By massaging your friend or living partner and let him or her do the same to you, you will both get emotionally closer to each other, and both get several health benefits. Massaging will benefit the mental state of the person you work on, the muscular condition, the blood circulation and the lymph drainage. However, what you want to achieve, will determine the exact technique you use.

MASSAGING ACROSS THE MUSCLE FIBRES

This type of massage is very good for relaxing tense muscles and a stressed mind.

You perform this massage by rubbing or gripping across the direction of the muscle fibres or across tendons. You take one area after the other. You begin by massaging each area lightly, superficially and slowly to warm up, and then proceed by massaging deeper, firmer and more swiftly.

According to the size and conditions of the area you treat, you can use different types of manipulation. You can use a couple of fingers at a small area, or to reach deep into a tense point You can rub with all your finger tips or with the palm of your hand at greater areas. To get a harder effect, you can use your finger knuckles.

MASSAGING ALONG THE MUSCLE FIBRES

This type of massage will give the following effects Stiffness will be reduced or cured, and the muscles will gain in mobility. The muscles will get better blood supply and drainage. The muscles will get a better drainage of tissue fluids into the lymph system, and thereby swollen muscles will normalize. These effects will in turn make tired muscles faster regain good condition.

By this massage you stroke along the direction of the muscle fibres, and always in the direction of the blood stream towards the heart.

Also now you take one area after the other, but try to reach the whole length of a muscle or muscle group at each stroke. Also by this massage, you begin massaging at each area lightly, superficially and slowly to warm up, and then proceed by massaging deeper, firmer and somewhat faster.

Also by this longitudinal massage, you can press down and stroke with your finger tips, with all your fingers, or grip around a muscle or muscle group with your fingers.

MASSAGE WITH AN ELECTRIC DEVICE

Most electric massage devices are vibrating up and down. This vibration mostly gives the same effect as the massage across the muscle fibres. If you also stroke with the device head along the muscle in the direction of the blood stream towards the heart, you will simultaneously also achieve the effects of longitudinal massage.

COMBINING THE MASSAGE WITH STRETCHING

The effects of the massage can be increased by also stretching the limbs and body parts of the person you work on. Stretch in the natural movement directions of the limb or body parts until you reach some resistance. Do not stretch hard to go beyond the resistance point. However, by holding the limb some time at the resistance point will often cause the limb to relax, and then you can go some way further.

HOW HARD SHOULD YOU PERFROM THE MASSAGE?

Tired and stiff muscles are often tender and aching. Working at a tender point will always cause some temporal pain. However, if you use the right degree of firmness, the effect of the massage should cause an immediate release of pain and tenderness when you have finished working at a point. You should never work so hard that the pain is felt nearly unbearable, or so hard that pain remains after the massage is finished. If you do so, you can hurt or aggravate already existing tissue damage.

To achieve the right firmness you should monitor the reactions of the person you work at and listen to his comments. You should also never perform a massage on an area with a distinct inflammation or a distinct injury.

USE OF MASSAGE OILS

By applying a massage oil or ointment at the area you work at, you ease the massage work and increase the effects of the massage. Your fingers glide more easily upon the skin covering the area. The blood supply of the skin and muscles will be stimulated. You get a sensual and exciting scent on the area and in the air. Ingredients in the oil will ameliorate muscular ache and pain. According to the composition of the massage oil, there will be different stimulating effects upon the muscles, for example faster regeneration of tired or hurt muscle tissue.

MASSAGE FOR MUTUAL PLEASURE

You can use each of the two main techniques, but you let the pleasure of the person you massage decide the technique, the area you massage and the firmness of the massage. Usually gently touching and caressing will be the right manner.

Also your own pleasure shall decide. Do not work so hard that you get tired out yourself, and the person that you give the massage should be willing to repay you by doing the same favour to you.

