massage and qigong sheet 3

Massage the neck and head

Grasp-pinch (squeeze the neck)

  1. Squeeze the neck between the heel of your hand and the pads of your fingers
  2. Work down the neck then onto the muscles on top of the shoulder (acupoint GB 21) which can be squeezed hard EXCEPT in pregnancy
  3. Remember not to let your head drop forward
  4. Do this with each hand in turn up to 6 times
  5. Finish by brushing hand down opposite side of neck and off shoulder several times to disperse stale qi

‘Washing’ the face

  1. With warmed hands, cup over the eyes and absorb the heat into face, letting any tension go, as you exhale let energy flow down into the Lower Dantian. Repeat for 3 breaths
  2. Again with warmed hands, cup over the corner of the jaw and let any tension go. Repeat for 3 breaths
  3. Then wash the face with an upward and outward movement for 9 breaths
  4. Shake the hands vigorously now and at any point you wish before going on

Ten dragons running through the forest

Guide all ten fingers through the hair from the front hairline over the top of the head and down the neck. Repeat 9 times.

Grasping the scalp with the ten fingers

  1. Press into the scalp with the finger tips and release, repeat working back through the hair from the front hairline
  2. Repeat 3 times, loosely, lightly and randomly
  3. Repeat 3 times, working from the front to the back, pressing hard
  4. Repeat the same action but moving the fingers so the skin on the scalp moves

Sound the heavenly drum

Cover the ears with your palms and place your middle fingers on the edge of the occiput

Put first fingers over middle fingers (other fingers are raised off head)

Snap first fingers down to hit your head

Do up to 24 times with a steady even beat

Massaging the nose

  1. Using the tips of your middle or index fingers, locate the point Large Intestine (LI) 20 which is a depression just to the side of the nostrils. Press for a count of 10 and then massage.
  2. Slide the fingers up the side of the nose into another depression just under the bone. Press and massage.
  3. Slide firmly up through the inner end of the eyebrows and up to just inside the hairline
  4. Repeat 3 times, more if you have sinus problems

Massaging the eyes

  1. Start gently, work up to a firmer but still comfortable pressure
  2. Smooth across the eyebrows using the middle finger, repeat 3 times
  3. Pinch the eyebrows from the outside edge to the inside, repeat 3 times
  4. Use the middle finger to press round the inside of the eye socket. Slide round slowly and carefully. Repeat 9 times.

Massaging the gums

Simply use the fingertips to tap all round the mouth

How to find out more

The instructions on massage given here are not intended to be comprehensive. They are to support the work that Sue has delivered to classes. If you are interested in qigong and massage, perhaps to support acupuncture or tuina treatment, please contact Sue.

USING QIGONG SENSIBLY

Sue Dunham cannot take responsibility for your fitness to do these exercises. Chinese therapies are not a substitute for regular medical care. It is the responsibility of the individual to seek advice and consent from their medical practitioner if they have any concerns.