Effleurage Applications

Effleurage can be applied to almost any body part. The long or short flowing strokes characteristic to this technique can be used on the back, neck, shoulders, legs, buttocks, arms, feet, hands and abdomen. In this course we will cover all the basics and try a variety of lengths and pressure for different effects.

Remember- The art of massage improves with practice.

Adapting Your Hands

Like kneading dough or polishing a fine piece of furniture, the detail is key.

As you move from larger areas of the body to smaller ones, you’ll need to adjust how you place and use your hands.

On larger areas, like the back, you can use both hands side by side in unison to cover more surface efficiently.
On areas that are long but narrower, like the arms and calves, stacking one hand on top of the other allows you to follow the shape of the body while maintaining smooth, flowing strokes.
Smaller areas, like the neck, and upper shoulders require a single-hand, bilateral or stacked hand approach depending on the position = face down or face up. The approach needs to fit the contours of the body.

Adapting your hands in this way ensures your strokes fit the body part you’re working on, will create a massage that feels intentional, comfortable, and well-executed.

Transitioning Moves

These help transition one type of massage technique to another. Say you are doing some deeper kneading or wringing moves you could do a few transition effleurage moves over the area to transition to the next style of stroke.

This can also serve to flush out the tissue after doing some deeper targeted massage techniques.

Direction & Pressure of the Stroke

As best as you can always move your effleurage stokes toward the heart or nearest lymphatic reservoir. It is important to note that more pressure is on the stroke as it moves in the direction of heart or nearest lymph nodes and upon return (away form the heart or lymphatic drainage point) the pressure is much lighter as to not drag the circulation in reverse. This will be explained in the video.

There are three most common Lymphatic Node Points in the body