How to do Indian Head Massage

Shirodhara is a type of Indian Head Massage, part of many other different types of massage that are utilized by Ayurvedic practitioners. Shirodhara is a therapy where warm oils are poured from a special vessel onto the patient's forehead. This creates a deep state of relaxation and promotes the health of skin on face and skull. This procedure is followed by a gentle Head Massage that completes the procedure.

Champi is an Indian tradition of head massage commonly found in the barbershops of India, where a man would go for a morning shave and a head massage and is very common with a haircut.

From birth to adulthood, family members share the tradition of massaging each other. Mothers and grandmothers have always practiced scalp massage, helping daughters to keep a healthy hair and scalp and this has become a part of the family life and it transmits from generation to generation.

The western world knows Champi as Champissage, a massage practice adapted to the modern life and culture by Narendra Mehta.
Indian Head Massage was brought in Tibet by the Indian Gurus which passed the science to Tibetan Monks.

The Tibetan Head Massage although has the same roots has evolved different and is now a more gentle technique and involves a lot of accupressure.

All Head Massage techniques are based generally on prevention, working with the individual's particular problem before it appears, but they also can work as treatment.

Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic practice where warmed oil flows over the brow chakra, creating a meditative state and balancing the endocrine system.

Head Massage is an exceptional treatment for the following conditions: Insomnia, Stress, Anxiety, Restlessness, Dizziness, Unbalanced Emotions, Depression, Muscle Cramps and Stiffness, Backache and Migraines.
It is also reported to have helped for conditions such as: lazy liver, stomach-aches, and other. In conjunction with the use of massage oils is an excellent tool to treat skin and hair problems. Head-Massage is an exceptional preventative system against stress and a lot of the modern's world ailments. It improves the brain's activity and improves the body's awareness of imbalances.

Head Massage works on the subtle energy (prana), by balancing chakras, nadi (energy channels) and the marma points (marma are the junctions of nadi). The practitioner uses special techniques and pressopuncture points to balance chakras and to improve energy flow through Nadi.

Before you start
Make sure your hands are warm before starting your massage, wash your hands with warm water and apply hand cream or massage oil. Rub your hands together very quickly, this warms up your hands and builds up energy in your palms.
Try to empty your mind from all the problems and stress. Now you are ready to start.

Neck stretching
Place one hand on the left shoulder close to neck and start with a side stretching to right. The stretching has to be very gentle and done in a slow motion and within the comfort limits. Do this a few times each side. Move one hand on the neck and continue with forward stretching in the same slow motion. Continue the stretching with alternative rotations; one clockwise the next one counterclockwise. For the rotations the move should be even slower. If your subject gets dizzy stop the procedure.
Neck stretching activates the adjacent glands and lymph nodes.

Shoulder squeezing
Place your hands on both of your subject's shoulders near the neck and gently squeeze the muscles between your palm and your fingers. Do not use your thumbs for this. Ideally you should do this directly on the skin. Avoid rubbing the skin if you are not using oil, the skin should move along with your palms.
This technique is an excellent remedy for stress and tension.

Neck squeezing
Place your hand on the neck and gently squeeze it. Do not grasp between your thumb and your palm, you rather use only the palm to apply the squeeze. You can use any for the hands.
This stroke improves the blood circulation and eliminates accumulated stress.

Eyebrows friction
Starting from between the eyebrows, rub with both of your middle fingers along the eyebrows to the temporal bone. When you reach the temporal bone search for a small cavity and do a small circle fingertip friction with your thumbs.
This is an excellent instrument against headaches and fatigue.

Ear Massage
Pull the ear backward with light force. Squeeze the ear between thumb and index applying a light pressure. Pull the earlobe downward with light force and release. This stimulates all the energetic points on the ear. This is very similar to auriculo-therapy. Friction behind ears. Place the thumbs on the bone behind your ears. Applying a moderate pressure, (strong effleurage), move your thumbs downwards to the neck until you meet the shoulders. This feels great and helps the release of endorphins. Ideally you use some lubricant with this move.
Ear massage will help reduce the stress, improve digestion, improve body temperature adjustment.

