The breakfast dishes are in the dishwasher, the last load of laundry is running and the kids are in school … now’s the time to take a moment to relax. Yes, even super-busy moms (and dads!) deserve a rest every once in a while. If you need a break, Ecover recommends treating yourself to one of the world’s oldest forms of relaxation: a massage!

As many historians, holistic practitioners and massage therapists have noted, massage may be the world’s oldest form of medical therapy. People in Eastern cultures such as the Chinese have practiced massage since ancient times. Likewise, the ancient Greeks and Romans found massage to be beneficial for relieving pain. And Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, wrote the following in the 5^th Century B.C.:  “The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing … for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”

Today, massage therapy is widely available and is practiced with a variety of methods.  Some people prefer the traditional Swedish massage, which involves long smooth strokes, on superficial layers of muscle using massage lotion or oil, and others enjoy Shiatsu (Ecover HQ offers a 15 minute shiatsu massage to employees once a month), a form of Japanese bodywork that uses localized finger pressure in a rhythmic sequence on acupuncture meridians. Other types of massage include Thai massage, reflexology and deep tissue massage.

Whichever you choose, after a relaxing or invigorating massage, it’s much easier to get on with your day. So close your eyes, relax, don’t worry about the family (or the environment) for just a few minutes … and enjoy! You deserve it.

Image via Wikimedia.org