Massage Therapy Journal Spring 2026

Spring 2026 • 45

• While massaging with your thumbs, lift your fingers on top of the head and continue to massage. • Massaging this point calms the brain and may also help with insomnia, anger management issues, depression, anxiety and headaches. 9. Come back to the Sthapani or the third eye point. • Using both hands, apply pressure moving up along the forehead and into the crown of the head. Continue massaging down the back of the head. • Reverse the motion and return to the Sthapani point. Always be sure to check in with your client about the pressure throughout the massage. Massage the shoulders . Start by squeezing the trapezius muscle (at the base of the neck) gently, starting close to the neck and working your way out toward the shoulder. Repeat three times, allowing the pressure to increase with each pass. Work in toward the spine . Bring your hands back up to the neck with thumbs extended and make small circles on either side of the spine. I usually start in between the scapulas. Using circular motions, repeat three times. Massage the tops of the shoulders . Place your forearms on each side of the neck and press in. Move your forearms out about an inch and continue this movement while moving away from the neck until you reach the shoulder joint. When you reach the shoulder joint, come back to center. Repeat three times. Always check in with your client to make sure they feel comfortable with the pressure. Sample Neck Massage Protocol for IHM 1. Start by working up to the base of the skull. Make small circles up the back of the neck on each side of the vertebrae until you reach the hairline. Repeat three times. 2. Place one hand at the base of the client’s

neck and the other on their forehead to keep their head from falling forward. With the rear hand, open your thumb and index finger so you have the space to glide up the back of the neck. Do not put pressure directly on the vertebrae. Repeat three times. 3. Slowly allow the head to tilt forward without strain or effort. Keep your hand at the client’s hairline. 4. Gently move the head back and forth without force, simply allowing the head to move within its own range of motion. Repeat this three times. 5. Loosen their hair if it is in a ponytail or updo. Bring your hands, with fingers spread and pointed upward, to the sides of the head. Using light pressure, slowly move your hands up with a shampooing-like motion, trying to keep your fingers and the heel of your hands in contact with the scalp. • Once you reach the top of the head, allow your fingers to rise off while maintaining a gentle traction from the heels of the hands. • Now, lower your hands and move them around to a different area of the head. Repeat three times, covering the entire scalp. 6. Bring one hand to the client’s forehead for stability as you place the heel of the other hand in contact with the back of their head. Begin rubbing the scalp by moving your rear hand vigorously back and forth. Continue rubbing as much of the scalp as you can reach and then switch hands and repeat on the other side. 7. Stroke your fingers through your client’s hair from the top of the forehead back. Let the final strokes draw their head back slightly and then lay your fingers over the forehead, drawing your fingers down and along the brow line to each temple. Make small circles over the temples. Envision brushing their hair from the front to the back of head. Repeat this process three times, slower each time to finish the massage.

IHM is based on 107 marma points in the body, 37 of which are on the head, shoulders, face and upper chest.

amtamassage.org/mtj