Massage for Busy People

Place your right hand over the top of your left shoulder near your neck. Support your right elbow with your left hand.
Using your fingers, locate the muscle that runs along the top of the shoulder. Starting at the shoulder joint, begin firmly squeezing the muscle and move along the length of your shoulder until you reach the base of your neck.
Switch to the other side and repeat the same procedure. Briefly rest both arms in your lap, then do both sides again.
Finish by using your fist to pound the muscle along the length of your shoulder.
Hints:

Be aware of your body position. Don’t tighten or lift your shoulders, and keep your upper body in a neutral position.
Try bracing your working arm and using the muscles in your forearm to apply the squeeze. Keep the bicep muscles in your upper arm soft. This technique will help keep your shoulders down and prevent tension from building in your arms.
Don’t strain your working arm. It’s better to repeat the massage a few more times using a manageable pressure than to attempt to break through the knots in a single, overzealous effort.

Loosening shoulders

Place your index and middle fingers over the middle of each eyebrow. Move the eyebrow under each set of fingers in small circles for a couple of seconds, then shift position by a half-inch toward the outside of the head.
Continue moving along the eyebrow and the occipital lobe (the eye socket) until you complete a full circle around the eyes, ending up at the eyebrows again.
Complete the eye massage by gently pressing both thumbs up against occipital lobe underneath the eyebrows.

Pressing around eyes

Place your left elbow on a flat surface such as a table and rest your forehead in your left palm. This position relaxes your neck.
Bring your right hand over the back of your head and rest your thumb in the well of your skull.
Press your thumb around the semicircular edge of the well. Hold each thumb-press for up to ten seconds until the entire area has been covered.
Finish by lightly massaging the area with your fingertips.

Thumbing the well

Press your fingertips against your temples.
Without sliding your fingers over the skin surface, move the scalp back and forth.
After a few seconds, move your fingertips farther back around the headache band and repeat the back and forth movement.
When your fingers meet at the back of your head, reverse direction until you’ve massaged the entire headache band, including your forehead. Then relax your arms and hands with your eyes closed for a few minutes.
Finish by gently squeezing each eyebrow between your thumb and index finger.

Localized pressure can create a deep muscle release and is especially effective when used on muscles in spasm. Pressure is usually applied with the fingertips, knuckles, or the thumb. Special massage devices can also be used to apply pressure. In a typical application, a deep static pressure is sustained for five to ten seconds over a small area, such as at the base of the skull. Pressure techniques can be used effectively on the scalp and the feet as well as the back. They are used to revive and release the body

Percussion involves striking the body in a light rhythmical fashion and includes tapping, slapping, pounding, hacking (like a karate chop), and cupping (hands cupped as they strike). Percussion can be performed with the fingers, palms, the side of the hand, and the fists. The massage area is pummeled with quick, repeated movements that stimulate the skin and muscles. Percussion techniques are often used to combat lethargy or drowsiness.

Ideally, you should direct your pushing stroke toward the heart and not away from it. This encourages the blood to be cleared from the muscles, after which it is recirculated, reoxygenated, and returned to the affected region

Effleurage
Effleurage is a pushing movement and is often used to begin and end massage sessions. To perform effleurage the hands are placed palms down on the body. Alternating from one hand to the other, you push forward (or pull backward) in a continuous stroke cycle. As with other massage techniques, it is best to begin with a light pressure to warm up and desensitize the area. As the strokes progress, the pressure can be deepened

Petrissage is the technique most people associate with massage. Very simply, petrissage involves squeezing the muscles in the arms, thighs, or upper back between the fingertips and thumb in a rhythmic, circular movement. The movement is similar to kneading bread dough and allows you to apply pressure to the deeper layers of muscle tissue.

To stretch your wrist, place your elbow on a table, gently pull your fingers backward as far as it feels comfortable and hold for ten to twenty seconds, then release. When finished, gently bend the wrist forward to counteract the backward bend. Stretch your thumb backward and forward in a similar manner. Repeat with the opposite wrist. This can also be performed with arm outstretched.
To stretch your arms and shoulders, reach up with your right arm, fingers outstretched. Hold the position for a moment, then lower your arm to the front until it is parallel to the floor. Use your left hand to pull your extended right arm across your chest. Keep the right arm straight and sustain the stretch for twenty seconds. Repeat the sequence with the left arm.
To stretch your chest, reach your arms behind your back and interlace your fingers. Keep your chest upright and gently lift your arms. You can achieve a similar stretch by hanging on to the sides of a door frame and stepping through it until you feel your chest open up. Hold the stretch ten to twenty seconds and then repeat it.
To stretch your back in a seated position, gently bend over from your hips, rest your torso on your knees, and let your head and arms hang down for ten to twenty seconds. To stretch your back in a standing position, you can either bend from the hips (not the waist) and dangle your arms over your feet or you can grasp a table or chair and as you bend from the hips, lower your head and back between your outstretched arms. You can also face about three feet away from a wall, stretch your arms to the wall at face height, and lean into your hands (fingers pointed up). Walk back slowly until you can hang your head in between your arms and lengthen your spine from the hips. To stabilize yourself, keep your legs straight and your feet hip distance apart. To move out of any of these stretches, gently roll back up to a standing position one vertebrae at a time, using your hands for support as you rise. If you’re leaning against a wall, take a step toward the wall before rolling up. Move slowly and carefully. If your lower back is weak, you can hold on to a chair or a wall for extra support as you return to a standing position.