Chi Self Massage

[Jax911]

The Chi Self Massage is part of the basic steps of the Taoist practice and along with the microcosmic orbit and the six healing sounds, works to clean blockages and heal the body and must be mastered and done before doing Qi-Gong.
The Chi Self Massage can be largely divided in 4 different parts:
I.Hand Massage
II.Head Massage
III.Neck and shoulder massage
IV.Detoxifying the inner organs
V.Knees and Feet Massage.
I. Hand Massage
The Hand is not only used to massage the body but also has many neurological points corresponding to the organs as shown below. Massaging them helps circulate energy effectively, as such, the session starts with massaging the hands.

Start with massaging the hand chakras. This can be done either with your thumbs or with cupped fingers. The choice is yours.

Continue with massaging the line of your palms then your palms in entirety.

Then massage the wrist chakras.

End the hand massage by massaging the back of your hands as well as your fingers.

II. Head Massage
A/Collecting energy
Exhale, contract your anus, then rub your palms together and direct energy to your hands and face as you inhale. This step is most important as this will be used often.
B/ Massaging the crown area
Do the energy collecting exercise, but this time direct the energy to your hands AND THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD(instead of your face). Then, rub your hair skin and and crown area with the tip of your fingers. Then, make a fist and drum the top of your softly with the back of it.
C/ Face massage
Collect energy in your face. Then wipe your forehead using your palms as shown in the image 3-6 times.

Wipe the middle and lower parts of your face the same way 3-6 times too.
1/ Foreheads and temples
Massage your forehead and temples with your index fingers and thumbs as shown below.

2/Eyes
According to Mantak Chia, not exercising the muscles of the eyes is the primary cause of bad eyesight.
Foremost of all, collect energy into your eyes. Exhale, contract your anus, pull your eyes in and contract your eye muscles while rubbing your palms together. Then inhale. This is to be repeated at the end of the eye massage.
Start with rubbing your eyes clockwise and counterclockwise using the tips of your middle three fingers(ring finger, middle finger and index finger). This is to be repeated 3-6 times. Then pull up your eyelids as shown in the image below. This is again to be repeated 3-6 times.

Now use your thumbs and index fingers to massage your eyesockets.

Next, concentrate your vision on one point as in the void meditation to get a tear out. For beginners, hold out your index fingers in front of yourself and keep staring at it. A tear will come.
To end the eye massage, do the eye pulling exercise again.
3/ Ears
Rub the front and back of your ears as well as your ear shells and then pull down on your ear lobes as shown.

Next comes the massaging of the ear drums. This strentghens your hearing sense and also removes any air or water blocking the eardrums.
Massage the outer drums as shown in the picture below.

Exhale and contract your anus and then inhale and hold your breath while clipping your nose with your fingers. Exhale and relax when you hear any beep sound in your ears. Holding your breath any longer is not recommended.
End the ear massage by drumming the back of your ears as shown in the image below.

4/ Nose.
Massage your nostrils using your thumb and index finger. Pull/Push your nostrils inwards and outwards. This is to be repeated 3-6 times.

Massage the bridge of your nose with the your thumb and index finger. Then grip the tip of your nose with your thumb and index fingers and rotate your nose clockwise and counterclockwise 3-6 times.

To end the nose massage, wipe the sides and below of your nose with your index finger as shown.

5/Mouth massage
Rub the skin surrounding your mouth and teeth with the tip of fingers. Then rub your gums with your tongue.
Rub the top and bottom palates with your tongue. Then do the Simhasana. After exhaling completely, inhale, hold your breath and pull in your tongue and push your top palates with your tongue as strong as you CAN. Do not force. As you do this regularly, you can also contract your anus to further use your tongue muscles and push your palate more strongly. Exhale and relax.

Simhasana. This might look crazy but it works. Really stretch your tongue not just out and down, but also try the best you can to flatten it along the top, to stretch to the sides. Open your mouth as much as you can. Breath evenly through your mouth.

