How to Administer Self-Care
Find a comfortable spot, you can be sitting or lying down, you may support your body in any way – using pillows, propping elbows on a table, etc. When you first begin, you can consider holding points a few minutes at a time, a few times a day. This can be built upon to create a self-care routine that fits your needs. Over time this may include increasing or decreasing the duration or frequency.
- When holding regions, apply gentle pressure to them using your index, middle and ring fingertips.
- Next, direct your awareness to what you are feeling underneath your fingertips in that area.
- Now, relax and breathe comfortably while observing the quality and rate of your breath.
- Continue feeling for pulse sensations. It may take three to five minutes or more before you feel the pulses. If holding two regions, wait until your fingertips feel the pulse in each area.
- Then, keep holding until the pulses synchronize with each other in pulse rate, quality, and feel resonant and/or you notice yourself relaxing, or taking a deep, sighing breath.
Palafox, C.A. and Hernández, T.D., (2012) Acupressure Self-Administration Proficiency Manual, University of Colorado, including adaptations from2-6.