Massaging the head can do much to relieve the stress and tension that fill our day to day lives. The technique involves controlled caresses such as the spider walk, root pull, and comb, and focuses mainly on the face and scalp. It can also continue down the upper back, neck, shoulders and upper arms.
The massage has a strong effect on the three higher chakras of the seven - mind, body and spirit. Chakra (wheel) is the energy vortex that we need to remain striving. As the massage works on the shoulders and neck, the relief of tension is felt almost instantaneously.
As well as easing headaches and stress, the conditions it can help are many. It helps deal with scalp and hair problems, aids localised blood and lymphatic circulation, relieves eye strain, boosts the immune system, relieves muscle tension, and helps restore joint movement. This is particularly good for people who are wheelchair bound or are partially immobile.
My mother suffers from high blood pressure. During the worst times, she has attacks on the lympatic circulation. The only way to relieve this is to massage her neck and upper back to release the fluid retention. She says that it feels as if there is air trapped inside which makes her neck and forehead swell up. There are times when she falls unconscious, and immediate massage has to be given along with a cold damp towel pressed on to her forehead and scalp.
Head massage originated in India over a thousand years ago. The origin of shampoo comes from a Hindi word 'champi'. Being 'champi-ed' meant having your head massaged. It began as the way to keep your long hair in beautiful condition and has become a part of daily life.
Massage is probably the oldest therapy known to man, and has been practised in the Far and the Middle East for at least 5000 years. The beneficial effects have been acknowledged for generations, and massage is a part of everyday activity, performed within the family from a very young age.
It is stated that the way to health is to have a scented bath and an oiled massage everyday. Unfortunately this is impossible in today's world, although we are starting to realise that we have to take responsibility for our own health.
The beauty of head massage is you can have it almost anywhere - at home, work or in a salon. You can be clothed or unclothed, use oils, cream, powder or nothing.
I have found cold water blended with oil is very effective when massaging my mother. I place it on her scalp and then massage it around the neck area.
I was taught Indian head massage when I was nine years old. Being Bangladeshi in origin myself, I didn't understand why it was called 'Indian' head massage. When I was older, I learnt that I would have been Indian if the country hadn't been divided into three!
Taken from article by jamila hussain at the BBC
