An important aspect of self-love is connecting with your own body. We all love to pamper ourselves with a relaxing massage at a spa, but did you know you can effectively use self-massage as a relaxation and self-care technique?
We gained some valuable insight from T’ai Jamar Hanna, massage therapist and professor of massage therapy, on the benefits of incorporating daily self-massage into your self-care routine. T’ai is passionate about guiding people in their own efforts to relax, rejuvenate, and reset, utilizing healing touch techniques.
So, it’s time to turn your bodycare into a ceremony and #TakeAMoment. Light your favorite candle to set the mood, and take some time to be in touch with your body with an at-home spa experience.
The Benefits of Daily Self-Massage
The act of slowing down and massaging in your favorite Velvet Luxe Hand and Body Créme will feel like a reverent act of self-love: a ritual of intentional touch. Self-massage is more than applying a product—it’s an opportunity for reflection. The feeling of your own skin can bring you into the moment and direct you to look inward.
By making self-care and self-love a ritual, it will ignite and empower you; it’s an opportunity to smooth out the edges, decrease stress, and enhance your wellbeing. Creating habits around self-care gives your body a tangible memory and creates a familiar landscape in your mind. Ultimately, you’ll get to know yourself better!
Tips on How to Self-Massage
Set yourself up for an experience to elevate your mood and energy with intentional touch. Get in tune with your senses! Here are some tips on how to perform your everyday self-massage:
1. Take a generous amount of Velvet Luxe into your palm and rub your hands together to create friction and warmth.
2. Apply the créme to your chest with long, smooth strokes, and move your hands up toward your heart.
3. Follow the lines of your arms all the way to your shoulders and to your upper back, feeling your body’s shape and perfect design.
4. Listen to your fingers. Squeeze the top of your shoulders and rotate backwards. Then release the squeeze. Use your own fingertips to knead away the tension you feel.
5. Apply more créme to your chest, sweeping away from the heart, in between the ribs, and up toward the armpits.
Another tip: if you instinctually tense up, try to laugh or sigh. Relax your mouth. Smile. Notice your breath.
Ease Leg Pain with Self-Massage
If you feel tension in your legs, here’s another favorite technique to release some of that muscle tension:
1. Bend your knee and place your foot on the bathtub edge (or any ledge you can find)
2. Gently glide the Velvet Luxe onto your thighs and use your own forearm to lean into your leg.
3. Allow your arm’s movement to create a deep, long massaging stroke: you’ll feel the muscle soften under your pressure.
4. Work on both sides: balance and harmony are key.
When you “apply” lotion to your body, make it more than an application. Make it a self-discovery. Where do you notice tension? Be thorough with your touch, and there’s no need to rush.
Get Started on Your Self-Massage Regimen
Giving yourself a daily massage can provide muscle relief, evoke calmness, and reduce stress. Pay attention to how you feel after your massage: do you feel lighter or more at ease? Listen to your body’s signals, and don’t forget to breathe! Follow T’ai’s self-massage tips to reach daily relaxation and treat your body to luxury right at home.
T’ai Jamar Hanna, MS, LMT is the Spa Manager at Ojo Santa Spa and Resort, and the founder of Integral Healing Arts. When she’s not recruiting, training, and leading, you can find her hiding with her dog in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.
