History of Massage
Over thousands of years and in many cultures people have used massage to relieve stress and pain for recovery, protecting or improving one’s general health. The history of Massage is profound. Many people experienced the instinctive or intuitive use of massage. When stopping to hold an injury or any area of discomfort on the body.
History of massage references have been found in many cultures around the world. Cultures without language also have passed down the tradition of techniques and massage revealed by notes of early explorers.
In the cultures, medicine was ritual and combined with magic or mystical activities. People believed that illness came from spirits, demons, or sins. Priests and shamans used massage to help people of those evil entities. The religiously spiritual and medical traditions were passed from generation to generation, perpetuating the tradition of massage. Proof of this is found from Africa to Australia including the Ukraine, Russia and the Pacific Island, and North and South America and Egypt.
Ancient civilizations used massage in conjunction to cleanse and purify the entire body of disease-causing spirits bathing, hot springs, steam rooms and sweat lodges. These rituals that massage with water treatments were combined persisted throughout history and still exist today.
History of Massage in Ancient Greece
The wellness of the Greek health regimen included rest, massage, fresh air, exercise, diet, and cleanliness. Competitive and exercise sports were a part of the culture and the Olympic Games were held every four years as part of a cultural festival. These games were significantly important to Greek people. Some of them stopped wars so they could attend them. The hard training was crucial to great performance, giving rise to gymnasiums all over the country. With time, gymnasiums and baths served the public as social, spiritual, psychological, and gathering areas.
Massage was one of the remedies provided at baths and gymnasiums during their existence. Athletes used to receive massage treatments to tone their muscles and decrease fatigue in the muscles. The aliptae were servants who supplied this ritual before and after the competition. They became knowledgeable regarding the muscles, the condition of the muscles and muscle activity during exercise. The aliptae were the predecessors to athletic or physical coaches. It was used in gymnasiums that the expression gymnastics referred to a mix of exercise and massage. There were some references to history of massage produced by Hippocrates, who made important medical and scientific advancements around 400 BCE.
