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Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com This week I'll show you my new massage tool: a rolling pin. I'm not a baker but got one just for massage for 99 cents at the 99 cents store. My neck gets sore after a long day of massage and this is how I've been massaging my neck. To massage the right side, grab it with the right palm facing away and left palm facing you. Tilt you neck forward and roll up and down the neck. Try different angles. Don't forget to massage the base of the skull where the neck muscles attach. Switch the hold to do the other side. To massage the left side, grab it with the left palm facing away and right palm facing you. You can do this easily while you watch TV without tiring your hands or fingers. To increase the pressure, grip firmer, slow down and use the arm weight. To reduce the pressure, lighten up the grip. If you have a headache, I recommend you only roll down the neck and not up the neck. The headache may be caused by the pressure built in your head. If you roll up the neck you may be promoting more fluid, energy and more "stuff" into the head. So if you have a headache, just roll down the neck to alleviate the pressure from the head. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 6-17-13: Self rolling pin massage - How to massage neck http://youtu.be/sG12V1O_2pc

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Today I'm going to show you my daily health routine. I grew up in Japan where there is a traditional health practice of stepping on a split bamboo. It's called takefumi. Take means bamboo and fumi means stepping on. As you may know the soles of your feet represent the entire body as you can see in a reflexology chart and massaging the feet is like massaging the body. I don't have a real bamboo but I have a plastic one with bunch of bumps. I keep it under the bathroom sink and I just pull it out with my foot and step on it. I either stand still or take steps while I brush my teeth, do my hair or beautify my face so I don't scare people. It is shaped to fit the arches perfectly but I move my feet back and forth to stimulate the entire feet and not just the arches. Even if you are super ticklish, this is one way to get your feet massaged. If you want this handy tool you can check the link below or let me know and I can send one for you too. Takefumi on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1067Aw3 Also, if you want to massage your father for the upcoming Father's Day check out the video from last week. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 6-10-13: Bamboo foot massager http://youtu.be/yZFW07qPYwI

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com I was going to do something else but they are cutting trees outside all day and it's very hard to talk over the leaf blowers and chainsaws so change of a plan. It's a little early but I'll show you the massage moves for the upcoming Father's Day for the fathers out there. Just like I did for the Mother's Day I'm targeting the neck and shoulders where people carry lots of stress but these moves will give more strength and pressure. 1) Palm Glide shoulders (receiver on the floor) - DO NOT do this if the receiver is pregnant! 2) Crack the nut - neck 3) Forearm roll - DO NOT do this if the receiver is pregnant! Of course you can do these to the mothers and what I did for Mother's Day to the fathers http://youtu.be/cNSHIOd9JIo. In fact, I bet they will be very happy when you do them all. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 6-3-13: Father's Day Massage http://youtu.be/IiIaCBy8L_w

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com This week I'll show you one of the Thai Massage moves called Back Lift. On this rare occasion I'm the receiver for a change and for a good reason that I will explain later. With the partner lying face up, straddle your partner standing and gently lift the partner's back in three locations starting with the lower back. Then move up to the waist and gently lift. Now move up to the ribs area and gently lift. The key is to curl your hands and lift by leaning back with straight arms and straight back instead of just using arm strength with bent arms and bent back. While preparing this video, I tried to demonstrate the Back Lift on the model but I am 5'2" and about 115 lbs and it was very hard to lift someone who is 6'4" and 185 lbs. It was so much easier the other way around. In fact I was almost levitating off the ground at a first try. This is a good example that it's perfectly ok if something doesn't work. People have different height, weight, flexibility, strength, etc. If something doesn't work, embrace what's so and move onto something that works for you. Just remember it is not worth hurting yourself trying to give a good massage. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 5-27-13: Thai Massage Back lift http://youtu.be/hBMY5WyS6P0

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Recently I was asked what massage oil I use for my massage practice. My answer is I do not use massage oil and here's why. When I took my massage classes we used massage oil during the class. There was a Teacher's Assistant (TA) in the class who was wearing gloves during the massage. She told us she had to wear gloves now because over the years of using massage oil, the oil glands of her hands stopped secreting oil. Since I didn't have any problem with my fingers, I forgot about the story. When I started working at a spa I gave about ten massages a week. Within a month my hands, fingers and especially the fingertips were very dry. Flaky fingertips are not good news for anyone especially massage therapist. Then I remembered the TA's story. I quickly switched to a massage lotion and within a week my fingers were normal. You would think oil will hydrate the skin. It may be true temporarily but the skin controls the hydration level by using its own oil. When the skin is constantly saturated with oil from outside it thinks "oh there's enough oil so I don't have to release more oil" and you end up with dry skin. Now I use this organic massage crème. I have been using this for several years and since it hasn't given me any problems I like it. I sometimes just put it on my skin because I think it's a good moisturizer too. And if I must, I use organic coconut oil which is also very tasty on pancakes and waffles. Skin is the largest organ in your body and it absorbs and consumes whatever you put on, so I try to use organic whenever possible. If you use massage oil to exchange occasional massage at home it shouldn't be a problem but if you start getting dry skin I recommend you switch to a massage crème or lotion. That's my two cents. Biotone Pure Touch Organic Massage Crème http://amzn.to/YVj7M4 Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 5-20-13: Which massage oil do I use http://youtu.be/34-FMQEeTpc

