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Jun 17
2009
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When, where, how:
Self-massage can be done anytime, anywhere. You can self-massage standing, sitting, lying down on the floor, in the shower, on the train, plane and in your car waiting in traffic. Even before getting out of bed in the morning, you can start your day with a simple massage. Take a moment to notice where you are feeling tension. Take a deep breathe in and let it out slowly. Allow your mind to take you to where there is tension. You can squeeze, rub, press and release or tap your muscles.
Get to know your body:
Our bodies are like portals to awareness. They give us signals all the time that we frequently ignore. If we are uneasy about something, our breathing will become more shallow or we might tense up. We tend to ignore these signs, which leads to stress and ill emotional and physical health. Our bodies tells us what we need. Observing your body can be an adventure. Notice the shapes and curves and the texture of your skin. Is it moist or dry? Is the skin tight and taught? Are you tight in your chest or stomach? Bring all your awareness to your body if even just for a moment a few times a day. You will be much more present in your life, become more self-aware and even make better decisions!
Experiment:
There are literally thousands of ways to massage your own body. You are in control and you get to decide how, when and where. You also get to decide how much pressure to apply and for how long. Keep it simple and make it easy. The main thing is to just start and do it regularly. Doing a little massage every day can make a big difference in the health and overall feeling in your body.
Finding the right tool:
The right massage tool can be tremendously helpful in aiding your own self-massage. Many tools allow you to reach areas of the body that you can't reach with your own hands. Other tools offer deep, leveraging techniques, which makes it easy to apply deep pressure with little effort. You can passively lie or roll on some tools. My favorite most versatile and effective tool is the Body Back Buddy. It has 11 therapy knobs, is well constructed, and easy to use. You can reach almost all areas of your body with this one tool.
Breath:
Thankfully, breathing is automatic and with each breath we get an internal massage. To increase this beneficial effect, bring your awareness to each breath. Follow your breath as it travels in and out of your body. Take a deep breath, hold it for 5 seconds then exhale pushing the out breath completely. Do this for 1-2 minutes. You can get amazing results for even as little as 30 seconds! This technique will relax your body, ease tension, and slow down racing thoughts. It is an amazing stress reducer. Try holding for different intervals and lengths of time. Sit quietly and notice what you feel as your breathing resumes its regularity.
Remember:
Self-massage is empowering and you learn more about your own body and how it responds. By becoming more familiar with your own body, you will be more aware of yourself. You also save money on therapeutic massage! By becoming an expert in self-massage, you can better inform your massage therapist of your needs and maintain muscle relaxation between visits!
Self-massage can be done anytime, anywhere. You can self-massage standing, sitting, lying down on the floor, in the shower, on the train, plane and in your car waiting in traffic. Even before getting out of bed in the morning, you can start your day with a simple massage. Take a moment to notice where you are feeling tension. Take a deep breathe in and let it out slowly. Allow your mind to take you to where there is tension. You can squeeze, rub, press and release or tap your muscles.
Get to know your body:
Our bodies are like portals to awareness. They give us signals all the time that we frequently ignore. If we are uneasy about something, our breathing will become more shallow or we might tense up. We tend to ignore these signs, which leads to stress and ill emotional and physical health. Our bodies tells us what we need. Observing your body can be an adventure. Notice the shapes and curves and the texture of your skin. Is it moist or dry? Is the skin tight and taught? Are you tight in your chest or stomach? Bring all your awareness to your body if even just for a moment a few times a day. You will be much more present in your life, become more self-aware and even make better decisions!
Experiment:
There are literally thousands of ways to massage your own body. You are in control and you get to decide how, when and where. You also get to decide how much pressure to apply and for how long. Keep it simple and make it easy. The main thing is to just start and do it regularly. Doing a little massage every day can make a big difference in the health and overall feeling in your body.
Finding the right tool:
The right massage tool can be tremendously helpful in aiding your own self-massage. Many tools allow you to reach areas of the body that you can't reach with your own hands. Other tools offer deep, leveraging techniques, which makes it easy to apply deep pressure with little effort. You can passively lie or roll on some tools. My favorite most versatile and effective tool is the Body Back Buddy. It has 11 therapy knobs, is well constructed, and easy to use. You can reach almost all areas of your body with this one tool.
Breath:
Thankfully, breathing is automatic and with each breath we get an internal massage. To increase this beneficial effect, bring your awareness to each breath. Follow your breath as it travels in and out of your body. Take a deep breath, hold it for 5 seconds then exhale pushing the out breath completely. Do this for 1-2 minutes. You can get amazing results for even as little as 30 seconds! This technique will relax your body, ease tension, and slow down racing thoughts. It is an amazing stress reducer. Try holding for different intervals and lengths of time. Sit quietly and notice what you feel as your breathing resumes its regularity.
Remember:
Self-massage is empowering and you learn more about your own body and how it responds. By becoming more familiar with your own body, you will be more aware of yourself. You also save money on therapeutic massage! By becoming an expert in self-massage, you can better inform your massage therapist of your needs and maintain muscle relaxation between visits!
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