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So far we have mostly been focused exclusively on massaging the trapezius. Let me remind you - most of your time needs to be spent there. There are however a few more muscles which are worked best from the seated position.

Your Rhomboids are the muscles that occupy the area between the shoulderblades and the spine. They perform the ‘rowing’ motion, when you row boats and use nautilus machines. Yes, there is more to it, but all you need to know is WHERE they are. So, in the whole area between the shoulderblades and the spine - the upper back - is where the focus is on now.

Insert pic

 Now, if you apply pressure on the muscle as the recipient is seated, the body of this person will sway forward. It’s simple laws of physics.

Newton’s first law of massage:

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, right? The way to negotiate this is to have one hand firmly on the recipients shoulder, so that when you apply the massaging action, the recipient stays put.

Insert video of body swaying, and body put.

You can do a lot from here. But, first things first, the ergonomics for the giver. Start with your massaging hand, fingers extended and joined. Then, curve your hand slightly, so that your fingertips join one straight line. You generally do this by bending your middle and ring fingers. The tips of your fingers provide the contact with the recipient.

The “supporting hand” is a different story. Generally, it goes on the shoulder, and can either merely rest there, or you can choose to apply downward pressure, or even knead the trapezius without losing any quality at all.

Are you learning this, or just reading?

Visualize the things that I am explaining here is necessary for learning, as Im explaining things that are a little harder to get through this medium. Even better than visualization of these techniques, lets put them into ‘action’. Try putting your left hand in the air, as if around the shoulder of an imaginary recipient. Your hand should curve 90 degrees, as to form a strong grip. Then with your right hand, fingers extended and joined save for the slight flex in the middle and ring finger, slowly apply pressure forward, in a stabbing motion.

Massage the entire muscle. This is the whole area between both shoulderblades.You don’t need to swap hands as you work on both sides of the body, but do so if you intend to massage deep. Trying this should show that the recipients body begins to tourque if you are securing one side of the body, but massaging the other deeply.

Why should you not use your knuckles?

Keeping your fingers generally straight is how you should start out. As I have explained in previous articles, if your bones are stacked behind each other in a straight line, then no muscular effort is being used when you massage.

Intuitively, you might guess that using the knuckles of your fist would be easier to do, and wear you out less. This is correct. The reason why you don’t want to do that however, is that your knuckles can’t sense knots in the muscle the way that your fingertips can. While[if you are a beginner] you aren’t proficient enough to know how to work everything right yet, becoming familiar with how the muscles feel NOW will help you as your skills grow.

It is VERY easy to detect knots in this muscle, as it is a thin, flat muscle with a hard surface behind it, as opposed to a thick round one where knots can sink into the body of the muscle. You will learn how to fix knots, or ‘trigger points’ later on, or you could jump ahead now.

So. Against what the headline you just read suggested, go ahead and use the knuckles of your fist all you want. But not to start out.

Some variations.

For the supporting hand, I already suggested that you could massage with it simultaniously. Rubbing and kneading the trapezius, or even the deltoids(which are the muscles on the top of your arm).

If you are familiar with each other, then you can slip your supporting hand UNDER the arm of the recipient, and rub the pectoral muscles with you “supporting” hand.

For the massaging hand, there isn’t much for me to add. By now, unless you have read this straight through, you should have been massaging each other for the last few nights, maybe even weeks. You know by now that you can improvise and try anything you like. Use the pointy part of your finger, use the fleshy part, or even your knuckles.

Previous lesson: Inroduction to the intermediate technques. Next lesson: The thumbs-stretch technique.

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.