Part Four

The lymphatic gateways to massage

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, organs and tissues that plays a crucial role in our body's detoxification and immune function. The fluid in the lymphatic system helps remove waste, toxins and excess fluids from body tissues. Lymphatic drainage is very important for good health, clearing away metabolic waste, promoting cell transport and assisting immunity - the list goes on. Some health conditions can cause lymph fluid to build up. Lymphatic drainage massage encourages the drainage of lymph nodes and the movement of lymph fluids around the body. Remember that the lymph system relies heavily on movement to function properly. Unlike the circulatory system, which has a heart to pump blood, the lymphatic system relies on muscle contractions and movement to circulate lymph fluid. Massaging specific areas and tracing the key junctures of the vagus nerve can balance the autonomic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. Moreover, vagus nerve stimulation positively influences heart rate and digestion.

Lymphatic drainage massages are beneficial for people with lymphedema, fibromyalgia or other autoimmune disorders and especially stress-driven syndromes that cause an over production of cortisol wrecking havoc on our healthiness. Massaging specific areas, known as lymphatic gateways, can significantly help stimulate the lymphatic system and promote overall well being. Remember to always massage carefully without deep prodding, as the lymphatic vessels are delicate. It's also essential to drink plenty of water after massaging to help flush out toxins. After massaging the specific lymph locations it's helpful to then do some rebound movement; bouncing, dancing or skipping to reset the entire lymphatic system and kickstart our energy for the day. 

Massaging in the direction of the heart aligns with the body's natural processes to helps blood flow more easily through veins, which naturally carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart. This can help improve circulation and reduce blood pooling. Veins have one-way valves that prevent blood from flowing backward. Massaging against the direction of blood flow could potentially stress these valves, leading to issues like varicose veins or venous insufficiency.

Essential oils to help: Juniper, cypress, lemongrass, lemon, rosemary, blue cypress, geranium, ginger, litsea cubeba

Specific areas for lymphatic drainage

Neck

There are approximately 300 lymph nodes in the neck; located at the base of the neck, the very top of the cervical spine and down the sides of the neck. Also massage the area below the jawline to stimulate lymph nodes and vessels, promoting drainage from the head and neck.

Clavicles

Along the collarbones is an area that is crucial for draining the head, face, and brain. Focus on the area above the collarbone to stimulate lymph nodes and vessels, promoting drainage from the upper extremities and thorax. Firmly massage in a circular motion and stroking horizontally with the fingertips.

Armpits

This area is responsible for draining the breast, arms and chest. Use gentle but firm strokes with your fingertips to massage the armpits.

Chest

The chest area, specifically between the breastbone and navel helps drain the breast, arm, and chest. Massage in a circular motion with the fingertips.

Abdomen

The abdomen is responsible for draining the digestive system, liver and spleen. Massage in a clockwise circular motion with the fingertips and massage inside the belly button.

Groin

Massage the groin area to stimulate lymph nodes and vessels, promoting drainage from the lower extremities, pelvis and abdominal organs. Massage with circular movements using the fingertips.

Inner Elbows

This area helps drains the arm and breast. Gently mobilise soft tissue in the axillary region to stimulate lymphatic vessels and nodes. Massage in a circular motion with the fingertips.

Knee pits

Massage the back of the knee to stimulate lymph nodes and vessels, promoting drainage from the lower extremities.

Getting in the zone for Self Massage

After our meditation and a good soak in the ocean of Cosmic Consciousness; we emerge in our least excited state both grounded in reality and more aware of our Essential Being as our ever-present Nature. We climb out of the mind and back into the body that lives in the wakefulness of the immediate present. Now we are very ready and highly receptive for our session of self-massage and the energy that will flow through our hands will be empowered with heightened healing ability.

Spiritual Beings being human

We are all spiritual beings having a human experience and as such, the core of a human being is a soul or spirit that is the eternal and transcendent fragment of a higher Divine Source. We are essentially spiritual beings who have incarnated into physical bodies to undergo specific experiences, learn lessons and grow in consciousness. We do not forget this when we massage our body. It is the perspective that guides our hands over our form and coaxes our fingers to knowingly follow the subtle pull and charm of what feels completely right for our true Self at the very brink of where experience is unfolding. There is magic when we operate from this evolutionary level of Being along with a heightened sense of intuition. This intuitive guidance helps us navigate our body with a sense of ease and alignment and a deep, embodied awareness. It is as if an inner compass directs our actions, ensuring they are in harmony with our true Self and higher purpose.

We become more attuned to the sensations and energies within our physical and energetic bodies. Our massage enters a state of flow characterised by a sense of effortlessness and grace, where healing solutions present themselves naturally.

