What is Raynor Massage and it's approach to residual tension?

Raynor Massage is not performed as a routine massage, instead, the goal of Raynor Massage is to find any residual tension or blockage in the body and get rid of it. Whatever technique the Raynor therapist plans to use, they will always evaluate it against this goal. "Is the move that I am now performing helping to get rid of this person's tension or not?" is a question that should always be asked. 

Let me explain more about residual tension. Any muscle that is not currently being used or flexed should be fairly soft and supple to touch. So even if you work out at the gym and have developed your biceps, for example, the bicep muscle should only be firm and tight when it is being used/flexed. Residual tension is the tension that is in the person's body when it's resting. A person lying on massage table is not really using any of their muscles so when a Raynor Massage therapist finds areas of the rested body that are hard and tight and sore we call this residual tension. 

So what causes this residual tension? Well there are two different reasons we get tension. Physical reasons and emotional reasons. In my experience it is often a combination of both. Physical reasons are often easier to identify. It may be, for example, that you are a taxi driver and holding the steering wheel of your cab all day has caused tension in your shoulders. Or your desk job and bad posture creates residual tension in your neck. Emotional reasons are often more difficult to pinpoint but it does not make them any less real. In 2011 it's difficult to get through a day without some kind of stress. People are worried about the security of their jobs, paying bills and looking after family. Even if your job is steady, many people find they are now being asked to work longer and harder without additional reward. Checking work emails at home in the evening and weeekends is now normal and expected for many employees. This emotional stress takes it's toll on the body. When a person is going through a stressfull situation the body can often tense up and will not always fully relax when the stress has passed. This then becomes residual tension. 

The word "relax" actually means to bring back to a state of looseness. "Re" means to bring back to, and "lax" means loose. So Raynor Massage is actually a form of deep relaxation massage.

Click here to contact Dave Taylor, a Sutton based Advanced Raynor Massage therapist.