I have already written briefly about Tok Sen, and even developed detailed video instructions for clients, so in this article I will pay more attention to Guasha massage.
I also wrote about Guasha, but in that article I mainly focused on gua sha facial massage. Here we will focus more on gua sha body massage, as one of the mandatory principles of Buddhist healing.
Guasha massage is popular in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia.
I don’t know how it is in other countries, but Thai Guasha is different from the Chinese familiar to many. They even have different scrapers and massage lines in different places.
In this article I will use new materials translated from Thai. The article is a continuation of the series of materials “9 principles of healing of Buddhist monks”, see the beginning here.
Guasha, or as the Thais call it, Guuasa, Guua massage, is very light and uncomplicated. To use it, you do not need to undergo lengthy training. It is enough to know the principles and basic schemes of “scraping”. It is quite possible to perform gua sha massage yourself where you can do it yourself - face, head, shoulders, arms, legs, stomach and chest.
Of course, it is much more convenient (and more enjoyable too) to do this in pairs with each other. I will try to tell you below how to do a gua sha massage at home. All you need is to buy a gua sha scraper (better even a set of 2-3 scrapers of different shapes) and massage oil, master the principles and practice.
The rest of the article uses an adapted translation from Thai with the inclusion of additional comments.
Regular scraping massage helps get rid of migraines, coughs, and body aches. Activates the immune system, improves the absorption of oxygen by cells, and cleanses cells of toxins. Improves blood quality and starts the processes of removing “pollution” from the body.
The effect of Guasha massage can be enhanced by using traditional Thai balms. In the cold season, it is better to use balms with a warming effect.
The Chinese mainly use stone scrapers, while the Thais love wood and metal. It is believed that stones absorb negative energy and are difficult to cleanse on an energetic level. With wood and metal it is easier in this regard.
You can use special scrapers made of wood or horn - they are created in a convenient shape. But if there is no scraper at hand, Thais can do this massage with a coin, a spoon or a metal lid from Thai balm.
This massage can also be done through clothing.
And in the traditions of Lana (northern part of Thailand), Guasha is made with the tip of a horn... This is much more painful than a massage with a regular scraper. And it is considered more effective. But there are some nuances there, without knowing which you can do harm.
Benefits of Guasha massage for the face
- Reducing the appearance of wrinkles, creases and other age-related changes
- Improving facial tone, giving it a more sculpted look
- Detoxification
- Improved complexion
- Reducing swelling, improving lymph flow, accelerating blood flow
- Increasing the amount of oxygen received by skin cells
- Fighting pigmentation, rashes, redness, scars
- Skin cleansing
- Increasing the overall level of immunity due to relaxation, relieving stress, accelerating blood circulation and improving metabolic processes
- Activation of hormone production: serotonin, endorphin, dopamine
Guasha massage for the face - contraindications
Facial massage with a Guasha scraper is a non-traumatic technique that is suitable for almost everyone, but still has a number of contraindications:
- Diseases of the lymphatic system
- Active inflammatory processes, oncology
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system
- After injection of fillers under the skin, massage is possible only with permission from the attending physician or cosmetologist. The procedure may speed up the process of removing injections from the body or move them in the wrong direction.
- The presence of raised moles in the massage area (you should avoid them)
Nephritis
Jade is a dense aggregate of matted fibrous actinolite or tremolite. It is predominantly green in various shades. Less common are white, blue, yellow, and black jade; in China, red (cock) jade is known. Jade is a name common to jade and jadeite, which until the end of the 19th century. were considered one and the same.
Medicinal properties
Jade has a high heat capacity. It always seems warm and pleasant to the touch. When applied to the stomach area or near the kidneys, jade acts as a long-lasting warming compress or heating pad, gradually relieving pain. In the West, it is called “kidney stone”; it is believed that it best helps in the treatment of kidney diseases. Jade normalizes blood pressure, improves lung and heart function, protects hair from drying out, strengthens the liver, stomach, heart, bones, the entire circulatory system, vision, and hearing. This stone is an excellent remedy for headaches, dizziness, atherosclerosis, strokes and eye diseases. Jade massage scrapers are used to relieve headaches, normalize blood pressure, enhance sexual potency, and for cosmetic facial massage to get rid of wrinkles and prevent sagging skin. Jade massage stimulates and helps blood circulation in the brain, relieves fatigue.
Effect on chakras
Jade successfully fills all chakras with energy and harmonizes the YIN-YANG ratio in all energy bodies, channels and centers. The most noticeable effect is on Manipura and Anahata, as well as on the chakras according to their own color.
