Welcome back.
I will now guide you through a sleep well ear massage practice that stimulates the auricle branch of your vagus nerve.
Start by locating your An Nian,
Restful sleep acupressure point.
In Chinese medicine,
When you're unable to sleep,
It's considered that your spirit is not housed properly.
And this acupuncture point,
An Nian,
Can help to settle it by calming your spirit.
To find this point,
Locate the spot immediately behind the lowest part of your ear near your earlobe.
There is a small rounded bit of bone which points downwards that is called the mastoid process.
Place your finger on the protruding part of the bone.
Let it slip backwards slightly and it will enter into a depression.
From there,
Slide your finger diagonally up and back about one centimetres towards the base of your skull and you'll find the point An Nian,
Peaceful sleep.
Now that you've located this point,
We'll gently apply pressure on this point as you breathe in for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Gently release for 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Let's repeat this process 4 more times.
Applying pressure as you breathe in for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Release for 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Press.
Inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Release.
Exhale for 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Press.
Inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Release.
Exhale for 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Press.
Inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale.
Release.
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Gently circle and massage your An Nian,
Restful sleep acupressure points.
From here,
We'll now transition to some ear massage.
Move your index finger and your thumb behind the back of your ear so that your ear is between your index and middle fingers,
With your ring finger and little finger and your palms resting on your cheeks.
If you wish,
Your thumb can gently touch the side of your neck.
Move the skin in the front and the back of your ear in a circular motion this way,
For at least 5 times in a clockwise direction,
And then 5 times in the counterclockwise direction.
Once you're complete,
Gently lift up the skin of your face and ear,
As you move your hands to support the ear slightly upwards,
And hold for about 5 seconds.
Gently release,
And now with your thumb on the back of your earlobe,
And the index finger on the front of your earlobe,
Gently massage the outer rim of your earlobes from the top to the bottom of your ear 5 times.
Please take your time as you're massaging your earlobes.
Take as long as you wish.
When you feel ready,
Then slowly we'll prepare to stretch your ears slightly.
Using your thumb and index fingers,
Gently pull the top of your ear diagonally upwards,
And hold for 5 seconds.
Now gently pull the middle of your ear outwards for 5 seconds.
And now gently pull your earlobe diagonally downwards for 5 seconds.
Gently release your fingers from your ears.
We'll prepare to place your index fingers in your ears.
Gently place your index fingers in your ears,
Staying outside of the ear canal.
With your index fingers inside your ears,
Gently turn your fingers slowly inside your ears for 5 times.
Now gently release.
And to conclude this practice,
Rub your hands gently against each other to warm your hands.
And when your hands feel warm enough,
Cover them over your ears,
And hold this position for the next 20 seconds.
You are welcome to stay here longer if this feels good for you.
If you feel ready to release,
Gently release your hands.
We'll take a big breath in,
And a long breath out.
Another deep breath in,
And a long breath out.
One last time,
A deep breath in,
And a long breath.
Thank you for joining me for this restful ear massage and acupressure to beat insomnia and prepare for a good night's rest.
I hope you enjoyed this practice.