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Recently I had a chance to visit Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort in San Luis Obispo near Avila Beach in California. It's about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. This place has 20 outside hot tubs that are available for rent by the hour from 8am - midnight. I tried it right when they opened at 8am for a morning bath. Each hot tub is located at the end of the little path and it's pretty private with wooden fences. It's surrounded by the trees on the hillside. The tub is filled with the sulfur mineral springs. Sulfur is known to ease the skin issues as well as the pain from arthritis. I'm used to a strong sulfur smell from the hot springs in Japan but I didn't smell it that much at least while I was in this tub. Later when I took the shower I did smell sulfur so it does stay with you. This is how it looks above you from the tub. There's something about dipping in a natural hot springs in the clean & crisp morning air with birds chirping. If you are considering California vacation and you like hot springs, you may want to check out this place for the serene experience. http://sycamoresprings.com Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 5-13-13: Hot tubs at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort http://youtu.be/_A3fVlDbnvc

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Give a woman one hour massage and she will be happy for one hour or two. Learn how to massage her and she will be happy forever! This Sunday is Mother's Day. Today I'll show you some moves that you can give to your massage loving mother or wife as a thank you gift. 1) Knead neck 2) Palm glide shoulder -- DO NOT do this if the receiver is pregnant! 3) Thai Chop -- you can also chop the shoulders and upper back but avoid the bones such as spine and shoulder blades. I picked these moves because people carry lots of stress around the neck and shoulders area and frankly, I would love to have these done on myself. I hope the mothers will like them too. Have a very happy Mother's Day. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 5-6-13: Mother's Day Massage http://youtu.be/cNSHIOd9JIo

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com This week I'm going to show you a very neat massage tool that I recently came across called the Magic Massager. The most popular massage in the United States is Swedish massage which is done on the massage table using oil on a bare skin. Since you use the oil Swedish massage uses lots of gliding moves. When I decided to do the videos on this YouTube channel and write eBooks, my goal was to share the massage techniques over the clothes so people can enjoy the benefits of massage easily without having to remove the clothes, setup a massage table and get oily. That's why I use a lot of Shiatsu and Thai Massage moves which are traditionally done sitting or lying on the floor with clothes on. You could try the gliding massage stroke that's typical in Swedish massage over the clothes but it's hard to do because the clothes can get bunched up or damaged. The giver's skin can get burned too depending on the material of the clothes. You could also try the long stroke on the bare skin but again your skin can get burned from the friction and it hurts especially on a dry skin. Forget gliding without lubricant if the receiver has lots of hair. This piece of cloth solves these problems. It makes the surface smooth so you can easily glide over the clothes. You can also glide over the bare skin. It feels silky to both the giver and the receiver. It's thin enough so you can still feel the muscle tone through the cloth. You can also do the wringing without burning the skin. It's machine washable too which is nice for someone like me who has no time or interest to hand wash a laundry. I really like this because it gives me more options to do different massage strokes over the clothes. It comes in different colors and in two different sizes. If you are interested you can check it out here: http://amzn.to/ZwlaXw Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 4-29-13: Magic Massager http://youtu.be/yEuuL-Qppww

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com This week I'm going to show a Reverse Bear Walk. Or simply the Bear Walk done from the other end. Sit by the receiver's head. Start pressing the shoulders and upper back between the spine and the shoulder blades with the base of your palms one side at a time. Walk down the receiver's back as you press the muscles next to the spine. Never press on the spine. When you reach the receiver's lower back, you can press the hip bone away on several locations. Walk back by pressing the muscles next to the spine. Use your body weight rather than hand strength. If the receiver's body is small, use the pinky side of your hands to press around the shoulder blades. If the receiver's body is much bigger than you as in this case, instead of reaching over from one position, work on the area that you can reach comfortably, then reposition yourself to work on a different area. It feels really good when the shoulders are pressed towards the hip. To press the receiver's shoulders effectively, lower yourself to the ground and lean in with straight arms. Relax the hands and try to keep your wrists as straight as possible as you press with the base of your palms. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 4-22-13: How to massage back - Reverse Bear Walk http://youtu.be/05_HIbzoK14