Magic properties
In China, jade is the national stone. Jade has strong energy. It gives people a sense of gentleness, justice, the desire for knowledge, moderation of life, courage and purity. It promotes happy changes and gets you out of a dead end. It is recommended to possess it for those who want to change their worldview and lifestyle, for people who are looking for enlightenment. Jade is credited with the ability to provide vitality, good health and longevity. In the East, jade was considered the “stone of victory” and greatness, an amulet that strengthened vitality and protected from the evil eye. Brings good luck in gambling, helps in business and financial areas. In China, they believe that jade can serve as an indicator of human behavior; if it becomes cloudy and then darkens, it indicates sins committed.
Energy
Has a harmonizing effect. However, within the color spectrum, it is customary to subdivide jade as follows: White jade – Receptive Yin (absorbs energy), Green jade – harmonizes the YIN-YANG balance, the remaining colors have projective Yang energy (releases energy, activates).
What is the advantage of facial massage using a Guasha scraper?
The scraper is made of solid stone. Its properties increase the effectiveness of its effects on the skin, body, and human psyche:
- rose quartz activates areas of the brain responsible for love and attraction
- jade has long been used as a stone that rejuvenates the skin and calms the psyche
- sodalite - a companion of internal harmony
- carnelian has a calming effect on the skin and nervous system
The scrapers affect not only the epidermis, but also the subcutaneous layer of muscles, providing a good result from the procedure. The combination of mechanical effects on the skin and the influence of the magical properties of the stone on the psyche gives a double effect. Scrapers have different shapes: a triangle for the face and neck, a comb for the scalp, a square for the whole body. Despite the good effect and the occurrence of skin redness during the session, Guasha facial massage is a painless procedure.
Impact on the body
The effectiveness of the gouache technique is predetermined by the instrument itself. The masseur operates with two scrapers. The raw materials for production are jade or natural horn plates. Each scraper is used for a wide variety of movements and effects on the human body. It influences the bioactive points of the human body, activating certain processes.
With these scrapers, a massage therapist can:
- smooth the body;
- scrape it;
- press the handle on active points, etc.
The easy sliding of scrapers over the surface of the body is due to the use of oil (these can be either massage or aromatic oils, depending on the purpose of the massage). This method is useful for metabolic disorders.
Technique for performing Guasha facial massage at home
- Clean the skin, disinfect the scraper. You can purchase two scrapers and perform symmetrical movements at the same time.
- Apply oil selected individually for your skin type.
- Lifehack! Keep the scraper in the refrigerator, this will invigorate the skin and enhance the lymphatic drainage effect. And to relax after a hard day, place the scraper under running hot water for 1-2 minutes before starting the session. We do not recommend carrying out the procedure in the bathroom over a hard tiled surface. A scraper made of natural stone becomes slippery due to oil, so it can fall onto the floor and break.
- Each Guasha facial massage movement is repeated 7 times.
- All movements are carried out along the main massage lines. The procedure begins at the back of the neck. From the central point, move to the area where the hair begins, hold the scraper for 2 seconds.
- Turn your head to the left. Perform a movement from bottom to top along the surface of the right side of the neck. Repeat symmetrically.
- Keep your head straight. Work the front surface of the neck from bottom to top.
- Place your index finger on the center point of your chin, holding the skin in this area. Move the scraper from this point to the temples, repeat left and right.
- Use the convex edges of Gouache to work the area of eyebrow growth (top and bottom). Perform movements from the base to the tip of the eyebrow), holding the center point with your index finger.
- Use the flat side of Guasha to work on the forehead area (movements from bottom to top). Repeat the movements for each area 7 times, holding the eyelid area with your fingers.
- Rinse off any remaining oil and apply nourishing cream. Rinse the scraper.
Methodology of elaboration
Gouaches are made in a room with a comfortable air temperature. According to the conditions for the procedure, Guasha includes 3 doses.
- Se-gua – intense express manipulations with pressure.
- Bu-gua – tonic lingering movements with a scraper.
- Pin-bu pin-se - average movement speed and pressure.
Scraping with Guasha scrapers is carried out from the center to the sides. The impact is carried out along the meridian of the spine, from the lower extremities to the head, working on the points of the urinary, gall bladder, and triple heater.
Back massage scheme
Exposure to a scraper in one zone is carried out 6 times for girls, 7 times for boys, 8-9 times for women and men of middle and mature age. The intensity of pressure is selected based on the patient’s condition on an individual basis.
