GENERAL POINTS ABOUT BACK MASSAGE

The back is a large and variable area to massage and you will need to keep in mind as you work that the kind of pressure on the shoulders, lower back and buttocks needs to be different. You may find quite of a lot of tension has collected in the shoulders, especially in the 'trapezius' muscle that tuns across the shoulders, neck and upper back. Pressure here should be sensitive and only slightly firm. With tight muscles it is tempting to use hard pressure but it you press too hard the muscles will tight hack.

If you like, before you start the sensual massage on the shoulders, you can incorporate some of the relaxation massage . Once you have massaged the shoulders, move down to the lower back. Exploring the area, glide over the soft contours of the sacrum, buttocks and hips. The lower back can be a particularly vulnerable or strained area, and tightness here can cut off full sensations. Some relaxation move ments before the sensual massage will relax the lower back and buttocks, opening your partner up to the full freedom of sensual feeling.gentle pressure. Keeping an inch out from the spine, press evenly along the muscle bands, paying attention where you feel raised areas of muscle. Use the sensitivity of your fingers to feel the texture and tightness, and as you press-correspond your movements to your partner's exhalation. As nerves branch out from the spine connecting to the whole body, this will be a highly sensitive and releasing movement for your partner. As you reach the top of the neck, bring your hands once more to your partner's lower back to draw awareness away from them

stroking

Move to your partner's side after completing the thumb rolls from the fleshy shoulder triangle to the spine Stroke down the muscles to the side of the spine with the whole of your hand, using light, caressing movements. Alternating your hands, trail lightly with your fingertips as you -complete each stroke, lingering over the skin. Draw down, using these rolling brushstrokes, from the neck to the base of the spine.

A deeper pressure used around the buttocks feels immediately satisfying and releases strong erotic, sensual feelings. Follow deep relaxation round the hips by muscle stimulation, then soft arousing skin caresses to bring the senses to life. Relaxation followed by caresses and arousal provide a combination that is difficult to resist.

When you come to massaging the spine and neck, you should be particularly careful. Both areas are very sensitive and require a more head, and fully connect the back. This move¬ment is also a reminder of the feelings earlier aroused, as gentle sensations diffuse throughout the body. you may choose at this point to con¬tinue the body massage, or take time to explore your partner's back in creative ways. Of all the areas of the body, the back appreciates massage most. You will find that you have to change position several times as you massage the back. Make sure you have enough room to maneuver.

.final strokes - kneading and brushing

To complete your massage of the upper back, move your partner's arm behind her back, easing the muscle around the shoulder blade. Still with your lower hand supporting her shoulder, use the heel of your hand to push the muscles on the blade itself (main picture). Move your hand diagonally, toward the shoulder joint, pushing slowly and deeply along the muscles. Ease the pressure to follow the contour of the shoulder down the arm. Bringing the arm back to your partner's side, use light brushstrokes all the way down to the fingertips (above). Brush slowly and sensually, until, fingertip to fingertip, you continue the sensation even after your hand has gone. Gently knead your partner's neck (below), using slow, gentle strokes to tease out any tension, then hold the hair softly as she turns her head. Knead once again, then repeat the movements on the other side

Some Sensual touches really give you partner the real Joy of life of any time.

start to knead your partner's buttocks with a satisfying, generous movement. Then press in with the heel of your hand, making deep, probing, circling movements, bringing the pressure in toward you (below left). Feel the muscles, press around the hips,

The buttocks
Moving to your partner's legs, pour a little more oil into your hands. Now begin to effleurage the buttocks (main picture). Fan and spread your fingers, following the body contours, around the lower back, hips and the tops of the thighs. Sweep your hands upwards and outwards, shaped to the curves of flesh, until every inch is covered with a film of oil. With your hands pressing down and inwards, circle the heels into the buttocks, moving down, upwards and out to loosen the muscles (above). Try sacral circling, then spread your hands out across the back (above). As you move the hands apart, feel the dimples and the curves of the buttocks, ending the movement with your hands curved around the hips. Moving across to the side.easing out any tensions to bring the area to life. Continue this movement with your fingertips (above), gradually easing into the hip joint to send wonderful sensations of deep release through your partner's pelvis and thighs.

