their head so that their movement is what's providing a lot of the pressure so you're not you're not wearing yourself out. You're not wearing your fingers out.
And then up in here right by the collarbone there's muscles that attach right there. A lot of people that complain of
headaches this is going to be a major spot for headaches. Just push and stretch.
Right below the jawbone, following the muscle fibers down always make sure that you communicate with your clients make sure that they're
comfortable with what you're doing.
And then the jawbone is prone to a lot of trigger points so it's always good.
There's lots of people that clench their jaws when they're working on a computer, lifting weights at the gym, sleeping, that
don't even know that they do it so they don't even realize that there's tension in their jaw and that will help release a lot of the tension that's caused in the neck as well in the neck and head.
Now where we do corporate massage, I don't very often work on the head because a lot of people are going back
to work and they don't want to walk out with their hair all crazy but I will ask especially if they've mentioned if they've had headaches I will ask if they want me to work on their head and if they do the temporalis muscle which is right in here is always a great place to start.
And you can get underneath their hair and do it without messing up their hair too much. Just small circular strokes just put apply your pressure with the pads of your fingers. And your small circular strokes.
Some people do not like head massages so always get permission before you work on them. unless you're poor Brooke, and then I just made you do it.
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