To end the mouth massage, collect your saliva and swallow. This relaxes the mouth muscles.
To conclude the head massage, wipe your entire face at once. As usual, repeat this 3-6 times.
II/ Neck and shoulders.
We put a lot of strain on our neck and shoulders when working on computers or reading.
Massaging them is rather easy. Rub your hands together without any contraction of your anus.
Then, wipe the front of your neck up to down 3-6 times. Then, using your palms, rub the back and sides of your neck as well as your shoulders. Next, slap the back and sides of your neck and your shoulders. To finish massaging the neck and shoulders, drum the back and sides of your neck and your shoulders with the back of your fists.
IV/ Detoxifying the Organs
Except for the contraction of the anus, the detoxification of the organs here are done almost the same way with the neck and shoulder massage. The anus contains many neurological points corresponding to the organs. In taoism, the anus is divided into five parts, the middle, the front, the left, the right, and the rear. The front corresponds to the thymus gland, the rear corresponds to the kidneys, the left the left kidney, the spleen and the left lung, and the right to the right kidney, the liver and the left lung, the rear the sacrum while the middle part corresponds to the intestines.

A/ The thymus Gland.
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the front and direct energy to your thymus gland while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your thymus gland with the tip of your fingers, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists. Do not talk while working on the thymus gland. Or you'll damage yourself.
B/ The heart
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the left side and direct energy to your heart while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your heart with your palms, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists.
C/ The lungs
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the left side and direct energy to your left lung while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your left lung with your palms, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists. Do the same with your right lung but pull your anus to the right side and direct energy to your right kidney this time.
C/ The kidneys
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the left side and direct energy to your left kidney while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your kidney with your palms, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists. Do the same with your right kidney but pull your anus to the right side and direct energy to your right kidney this time.
D/ The liver
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the right side and direct energy to your liver while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your liver with your palms, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists.
E/ The spleen
Exhale and contract your anus. Then pull your anus to the left side and direct energy to your spleen while rubbing your palms together and inhale. Then, rub your spleen with your palms, then slap, and then softly drum it with the back of your fists.
F/ The intestines
Contract your anus in it's entirety from all sides.
For the small intestine, with palms together, rub a small circle around your navel, first clockwise, then counterclockwise.
For the large intestine, place one palm on top of the other and rub your abdomen in a large circle. Start on the lower right side and rub up and around in a clockwise direction. This will move the energy in the intestine and relieve constipation. For diarrhea, rub counterclockwise. If you have normal elimination, rub in both directions. These exercises increase the absorption and dissolve the accumulations that stick to the large intestine’s wall.
D/ The Sacrum
In the Taoist system the sacrum is regarded as extremely important. It is a pump which helps to bring spinal fluid and energy(Chi) to the brain. It is also the junction where the sexual organs,rectum, and legs meet. Sciatic pain, which shoots down the legs,originates in the sacrum; therefore, strengthening it will release this intense pain.
Bring energy to the hands, contracting the back of the anus to the sacrum. Then make a fist and use your knuckles alternately to hit both sides of the sacrum. First hit in the area of the eight sacral holes, and then the hiatus, the depression at the bottom of the sacrum.

V/ Knees and Feet
A/ Knee massage
Rub your palms together and bring energy to your hands. There is no need to contract your anus to massage the knees and feet.
Massage your knee caps with the tip of your fingers. Then move your knee caps up and down to the left and right and around both counterclockwise and clockwise. Then rub the front and back sides of the knees with your palms and then slap your knees and then drum your knees with the back of your fists as usual.

B/ Massaging the feet
Rub your palms together and bring energy to your hands.
Rub your big and second toes together as shown in the image below

Then massage the back of your feet and your feet soles with your thumbs and the tips of your fingers.

Spread out and separate all the toes, especially the little toes,and then release. Repeat six to nine times. This is especially good for the tendons of the feet.

Rub your feet together to warm them up. Alternatively you can rub your feet with your palms one by one.
This concludes the Chi Self Massage.

Source:
-Chi Self Massage by Mantak Chia
Universal Tao Publications, Twelveth printing. 2002

 

[Henu the Great]

Interesting. I will save this post, and try this out sometime. Thanks!

 

[Serbon]

Interesting. I will save this post, and try this out sometime. Thanks!

And, did you try it? Is it working?