Body Massage is one of the oldest ways to detoxify your body. It has been recommended in Ayurveda as one of the best ways to keep your body and skin soft and radiant. It is touted that one should make body massage a daily habit. It helps relieve stress, muscle pains, improves blood circulation, nourishes skin, lose weight and detoxifies your body. A daily massage also helps your body become immune to muscle spasms and sprains and all other kinds of injuries. A warm oil body massage is even better. It helps prevent wrinkles and fine lines and blemishes, not only on your face but also on your body, and helps you take years off your body. It helps make your skin more elastic, firm and flexible preventing any aging signs for a longer time. Oh, the best benefit of daily body massage is that it helps you sleep and also helps get rid of insomnia.
We might want to indulge in spa massage luxuries as frequently as possible but the main hitch comes as lack of time and money. So, the simplest way is to include a 5 minute daily massage into your daily routine. Of course, the relaxation and soothing effect of a masseuse would be missing but at least you can gain a little benefit than nothing at all. And, you can always ask your spouse or friends to help with it. Making kids walk all over your back is another great way of providing acupressure relief.. Just make sure your kid is below 5 and you can handle the weight otherwise you might end up breaking your back. I have been trying to make the body massage a daily routine for a week and would say that I have found many differences in my body in a week only. My skin has become more radiant, luxuriant and soft. And, it does not get dry skin bouts which I used to get from time to time. The fine lines under my eyes and on my neck have started diminishing. And, I have also done a little experiment by leaving the massage after a week. And, I have also noticed the effects of leaving the daily body massage. The skin is not so soft and smooth and luxuriant and of course, the fine lines and other aging signs are not any more vanishing. So, I have decided to stick on to the daily body massage regime.In case pampering yourself with massage daily seems too much difficult due to reservations on your time, you might consider going for a professional body massage once in a month. Find out a spa which has professional and trained masseurs. Kerela massage therapists are one of the best available in India so in case you re going for vacation there, reserve a day for their massages. I have heard that it costs anywhere between 15,000 – 30,000 for one sitting. And, a sitting is for around 3-5 hours.
Now, how to massage your body?
- First dilemma I faced with massaging my body was the time of massage. I, first, thought that body massage after a long day would be the best as it would help me relax. But, soon, I realized that the skin is not clean after all the exposure to sun and dust and pollution in the day. So, I figured a shower at night and massage in the morning would be a better routine.
- Warm a bowl full of your favorite oil in the morning. Close all the windows and the doors to prevent exposure to cold wind.
- Divide your body into 6 parts: chest and stomach, back, arms, legs, feet and face and neck. Now, start massaging your body starting from legs and arms. Use long single upward strokes on your arms and legs. Work towards the middle of your body or towards your heart. Use circular motions on your chest and back. You could ask anyone else to massage your back for you because it is not easy to reach your back.
- Do not forget to massage your feet. This would relax your feet and prevent the skin to turn hard and crack in the heels.
- While massaging your face and neck, use the facial massage techniques.
- Keep massaging your body with your palms with even pressure applied from whole of your palm. I know that finger pads provide better results but you might get tired easily while doing self-massages so your might want to stick to using palms. You can spend two to five minutes on each of your body parts and you would get finished in fifteen minutes at max.
- Wait for half an hour or so before you go for a shower. You can take a sauna or lie in a bath tub full of warm water to help your body absorb oil.
- After the waiting period, you can take a shower. Just make sure you do not slip on the bathroom floor. You might want to wash your feet before entering the shower.
- Use a mild soap to wash off the oil. You need not moisturize your body afterward. Or, you can, if you wish.
A tip: Sesame Oil is the best for an oil massage. Sesame oil is the only oil which can get absorbed in the blood stream and removes the toxins from inside. You can also infuse your massage oil with herbs like lavender, jasmine, rose, sage or other herbs. Read this post to know how to infuse oils with herbs.Update: After a hot shower at night, you can devote 10-15 minutes to massage your body. Do not be generous with your oil. Instead use 5 drops of oil for each part of the body.