Common Knowledge Trust approached Jeanne Ohm, Executive Coordinator of ICPA to write some articles about The Pink Kit Method for birthing better for ICPA. When asked what aspects of childbirth, ICPA has concerns about, Jeanne wrote back We are concerned about all aspects of birth1 a woman’s right to choose 2 the importance of her being aware of her options 3 the physiological relationship of pelvis and birth.

For Common Knowledge Trust the goals are slightly different, yet heading toward the same alignment more positive births and a decrease in birth trauma for us, the mother and our children. CKTs goals would sound like this 1 Absolutely all of us, as expectant parents, must have both labour management and coaching skills 2 These skills must work for us in absolutely all birth situations. 3 We all share the same human body which we can prepare and develop skills for this unique exercise childbirth with The Pink Kit Method for birthing better.

CKT is the collective voice of thousands upon thousands of us women and men. This does not mean that thousands of us gathered at a conference to nut out how to prepare for childbirth or what skills we could use that suited all births. CKT reflects the stories, the questions, solutions, ideas and musings that we tell each other about our own experiences of childbirth. We remember giving birth and anyone who is with us remembers the experience as well. Childbirth is BIG and remembered.

At the same time, childbirth has been removed from us in several ways over several generations.

Modern families have left behind their diverse cultural knowledge, know-how, and family support during pregnancy, childbirth and after birth. Although statistics clearly show that we are more likely to die or be injured at any other time in our lives, pregnancy and birth has been embraced by a modern health system including midwives and doctors for several generations. Modern childbirth preparation is entirely different from childbirth preparation in our diverse cultural backgrounds. Labour and coaching skills have not been highly developed in modern societies.

Childbirth in traditional communities varies significantly as to where or with whom a woman gives birth, just as in modern communities. For example, there are cultures where women go alone to birth or are excluded away from their village for months. Cultures vary as to who is present. In some cultures birth is exclusively womens business while in others the whole family is involved and fathers take an active part. Although many cultures have individual people who attend births, this is not a profession. The number of children born into most communities is relatively small, so attending births occurred periodically.

In most cultures, women birthed with relatives rather than a specific birth attendant. If a problem occurred a healer or spiritual guide would come. Some cultures had no concept of birth attendant, whoever was there at the time helped. In some cultures, the birth specialist were men, while in other they were women. Although special birth attendants were highly regarded, in some communities they were the unclean because they could touch human waste. Because of all this diversity, no wonder modern birth is confusing about where, with whom and how women should birth.

Layered over all of our histories is the development of modern maternity care and its use for the past 3-4 generations. Complete the complexity around childbirth by adding choice, informed consent, defining what are medical childbirth interventions and natural childbirth, whether an obstetrician, midwife CNM or direct entry is the best care provider or whether home, hospital or birth centre is the best place to birth. So many issues, yet as you read this millions of women are giving birth around the world one contraction at a time.

Common Knowledge Trust grew by shear accident. A woman who had broken her tail bone at the birth of her child 10 years earlier compared her tail bone to the founder of Common Knowledge Trust. One had a long tail bone, the other didnt. Several insights occurred from this simple exchange of body knowledge.

Some women had long tails and others didnt.
The woman with the long tail bone had hers damaged in childbirth whereas the other woman hadnt.
Two women from very, very different backgrounds had something in common tail bones and their birthing body.

Bingo! We could develop body knowledge that any woman could benefit from by knowing about her own birthing body. That one insight led to ways to get the tail bone out of the way in childbirth. Other childbirth stories and physical complaints among pregnant women led to more discoveries about our amazing birthing body. The Pink Kit Method for birthing better started to evolve. This occurred in the early 1970s. In 2005, The Pink Kit Method resources are now available to you.

The insights along the way have been many, yet occurred over time.

