My Gua Sha Method to Sculpt, Drain & Detoxify.
What is Gua Sha
Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese healing method using a stone and light to medium pressure to increase circulation, lymphatic drainage and illuminate puffiness in the face.
Try my 5 minute Gua Sha ritual, the perfect self care moment to integrate into your daily routine. Whether that be a moment of self care before you begin your day or to relax and unwind in the evening.
How To Use A Gua Sha
Before we begin, make sure your face is clean. If you have applied your morning / night time skincare routine wait a few minutes for that to absorb before applying facial oil. The oil is necessary as it allows the Gua Sha to glide over the skin with ease.
It’s also essential to be seated comfortably in a quiet and relaxed environment. We begin with some deep inhalations, breath work is important to calm the nervous system and allow the lymphatic system to work as it should.
To begin take in a few deep inhalations.
My Method
Opening up the lymphatic system
Firstly, it’s very important to open up our lymphatic system without the Gua Sha stone. We want to stimulate and encourage the movement of our lymph nodes to drain, detoxify and flush out any toxins.
Take your hands above your collarbones and begin to press your fingers either side of your collarbone in a pumping motion and repeat 2/3 times. Repeat and pump under the armpit area 2/3 times.
Next press both sets of fingers up and down the sides of your neck muscles in the same pumping motion. The neck is the main lymphatic pathway for removal and detoxification. Place both fingers and thumb under the chin, glide up to the front and behind your ears.
Lastly, work your fingertips in a circular motion to the sides of your scalp, and close your eyes.
Before we start with our Gua Sha stone just make sure you have applied enough oil to the face and neck, now would be a good time to apply more if needed.
Gua Sha For The Neck
Take the inside curved edge of the Gua Sha stone and apply it to the base of the back of your neck, using light upwards stokes glide the Gua Sha to the tip of your skull and repeat this movement for 5/10 strokes.
Next, apply the same light pressure to the sides of the neck muscles from the shoulder glide up for 5/10 strokes on each side.
Now we are going to come to the front side of the neck to glide over our lymph nodes. Anywhere you are going over the lymph you want to use slow, gentle, feather- light strokes. Glide the Gua Sha down to the collarbone with a gentle wiggle to the collarbone repeat 5/10 times on each side.
Finally we want to work the front of your neck, glide up to the chin with feather light strokes 5/10 times.
Gua Sha For The Face
Glide the Gua Sha along your jawline. from the middle of your chin keeping the stone flat to the face all the way up to the ears 5/10 times.
Take the longest side of the Gua Sha against the lower half of your face and gently sweep the stone to your ear, go all the way to the hairline with light to medium pressure and repeat 5/10 strokes.
Take a flat part of your Gua Sha stone and from the jaw line glide up to the cheekbone, this move is particularly good for anyone who suffers with TMJ. Repeat 5/10 times.
Place the tip of the Gua Sha on your orbital bone just under your eye and glide the stone towards the hairline sweeping towards your temple and repeat 5/10 times.
For an eyebrow lift place the tip on the corner of your eyebrow and glide out to the temples over the brow, repeat this move for 5/10 stokes and then glide the stone up and over the eyebrow toward the hairline.
Place the long inside curve against your forehead and work with medium pressure towards the hairline in upwards motions repeat 5/10times.
To finish, take your Gua Sha stone and glide it along the sides of the neck flushing out any fluids and repeat 5 times.
Close your eyes and bring your hands to your heart setting your intention for the day.
Tip:
If you put your Gua Sha in the fridge before applying, it can have an added cooling and de puffing effect.
