Acupressure: Any form of bodywork that applies manual pressure to the vital points and energy meridians of the body. These points were identified by medical practitioners in China centuries ago and are believed to improve the flow of energy (ki or chi). Practitioners use fingers, thumbs and palms.
Amma: Sometimes
spelled "anma," it is the word for massage in both China
and Japan. A gentle massage, it is based on principles of Chinese
medicine and is over 5000 years old. Amma encompasses a complexity
of techniques (of which shiatsu is but one) in which the practitioner
uses thumbs, fingers, arms, elbows, knees and feet to press, stroke,
stretch and perform percussive manipulations of the client's body.
The technique does not use oils and can be done through clothing
with the client sitting up or lying down.
Aromatherapy: In connection with massage, it is simply the use of any one of numerous scents in the form of essential oils or botanicals that are added to the massage oil.
Ayurveda: Ayurveda (Knowledge, or Science, of Life) is one of the oldest recorded medical systems in the world, older even than Chinese medicine. "Vedic" treatments (from India) are based on matching the treatment to one's constitutional mind-body type, or dosha, classified as "vata ," "pitta," or "kapha." The essential aim is to reduce impurities in the system and restore balance. The central belief is that disease cannot take hold when a body is in balance. Ayurveda is often integrated with cleansing and rejuvenative therapies, Ayurvedic oil massage, heat therapy and specific herbal treatments.
Breema Bodywork: Breema originated in the mountains of Kurdistan. In the Breema method, the body is viewed as an energy system, although its meridians are not the same as those identified in the healing arts of China. Like others, Breema practitioners regard the body as a self-healing organism; Breema work is designed to create (or activate) the natural balance and harmony that governs our mental, emotional and physical energies. It is done on a carpet with the client fully clothed. Breema practitioners adhere to its "Nine Principles of Harmony"— Body Comfortable, Full Participation, No Extra, No Force, No Judgment, Mutual Support, Single Moment/Single Activity, Gentleness and Firmness, No Hurry/No Pause— in their work and in their personal lives.
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©Courtesy of Laurel Olson Cook, author of Spas of California (2002) and Wine Country Spas of California (2003). Visit www.LaurelCook.com