Morning Massage
At the beginning of my MT career, I had a client who, in addition to being an octogenarian, was dealing with spinal stenosis and arthritis. He requested his appointment at 7 am, & I traveled to his home 2x per week. This client had been receiving massage as a means of dealing with his stiffness & pain for nearly 20 years by the time I started working with him. He absolutely swore that morning was the best time for him to have massage, as his most difficult time of day for stiffness and soreness was upon waking.
I didn't do any techniques that are considered "invigorating", necessarily. I mostly did basic swedish for the upper body, with more detailed work for him through the low back, hip flexors, glutes, and adductors (since his stenosis was in the lumbar region) with lots of stretching of his thighs & legs. He reported a decrease in stiffness and pain following the massage, and claimed the days he had massage made it easier for him to do his morning stretching, walking & swimming. I noticed significant improvements in his posture, and ease of movement. Before the massage, he walked slightly hunched, shuffled his feet, slowly and obviously in pain. After the sessions, he was always standing straighter, walking more easily & more quickly than before, and was SO happy.
I also have a monthly trade arrangement, and I usually get my massage in the morning. I go to my trade's office, I get to be her first client of the day. She gets to schedule the rest of her day, then, at the office. I think this is a GREAT way to start my day. I am an early riser, and usually if I get my massage at 9am, I have already even done tai chi already before my session. I try not to drink my morning coffee before my massage, since I do like to "zone out" when I am receiving massage. Even though I usually get massage to relax, this does not make me laze about for the rest of day. In fact, quite the opposite, it encourages me to get out & do something in my great-feeling body.