224: Breast Massage

How are you doing? What does your body need?

I know this can be a sensitive topic talking about our breasts for so many reasons. We can have shame, embarrassment, disease, become fearful, nourishment, or completely in love with them. They come in all shapes & sizes they change throughout our lifetimes.

Take a little time to reflect on your relationship with your breasts. We all have stories there. For me I developed early. I felt shame and tried to hide them underneath t-shirts so boys wouldn't notice I wasn't one of them anymore. Newsflash they still noticed. All of the women in my family have larger breasts it was my destiny. I remember being in the locker room and a teammate said well breasts are all fat so the bigger they are the more fat you have. To a high school girl that starts to play mind games with you. I worked out harder to try and change or alter them which they never did. I really had this story that I was this fitness professional with a larger chest I was the only one. I even looked up to women who were in the spotlight with larger breasts that is why I loved Jessica Simpson, I saw myself in her with a larger chest.

I really have started to come back to appreciating my breasts after having my son. Being able to feed my son for 6 months and realizing how important they are in his life right now. I have since become much more appreciative of them. I started doing a breast massage regularly twice a week before bed. That has really had me having a new appreciation for them. I want to share benefits of doing a massage and where to find the balm I enjoy using.

Ayurvedic approach on breasts

• The meda dhatu (fatty tissue) makes up one quality of the breasts
• The rasa dhatu (fluids of the body such as the lymph System)
• One of the areas where the lymph drains in the body right underneath the armpit, drainage in the crevice behind the collarbone.

Why do a regular breast massage?

• Preventative practice for long term health
• A great way to familiarize yourself with your breasts to notice any changes
• Massage- stimulates the lymphatic system & improves circulation, helps facilitate the release of any stagnation.
• As long as lymph moves, toxins can be removed, ducts do not become blocked, and less accumulation occurs.
• Massage is also a classic Ayurvedic therapy for Vata, which is quick to lodge itself in the heart center with emotions like fear, loneliness, and anxiety. As well as for the Kapha dosha to make sure stagnation does not occur.

Where to purchase breast balm 

Details on breast balm-With Tulsi & Palmarosa

• Massage aid for regular breast care
• Soothing and comforting formula
• Balancing for all doshas

How to do a breast massage

This comes from my teacher Katie Silcox who received this information from Taoist Tantra Dr. Lia Andrews.

Rub hands together to warm them with the oil on them and rub oil all over breasts and chest area. After each of the 7 ideas sit with eyes closed for a few seconds to feel the affects.

• Lymph flow strokes - start with upward and outward circle of breasts more like a sweeping action of fingers around 36x
• Stagnant Circles- Hold onto breasts push in and up and around- 36x
• Moving Circles- massage small circles around edges of breasts in clockwise motion 36x and then counter clockwise 36x
• Knuckling- Make a fist and start underneath armpit and quickly brush fist over breasts and by nipples.
• Pinching- Pinch the tissue on and around the breasts
• Slapping- Karate chop & massage right above breast and below on pinky edge of hands
• Ayurvedic Squeeze & squish - Take the entire hand and flatten across breast and squeeze hands inward and flatten back out and squeeze together.

This can be done with anyone who's had a mastectomy. Emotions can come up with this practice.

Podcast episode to tune into about preventative breast health care.