now

Massage

In this block you practice giving your complete upper-body and head a pleasant massage:

Open with Bamboo
1. Warming up
2. Self-massage
3. Eyes massage
4. Mouth massage
5. Massage Break
6. Facial Massage
Closing, and bow for the now

A good massage meets one of the most fundamental needs: being touched warm, respectful and loving. In an ambiance of respect and acceptation (for and of yourself) there is space to relax, and feel what is.

Buddha:
"The body is precious.
It’s our vehicle for awakening.
Treat it with care.“

Tips:

• Vary pressure and pace, play
• Relax your hands and keep contact
• Take care of the finishing
• Massage from your heart
• Excess damages, don't do to much
• The basic pace is slow and full
• Relax and enjoy
• Be curious about what you meet
• Follow your intuition
• Wash your hands in streaming water
• Regularly brush off stress & negative energy
• And drink water!

Idioms:
Arm in arm, with open arms, a helping hand, in good hands, in safe hands, put your hand on your heart, your finger on the pulse, laugh one's head off, let your heart rule your head.

The Massage poster: download

How to massage

• Sit/stand comfortably, enjoy, relax, empty yourself
• Massage yourself with love, from your heart
• Notice your breathing, don’t try to change it
• The basic pace is slow, with full contact
• Vary pressure and pace
• Relax your hands
• Follow your intuition
• Don’t do anything that doesn’t feel comfortable
• Do more by doing less
• Dare using more pressure

Bamboo

Close your eyes (if comfortable for you), focus on abdominal (belly) breathing, stand or sit relaxed, feet grounded, be like bamboo, go to the silence within, crown of your head to the heavens, tailbone to the earth, straighten your spine, relax your face and jaws, soft, hands on Dantian.

3

min

3

min

1. Warming up

Hug yourself and breathe into your back.
Hug yourself from the back and breathe into your belly.
Lock your hands (interwoven fingers) behind your head. Push hands and head against each other while your head remains motionless, while breathing into and out of your belly in a very relaxed way.

3

min

2. Self-massage

Give your hands, arms, shoulders, chest, neck, face and head a mindful massage!

• Think soft: hands, fingers and fists. Build up and give pressure while breathing out
• 'Wash' your hands and rub them warm, same with the wrists. Shake hands and shake off
• Hold fingers one by one, feel into, softly squeeze empty or rub
• Soft, praying hand percussion, freehand, of chest, ribs and belly
• Strokes on forehead with flat hands
• Comb the skull and hair from front to back, while holding fingers like spider legs
• Use acupressure on the upper eye socket rim with your thumbs, and with claw fingers on the lower
• Take yourself by the nose
• Strokes with your thumbs on upperlip and lowerlip. Make snorting horse sound
• Slide along jawline while holding hands like duckbill
• Percussion on the cheeks using stretched fingers
• Acupressure on the earlobes and edges of the ears
• Fist percussion on shoulders and neck, and between shoulder blades
• Fist percussion of the outside of the arms, from the hand upward, than inside downward back to palm of the hand
• Brush and shake off negative energy (wash your hands afterwards)
• Give yourself a pat on the shoulder!

12

min

3. Eyes massage

Look up as far as possible without moving your head. Don't force and keep breathing! Look down, to the left and right. Repeat one time. Look far behind you (without moving your head ...), and far away in front of you.
Finish with palming (rub the palms of your hands along each other, and than cover up your closed eyes with the palms of your hands).

2

min

4. Mouth massage

Releasing tension of the cheeks, mouth, lips and jaws.
Count exaggerated to ten in Italian, with or without sound (make the movements):
zero, uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci.
Listen to it in Italian:

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1

min

6. Facial Massage

Feel and relax your face now and then when working with your computer or when working concentrated.
Make the mouth movements belonging to the sounds: while breathing in AAA, while breathing out OOO and UUU, while breathing in EEE, IIII, with or without sound ...

2

min

Closing

Be like bamboo, and observe: let go of sensations, thoughts, feelings and emotions, be in the now.

Bring together Yin (your open left hand) en Yang (the fist of your right hand), and bow for the now.

Give yourself a big compliment!

And keep practicing. Small changes make the difference!
Regularly, during day-to-day life and business!