Self-massage and acupressure

- Hi, welcome to Desk Yogi. I'm Betsy Stix, and here's a short practice for you any time throughout the day when you feel that you need a little break. I like to call it a pocket of peace for self-care, self-love. Let's start by rocking a little from side to side in our chairs. And just close your eyes and take a moment here to check in with yourself. So, as you breathe in your belly, notice that it expands. And notice that you empty at the bottom of each exhale. Just that can change the way you feel. So, from here, interlace your fingers in front of you. Exhale slowly forward. Take a deep breath. Rock again from side to side, and let's wake up the spine. So, place both hands on the right side of your chair. Take a deep inhale. As you exhale, twist over that right shoulder. And as you visual the shape, the spiral of your spine, you might lift your chin a little bit more, depending on how your neck feels today. Take a deep, long inhale and exhale. Excellent. And then, take your time to slowly come back to center and we'll go to the other side. So, as you take a deep breath here, notice how this side feels. Inhale. Exhale. You might lift your chin gently. Enjoy the feeling of stretching. Nice. And then, from here we'll slowly come back to center, and let's side bend a bit. Placing your left hand either on your desk or on your chair, inhale the right arm over your ear. Roll your shoulder, that right elbow back and forward a few times and just ease into the tension that you feel. Eventually you'll pause, extend. Breathe through that right lung. Fill it. Energy. Excellent. And then, from here, we'll transition to the other side. Inhale the left arm up. Exhale the elbow open. This side is different, so you might drop your head a few times. Make sure it feels good for you. Eventually, we'll pause. Breathe into that left lung. Fill it with energy, oxygen. Nice. And then from here, come back to neutral. Pause for a moment. And then we'll move forward and back a few times, bending that low back, which often gets really stiff from sitting all day long. So, drop your head. Rock a little from side to side. This is often called cat-cow. So, as you breath into your back body, notice how the spine rounds, forward bending. Excellent. From here, inhale up. Find that back bend. Roll your collar bones wide. Breathe into your throat. Communication. Inhale. Exhale. You might exhale through your mouth. Beautiful. Do that a few more times, rounding. Make sure it feels good. I like to visualize cats and cows as I move. Beautiful. Good. And then eventually come back to neutral. Rock a little from side to side. So, we just moved the spine six directions. You probably are feeling a little looser, a little more energetic. So, let's move a little bit more into the face for some self-care, self-massage. Go ahead and massage the temples. You might find a little more pressure right here. This often can relieve headaches. So, breathing. And then, continue with these first two fingers slowly down towards the jaw. The hinge of the jaw can often hold a lot of tension, so you might open your jaw a few times. Release. Eventually down to the point of the chin. Good. And then, bring your fingers up to the forehead slowly from the center. Extend out towards the temples, releasing any tension, any anxiety. Relax. Good. And then, bring the fingertips to the scalp, massaging the scalp. Any areas that draw your attention need a little extra love. Come down to the neck and with your two fingers, massage down your neck. (exhales) Exhaling deeply. Good. Rotate the head. Other way. Beautiful. And then, rock a little from side to side. Come back to neutral. Close your eyes and as you breathe, notice how your internal landscape has shifted. Notice the peace. Notice the space. Notice the ease. Dropping into the breath. Long inhales. Long exhales. Just observing. No thinking. Stay here as long as you would like. Eventually we'll bring our hands together at the heart. Bow our chin gently. Once again, noticing the peace, the space. And take a deep breath here in gratitude to yourself, for showing up for yourself, for taking care of yourself. Thank you so much for being here. Have a beautiful day. Thank you.