Just the other day, I was thrilled to come across the mention of inertia in a book I was reading about deep tissue massage techniques. The specific chapter was on the importance of “melting” muscle tissue. In other words, it is important for therapists to feel subtle responses in their client’s tissue and know when a muscle has softened versus continuing to grind away on a spot that isn’t responding.
The chapter suggests when working on a tense muscle, you want to begin slowly and allow the client’s muscle tissue to “melt” and this is what allows your massage stroke to move. It states, “As inertia is conquered, less force is required.” Meaning, as the muscle begins to, “melt” the therapist will be able to accomplish more with less pressure. This makes the massage more enjoyable and more beneficial to the client.
I love this quote because it’s not only true in massage, but true in life as well! The hardest part about starting something new is actually starting. Once you get going, things generally become easier. Take Pilates for example; beginners often find Pilates challenging and a little confusing but as they get stronger and develop a mind-body connection, everything becomes second nature! You advance faster, you become more efficient with your movements, and you can do more things with less effort.
Just because something is hard in the beginning doesn’t mean it will remain so. You may be scared to start adding movement to your life but trust me, it gets easier and it is well worth the effort.
– Rachael Turner, LMT, Pilates Instructor & Founder of Inertia6