The Art of Massage

This blog will be short. I just wanted to tell you guys about my massage experiences in both India and China.  All this traveling has really taken a toll on my body. I’m sore in places I never knew existed, and achy all over, especially when it’s colder here in Changsha.  Some friends and I did go and get massages while in Changsha (for comparative purposes only, of course).  Between India and China, the massage experiences were night and day.  In China, we were fully clothed and the masseuses used their entire bodies to do the job, not only their hands.  Mine used her hands, elbows, knees, toes, chin, feet, and the simple weight of her body.  In India, our Ayurvedic massages involved  a long rub down with Ayurvedic oils and only the skilled hands of the masseuse. It was quite interesting to see and feel the differences of the two.  The Ayurvedic was definitely softer and gentler, while the Chinese massage was more rough and even hurt at times.  I think both of them subtly encompassed aspects of their respective sociocultural norms, practices, and attitudes.  At the end of both of them though, I felt great (although some of my classmates would not agree)!