This the best part of the sensual massage.

knuckling

To complete the deep pressure movements, form your hand into a fist, pressing firmly, yet sensitively, with your knuckles. As your hands are now familiar with the area, you will be able to loosen tension. Press into the flesh, feeling how the buttocks respond under your touch, encouraging the muscles to release and open

BODY AWARENESS

The way we seem to see things means that we tend to divide them into parts. But the reality is that each area of the body opens into another and that every part is connected to the next. The powerful shoulders are needed for arm movement, the legs are affected by the lower back. The lower back leads into the swell of the buttocks, the ribs follow round to the swell of the breasts. Without judgement, preferences, likes or dislikes, simply open your mind as your fin¬gers explore. With each stroke, a whole new world opens up, every inch of skin has something different to reveal.

plucking


This is a light-hearted and stimulating movement that pulls the flesh away from the body. Keeping your wrists relaxed, pull mounds of flesh between your fingers and thumbs up toward you. Alternate your hands to make quick, light, plucking movements, enjoying the rippling of your partners flesh. This playful movement will stimulate and arouse your partner, spreading tingling or tickling sensations over the buttocks and up the back.

arousal
Now that the buttocks are alive and tingling, stroke up very, very lightly between them with the backs of your hands. Watch your partner's skin thrill to the touch as you continue. As sensations heighten, use a spreading stroke to diffuse erotic feelings.

The skin is the largest organ of the body. Sensory receptors lie just below its surface, relaying mes-sages to the central nervous system. The sense receptors responding to touch are very sensi¬tive, and can be stimulated by extremely light pressure. Some respond to a firm pressure, while others alert the body to pain. As you massage, a lighter pressure will generally arouse and stim¬ulate, while a heavier pressure will relax and release the body. Use variations of pressure for the sensual massage, arousing, releasing then Arousing again. Let the movements and strokes blend one into the other, so alternating and changing, the rhythm remains smooth. Your partner's senses should be following your hands but left guessing, and you should not make any sudden movements.

The intimacy of the contact is very special. Profound knowledge and insights into your partner can develop. Simply keep the massage flowing, alert to your partner's response The feelings the massage arouses in you flow through your hands, to change, rise and fall and guide your touch. As feelings increase, and your own senses are aroused, allow this to inspire your strokes. The greater your own sensations and intuitive responses, the greater your enjoy¬ment will be. As growing enthusiasm is felt by one partner, so the other will respond in kind. Let the feelings between you build and build.

diffusion
Cup your hands over the sacrum, then slowly pull your hands apart, hugging them over the hips and hinging them down the thighs. Trail off with your fingertips as you complete the stroke.

'ironing'

Move your position so that you can reach the entire back easily, in preparation for the 'ironing' stroke. Starting the movement just above the hips, position your hands either side of the spine. The heels face inwards, fingertips spreading out across the back. Then start to draw your hands apart, using a firm, even pressure, to slide your fingers around the ribs. With the whole of the flat of the hand, iron out the muscles as you push away from the spine, dispersing tension in the dorsal muscles, the broad muscles that help move the arms (right). As your heels move towards your partner's sides, add light caressing touches with your fingers to the feelings of stretch and release. 'Then with your fingertips, drag back toward the spine, bringing the heels of your bands back together. Position your hands for the next stroke slightly further up the back, and with no break in continuity, repeat the stroke. Work leisurely up the back. Keep the pressure on the outward strokes, your movements big and generous, which your partner will enjoy. As you come to the upper back, hook your hands around her shoulders, pulling very slightly up and back toward you (right.)