Gua Sha goes back to traditional Chinese Medicine. Many methods in traditional Chinese Medicine are based on your qi, or energy, which must maintain consistent flow all around the body to feel your best. When the qi becomes stuck in certain areas, it is believed that health problems can occur. With a gua sha, a smooth edged tool that can be used to gently scrape areas of your body. The gua sha can be used in areas where there is inflammation, or energy that is stuck to help improve circulation and promote healing.
The benefits of gua sha
There are many benefits of using the gua sha. There have been reports that it helps several health conditions, including musculoskeletal problems. It can be especially helpful to the more common ones such as, tightness in the upper back, shoulders or legs. In addition to this, the gua sha can help relieve headaches, neck pain and overall swelling in the body.
Gua sha’s benefits are most likely from the increased and promoted energy flow throughout the body. It is helping to create better blood supply and proper nerve conduction, so that there is no stagnant areas in the body.
The use of gua sha on the body
If you have muscle knots, gua sha is a great way to relieve the tension. First you will want to work perpendicularly to the muscle fibers, working inwards to outwards. Once breaking down the knot, you will then want to go in the direction of the muscle fibers to lengthen them and get them in the correct direction. It is important not to start with going in the same direction as the muscle fibers because that will only make the tissues tighter.
The use of gua sha for the face
Using the gua sha tool on the face is a little more tricky. Due to the musculature of the face being very thin, it does not build up the same way like other muscles do. When used on the face, the tool should not be dragged from the outside edges of the face. It is better to divide the face in half, using your nose as an indication of a middle point; you would start at your nose on one side, working the tool outward. It is important not to rub the gua sha back and forth, and up and down, as it may aggravate the skin. It is best to keep things going in one direction.
Best type of gua sha to use
For choosing the type of gua sha used for improving blood flow and energy throughout the body, it is important to choose one that can easily be cleaned and stay in good condition. A gemstone gua sha tool is perfect for getting the stagnant energy in the body flowing again. Some tools can be cleaned in boiling water or a diluted bleach solution.
If your body feels fatigued and tight, try the gua sha method to see how the muscle fibers can be broken up and leave you feeling loose and free.
