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Visualize the trapezius as a wound up wet towel, and squeeze it dry.

Being the most intuitive method of massaging, gripping the trapezius on either side of the neck with both hands the way you would hold a large sandwich is how most of us do - and should do - start out massaging. Work on both sides simultaniously, and think of the muscle as a large wet towel. Start out like this:

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Massaging the entire muscle is important, so don’t leave your thumbs stationary massaging the same spot for a long time, as you will hurt the recipient. This might not happen right there on the spot, but instead the following day, as you will make the recipient bruise from massaging too much in one spot. Leave that for the professionals.

Another common mistake, is that givers of massage sometimes have their hands aligned so that their four fingers on the front are massaging the area between the trapezius muscle and the collarbone, instead of actually massaging the muscle. You can feel this area right now if you put your palm on your chest, place your fingers on top of the collarbone, and apply inward pressure. It hurts in the BAD way. Your fingers should not be there, they should be on the muscle. In addition to this, make certain that you massage with the fleshy part of you fingers, not te fingertips.

I know you understand this ’standard’ way of massaging, the squeezing of the muscle between the thumbs and the fingers that you already have been doing in your mind(and in the past). Now, try visualizing this technique: Hold the muscle with a firm grip, and instead of kneading the muscle, move your fingers and thumbs like you would rub money in your hand. This is a great way - and more so, a different way of massaging the muscle.

Massaging for a long time is good. Keeping a good variation of what you do is better. Imagine, how good ice cream tastes. Then, think of how bad it would be if that was all you ate. That’s how important it is to switch up the technique you are using.

Got a hang of it? See, it’s easy!

Now, as I state all again and again, you must give your thumbs as much rest as possible. Thats what the other 10 techniques are for. In the meanwhile, I am about to explain a slightly different technique that is awesome, but a little hard to understand. Thank dog for video.

First, to set up, do these following things:

* Have your four fingers on top of the trapezius, instead of on the front of it. Your hands should be as if driving, in the 10 and 2 position.

* Your thumbs should not be on the trapezius, but in between the shoulderblades, on the Rhomboids.

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* Instead of having your thumbs almost paralell to the muscle(like when you were kneading before), try having them almost perpendicular to the muscle.

* Keep your thumbs straight and stiff through the entire motion.

* Jam the tips of yourthumbs into the muscle, by ROTATING your hands from the 10 and 2 position, to the 8 and 4 position(your hands won’t actually move to that position, as your thumbs will hit up against the muscle). You are moving your elbows inward when you do this.

 Watch this video, and then read this again.

Insert video.

Next lesson: Heel of hands and four fingers as a unit. 

Introduction to the TV massage series:

Technique # 1: Using your Thumbs and four fingers as a unit.
Technique # 2: Heel of hands and four fingers as a unit.
Technique # 3: Four fingers pushing downward.
Technique # 4: Using your knuckles.
Technique # 5: Using bony parts of your hand.

Introduction to the intermediate techniques.

Technique # 6: One hand on front of body.
Technique # 7: The thumbs-stretch technique.
Technique # 8: Leveraging your body.
Technique # 9: Both hands on one side of body.
Technique # 10: The cocktail party trick.

Introduction to the advanced techniques.

Technique # 11: Leveraging your body.
Technique # 12: Massaging the neck. Mmmm…
Technique # 13: Aligning the body of the recipient.
Technique # 14: The Navarronian death grip.
Technique # 15: Scalp Massage.