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Most people have bags under their eyes although the bags can vary widely in shape size and
color Some people have dark circles Others have a crease that runs from the inside corner of
the eye diagonally down and away from the nose It is often darker in color and sometimes
black and blue These are all due to tension in the lower portion of the orbicularis oculi muscle
caused by perpetual squinting This tension can be the cause of frequent crying Before
compressing this area would often feel on the verge of crying Since massaging them rarely
feel tearful You should also find that you squint much less in sunlight
Medial
Palpebral
Ligament
Se
Orbicularis
Oculi Orbital
Bone
Illustration Orbicularis oculi massage
Facial Massage Exercise Outer Orbicularis Oculi
Firmly massage your upper cheeks with a tool or knuckle Provide moderate to hard pressure
using circular strokes Use between five and ten pounds of pressure all over the area
surrounding the eye It is okay if the affected muscles are slightly sore the next day You
might start with a squash ball until nextday soreness stops and then switch to harder
implements like a baseball knuckle or other tool
Chapter Massage Away Facial Tension
Facial Massage Exercise nner Orbicularis Oculi
Place the tips of your index fingers along the edge of your eyes orbits just under the eye
the orbit is the bony ridge that encircles the eyes You should be able to feel hard strings of
muscle At first thought that these were veins and assumed that should not compress
them They are merely tense muscles and they will soften with compression Push down on
them with your fingertips and squeeze them against the orbital bone Then place the second
knuckle of each index finger just to the side of these cords Apply firm pressure and move
slowly over them pinning them against the orbit as you go Finally use your fingers
knuckles and an eyebolt to compress the entire orbit The portion of the orbicularis oculi
nearest the nose contains the medial palpebral ligament around which there is a lot of
tension Focus on this area and the areas directly below and above it
Facial Massage Exercise Lateral Orbicularis Oculi
Compress the bony ridges of the outside lateral corners of your eyes Tension here leads to
the wrinkles known as crows feet also called periorbital lines Your crows feet will diminish
in size and depth as the muscle becomes supple and circulation improves Eventually they
may disappear completely Compressing these muscles will also reduce squinting when you
smile Start by straddling the lateral orbital bone with two of your knuckles and press in to it
as you stroke up and down You may notice small painful bundles of muscle here compress
them a little more each day and they will gradually fade away
Facial Massage Exercise Fyelids
Your eyelids contain tiny muscles that when overly tense can cause swelling itching or turn
the rims of the lids bright red To reduce excessive tone in these tiny muscles squeeze them
gently to stop them from contracting To do so wash your hands and then use your thumb
and forefinger to pinch the outside of your eyelids Pinch the upper lids all over from left to
right especially the area near the lashes Repeat with the lower lids You should notice that
your lids become lighter in color less itchy and less puffy within a week
The Brow Frontalis Procerus and Corrugator Supercilli
Most of us have very tense muscles in our foreheads and eyebrows They become tense
because we raise our eyebrows frontalis muscle when trying to make friends and furrow our
brows using the procerus and corrugator supercilli muscles when we get angry You might
remember from Chapter that the former are used by an animal being chased and the latter
are used by an animal chasing Over time these expressions can become plastered on our
faces making the brow painful by our midtwenties
Brow muscles can be difficult to work on It took me three months of massaging for about
minutes per day before the pain faded fully But it was worth it because it also got rid of
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
sizeable knots and scar tissue Previously those knots had kept my brow in a permanently
raised state making them tremble when was upset or nervous Releasing your brow muscles
reverses this It will also reverse the muscle shortening letting your eyebrows descend to take
on a fearless look Your eyebrows will keep still when you talk and only raise when you want
them to
Procerus
Corrugator
Supercilli
Illustration Brow massage
Facial Massage Exercise Frontalis
Take the first knuckle of your thumb or forefinger and press it into the skin of your forehead
Be sure to cover the areas above below and underneath each eyebrow You will likely find
bundles of tight muscle fibers that are excruciating to compress Begin gently and increase
pressure slowly until you get the intended dayafter ache You can give your knuckle a break
by pressing the full weight of your head onto a baseball tabletop or tool moving the
pressure all around your forehead and concentrating on areas that hurt the most
Facial Massage Exercise Procerus and Corrugator Supercilli
Press the knuckles of the thumb or an eyebolt directly between your eyebrows to compress
the procerus the corrugator supercilli and other soft tissues in the area believe tension in
the procerus forces us to contend with anger and that relieving this muscle is emotionally
purgative As mentioned in Chapter scientists regard the corrugator supercilli as the
principal muscle used in the expression of suffering Why wouldnt we all compress these
muscles until they are painless
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
The Cheeks Zygomaticus Major and Minor Levator Anguli Oris Levator Labii
The zygomas are the bone protrusions on either side of the human face commonly referred to
as cheekbones They are the meeting point for multiple muscles that overlap to create an
intersection of tension That tension causes inflammation and swelling Compressing the
muscles will reduce that swelling uncovering your cheekbones and making them more visible
and pronounced It will also end chronic blushing and cheek tightness used to blush socially
and every time exercised never blush anymore
Most smiling is nervous smiling In fact when we laugh or smile socially our hearts are
often beating quickly and our breath is shallow and tense As you know any muscles that are
routinely coactivated with distressed breathing will hold excess tension In the case of the
zygomatic muscles that strain causes them to pull on tendons where they attach to the
cheekbones causing deep pain The tendons become so strained that the area accumulates
scar tissue and undergoes a host of degenerative cellular processes This made my smile rotten
and mangled This was the sorest place on my entire face Pressing a baseball into it with five
pounds of pressure hurt so badly that it made me want to cry There were tiny protuberances
and what felt like sand in the area Now it is smooth and all the pain is gone completely
NY
Levator Zygomaticus