Guasha back massage begins with working out the spinal region. Long up and down movements are made with the scraper. Next, we massage the shoulder blade and the Tian Zun point, located on the shoulder. The Guasha massage therapist, standing to the side of the patient, describes arcuate lines along the border of the scapula. Then Tian Zun is massaged. Using your thumbs, you work through 5 gaps in the intercostal space. Along the arcuate trajectory of the ribs, 5 lines of lumen are drawn alternately. The movements are reminiscent of drawing with chalk and leave behind a clear pattern.
In China, lower back massage involves working on the Fuan Chau point, located above the buttocks. Then continue to massage the upper limbs with a Gua Sha scraper in the outer direction. Movements are made from the cervical region to the fingertips. The manipulation is designed to remove toxins. Periodically, the body is freed from excretory products with a cloth moistened with antibacterial oil. Then the massage therapist performs the same procedure on the second half of the back.
The masseur takes the second plate and massages the entire back, moving from the center to the sides. The movements move outside the body, allowing toxins to be eliminated. This completes the back massage with scrapers. Finally, lymphatic drainage is performed by hand. Massage oil is applied to the body and the back is worked with stroking circular movements, then moving to the shoulders, relaxing the hands, pressing on the Laubun point, then returning to the shoulders, moving to the neck, pressing on the Fanchen point.
Using the thumbs of both hands, press the points responsible for the bladder meridian.
The final stage
Then the circle is repeated. Then, alternately, moving the fingers of both hands along the spine from the third cervical vertebra, apply pressure to the points of the Think meridian. Repeat the circle again. The four fingers of both hands are folded into a fist, and the thumbs are put forward and begin to move down along the spine, massaging the points of the bladder meridian. Perform 1 more round. Gathering both hands into a fist, perform back-and-forth movements, working through the Sanjao knots. Another circle of strokes. The areas of the Sanjiao meridians are massaged alternately with the palms. Another circle of strokes. Both hands alternately massage the shoulder blade. Press on the Dzyandzin point, then Dzyanjun shu, Gauhan and Tiandzun. They go down the back to a point on the buttock and apply pressure. Then they move up. The second half of the back is treated in the same way.
How often do you do a Guasha facial massage?
The duration and frequency of sessions depends on the result you want to get. To instantly get rid of morning swelling, it is enough to spend 5 minutes on the procedure and carry it out as needed. To achieve a long-term effect, a massage course lasts a month, sessions last 30 minutes and are repeated every other day.
Lifehack! During the first session, work on one side of the face first and compare it with the other half. This way you will be convinced of the effectiveness of the procedure and understand that you are performing all movements correctly.
Guasha facial massage: at home or in the salon?
Guasha facial massage procedures will give a good cosmetic effect. Salon sessions performed by a specialist in ancient oriental techniques mean not only beauty, but also health. Based on the redness on the face and body that appears after the procedure, the specialist determines problem areas of the body as a whole. It is believed that the more pronounced the redness, the stronger the dangerous congestion in the body. There is a special diagnostic technique called Guasha, which is prescribed to identify existing diseases. Preventative techniques are used to prevent the development of diseases to which the patient is prone. Therefore, this technique acts as a light massage, or maybe as a serious method for identifying and treating diseases.
The habit of devoting 5 minutes in the morning to Guasha facial massage is the key to a fresh appearance and good mood. A 20-minute massage will allow you to never visit a cosmetologist’s office or resort to injection rejuvenation procedures.
Guasha is a popular cosmetic and medical technique in the service market, the training of which has one big drawback - due to the specificity of the technique, a very limited number of masters are fluent in it. There is a risk of becoming a pseudo-specialist who will not be able to impart to you the knowledge and skills that will enable you to acquire a new profession and start earning 100,000 rubles a month, as good massage masters using the Guasha technique do. On the website of the School of Masters you will find the course program, the teachers of which are specialists who received education abroad from experienced masters of their craft.
Using the wide edge of the scraper, work the area of the cheeks and cheekbones in the direction from the nose to the hair growth.
Author of the article:
Practicing: 27 years, Teaching: 20 years
A few nuances
How to do a Gua Sha massage - behavior before and after the procedure:
- drink 2 liters of warm water after working out any area of the body;
- After eating, the massage is done an hour later, before the procedure you need to eat, it is not performed on an empty stomach;
- no effect on moles is carried out - it can provoke the development of a tumor;
- the preventive procedure lasts 40 minutes, the therapeutic procedure – no more than 25, the facial zone – 1.5 hours;
- the next session is carried out only after the bruising disappears.
Some patients experience worsening chronic illnesses after a massage session. This is a natural reaction of the body. The phenomenon is temporary. The body may emit an unpleasant odor for several days after the procedure. This is due to the active elimination of toxins. Patients are advised to shower more often, eat a healthy diet and drink more water.
