1. Drink lots of water: It is important to keep well-hydrated for 48 hours after an ashiatsu session. The deep work of ashiatsu moves out residual toxins that tend to get stored within the tissue. After the session these toxins are free floating in the bloodstream looking for a place to go. Drinking lots of water will flush these toxins out of the body through the urinary system. If the body remains under-hydrated, the toxins will either settle back into the muscles or they will be filtered through the hepatic (liver) system, which can lead to headaches or nausea. Avoid these potentially undesirable effects by drinking lots of water. As a side note, you may also wish to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages after your massage or you may end up feeling more side-effects than usual.
2. Eat something: It’s a good idea to get some food into your stomach after your massage, especially if you have not eaten in a few hours. Your body will use every means to rid your body of the toxins that were released after your massage. The stomach is one of the first places that the toxins will end up. If there is no food in the stomach to absorb these toxins, you may end up feeling very nauseous.
3. Take it easy: Your muscles have just undergone an intense workout. Spend the rest of your day relaxing. Hold off on vigorous exercise for the first 24 hours. The muscles are rebuilding. Depending on the extent of work we did today, you may experience some swelling. If this is the case, you can apply a cold pack on the local area for intervals of 15 minutes on and 30 minutes off. Save the hot bath or sauna for the day after.
4. You may be sore: Sometimes the body has to go through a temporary experience of “getting worse before it gets better”. Soreness in the muscles is a common after effect of deep tissue work. This soreness is typically gone within 48 hours. Take it easy. Continue to hydrate and practice very gentle stretching of the affected muscles. You may want to apply an arnica gel or Traumeel cream to the local area 3x/day to speed up the recovery.
5. Body changes: Ashiatsu is transformational work, and your body will transform. Your muscles will lengthen and become more efficient. Your spine will elongate and you may even find that you gain height. Your knots will dissipate leaving your muscles smooth, significantly reducing the lumps and humps. Cellulite will break down allowing the muscle tissue to dominate your physique.
6. Breaking down the layers: The process of transforming the body involves breaking down layers of residual baggage that we have accumulated over the years. This breaking down process can be likened to peeling an onion. When one layer is peeled away, oftentimes another layer reveals itself. This is normal and we shall continue to address each issue as it presents itself. If unexpected issues present themselves and you find that they need more immediate attention, please call to get in as soon as possible so that we can resolve them quickly.
7. Emotional release: Oftentimes we store our emotions in our bodies. When muscle tension is released, these emotions are also released. You may experience a wide range of emotion after a session. Try to be present with yourself and allow those feelings to come out however they need to. Be gentle with yourself. You are precious.
We are here for you: If you ever have any questions, feel free to email us at info@austinashiatsu.com or you can call the office Monday-Sunday 512-628-0333.