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com This week I'm going to touch on the giver's responsibility to turn and save the receiver's neck. When you massage the receiver lying face down on the floor and if there's no pillow around to raise the torso, the receiver will have to turn the neck to one side to breathe easily. Especially if you are doing a good job, the receiver will most likely relax and fall asleep during the massage. It is the giver's responsibility to turn the receiver's neck every so often. Otherwise, the receiver's neck will get stuck in one position and result in the neck pain after the massage. Starting with every three minutes, tell the receiver to turn the neck to the other side. Then increase or decrease the number of minutes depending on the receiver's flexibility and tolerance. You do not want the receiver's body to be in a worse condition after the massage than before the massage because then you'll have to give more massages to fix the new issue. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 4-15-13: Turn your partner's neck http://youtu.be/iSiPzWOjvHA

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com The most popular move in the Couples Massage Class is the Bear Walk. But for some people sitting on the knees isn't easy especially if they have knee injury or surgery. This week I'll show you how you can turn your partner into a human chair so you can sit on your partner as you give the back massage. When you do the Bear Walk and if you have knee issues, instead of sitting on your knees, you can straddle your partner standing. If you've never seen the Bear Walk video you can see it here: http://youtu.be/H8JmJ-j2kvM Another way is to bend the receiver's legs and sit on the feet. Put the feet at the base of your thighs by the sit bones. Adjust the angle and width according to your size and flexibility. Start with lighter pressure because bending the legs gives more curvature to the receiver's lower back and it becomes more sensitive. When you get tired, you can just sit on the human chair and rest. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 4-8-13: Bear Walk with human chair http://youtu.be/NQEEiZy_RuA

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Thai Massage is known as lazy man's yoga because the giver does all the stretching for you. This week I'm going to show you one of the Thai Massage moves to stretch your partner's quadriceps or quads or front of the thighs and ankles. Have the partner lie on the floor face down with the legs slightly more than hip distance apart. Pick up the feet and gently press them towards the hip several times as you rock your body. Do not do this if the partner has a knee injury or if this causes any kind of pain. Cross the toes over the other toes and press them towards the hip several times. Switch and cross the toes the other way and repeat. As you can see this stretches the ankles too. If the partner wants it easier or less stretch, spread the partner's knees wider. If the partner wants more challenge or more stretch, bring the partner's knees closer. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 4-1-13: How to stretch your partner's thigh muscles (quadriceps) http://youtu.be/8JxoylbMZxo

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Spring is here and so is the allergy season for some people. Luckily I haven't had allergy for many years but my friend was suffering from the allergy symptoms such as watery eyes and sneezing so I looked up the acupressure points for allergy relief. LI 4 -- (Do not press this point if you are pregnant!) It is located at the end of the crease when you close your thumb and index finger. Press against the index finger bone for one minute as you breathe deeply. Repeat on the other hand. LV 3 -- It is located in the valley between the big toe and second toe. Rub or press the Liver 3 point for one minute as you breathe deeply. Repeat on the other foot. If you are lazy like me you can hook your big toe and stimulate this point on the other foot. Do these several times a day. My friend thought these points were helping but ended up getting the over the counter medicine anyway. Do what you gotta do but if you want to try the alternative medicine approach to battle the allergy season, try these acupressure points. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 3-25-13: Acupressure for allergy relief http://youtu.be/i5Xizj3bOSU Reference: Acupressure's Potent Points by Michael Reed Gach

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Today I'm going to show you another way of massaging your partner's IT Band which is located on the outer thighs. Have the partner lie on the floor face up. Bend one of the partner's legs and push it over the other leg. Sit parallel to the partner's IT Band. Secure the partner's bent knee with one hand. Also secure the partner's foot with your knee so you can keep it bent. Press several locations on the IT Band with your hands alternating between the IT Band and the knee. Rock your body side to side and use your body weight to press. While you are here you might as well give some love to the hip. Press the area between the hip bone and the big bump at the top of the thigh bone. This area is often neglected but it helps to loosen up the tight hip. I bet it feels really good to press here but start gently in case your partner's hip is super tight. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 3-18-13: How to massage your partner's IT Band and hip http://youtu.be/Dxi27LyDZfs

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Today I'm going to show you how to massage your partner's IT Band which is located on the outer thighs. Have the partner lie on the side with the bottom leg straight and the top leg bent at the hip and the knee. Use a cushion for the knee if available. Sit by the partner's hip in angle with the IT Band lying sideways. Let's warm up the IT Band by quickly rubbing it from the hip to the knee. Glide your hand over the IT Band from the hip to the knee. If the receiver can handle more pressure, lean in and use your body weight more. Sit by the partner's hip facing the IT Band straight in front of you. Put the base of your thumbs together so your hands look like a butterfly. Use your body weight to press several locations on the IT Band with the butterfly hands. Instead of pressing straight down, move your butterfly hands slightly away or towards you on each press. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 3-11-13: How to massage your partner's IT Band http://youtu.be/AJCRX0wCH_I

