The closer you are to yourself, the closer you are to attaining a life of peace and constant contentment, no matter what is happening around you. There are many ways to go about finding your true self, one of which is by connecting with yourself physically through self-massage.

Regular massage helps to keep your body toned and your mind relaxed. Seeing a massage therapist is a great release of all that tension we hold in our bodies, but an even better way to appreciate yourself is to give yourself a massage. By massaging yourself you will learn where you hold tension and how to release it. Self-massage makes you more aware of your body, helps you relax and will help you regain your vitality.

At night before bed is the best time for self-massage. Use an oil or body cream to help your hands glide smoothly over your skin:

1. Begin at you feet; stimulating the entire soul of your feet, go in between toes and rubbing under and around the ankles.
2. Move up to the calves of the legs and knead the muscles using fingers and thumbs to release any knots. Thoroughly massage your knees, especially behind the knees and continue up the legs in the same manner.
3. Work your way to the front of your body and massage your stomach in a clockwise direction.
4. Going to the right side of the body, over the liver and gallbladder (right abdominal side, just beneath the diaphragm) and massage the area thoroughly – this aids in the flow of energy to the liver helping your digestive system work more efficiently.
5. Move on to your chest, heart area and neck, then do both arms. Self-massage on the back is difficult but you can massage your shoulders, hips, buttocks and backs of legs.
6. Massage back of neck and face, then finish of with a relaxing scalp massage. You can put oil on your scalp which is beneficial for your hair as well and can be washed out in the morning.

Self-massage provides the physical benefits of helping your body function better and the release of tension from the muscles that you can get from any type of massage, but by massaging yourself you also reap the benefits of connecting your mind, body and spirit to know yourself more fully and lead your life more appropriately.