Do-In
Japanese inspired self-message
Do you ever wish you could have a massage whenever you want? Well you can! Learn to become your own therapist! I have just posted a 15 minute practice for the whole body on my YouTube channel.
You can take longer over each part of the body, and you could also just decide to do one part of the body. It's suitable for everyone at any time of day. I give different options of strokes from gentle stroking, to more vigorous tapping as well as the static holds characteristic of shiatsu. Tune into what you need and become your own massage therapist!
There is so much we can give to ourselves to support our body. I love doing this practice. Sometimes I do the whole one, perhaps going more quickly, perhaps more slowly. Sometimes if my neck and shoulders are tight I take a bit more time to work over them. I often will do some stretches for my shoulders as well and it is great to be able to combine massage and stretching. If we can tune into to what feels right each time we do it, because the needs of our body changes, according to the time of day, the time of year and also what is happening in our life.
It can be good to do this, even if you are pregnant. In the first trimester I probably wouldn’t do tapping around the abdomen and lower back, but gentle stroking can feel wonderful. But tune in, and do what feels right for you. We are all different.
I show the direction of the tapping based on the Yin and Yang flows of energy of the 12 meridians in the body. The "anatomical "position for the ancients was with the arms extended up to the sky or heaven. Yin meridians start in the feet and rise up through the body towards the head. In the arms they start from the armpit out to the hand. The Yang meridians start at the head and move down to the feet. In the arms they start at the hand and go to the elbow. Yang energy is space and connected more to the sky. Yin energy is more solid and connected to the earth. I begin this practice in the abdomen because this is the centre between heaven and earth, between Yin and Yang.
I hope enjoy it. In the comments below, do let me know of any other self massage practices you would like to learn or if you need more explanations of any of the points.
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