bodytech, Author at Body Techniques

What is a chair massage?

Often called corporate massage, a chair massage is a shoulder, neck, and upper back massage that takes place in a massage chair and is the most convenient method of delivering onsite massage. It can be done “on the spot” without the need to change clothes and helps to reduce tension, promote better circulation, muscle stimulation, and stress relief. Your massage therapist will ask you how a certain pressure feels and your response will help them find the best way to relieve pain, relax and rejuvenate you.

What are the benefits of chair massage?

According to the Mayo Clinic, massage therapy is proven to be an effective treatment for:

Depression

Stress

Pain

Muscle Tension

Migraines

Massage also leads to increased circulation, which has a positive impact on the brain and entire body. From stress management to decreased muscle tension and fewer migraines, chair massage helps to improve general feelings of contentment and health. Massage therapy has also been shown to be effective at treating depression which is the single biggest factor in low productivity rates.

Sometimes, you need to disengage in order to re-engage.

Chair massage is for anyone who does the following:

Sits at a Desk Full-Time

Spends Extended Time Driving

Engages in Excessive Lifting

Spends Long Periods of Time Standing

Anyone who hunches over a screen most of the day can face chronic neck and back pain, not to mention arm and wrist issues (carpal tunnel syndrome) from repetitive strain. Additionally, a study by the New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitative Medicine on the issue of poor posture found that our constant downward-looking gaze at cell phones or smart devices puts a lot of strain on neck muscles; any compression, irritation, misalignment, or tension in this area can cause pain.

Regularly taking a break for a chair massage at the beginning, middle, or end of an intense workday not only helps relieve posture-induced stress, but it can also help reduce anxiety. A study conducted by Shulman and Jones of the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida indicated that 15 minutes of chair massage was more effective than a 15-minute break to reduce anxiety and help improve clear thinking.

Positive Workplace Stress Reduction

At Body Techniques, we’ve seen chair massage become an essential aspect of corporate stress management programs. Many of our national clients provide chair massage along with other positive workplace stress reduction practices like fitness classes, yoga and mindfulness meditation, and acupuncture sessions to help recruit and retain employees by increasing their job satisfaction along with their health.

Whether it is ongoing massage programs or one-time massage events for company events, employee appreciation days, or health fairs, companies are embracing massage as a key employee benefit because it has proven to be much more than simply a feel-good luxury; it can be a powerful tool to help employees take charge of their health and well-being. Chair massage is a highly effective and efficient use of time and resources that offer employees easily accessed mental, physical, and emotional relief. That means more productivity and fewer resources spent on training new staff to replace those who leave.

Why is corporate yoga a crucial addition to a companies’ workplace wellness program? Mainly for these six reasons: regular yoga practice is scientifically proven to reduce pain, stress, and anxiety while improving flexibility, strength, and overall fitness. The key to having your employees reap the enormous benefits of a corporate yoga practice is to help them understand that they don’t need special skills to enjoy yoga. Certified yoga teachers know how to start newcomers off slowly and adapt poses for all levels of practitioners. There are, in fact, a variety of corporate yoga classes that employees can feel comfortable doing in the workplace, including indoor mat sessions, outdoor yoga classes, and yoga classes that employees can do at their desks without having to take a long break or even change out of work clothes.

“If you can breathe, you can do yoga.”

Part of creating a well-attended corporate yoga program is to stress how accessible yoga classes can be. It’s important to understand what employees know about yoga in order to break down any barriers they might have about giving it a try. For every person that embraces the idea of doing yoga poses and breathing exercises, there is another who thinks yoga is only for young, super-fit people who can stand on their head or twist like a pretzel while rattling off complicated Sanskrit terms for all the poses.

Focus on building a corporate yoga program that is fun, accessible, and provides a way for employees to walk away feeling great. Let them know that you don’t have to be a great athlete, a certain age, or a certain body type to take part. A good way to help employees become more comfortable with yoga in the workplace is to emphasize that athleticism, strength, flexibility, and meditation experience aren’t required —these benefits are the result of regular practice. Be sure to stress the advantages they’ll receive, such as achieving better posture while sitting at a desk, gaining better focus, or using breathing techniques to manage stress.

Yoga Is For Everyone

With so many styles of yoga out there, it’s also important to educate employees about the types of yoga classes that could work best in a company environment and then survey your employees to find out what yoga classes they would prefer. Body Techniques’ corporate yoga programs, for example, offer movement and meditation to help employees de-stress and experience calm awareness both on and off the mat. Employees leave refreshed, relaxed, and resilient. Beginner classes provide fundamentals of poses and breathing, correct alignment, and ways to adapt the pose to each person’s needs. Yoga Therapeutics address issues like injury recovery and chronic pain, and Vini Yoga is a therapeutic-style technique that is carefully sequenced to help employees learn how to transform the neuromuscular patterns in their body into a more relaxed state. The beauty of this approach is that participants can make the class as challenging or restorative as they like, since there are many ways to adapt each pose. More experienced employees might prefer a more vigorous class with flowing poses that build heat, strength, and stamina, or a Hatha yoga class that releases tension through long-held yoga poses and focused breathwork.

Perhaps the strongest reason for incorporating yoga into your corporate wellness program is the ease with which yoga classes can be implemented with a minimum of resources. All you need are floor mats and a group of willing participants with a strong desire for a healthier, more fulfilled life.

Yoga teaches us to move in ways that realign posture, help release tension, and promote more functional movement patterns. While modern technology offers countless benefits, the fact remains that many employees spend hours sitting in front of computers, and the repetitive movement patterns that digital devices demand can cause neck and shoulder strain, back problems, and a shallow breathing pattern that drains employees’ energy levels. Workplace yoga classes are booming because they are a low-cost, preventive healthcare measure, and when done right, yoga can be the key to a winning corporate wellness program.

Want to learn more about corporate yoga?

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Author: bodytech

Top 5 Chair Massage Benefits