A Typical Beginners Class
Your first class will probably be run something like this:
Welcome - an introduction to the society, its aims, history, style of teaching,
etc. from one of the teachers.
Name games - simple games devised so that the teachers can work out who everyone
is and so that everyone knows the names of at least some of the other people
in their class.
Silly games - used as a warm up. To break the ice we normally start with
a silly game like 'stuck in the mud' or similar. We also do trust games like
leading someone around the room with their eyes closed, mirroring someone else's
movements or catching someone before they fall.
Short relaxation - We then get everyone to find some space on the floor, lie
down and concentrate on their breathing to calm everyone down. We just have
5-10 minutes of quiet whilst you relax, try to banish the tension in your
muscles and forget the stresses of the day.
Rules - The 'Contra-indications To Massage'. These are the reasons why you
should not massage somebody. These include things such as nut allergies (as
we sometimes use almond oil, other times we use grape seed oil), medication,
pregnancy and unsavoury characters, although we hope not to come across many
of these! We also say that you should never do anything that you feel at all
uncomfortable with - just say no!
Give out oils - we aim to give everyone their FREE bottle of massage oil
at the first class, but filling 200 bottles with oil takes a while! Anyway you
can then add essential oils to your base oil (odourless). The
society owns a large selection of the most popular essentials; these make the oils smell nice, and are believed
to have therapeutic effects (WARNING: essential oils should never be used directly
on the skin as they are highly concentrated and can cause burns). The essential
oil can also set the tone for the massage, woody oils (cedar, sandal, rosewood,
etc.) are soporific and therefore relaxing, whereas citrus fruits (lemon, orange,
etc.) and mints are very invigorating and really wake you up.
Demonstration - one of the teachers will then demonstrate the massage for that
week on one of the other teachers. We start with hand massage and then demonstrate
a different body part each week.
Practice - you are then asked to find a partner and have a go, practising on
each other. The teachers are on hand to help with any questions or problems
you may have. This means that you not only learn how to massage someone else,
but also get a massage yourself each week for FREE! We aim to teach the classes
in a mature and professional way, but try to make them fun and enjoyable as
well. We hope that all the teachers come across as friendly and approachable
and that the atmosphere in the class is relaxed and comfortable.
Week 1 - hands.
Week 2 - feet.
Week 3 - front and back of legs.
Week 4 - back.
Week 5 - face, neck and shoulders.
Week 6 - arms, chest and stomach.
Week 7 - recap of any class and an introduction to the use of a massage couch (as used in May Balls).
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