A self-massage will help to reduce muscle tension in many ways, including increasing blood now to your muscles. Some research shows that a regular massage may also boost your immunity by stimulating the production of white blood cells and also make you more productive at work by reducing stress.

Here are 9 type of massages techniques that you can do by yourself 🙂

1. GIVE YOURSELF A BEAR-HUG

This is not as sad as it seems as the aim here is to dissipate shoulder tension.

Cross your arms over your chest and grab a shoulder with either hand. Squeeze each shoulder and release three times.

Then move your hands down your arms, squeezing and releasing until you get to your wrists.

2. RELIEVE A HEADACHE

When you have a headache, stand up, bend forward from the hips and place your forehead on a padded chair.

The chair will put gentle pressure on your head as you relax in the bend.

Hold for 30 seconds. When you rise, sit down and spread your fingers through your hair, making a fist.

Gently pull the hair away from your head, holding for two or three seconds, then release.

This stretches the fascia, the fibrous tissue, along your scalp, releasing tension.

Continue to grab different clumps of hair all over your head, working from the top front of your head, progressing to the sides, and then to the back.

3. MASSAGE YOUR HANDS

Do this whenever you put on hand lotion – so convenient, right?

Start with the bottom of your palms by clasping your fingers and rubbing the heels of your palms together in a circular motion.

Then, with your hands still clasped, take one thumb and massagethe area just below your other thumb in circular motions, moving outwards to the centre of the palm.

Repeat with the other hand. Then release your fingers and use your thumbs and index fingers to knead your palms, wrists and the webbing between your fingers.

With one hand, gently pull each finger of the other hand.

Finish by using your thumb and index finger to pinch the webbing between your other thumb and index finger.

4. GIVE YOUR ARMS A PINCH

After tennis, cycling, rock climbing and other arm-tiring sport, give your arms a pinch.

Place your right arm across your chest with your elbow bent.

Reach across your chest with your left arm and pinch your right arm triceps, near the shoulder, with the thumb and index finger of your
left hand.

Hold for a few seconds, release, then pinch again an inch lower on the arm. Continue pinching and releasing until you have made your way to your elbow.

Then pinch your right arm’s biceps near your armpit and work your way down to the elbow. Change arms.

This manoeuvre will release tension in your muscles and help to improve blood flow.

5. THUMP OUT THE SORES

Hammer out those ‘kinks’ every morning and evening. First, using your fists, gently thump the outside of your body, starting with your legs and arms, working from top to bottom. Then move inwards to your torso and thump from bottom to top.

Pummelling your muscles and bones will help to strengthen your body, stimulate blood circulation and relax nerve endings.

Done in thc morning, this self-massage technique will waken and prepare your body and mind for the day ahead!

If done before bed, it calms down the mind and beats out the stress and tension of the day.

6. RUB YOUR STOMACH AFTER EVERY MEAL

We bet most of us do this instinctively especially after overeating 😉 .

Place one or both palms on your abdomen and rub it in clockwise circles. Note that this is the same direction that food normally moves through your intestine and so such circular massage will help to stimulate digestion.

7. RUB YOURSELF DOWN BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE

Massaging your body before cardiovascular or strength training increases blood flow to the muscles. Massaging your muscles after exercise may help to encourage waste removal and speed muscle recovery.

Before exercise, use a pummelling motion with your fists to bring blood flow to your leg and arm muscles.

After exercise, rub along your muscles with palm or fist, moving in the direction of your heart.

8. Give your eyes some heat

When your eyes feel tired from staring at your computer screen all day long, give them some ‘heat’.

Rub your hands together vigorously until you feel the skin on your palms begin to warm up.

Then cup one hand over each eye, feeling the heat from your hands relax your eyes.

9. GIVE YOUR FEET A BREAK

If your feet are sore after a long day of standing, take off your shoes and socks, wash your feet and give rhem a rub-down.

Sitting on a comfortable couch or chair, thread the fingers of one hand through the toes of one foot, spreading out your toes and placing the palm of your hand against the bottom of your foot.

Use your palm to rotate the joints of your forefoot forward and back gently for one minute.

Then remove your fingers from your toes, hold your ankle wilh one hand, and gently rotate the entire foot with the other hand, starting with small circles and progressing to larger circles as your ankle warms up.

Change directions, then repeat with the other foot.