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com Today I'm going to show you how to massage your partner's triceps. Stand behind the partner sitting on the floor. Support the partner's back with your leg so he or she can relax. Have the partner touch the back of the neck with one hand. Gently lift up the elbow to give a good stretch on the triceps and underarm. Hold the elbow with one hand and squeeze the triceps on several locations as you go up and down. If the partner wants more pressure, bring the muscles around the bone so you have more to squeeze like you are kneading dough. Have the partner relax the arm. Shake out the arm by quickly rubbing the upper arm back and forth with your hands from the armpit to the elbow. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 3-4-13: How to massage your partner's triceps http://youtu.be/Gmq7a-BaLvo

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com How many of you actually massage your underarm or armpit? I think it's one of the neglected areas that rarely get touched. It's good to keep this area loose especially if you are an athlete because tight underarm muscles can cause the limited range of motion of your shoulders and even shoulder pain. Here are 3 ways to massage your underarm: 1. Pinch and shake -- Pinch and shake it back and forth as you go up and down the underarm. 2. Press with thumb -- Press the underarm with your thumb as you bring the muscles with the other fingers. Go up and down. 3. Press and move the arm -- If this hand gets tired, pinch the underarm and move your arm sideways, up and down, or rotate your shoulders. Go up and down. When you pinch, instead of using the straight fingers, curl your fingers for more stability and protect your fingers. If you didn't find any tightness in this area, congratulations! If you found it tight next time ask your massage therapist if they can work on this area. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 2-25-13: 3 ways to massage your underarm http://youtu.be/4Mltii8IPF0

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com I have an announcement today. My third video eBook "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's Chest and Tummy In 10 Easy Ways" will be released very soon on Amazon. These areas are usually not massaged but there are many benefits to massaging these sensitive areas. When we get stressed, we tend to crouch. When we crouch, your head goes forward and putting a strain on your neck causing the neck pain. Every inch (2.54 cm) your head moves forward, there is an extra 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of weight on your neck. Sit up straight and take a deep breath. Now crouch and try to take a deep breath. You will notice it's much harder. Besides correcting the posture by opening the chest, massaging the chest loosen the chest muscles to allow the ribs to expand and so you can breathe better. Opening up your chest is also known to help lifting the mood when you are feeling down. Massaging the tummy will help you with the digestion. Now you can give these benefits to your partner at home. As usual I will be running a free promo hopefully starting on the Valentine's Day. Please check the link below in a few days, download it and add them to your caring touch repertoire. Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 2-11-13: You Knead Me How To Massage Your Part Chest and Tummy http://youtu.be/BwLru311FLc

Description: "You Knead Me: How To Massage Your Partner's ___ In 10 Easy Ways" video eBooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UweK5c Website: http://bliss2massage.com When I ask my clients where to focus, I get more requests on hands because of texting. Who doesn't text these days? Today I'll show you how to massage your own texting hands. 1. Whether you are a singer fingered texter or double thumbed texer, your fingers tend to cramp up. Let's stretch those fingers one by one or all at the same time. 2. Using your thumb, glide between the bones on the palm. When you do this keep the angle between the thumb and the index finger the same and move the entire hand from the elbow instead of moving just the thumb. Also instead of making one hand do all the work, press the receiving hand into the thumb and move over the thumb. Pay special attention to the base of the thumb where it gets tired a lot. 3. Why not make a good use of the cell phone to press between the bones and the base of the thumb. Happy Massaging! Massage Monday 2-4-13: How to massage the texting hand http://youtu.be/qqg3zbzvSzg

Description: http://bliss2massage.com Hi, my name is Yasuko Kawamura. I am a nationally certified licensed massage therapist. There are three reasons why the national certification is very important to me. 1) Credibility - Although I am not required, I choose to be nationally certified for the credibility. I have published video eBooks. Thanks to the internet my audience is not just local but the entire United States and even around the world. So it's very important to have the credibility as a published author. 2) Gives an edge -- While I see other therapists as my collaborators in making the world a better place, it is still important to differentiate yourself especially if you have your own business. The national certification gives me an edge and adds confidence and trust for those who want to refer their business contacts, friends, and families to me. 3) Sense of belonging - I studied very hard for the exam and I remember it was such a huge relief when I was able to pass. I am honored and proud to be part of the community of body workers who are take their career seriously. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my massage because massage therapists need massage the most. FYI this is my friend's massage chair because I don't have one. But I'd really love to be able to read my own ebook on a new iPad. Hint hint. :)