1. Reduce Stress with Self-Care Massage Techniques
Present by
Bambi Mathay, LMT and Theresa Ochenkoski, LMT
The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living

2. The Importance of Self Care
What comes to mind when your hear the phrase “self care” ?
Life is stressful, need a pause
Enjoy time for simply BEING, not DOING

3. Setting the Time and Space
Put it in your calendar of To-Do-List:
To Be
Pick a space and/or “create“ one:
Closing your eyes
Taking a full breath
Taking a mental scan of your body
Thanking your body or being
►Add your own ways here:
Picking a space and/or creating one allows us to get centered and be more present with this special time with ourse.ve

4. Terms
Receiving arm/hand/foot: the side/part that is stationary, receiving technique.
Giving arm/hand/foot: the side/part that is moving or doing the technique.
Pause/hold: Staying in this space, position for up to a minute.

5. Techniques
From Head to Toe

6. Head Hold
Place your hands on the top of your head so the tips of your fingers touch and line up midline on your head
Breathe in and release breath genlty
Minute Pause/hold: Stay here for about a minute if you are able to tolerate this position
Breathing will readjust your shoulders almost instantly, moving it down and adjusting your arms into a more comfortable although suspended position

7. Scalp Stretch and Circles
Start anywhere in your head and put both hands in that area.
Use one hand for support, while the giving hand moves away in a dragging or stretching motion.
Add some circles into the drag and stretch motion.
Alternate the supporting and giving hand or try both hands as giving hands.
Work the entire head, don’t forget the area around your ears.
End with Head Hold
I like starting at the back of my head
You can also try both hands as giving hands.

8. Ear Hug and Gentle Tug
Hold the top of your ears with your thumb and pointer finger.
Do gentle compressions or squeezes from the top of your ear moving down to the ear lobe
Provide a gentle tug down when you get to your ear lobe

9. Face
Touch the ridge of your eyebrow close to your nose and apply some pressure in the area.
Breathe in and release breath
Minute pause/hold
Move both of your hands away from the brow while making circles with your finger pads.
Work your entire face using the same strokes.
Cup your hands and place over your eyes and face
Breath in and release breath gently
Always adjust pressure to your comfort level

10. Shoulder Cross and Circles
Start with your arms crossed and the tips of your fingers sitting on the top of your shoulders
Breathe in and release breath
Minute pause/hold
Allow one arm to drop to your side
Start drawing circles at the top of your shoulder with the finger pads of the giving hand
Circle in towards your neck , then the opposite way out towards your shoulder
Switch

11. Heart Hold Put both hands somewhere in the middle of your chest
Breathe in and release breath gently
Pause/hold

12. Arm Slide/Glide/Sweeps
Place one arm on your side (receiving arm).
Place the giving hand on the top of the upper area of the receiving arm.
Glide your giving hand all the way down the receiving arm and hand.
Rotate arm for access to other side of arm
Glide your giving hand all the way down the receiving arm and hand on this side
Switch giving and receiving arms/hands.

13. Palm Compressions
Support one hand palm up with the other hand’s fingers and wrap thumb around palm of receiving hand.
Perform gentle compressions on the palm of the receiving hand with the thumb of the giving hand.
Move from wrist to the base of the fingers.
Switch hands.

14. Hand: Finger Hugs with Gentle drag
Gently squeeze fingers of the receiving hand with the pads of your fingers and thumb of the giving hand.
When you reach the base of the finger of the receiving hand, drag back gently all the way to the tip of the finger and release
End by gently squeezing the “web” of the receiving hand with the thumb and pointer finger of the giving hand
Switch hands
The Web-is known in acupressure circles as an anti-anxiety point

15. Stomach Holds Locate area of belly button and place hands on this area
Breathe in and release breath gently
Pause/hold

16. Thigh and/or Leg Glides,Slides,Sweeps
Start with both hands at the top of each thigh
Glide your hands with a sweeping motion towards your knees.
If you are able to bend forward, continues the sweep down towards your ankles and feet.
Repeat

17. Knee Holds Place right hand on top of right knee
Place left hand on top of left knee
Breathe in and release breath
Pause/hold

18. Sole compressions
Sit in cross legged position and bring ankle of the receiving foot to top of the opposite knee.
Use one hand to support the back of the foot and using the thumb of the other hand, perform gentle compressions on the sole of the foot, starting from heel to the toes.
End with thumb/thumbs in the middle of the foot.
Breathe
Pause/Hold
Option for compressions is to use both thumbs to perform compression.

19. Touch Your Sole Find a comfortable way to sit *
Begin by placing your Left Foot on your Right knee
Either bare foot or with sock on, turn your foot so the bottom is facing up. Hold the top of our foot with your Left hand, while using your Right hand to do the following for the sole of your foot :
Using your Right thumb, beginning at the Big Toe, gently press your thumb in a line towards your heel(depending on the size of your foot this should be about presses)
Repeat with the second toe, third toe, 4th toe and pinkie toe.
Using the palm of your hand “brush” the sole of your foot slowly from toes to heel 3 times.
Repeat sequence on Right Foot
Sitting can be in a chair of on the floor with legs crossed (Indian or Taylor style sitting)
There is an alternative way to do this by either standing, or sitting with feet on floor.
Rock your foot by putting pressure on toes, rolling to balls of feet, along outside of foot to heel. Repeat this 5 times.

20. Heart and Stomach Hold
Put one hand on the area of the heart (mid chest)
Put one hand on the area of the stomach/belly button
Breathe in and release breath gently
Pause/hold
Allow your being to enjoy this gift of time before transitioning before getting up from this space.
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