We know massage as one of the best ways to relax after a hard week and feel like a human again.
However, do you know where massage came from?
The word "massage" comes from the Arab "masses", which means "gently press, touch"; from the Greek language "massage" is translated as "squeeze your hands," and from the French - "rubbing".
Massage as a method was well already into the third millennium BC. in China, Japan, India, Greece, and Rome. It has reached us at various points from the depths of the centuries with the most ancient methods of acupressure, acupressure, and pressure. Even in the Bible, you can find a reference to anointing your skin with aromatic oils.
The Chinese began to apply massage as a treatment for diseases and improve overall health in the third millennium BC. This is evidenced by ancient Chinese books, which are currently exhibits of the British Museum. In each of them, even in the book "Kung Fu Dao Tzu", there is a description of the massage movements used in those days.
Hindus combined massage with hygiene procedures. The most famous ancient Indian medical text, the Ayurveda, or "Knowledge of Life" was written around 1800 BC. It says that rubbing the body during the water procedures not only cleanses the skin, but also contributes to the removal of general fatigue and maintaining good health.
It is known that the Egyptians and Persians used massage not only for medicinal purposes but also for caring for the body. They made special mixtures of ointments, aromatic oils, herbs, and resin and rubbed their face and body to improve the condition of the skin.
When it comes to the modern massage techniques, they were borrowed a lot from the works of the Swedish physiologist Henrik Ling (1776-1839). He is the founder of the Swedish system of massage and therapeutic gymnastics, which gained fame as "Swedish movement therapy." After Henrik, a Dutch physician Georg Metzger (1839-1909) developed a method of massage for recovery from injuries and used it in the treatment of many diseases and disorders of body functions. His theories based on scientific knowledge in the field of human anatomy and physiology began to be used in medical practice and found many followers, especially in Germany and America. Thanks to the works of Ling and Metzger, massage was recognized as an effective method of treatment and became widely used in many fields of medicine.
Over the past 30 years, massage has become the main way to relieve pain and a chance to relax around the world. It has not lost its relevance, and in fact massage has become more and more accessible than ever before!