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A sequence of moves for indian head massage- to remind you of a possible routine order. Only to be used with suitable training and certification. The author does not take any responsibility for the way in which this information is used.
Introduction

This is a basic introduction to indian head massage. More information can be found in books, or on courses e.g. run by the ChillOut Society or Chi For Women. These techniques should not be practised without adequate training and certification, and the author takes no responsibilty for any consequences of doing so.

Beginnings

1. Seat client comfortably: ideally on an on-site massage chair or sitting upright on a stool. You need access to their back. Backwards on a chair with arms resting on a pillow on the back rest is ok.
2. Hands on shoulders and guide visualisation: many complementary/alternative medicine books have nice visualisations. You can describe this with their breathing- in=breathe in light, out=let stresses/worries go or take them on a walk in their favourite place, a quiet forest by the stream, or whatever.
3. Brush down strokes: starting with your hands on the crown of their head, move smoothly down the sides of their head, mould into their neck, over their shoulders and down their arms. Flick off and shake your hands about on your wrists. Repeat down sides of back and down back. Moulding is the key. Speed and firmness depends on intent.
4. Claw up back and head: This is starting to intensify the session. Hold their head gently and supportively, spread your fingers and claw up from the sacrum to the occiput.

Head and neck moves

1. Splayed fingertip circles to scalp: beginning with your finger tips splayed at the anterior border of the hair. Finger circles can repeated 3, 5 or 7 times, and a firm press at the end adds to the effect. Work backwards toward the occiput and then either use thumbs or hold forehead with one hand and use other for finger circles (unless you have an on-site massage chair).
2. Finger pad plucking to scalp: start with your fingers slightly spread, gently resting on the scalp. Pull back and bend your fingers in towards each other simultaneously, so that you tease the scalp without pulling the hair or jerking the head. This requires practise for most people.
3. Comb through hair: randomly or patterned. A nice pattern is to walk round them clockwise, pulling up from the opposite side and bring up to above the head, then letting fall (medium-length hair) or flick (shorter hair). With longer hair, you may only be able to comb in one direction without causing tangles.
4. Fingertip circles over middle of scalp: as for 1, but with fingers close together and almost together in the midline.
5. Fingertip circles over edge of scalp: as for 4, but with fingers starting above ears and moving back to side of head.
6. Splayed over whole of scalp: as for 1
7. Brush down strokes
8. Thumb and finger circles up neck: starting just between the shoulder blade, do firm circles on the muscles either side of the spine. Move down one vertebra or 1-2 inches at a time. Finish on the sacrum.

Shoulder and back moves

1. Grasp and lift trapezius between fingers and thumb, squeeze and release. Move to cover whole of upper border of trapezius. Simultaneously with both hands.
2. These moves are done on one arm at a time
   a.   Hand over hand grasping to shoulder and arm: beginning at the inner shoulder, move down the arm with firm but smooth grasping, becoming gentler towards the wrist and sweeping over the hand
   b.   Arm shakes: face the client and holding the wrist firmly but gently with your furthest away hand, support their shoulder with your nearer arm. Apply traction, then shake gently with circular, oscillatory and random movement so that their whole arm loosens up and goes floppy. Do this with the arm
         i. pointing down
         ii. pointing straight ahead
         iii. pointing sideways
   c.   Arm lock & thumb circles to shoulder blade: keep a gentle hold following the previous move. In one smooth motion, bring their arm behind their back and rest it gently on yours. Use your other (ipsilateral) hand to gain purchase on the outside of the upper arm whilst doing thumb circles slowly up the inner border of the shoulder blade.
   Repeat 2-4 to other side
3. Brush down strokes
4. Thumb circles down spine: Beginning between the tops of the shoulder blades, do firm circles on either side of the spine with the thumbs of each hand simultaneously.
5. Soft knuckle presses across and up back: when you reach the sacrum, form loose fists and push them into the hip flesh. Repeat this further in, then close to the spine. Move up a few inches and repeat until you reach the shoulders.
6. Finger pad plucking to back: as for the head, but firmer. Patterned or random.
7. Brush down strokes

Scalp and face moves

1. Finger pad plucking to scalp
2. Hair tugging: gain hold of a little patch of hair between your fingers, apply traction gently and hold, release.
3. Scalp sweeping: starting either side of the head, sweep closed hands up toward the middle of head, sweep hair up and allow to fall gently onto head (mid-length to long hair).
4. Comb through hair: as above
5. Lean client back onto pillowed chest: holding a pillow onto your chest, lean forward so that their head rests on it. Then hold their head/shoulders gently and bring them back so they sink into the pillow, feeling safe and secure.
6. Fingertip circles forehead to temples and drain:
   A: beginning with your fingers in a line just in front of the hair line, do small circles. Move outwards towards temples with doing circles over whole upper forehead. Sweep off temples behind ears and down neck and shoulders.
   B: do the same beginning in the middle of the mid-forehead
   C: do the same beginning in the middle of the lower forehead, above the eye brows
7. Eye brow squeezing, circles down jaw line and drain: squeeze the eye brows between finger and thumb from the nose outwards, then do finger circles down the jaw line and drain down neck and shoulders.
8. Fingertip circles to inferior eye socket, down to chin and sweep forward: carefully find the lower border of the eye socket with fingers curled down from hands resting on the forehead. Gentle circles moving outwards, then down to chin and finally sweeping off their chin with your hands meeting in front of it.
9. Squide ears: be gentle and make sure they like it. If they don’t, discontinue immediately- some people just don’t.
10. Finger pad plucking to scalp

Finishing off

1. Fingerpad tapotement: either random “rain-like” tapping with all fingers of both hands, moving round, or sequential “domino” tapping from one side of your hand to the other. Move around or across head, then down neck and onto back. Here can do 4-finger tapping or flicking if you are well coordinated.
2. Brush down strokes
3. Aura stroking: about 6-10cm away from  body, stroke and soothe aura. Imagine a glow of shining light surrounding them.
4. Rest hands on shoulder, 3 breaths and lift off: slowly and gently break contact at a moment which feels natural. They must feel lifted, not deserted.

Afterwards

Give them a chance to wake up. Offer them a glass of water. They may be very dreamy- do not spoil this with a sudden ending or nervous action. This time is golden.