Healing Touch
Healing touch, (also called Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch), is a technique that involves very light touch or no touch at all. It works our vital energy which flows through the human body.
Pass your fingers gently through your subject's hair against the direction of hair growth. When you reach the head's crown you should rest for a second or two.
Place the thumb and the index of one hand between eyebrows on each side of the nose. The other hand is placed on the back of the head. Start to massage in a circular motion with light pressure. Massage for one minute or two. You can only place your fingers at a close distance, (about a half of inch), without doing any movement.

Headache and anti-fatigue relief
Place your index fingertip on the temple near the forehead just above the ends of the eyebrows. Make small circular fingertip frictions applying little pressure. The first couple of times you massage this could cause you nausea but only if you have digestion problems or if you are tired. This is only temporary and after the third session you shouldn't have any more problems.

Headache and toothache relief
Place your thumbs on the jaw articulation. There should be a small hole in the bone configuration. Describe small circles with your index fingers. The affected side should hurt, an increase in pain is many times expected. Massage this with a pressure that keeps the pain at a comfortable level. Don't overdo it. In time both the tooth ache and the pain in the massaged area will decrease.
Descend on the jaw towards the chin about a third. There should be another painful spot. Massage this spot, on both of the sides, by frictioning in the direction of the jaw articulation.
Grab the clavicle between your index and thumb fingers. Pressing with moderate pressure glide both fingers along the whole clavicle. You should find painful spots along the clavicle.

Visit Step by Step How to Massage for more information on the different techniques presented or Learn How to give your self a Head Massage.

Marma, Nadi, Prana or Energy Healing
Indian head massage is based on the assumption that the human body has energetic centers called Marma. Marma are sensitive points that are serving as gates between physical and spiritual levels, (it is something similar to Chinese presso-puncture points). In other words we can manipulate our energetic body through these physical points. With any of the regular massage techniques you will obtain a marma activation, but this is only as a secondary benefit.
Marma can be activated not only by massage or touch, they can be activated by manipulating the aura, (the energetic body that surrounds us). In normal circumstances, (healthy state), marma points are very responsive to external stimulus of any kind. For example you could point your finger, or your palm to a marma and you will activate it. This is the basis of the healing touch technique.

Simple techniques to activate Marma
Your subject should be sitting on a chair very comfortable. Place your hands on each side of his neck close to clavicle but do not touch the neck. Your palms should look like they are holding a ball. The tricky part follows - slightly move your hands in a motion at about 1 move per second. Try to feel the connection between your hands and your subject. This activates the liver and digestive system and boosts the immunity.
Do the same exercise putting one hand on top of the head where the hair forms a swirl. The other hand will rest on the subject's back near the stomach area. Alternatively this other hand can rest on the neck.
You can do a very light effleurage on the front of the head with your fingertips. Start form the center of the front and go all to the sides.

Breathing is the key for mastering Head Massage
In order to perform a good energy healing we need to master the Energy Breathing.
What is Energy Breathing? Energy Breathing is not too much different from the regular respiration. It's mostly a quality change. When you breathe energy you fill all your Nadis (energy channels) with Prana. You pass then this energy to your subject through a mental process.
The energy breathing is more of a mental exercise than actual breathing. We actually use the inspiration and expiration processes just as mental support to facilitate the process. When you are breathing energy you have to choose a Chakra or a marma and imagine that you are breathing through that Chakra.

Besides the classic massage techniques, Indian head massage techniques include specific massage movements such as:

• Champi - a form of percussion with the hands held together as in a prayer, fingers spread.


• Tabla - a nerve stroking movement where the fingertips lightly and quickly move over the subject's head as if we were playing piano, (or the Indian tabla)


• Hair pulling - a delicate hair pulling meant to strengthen the hair roots


• Hair Plucking


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