Technique: Sheet Massage, The Ultimate Cradle by Leslie Bruder

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Definition
Sheet massage is way of massaging without directly touching the body with your hands. Instead, you use a sheet. The sheet cradles the body part being worked on, allowing the client to let go more deeply than is possible through hands-on touch. The result is greater relaxation and a much deeper stretch. For the therapist, using a sheet allows you to perform range-of-motion exercises and manipulate your client’s body with greater ease and less strain.

To illustrate the relaxation effect of a sheet, try this exercise: Support your elbow with the opposite hand, and see how far you can get your arm and shoulder muscles to let go and relax. Now make a sling, using a bandana or towel, by tying the ends together behind your neck and slipping your arm through the opening. Relax your arm. Notice how deeply it lets go, from the shoulder all the way down. Even though human touch is incredibly soothing and nurturing, there is an undeniable difference in the degree to which a body part can, and automatically will, let go when it is held in a protective cradle - such as a sheet.

"When I first laid down on the sheet, I was not expecting to have the reaction I did," says David Anderson, a massage therapist in Boulder, Colorado. "Within moments I felt as if I was in a deep sleep. My head felt heavy and then my body followed suit."

"I never thought a sheet could feel so good, but it caressed me and lifted me and opened me up more than yoga classes ever did," Anderson continues. "It felt like a large hand was rocking and massaging and nurturing me all at the same time."

In addition to the profound effect that sheet massage has on the client, there are advantages for the massage therapist as well. Even if you love what you are doing now, perhaps hands-on massage work has begun to take its toll on your thumbs and fingers. Although sheet massage requires you to use your hands to grasp the sheet, it relies more on arm strength and on body-position leverage. As a result, it offers a respite between the sessions where you must use your hands to gain results, and gives the finger joints a rest.

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