Telling our birth stories were the source of knowledge and important. They were told on several levels.
We spoke about what time we went into labour, when our waters broke, when we got fully dilated and what time we delivered.
We spoke about what they did to us both what we liked and mostly what we didnt like.
Our own perception of the experience. My back hurt all the time. It didnt hurt as much as I imagined, It was worse than I could have imagined. etc
Men had the same body, so they could feel the same things in their body which helped them coach us better.
All women had the same body with minor differences. Those differences were very important and helped us focus our own preparation and labour management.
All women laboured the same way one contraction after another until our baby came out of the same hole.
We exhibited behaviours in labour that indicated whether we were coping or not.
All birth professionals admired women who managed their labours well and loved to see couples work together.
When women, birthing in hospitals, birth centres and at home, managed labour well, the birth professionals were more relaxed.
Women with health issues still wanted to manage their labours and have positive birth experiences, as did women who chose hospital and doctor care.
Women planning or requiring a non-labouring delivery still wanted to feel part of the process.

If we stuck to the body, passed on practical, real, effective and easy to use labour management and coaching skills, people were willing to learn them regardless of the diversity in ethnic background, religion, beliefs, health issues, choices, education or other. The skills worked in absolutely all birth situations.

The evolution of The Pink Kit grew from the stories that we told about our physical experience of birth the other issues such as what they did or didnt do are not the scope of CKT and what each of us could do to

Manage our labours better.
Have our partner, husband, friend or relative be a very good labour coach.
Resolve the too intense sensations of labour.
Know what we were doing rather than being carried by the experience.
Prevent or lessen physical and emotional birth trauma.
Increase a positive birth experience in and around all the medical assessments, monitoring and procedures.

There were many other people and organisations working on broader issues that have changed maternity care womens options, birth plans and choices. There were many people working on the changes that focused on diversifying birth professionals, while others focused on creating birth place options.

From the Stories, The Pink Kit Method for birthing better evolved. Common Knowledge Trust became the charitable organisation under which The Pink Kit Method developed the resources now available. We remained focused entirely on preparing our own birthing body, the birthing skills that reflect a womans positive childbirth management and coaching skills for our partnershusbands so that they can help us when we are finding the sensations of childbirth challenging.

We all know that taking care of our bodies will help us to live longer and enjoy life more, but sometimes it seems like such hard work! At every restaurant and grocery store, we find food that tempts us to eat, eat, eat, and forget about things like fat and calories and sugar. What we need to do is take things like fat, calories and sugar in moderation along with a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals, in order to keep our bodies healthy and combat the aging process.

It’s good to remember, too, that every grocery store and almost every restaurant offer us delicious, healthy, nutrient-packed alternatives to the jelly doughnuts and double cheeseburgers we crave! The next time you go shopping, add some healthy choices to your grocery cart; things like berries, leafy greens, veggies, lean meat, whole-wheat bread, and low-fat dairy products.

Sometimes, even if we are trying to eat healthy foods, our diet doesn’t provide us with the amount of vitamins and minerals that we need. This is when we need to look to vitamin supplements. There are a number of anti-aging vitamins on the market, and one of them is right for you. If you need some help deciding which anti-aging vitamin you should buy, ask a pharmacist or your doctor. Your doctor can also tell you if you should be taking a multi-vitamin along with your anti-aging supplement in order to make it more effective. If you have always thought that vitamins were only for older people, give them a second chance! You’ll feel energized and healthier if you make them part of your daily routine.

The types of foods we eat and the vitamins we take are very important in providing our bodies with anti-aging nutrients. But there is another important part to the anti-aging strategy exercise. This may actually be the most important part, because when you exercise, your body is able to process and use all of those healthy foods and supplements you have been providing it with. Exercise not only makes anti-aging vitamins more effective, it helps to burn extra calories and fat that your body has stored up. If you currently don’t exercise, just start with simple activities like walking for five or ten minutes a day. Once your body gets used to this, you can walk for longer, or add another activity such as bicycling, aerobics, yoga, or swimming. Exercise will help you feel healthier, and will slow your body’s aging process.