When it feels like the demands of life are pulling at you,
This gentle self-massage can help you heal and uplift.
It will smooth away any tension and reconnect you with your higher,
More present self.
This practice is best unseated,
So find a comfortable position on a chair or cross-legged.
Close your eyes.
First,
Center yourself within your body.
Take a long inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
Again,
Inhale the cool air in through your nostrils and exhale,
Feeling its warmth,
Making them tingle.
Now,
Let your breath settle into its own natural rhythm.
Rub your hands together to warm them.
Now,
Bring your fingertips to the base of your skull and start making small,
Circular movements,
Massaging into the muscles that steady your head.
Apply gentle upward pressure and feel yourself sitting taller,
Clearer,
More peaceful.
Now,
Shift your fingers to the scalp behind your ears.
Make circular movements,
Pulling upwards to open the space around your head,
Bringing a sense of wholeness and clarity.
Drop your hands for a moment,
Letting the blood return to your fingertips.
Notice how alive and awake the base of your skull feels now,
How it's tingling.
So now,
Lift your hands to the top of your scalp.
If you have hair,
Dig in your fingertips to lift it.
Massage in little semicircles,
Pushing upwards to lift your scalp and elevate your energy.
Rest your arms again and feel the vitality at the top of your head.
Now,
Bring your hands to your face.
Begin at your jaw,
Massaging deeply at its base in circular motions,
Gently pulling upwards.
Move on to your cheekbones,
Massaging round and round,
Drawing yourself upwards,
Feeling the energy expand.
And move to your temples.
Gently massage in the dimples at the edge of your eyes,
Feeling how this soothes and relaxes your eye muscles.
Now,
Move your fingertips to the bridge of your nose.
Make long,
Smooth strokes,
Pushing all the way up your forehead.
Feel the tension stored there,
Being pulled up and away,
Out of your head,
Leaving your mind clear.
Now,
Make circular movements with your fingertips on your scalp,
Just above your forehead,
Pulling away any remaining tension there.
Let your hands drop to your lap.
Feel how your whole face and scalp are alive,
Awake,
And energized.
You are tall,
Strong,
Fully yourself,
And ready to enter the world as a whole presents you.
Open your eyes and step into the world,
Awake,
Alive,
And radiant.
