Welcome to the first edition of Ritual Spotlight – a series where each post will do a deep-dive into a self-care ritual & make a case for incorporating it into your life (because one can never have too many). 
Today we’re introducing self-massage as a powerful ritual for decreasing stress levels and supporting you on your self-love journey.
The benefits of self-massage
Massages are often considered a luxury or treat that we allow ourselves to indulge in every once in a while, if ever. Yet the benefits of a massage are quite literally at our fingertips, and accessible to us whenever we need it.
Touch is one of our basic health needs, just like shelter, food and social interaction. In infancy, touch is crucial for our growth and even survival. As adults, it still plays an important role in reducing stress, promoting relaxation and happiness, as well as boosting our immune systems.
Our skin is our largest organ, and touching it releases oxytocin – the hormone associated with love and attachment, which also works as an anti-stressor that decreases stress and anxiety. It also helps boost our dopamine and serotonin levels (our happy feel-good hormones), and can lower levels of cortisol (our stress hormone), as well as our heart rate and blood pressure. This makes it a great practice to do before bed, to help you drift off to sleep.
Massaging your body can also stimulate circulation, as well as help flush out impurities and toxins. And if you’re looking for youthful, glowy skin (aren’t we all?) – it’s great for that too. 
Self-massage as a self-love practice
Perhaps one of the most amazing benefits of self-massage is that you just can’t help but feel love and appreciation for yourself and your body when you do it. This is something you will probably notice right away when you try your hand at it (no pun intended). There truly is no better way to express self-love than to lather yourself in oil & take your sweet time rubbing it all over.
In fact, daily self-massage forms an integral part of self-care in Ayurvedic practice. The Sanskrit word Sneha can be translated as both ‘oil’ and ‘love’, which is telling of the power this ritual has to deepen our self-love.
Touch is the way we show affection and connect to one another – whether it’s a comforting hug, a gentle pat on the back or a bro-fist. Yet few of us take the time to show ourselves that same affection.
Self-massage offers an opportunity to treat our bodies with the care they deserve. We so often take everything our bodies do for us for granted. Many of us spend more time criticizing or abusing them than we do expressing gratitude and love for them.
How to self-massage
All you need to get started with self-massage is a quiet moment in a peaceful space, your hands, and preferably something to lather with. I like massage oil that I can heat up in my hands, but a nice moisturizing lotion or body butter works perfectly fine as well! Bonus points if it has your favorite, relaxing scent. Maybe put on some massage music, light a candle or diffuse some essential oils – get in the mood!
Oh – and this might be obvious, but you want to wear little to no clothes. After all, we can’t get those benefits of touch if there’s no skin to touch. 
Here’s a little ritual you can try in bed before going to sleep:
First, close your eyes and take a few deeeep breaths. 
For some reason, I like to start with my feet. Our feet are literally supporting us all day, and giving them a good rub provides instant relaxation. According to reflexology, stimulating pressure points in the soles of our feet can bring relief to the entire body. You can also start with your hands, and slowly work the oil/lotion all the way up and down your arms. All bodies are different and we use them in different ways, so focus on what feels right for your body.
Make sure to also spend some time on your shoulders, neck and jaw – we often hold a lot of tension in these places. While you’re there, you could try massaging your earlobes, which have many nerve endings and stimulate the release of endorphins. As you rub and knead, you will notice the places in your body that feel tight or achy and need a bit more attention.
You can do this practice for as long as you like – I like to do 10 minutes right before bed. Feel free to follow it up with a short meditation, to further relax your mind and observe the benefits of your massage. A wonderful way to end this grounding practice is by giving yourself a nice hug. 
