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Skin & hair · 2 min

A two-minutescalp massage

Fingertips, small slow circles, two minutes. Nothing to buy, nothing to learn, and the tightness in your head and neck often eases a little.

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A lot of the day's tension lives higher up than we think: in the jaw, the temples and across the top of the head. Two minutes of slow pressure from your own fingertips is one of the easiest ways to let some of it go, and you can do it anywhere.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

  1. Sit comfortably, close your eyes if you like, and let your jaw loosen so your teeth are not touching.

  2. Place the pads of your fingertips, not your nails, on your scalp just above your ears.

  3. Press gently and move the skin in small, slow circles for a few breaths. Then move your hands a little higher and do it again, working up to the crown and back down to the base of your skull.

  4. Finish by resting your palms over your closed eyes for three slow breaths.

The reason

Why it helps

Slow, steady pressure on the scalp relaxes the small muscles of the head and neck that tighten when we are worried or concentrating hard. It feels good, which is reason enough. It also gives you two minutes where your attention rests on a pleasant feeling rather than the next thing, which is a small rest for the mind.

A gentle variation

If raising your arms is hard, do the sides and the back of the head only, with your elbows resting on a table. You can also do it on wash day, with the water running warm.

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WE · TRIBE

Try itwith someone.

Offer a two-minute scalp massage to someone you love, standing behind their chair, slowly and gently. Ask whether they would like more pressure or less. It is a simple way to give comfort when words are hard.

Make it a plan in HIVELIVE, with WE

Try it today

Today, sit down, loosen your jaw, and move your scalp in small, slow circles with your fingertips for two minutes, from above the ears to the crown.

Add it to your day

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