This awareness allows us to respond to the subtle cues and prompts from our environment and inner world, guiding us towards actions that feel inherently right. Our self-massage is imbued with a healing and transformative power. By aligning with our true Self, we can release old patterns, traumas and blockages that no longer serve us. This process of healing and transformation allows us to grow and evolve, becoming more of who we truly are.

Find, focus, feel and free

When we bury a feeling, we hold it inside and it festers, but if we develop our ability and courage to feel, we can come to recognition that our inner feeling-world is not something we have to fear and run from. The old adage of: what we resist persists is certainly true of how we hold onto pain. The experience of pain is not solely based on the physical stimulus. Psychological factors, including attention, expectation, anxiety and past experiences can significantly influence how pain is perceived and experienced. Pain is a subjective experience that is constructed in the mind through the interaction of sensory, emotional and cognitive processes. Pain has a repeating mental story running on autopilot that can limit our capacity to feel at all in our attempt to get away from it, thinking that will protect us. This is why it is so important to calm and still the mind with meditation practices, so that we can hear what the intelligence of the body is communicating with us.

Whether the pain is physical or emotional, we long for a release and compassionate self-massage is something we can do for ourselves, however seemingly insignificant, to bit-by-bit, address the pain and gradually liberate ourselves from it.

We massage our body with curiosity 

We find the epicentre of the painful place in our body and we focus our attention steadily on it, immersing into the myriad sensations that make up this unpleasant experience from which we want to escape. We surrender into the intensity, feeling every nuance, noticing the density and the rigidity. We allow the breath to flow its life giving energy into the region, breaking up the solidity, creating spaciousness and movement there, so that the pain can shift of its own accord, as it is want to do. In this way, we can watch how pain is not permanent, how it will change and eventually pass.

A free body is a relaxed body, with an open mind. Self-massage offers us a way to get to know ourselves as a complex, integration of body, mind and soul. The human body has its own homeostasis whereby it is can sustainably recalibrate from its own resources, allowing itself to heal and realign without any conscious act on our mind’s part. When we entrain all our attention, movements and breath with the natural, rhythmical ebbing and flowing of life current, we can discover this sweet still point amidst the stirrings of homeostatic self-regeneration.

Using the Chakras as a guide

Unlike all other life forms, we human beings are created with the unique endowment of spiritual centres of life and consciousness in the spine and brain that give us the ability to express fully the Divine Consciousness and powers of the soul. The human is composed of a network of energy channels and vortexes, which can tell us much about human nature and how we may have strayed from alignment with our True Self. The energetic body is made up of five increasingly subtle layers that interact with both the physical body and the soul or spiritual essence. These five sheaths of Being or Kosha, are: the physical sheath, the energy sheath, the mental sheath, the wisdom sheath and the innermost Bliss sheath. Within the energy sheath are the seven main Chakras; centres of energy that play a vital role in our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Each chakra serves a specific spiritual purpose, contributing to our ongoing spiritual growth. Massaging the body in an intentionally healing way, with regard to the chakras can be a powerful way to promote holistic health and balance. We visualise the specific chakra energy centres opening and the energy flowing freely through the body during the massage. We can augment this practice with using appropriate essential oils that align with each chakra.

1. Massage the Root Chakra (Muladhara) focussing on the lower back, hips, thighs and feet to enhance grounding, stability and a sense of security.

2. Massage the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) focussing on the lower abdomen, hips, and lower back to stimulate creativity, emotional balance and sensuality.

3. Massage the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) focussing on the upper abdomen and lower ribcage to boosts confidence, personal power and digestion.

4. Massage the Heart Chakra (Anahata) focussing on the chest, upper back, and shoulders to promote love, compassion, and emotional healing.

5. Massage the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) focussing on the neck, throat, and shoulders to enhance communication, self-expression and truth.

6.   Massage the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) focussing on the forehead, temples, and brow area to stimulate intuition, insight and inner wisdom.

7. Massage the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) focussing on the scalp and top of the head to promote spiritual connection, enlightenment, and unity.

Last contemplation on Self Massage

We can outsource our healing when necessary; however it feels so reassuring and empowering when we can rely on our self for the most efficacious and transformative healing experiences. Only we can mine the deepest levels of our Being to reveal where and how our body holds onto pain and tension and hides its old wounds. Our inner knowing, that is a reflection of our current state of consciousness, can perceive exactly what is relevant and how to proceed with our massage. It feels very good when we become our own healer, we can develop our skills to become capable of penetrating our pain so thoroughly that illness and health lose their distinction, allowing us just to live our lives with ease, more relaxed and powerful.

Relevant Tinderbox Products: Juniper Body Rub, Carrier Blend, Relaxation Massage Oil, Fire and Ice, Chakra Perfumes