I would like to report that I went for a massage today. But no such luck. Instead I decided I needed a massage, because my neck, shoulders and feet have been feeling really tight so I decided to try and massage them myself.
One technique to massage my feet I learned a long long time ago. You use a tennis ball. The ball is on the ground and sitting or standing, you place the ball under your foot and roll your foot around the ball applying as much pressure as you can handle. It hurts a bit/a lot - and feels good - just like a really good massage. Turns out, there are lots of articles about this on the Internets. I did use my hands as well but that gets pretty tiring.
One technique to massage my feet I learned a long long time ago. You use a tennis ball. The ball is on the ground and sitting or standing, you place the ball under your foot and roll your foot around the ball applying as much pressure as you can handle. It hurts a bit/a lot - and feels good - just like a really good massage. Turns out, there are lots of articles about this on the Internets. I did use my hands as well but that gets pretty tiring.
For my shoulder I used this crazy contraption called a Bonger - basically it's a ball attached to a handle by a long flat, bendy metal piece. The name really captures it. I tried it on my neck, but it made my whole head vibrate, which didn't seem like a good idea. So I just use my fingers, putting as much pressure as I can handle pushing into the spots that feel like hard rubber balls wrapped around a nerve.
I can't claim that it's nearly as good as the real thing - a registered massage therapist but it was significantly better than nothing. Add a bath, some light stretching and 10 minutes of meditation and you've got yourself some serious relaxation.
I can't claim that it's nearly as good as the real thing - a registered massage therapist but it was significantly better than nothing. Add a bath, some light stretching and 10 minutes of meditation and you've got yourself some serious relaxation.