Gua Sha is an ancient technique rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
It's widely known for it's beautifying benefits such as sculpting, lifting & defining the face, reducing puffiness and promoting a youthful glow...but what many people don't realise...is it's immense ability to promote healing within the body.
When practiced properly & regularly, gua sha can help to:
- Regulate & relax the nervous system
- Release stress & tension from the body
- Promote lymphatic flow & drainage
- Reduce inflammation in the body
- Provide a youthful glow
So How Do You Practice Gua Sha Properly For These Results?
The most important step to remember is we always start our gua sha practice by massaging the neck, shoulders, chest region first.
If you don't have a lot of time, don't even worry about the face, just focus on gua sha'ing your neck, shoulders & chest (as per the routine you will get with the tool).
By focusing on these areas, you will automatically receive the benefits on the face.
Yep you heard me right...this should be the rule of thumb, before working on the face, we always open up the neck, shoulders & chest area. This in itself will help lift, sculpt, define the face.
Okay now that I've repeated myself three times :D Let's move on to why...
Gua Sha & The Lymphatic System
Lymphatic system, lymphatic flow & lymphatic drainage are buzz words these days...but what does it all actually mean?!
Think of your lymphatic system as your waste management system, it plays an essential part of the immune system and acts as a highway for removing toxins, waste, and unwanted substances from the body.
BUT here's where Gua Sha comes in. So you know how your heart is a central pump within the body to help move blood around the body?
There is no central pump in the body to move that lymphatic fluid.
So we have to help our lymph system move through external movement & stimulation.
Activities like walking, exercise, deep belly breathing, dry brushing & gua sha (facial reflexology & scalp massages too - explained in the nervous system section below).
So then what prevents proper lymphatic flow & drainage? Stress! Stress & tension and being stagnant during the day are the biggest causes of poor lymph flow.
This is why gua sha, especially the way we practice it with this tool, by starting the massage on your neck, shoulders & chest, helps so much.
It immediately relaxes the nervous system, which lowers stress & tension, which then helps the lymphatic system to work optimally.
& of course, starting your gua sha routine by focusing on the neck, shoulders, and chest first also helps open up the pathways for lymphatic flow and drainage.
The Nervous System Connection
Parasympathetic Nervous System - Rest, Digest & Drain
This brings me onto the next part...one of the most powerful ways to heal from high stress symptoms & cortisol imbalance is doing something everyday that helps to regulate & relax your nervous system.
When we're constantly on the go, living in a stressed state, it can become very addictive and hard to relax. Meditation is totally out of the question for most in this state.
In fact, it's so normal to become addicted to stress hormones & feeling the need to be constantly stimulated.
That's why I love the amethyst gua sha and the routine we follow where open the neck shoulders & chest first.
This is incredibly effective at taking your nervous system out of stressed 'fight or flight' & putting it into the parasympathetic 'rest & digest' state.
When your nervous system is relaxed, blood flow & energy is prioritised once again towards the digestive & reproductive organs, which helps the body to work harmoniously again.
Another fascinating fact? When you're in rest & digest, you're actually also in drain. So its rest, digest & drain.
Drain for lymphatic drainage. Your nervous system needs to be relaxed for properly lymphatic flow - as we already discussed, stress & tension blocks lymph flow!
Other fantastic practices that also help your nervous system relax is facial reflexology & scalp massages - both very effective at quickly releasing stress & tension from the body.
You will be provided routines for all three when you purchase either tool. :)
Final Note
I would like to take the chance here to thank the one woman who brought these practices into my life thereby also connecting me to my life purpose. The knowledge she kindly shared helped me & thousands of others heal. I will be forever grateful for her, she was a true angel on earth who was taken too soon from us. May you forever rest in peace, Danna Omari - Noyskincare.
