Dao Yin Longevity Self Massage

Aloha Everyone,

Here is an outline of Dao Yin Longevity Self Massage we practiced this week.  The primary benefits are towards the kidney and the brain, but it also strengthens the body, bones, teeth, and knees

Sit in a chair or crossed legged on the floor

Exercise 1:

Warm up your hand – palms down on your thighs, massage the top, sides of your thighs – 18 times

Exercise 2:

Place your hands over your lower dantien (lower belly area), left hand over your right.  Rub back and forth side ways count back and forth cycle as one.  Visualize a yellow, glowing sun in your lower dantien.  Place both hands on your dantien and take a couple of long deep breaths.  Repeat 18 times.

Exercise 3:

Leave your left hand on your belly, bring the right hand behind on the base of your spinal column, massage clock-wise 18 times over your sacrum.  Keep both hands and take a few long deep breaths

Exercise 4:

Bring both hands to the kidney areas, using back of your hand, in and down, out and up, circular motion.  Massage 18 times.  When finished, press your hands firmly at the kidney areas for a few long deep breaths

Exercise 5:

Bring your hands up to the ears.  Cover your ears by cupping them gently.  Put your middle fingers over your index fingers then using these two fingers flick or tap on the base of your skull, your hand should be directly on your skin and not on your hair.  Repeat 18 times, you should hear echoing sound.  This releases any bottleneck of chi that is stuck at the base of the skull.

Exercise 6:

Left hand goes to the lap, cupped palms up.  Right hand to the top of your head, rub the top of your head with index and middle fingers still engaged in a circular motion.  Repeat 18 times.

Exercise 7:

Bring left hand over right hand, click your teeth (18 times).  Roll your eyes and tongue at the same time (behind your teeth) mouth maybe closed.  9 times in one direction then reverse direction 9 times.  Your eyes may be closed.  If you have saliva in the mouth, visualize this as moon light nectar; swallow down to join the bright yellow sun in the dantien.

Exercise 8:

Bring your knee up on your thigh.  Circular rub of knees and your feet to activate the kidney channel (18 times one direction, change direction and go 18 times).  Switch knees and repeat the same amount.  Visualize warm, sun-like chi circulating throughout your body.

Relax, enjoy the effect of the daoyin longevity self-massage.  For more advanced students, increase by each exercise in increments of 9.  For example, 9 times, 18 times, 27 times, 36 times, 45 times etc.

Namaste — Cathi