Pampering Yourself- Self Massage

[Guest guest]

Enjoy,

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Pampering Yourself- Self Massage

 

Pampering yourself is the topic this week. Taking care of " you "

is often something we neglect. We are most often great at taking

care of others, but when it comes to ourselves, we seldon take the

time to treat ourselves, which can be so easy to do. Self-Massage has

amazing effects on our health. It improves circulation, relaxes

muscles,helps digestion, and by stimulating the lymph system, speeds

up the elimination of waste products. These direct benefits, combined

with the psychological benefits of feeling cared for quickly produce a

wonderful feeling of well-being.

 

You can easily massage yourself. Use self-massage to energize

yourself before school or work in the morning, or to unwind in the

evening. You can massage your feet while watching TV, or massage your

hands while talking on the phone. You do not need to undress, but you

must be comfortable. Use oil if you are massaging on bare skin. Sit

in a chair or on the floor, or lie down with your knees bent and your

feet on the floor. It is more so recommended to not have other

distractions such as the TV or the phone. Quality time with yourself

is important. It allows you to focus on " you " . This can take about

10- 15 minutes. It can take longer if you let it.

 

Let's get started:

 

SHOULDERS

Most people suffer from occasional stiff necks, aching shoulders and

headaches, so the shoulders are the perfect place to begin

self-massage.

 

1. Stroke your right shoulder with your left hand. Mold your hand to

the curves of your body. Starting at the base of your skull, stroke

down the side of your neck, over your shoulder and down your arm to

the elbow. Glide back to your neck and repeat at least three times.

Then do the other side.

 

2. Make circular pressures with your fingertips on either side of the

spine. Work up the neck and around the base of the skull. Then knead

each shoulder; squeeze and release the flesh on your shoulders and at

the top of your arms.

 

3. Loosely clench your left hand into a fist and gently pound your

right shoulder. Keep your wrist flexible. This springy movement

improves the circulation and can be very invigorating if you are

tired. Repeat on the other side.

 

4. Finish by stroking softly and smoothly both hands. Start with your

hands on the side of your face and glide them gently down under your

chin. Slide your hands past each other at the front of the neck, so

that each hand is on the opposite shoulder. Stroke gently over your

shoulders, down your arms and off at the fingertips. Repeat as often

as you like. This hypnotic stroke is so relaxing and can relieve

headaches and tension.

 

LEGS

Knowing how to massage your own legs is very useful whether you are

athletic or not. Leg massage can relieve aching after standing too

long & help tired muscles recover after exercise. It stimulates the

lymph system and regular thigh massage is believed by many to improve

the appearance of thighs by smoothing them out & preventing

cellulite. Do the whole sequence on one leg first, then the other

one.

 

1. First, mold your hands to the shape of your leg, rest your foot

flat and bend your knee up. Start by stroking your whole leg from

ankle to thigh with one hand on each side of the leg. Begin at the

foot and stroke smoothly up the calf, over the knee and up to the top

of the thigh. Repeat five times.

 

2. Knead the whole thigh, paying attention to the front and outside.

With alternate hands, rhythmically squeeze and release the flesh.

This regular kneading can really improve the shape & texture of the

thighs.

 

3. After that step, smooth your thigh by stroking it. Stroke up the

thigh from the knee with one hand following the other.

 

4. Pummel the front and outside of your thighs with loosely clenched

fists. This bouncy movement brings blood to the surface and relieves

stiffness after sitting down for too long.

 

5. Massage all around your knee, stroke the area gently, then apply

circular pressures with your fingertips around the kneecap. Finish by

stroking softly behind your knee up toward your body.

 

6. Knead your calf muscles with both hands, alternating squeezing the

muscle away from the bone & then releasing it. Then gently soothe the

area by gently stroking, one hand following the other up the back of

the leg.

 

FEET

It's easy to massage your own feet. If you are sitting up, rest one

foot on the opposite leg. Bad posture, back ache and fatigue can all

stem from unnoticed foot problem. By massaging your feet daily you

can refresh your whole body.

 

1. Put one hand on top of the foot and the other under the sole, then

stroke smoothly from your toes to your ankles. Glide your hands back

to your toes and repeat.

 

2. Support your foot with one hand and work on each toe individually.

Squeeze it firmly, and gently stretch each toe with a gentle pull.

 

3. With one thumb on top of the other, do a line of firm pressures

down the center of the sole and lines on either side. Then, with one

thumb, do circular pressures on the arch and the ball of the foot.

 

4. Support your foot with one hand and make the other into a loose

fist. Do knuckling movements all over the sole by rippling your

fingers around in small circular movements.

 

5. Then, still holding the foot with one hand, hack the sole with

your other hand, Flick your hand away the moment you touch the foot,

so that the effect is light and springy.

 

6. Stroke around the ankle with your fingertips, as you stroke up

toward the leg and gently as you glide back. Finish by stroking the

foot as you did at the beginning.

 

Hands

It may seem surprising that people carry a lot of tension around in

their hands. But it's actually quite obvious when you think about how

much you use your hands. Most of our movements are holding, clutching

actions, so it is very relaxing to counteract these movements by

opening the palm and your fingers.

 

1. Stroke the back of your hand, pushing firmly up toward the wrist

and gliding back gently. Then squeeze the hand all over, pressing it

between your palm and your fingers.

 

2. Squeeze each finger all over and make circular pressures over the

joints with your thumb. Then hold the finger at its base and pull it

gently to stretch it, sliding your grip up the finger and off the

tip.

 

3. Stroke between the tendons on the back of the hand with your

thumb. Stroke in the furrow to the wrists doing four strokes in each

furrow.

 

 

4. Turn your hand over and support the back with your fingers. Do

firm circular and static pressures with your thumb, working all over

the palm and around the wrist.

 

5. Finish the massage by stroking the palm of your hand from the

fingers to the wrist. Push into it with the heel of your other hand,

then glide gently back and repeat. If you end your massage with your

hands, this is a good time to apply a hand lotion to them.

This is the end of part one. In part two we will teach you how to do

arms, abdomen, neck and face. Wait until you feel all the tension you

have in your face after a day at school or work!

 

Andrew " Guruji " LMT, MT-BC, CA

Peacefulmind.com

Alternative medicine and therapies

for healing mind, body & spirit!

 

Fidyl

Live Simply So That

Others May Simply Live

Yoga-With-Nancy-SoFla/

SignSoFla/

SoFlaVegans/

SoFlaSchools/