Your ears do far more than help you hear…they act as your body’s blueprint. Eastern medicine links points on the ear to specific regions of the body. According to the Institute for Integrative Healing, when you massage these pressure points, you stimulate therapeutic healing in corresponding body parts. Western medicine likewise touts the benefits of ear massage as a way to relax and release tension.
Your ears are concentrated with nerve endings that connect to reflex centers in the brain. Ear massage stimulates these reflex centers, which send messages along the nerve pathways, through the spinal cord, and to different body parts. Ear massage acts as an internal massage for the tissues and organs of the body, and proponents say it can treat a variety of different health conditions, including chronic pain. Ear massage activates the release of endorphins, hormones that dull pain. Ear massage also suppresses muscle spasms by halting the brain’s activation of painful spinal reflexes.
Enjoy a professional ear massage, or take 5 minutes out of your day to practice this healing modality on yourself. Just follow the steps below to activate healing and ease the tension of a stressful day. Each variation of massage should be repeated at least three times.
Ear Massage Technique
Step 1: Get yourself comfy. Either lie down, or stay seated in a comfortable position, with your head supported. Sweep your hair away from your ears. Start by gently massaging the ears—from the lobes to where the tip touches your temples—with your thumbs. Massage your scalp with your fingertips simultaneously.
Step 2: To release tension and activate healing in the head and neck, lightly press your earlobes between your thumbs and first two fingers. This massage consists of both gentle presses and soft rolls of the lobes.
Move on to the shoulders, elbows, wrists, feet, and ankles, by focusing the massage along the outer edges of the ear, alternating between pressing and rolling.
Step 3: Gently press your forefingers into the folds of your outer ear (it helps to rest your thumbs on your temples for support) and massage with a circular motion. The outer ears are associated with the neck, hips, knees, lower back, and pelvic region.
Step 4: For an internal organ massage that can strengthen hunger control, place the forefingers in the center of the ear, but not directly into the ear canals. Massage with a soft pressing motion, focusing on all the different points within the center of the ear.
Step 5: Position your thumbs in the center of your ears and lightly pull your ears upward toward your hairline. While shifting upward, massage with a circular motion.
Finish your ear massage by cupping both ears with the palms of your hands. Move your hands in circles, massaging the scalp while you relax the entire ear. Take a few deep breaths, enjoying the vibrations of relaxation and peace that flood your body.
If you’ve mastered the 5-minute ear massage above, delve deeper into the therapeutic benefits of auriculotherapy. Click here to learn more about the restorative benefits of self-administered ear massage.
