How to Perform a Self-Massage

Among the many massage techniques that exist, one of the easiest to implement is the do-in, which consists of massaging yourself.

Nevertheless, to benefit from all the advantages of this technique, it is important to know how to achieve a correct self-massage.

What Is Do-In Self-Massage

Do-in is a particular self-massage technique based on the principle of Chinese energy, such as acupuncture and especially shiatsu (digitopuncture).

This type of massage not only relaxes the muscles and softens the joints, as most massages do, but also offers the possibility of releasing physical energy and promoting its circulation throughout the body.

The exercises proposed below can be practiced in a quarter of an hour, preferably in the morning when you wake up before showering, to energize your body. Ideally, they should be done in order, with each exercise to be repeated three times.

Note: Avoid performing this self-massage if you are ill.

1. Recharge Your Hands

Remember this sequence which we will report by indicating “Recharge your hands”:

• Rub your palms together with your hands.
• Throw your arms behind you once.
• Rest your relaxed hands on your thighs.
• Breathe in and out and then repeat these movements twice.

Thanks to these few gestures, you can recharge your hands energetically. They are to be practiced after massaging each part of the body, but they are also interesting to practice at any time, as soon as you wish.

Relaxing self-massage techniques are to be practiced at the end of the day to relax.

2. Prepare a Self-Massage of the Hands

• Get down on your knees, sitting on your heels, allowing your right foot to rest on your left foot (you can place a cushion under your buttocks or sit on a chair if it is too difficult to keep in this position).
• Keep your back straight.
• Squeeze your palms tightly against each other at the level of the navel while exhaling deeply.
• Breathe in and stretch your arms upwards, palms facing upwards.
• Bring your hands together and repeat this sequence three or four times in a row.

3. Perform a Self-Massage of the Hands and Upper Limbs

• Stretch out your left arm right in front of you.
• Using your right fist, tap the back of your left hand and then tap up from the wrist to the shoulder.
• Tap the inner surface of the arm, forearm, wrist and hand to get back down.
• Repeat twice again before changing arms to do the same on the right side.
• Recharge your hands.

4. Perform a Self-Massage of the Head and Face

• Gently tap your head with your fists (or just one) from the center and roll it in a spiral. Make sure you do not leave out any areas of the skull.

• Using the tips of your ten fingers, rub your forehead about ten times from top to bottom (avoid pressing too hard so as not to give yourself a headache).

• Massage your temples with your fingertips in small circles.

• Gently massage your eyebrows following their curve.

• From the root of the nose, massage over the cheekbones (exert sufficient pressure).

• With the index fingers and middle fingers, rub the wings of the nose from top to bottom about ten times.

• With all your fingers, rub your cheeks up and down about ten times.

• At the chin level, rub outwards.

• Place and spread your fingers on either side of the ears (thumb and index finger behind, the other fingers in front) and rub vigorously about ten times upwards.

• Hands flat behind your head (at the top of the neck) rub the base of the skull with horizontal movements.

• Recharge your hands.

5. Perform a Self-Massage of the Shoulders

• Raise your shoulders as high as possible while inhaling deeply.

• As you exhale, let your shoulders fall back by releasing them as much as possible.

• Repeat these movements three times.

• Tap the left trapezius with your right fist about ten times and then reverse (tap the right shoulder with your left fist).

• Grasp your left trapezius with your right hand (heel of the hand in front, just above the collarbone, and fingers behind) and gently knead the muscle about ten times and then reverse (left hand on the right trapezius).

• Then make large circles with your shoulders, arms crossed on your chest.

• Recharge your hands.

6. Perform a Self-Massage of the Chest

• Gently touch your chest with your fists from top to bottom.

• At the bottom, tap the sides and then the lumbar area (lower back).

• Repeat these movements ten times.

• Make a fist and massage the navel area in a circle.

• Recharge your hands.

7. Practice Self-Massage of the Legs

• Sit down, legs apart and slightly bent.

• With your fists closed, tap the side of your legs from your hips to your feet.

• Tap up from the ankles to the hips, this time on the inside of the lower limbs.

• Repeat these actions three times.

• Recharge your hands.

8. Self-Massage for Relaxation

• Self-massage can also be used in the evening to relax rather than in the morning to energize.

• Rub your hands to warm them up and place them in a hollow on your closed eyes.

• Leave them in place for one minute.

• Stand up and place your hand at the level of the solar plexus (a little above the navel).

• Gently massage this area for three minutes.

Note: You can massage this area with any essential oil like lavender or chamomile.

• Sitting down, massage your legs from bottom to top (from the feet to the hips).

• Repeat these actions three times.

• Knead your thighs with your hands.

• Repeat these movements three times.

• Recharge your hands.

If performing a self-massage does not seem easy to you, Bourke Street Massage can help you out. They offer a wide variety of massage services in a calm and ambient atmosphere in the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown.