Page:Massage & exercises combined (second version).djvu/87



over them, may stroke more or less sideways inward over the breasts, or raise the palm or the back of the hand slightly outward from the body.

''Analysis and Effects of the Combined Massage Exercise No. 9 (9 A'')

This exercise is combined in such a way that there is obtained the movements of the arms and the bending of the upper body forward and to the sides, together with massage of the outer side of the thighs, the hips, the lower sides of the body, the chest and breasts.

In bending the body forward and to the side, in order to stroke upward over the opposite side from the thigh, the body makes a sort of twisting movement which is especially beneficial for the muscles of the lower sides, the upper abdomen and the lower back, as well as for the liver. These muscles then become stretched when the hand strokes outward to the armpit, on the other side of the upper chest, and the body is bent to that side.

The movements of the body and arms in applying the massage movements, exercise the muscles and nerves of the arms, the shoulders, the back, the chest, the lower sides and the diaphragm. They also influence the liver, the heart and the digestive organs.

The massage influences the muscles of the outer side of the thighs, the hips, the sides of the body and the chest and breasts.