Do-In

Do-in, pronounced dough-een, is a form of self-massage that was originally practiced by Taoist monks. It follows the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC).

In TMC the body is believed to have various pathways called meridians that energy or chi flows through. These pathways flow through certain organs. Each meridian is named after an organ it flows through. If the energy in a meridian is blocked it causes dysfunction in the body and in the organ the meridian passes through.

Do-in combines meditation, stretching exercises, and self-massage. The self massage piece of do-in is what I want to focus on today.

Do-in is best done in the morning, but can be done anytime of the day. You should not do do-in right after you've eaten a meal. Give some time for the food to digest maybe a couple of hours. No oils are required in do-in. Ideally, you should be in a relaxed environment without distractions, and you should be wearing loose comfortable clothes. A do-in session could take as long as 30 minutes or as little as 5.

In do-in, you use your loose fist and finger tips to tap your body. Other strokes used in do-in include pressing, rubbing and kneading. Here is an example of a simple doin routine.

Use your loose fist to tap the top, sides and back of your head.

Start from the center of your forehead and working out, use your fingertips to rub in a circular motion.

Massage your temples with gentle circular motions.

Rub you cheeks and jaw using the same motion.

Massage both of your ears by squeezing and rubbing them.

Use your fingertips to brush down the front of your neck.

Knead the back of your neck.

Now stretch your neck on all sides. Don't do a circular motion with your neck. Just give it a good stretch in all directions.

With your loose fist tap the top of your shoulders starting from the neck and working your way out.

Knead your shoulder muscles.

Use your loose fist to tap down the inside of your arm and up the outside of your arm.

Thoroughly knead your arm muscles to work out any soreness.

Stretch your wrists.

Use a circular stroke to massage your palm.

Massage each finger by squeezing and releasing from the base all the way up to the tip.

Shake out your arm gently.

Repeat on the other arm.

Tap your ribcage with your fingertips.

Slap the side of your ribcage with your palm.

Use your loose fist to tap your back and buttocks. When tapping your back avoid the kidney region.

Use your fist to tap down the inside of your leg and up the outside.

Knead your leg muscles.

Squeeze and release your calf muscles.

Rotate your ankle.

Tap the sole of your feet with your fingertips.

Massage the sole thoroughly and massage each toe.

Bounce your leg gently to shake it out.

Repeat on the other leg.

Lie on the floor for a few minutes, breathe deeply and relax.

If you want to learn more about do-in you can take a course. It involves more than this brief routine. Learning the philosophies and exercises used in do-in can improve your health and positively impact your life.