Inspirational Monday: Get That Look Off Your Face
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A blogumn by Kalimba Bennett
As we near the end of 2008 and the holiday madness that comes with it, most of us are dealing with a great deal of extra pressure. It’s a wonderful time of year – food, family, reflection, celebration, hope, love and joy. But it’s also a season of overstuffed malls and airports, endless to do lists, hosting, and work deadlines. Look around. The faces of your fellow man say it all – clenched jaws, furrowed brows, tense eyes, pursed lips.
I think you’ll be shocked at how much unconscious tension you are holding in your face right this very second. I’d like to offer you a simple and short activity you can do to “get that look off your face.” It’s the five minute face massage:
1. Close your eyes and take a deep inhale expanding your lungs as much as possible. When you get to the top of your breath hold it for 5 seconds, then slowly exhale.
2. Keeping your eyes closed and your breath long, gently touch your thumbs to your brow bone at the outer corners of your eyes. Press in gently creating pressure that feels good. Slowly release and move your thumbs under the arch of your brow bone, pressing in and releasing until you reach the area just above your tear duct between your eyeball and your brow bone. Reverse this motion pressing slowly and gently to the outside of your brow bone.
3. When you reach the outside of your brow bone gently squeeze the outer edges of your eyebrows between your pointer fingers and your thumbs. Release, then slowly and gently squeeze all the way into the inside of your eyebrow. Reverse this gentle squeezing back to the outside of your eyebrow.
4. Using your pointer finger and middle finger together, press into your temple creating pressure that feels good. Slowly, keeping the pressure into your temple, move your fingers in a circle massaging the temple.
5. Stretch your jaw open as wide as possible, then relax your jaw without closing your mouth. Keeping your jaw slack, use your pointer and middle fingers together to press into the hinge area between your upper and lower jaw. We hold SO much tension here. “Walk” your fingers along this area by alternating pressure between the pointer fingers and the middle fingers.
6. Release your hands, take a deep breath in, exhale through your mouth and open your eyes.
If you don’t have time for this, try telling someone important to you exactly why you love them. A smile is the best way to release tension that I know.
Bless your bones,
Kalimba
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I think relaxing the face is something we almost never think about…but it makes such a big difference. One of the best pieces of advice I learned from my yoga teacher is to relax your tongue (I know, sounds weird). Most of the time we keep it pressed up against the roof of our mouth–try relaxing all the way from the back of your mouth and let your tongue sit in the bottom of your jaw. A lot of times I find that when I’m stressed or having difficulty falling asleep, sure enough my tongue and bottom of my jaw are clenched up.
I think relaxing the face is something we almost never think about…but it makes such a big difference. One of the best pieces of advice I learned from my yoga teacher is to relax your tongue (I know, sounds weird). Most of the time we keep it pressed up against the roof of our mouth–try relaxing all the way from the back of your mouth and let your tongue sit in the bottom of your jaw. A lot of times I find that when I’m stressed or having difficulty falling asleep, sure enough my tongue and bottom of my jaw are clenched up.
Kalimba, doll! This is a great piece (subject and writing).
Yes, keep encouraging your readers to massage their facial muscles. Since we spend so much more time sitting upright with arms extended out (think typing and using a mouse), I see so much more jaw and corrugator tension, both of which can become so tight as to create semi-permanent issues.
I recommend my clients incorporate a mini-massage ritual while cleansing and applying moisturizer, day or nighttime, whenever they can make the time.
Thanks for posting this; love it!!
Kalimba, doll! This is a great piece (subject and writing).
Yes, keep encouraging your readers to massage their facial muscles. Since we spend so much more time sitting upright with arms extended out (think typing and using a mouse), I see so much more jaw and corrugator tension, both of which can become so tight as to create semi-permanent issues.
I recommend my clients incorporate a mini-massage ritual while cleansing and applying moisturizer, day or nighttime, whenever they can make the time.
Thanks for posting this; love it!!