Join Lorraine for a restorative summer Sunday, with a Gua Sha and Face Yoga Workshop,  You’ll learn how to use your gua sha tool (or your hands if you don’t have a gua sha) to relieve tension and stress in the muscles and fascia of the face and scalp. Your whole body will thank you when you leave feeling relaxed and calm.

Have you ever considered how often we use the 40 muscles of our face? We strain our eyes to look at screens or the road on commutes.  We clinch our jaw or grind our teeth when our mind is racing.  However, the tension we hold in our head runs throughout the entire body.  What we feel as stiffness in the neck and back is very often due to bracing or straining of the face, jaw, and scalp.  Learning to relax these muscles and release tension in the fascia will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. 

 Gua sha is a tool made of wood, glass or  stone that has been used in ancient Chinese Medicine for generations.  Gua sha means “skin scraping” and traditionally there were tools of different sizes and shapes for different areas of the body.  Today, the gua sha tool is popular as part of a fascial routine to keep the skin of the face supple.  Gua sha works by encouraging circulation of the blood and lymph.  Lotion is applied to the skin so the gua sha tool can glide easily over the skin.  In this workshop, I’ll be offering a different technique more closely associated with the traditional practice but also inspired by my knowledge as a Rolfer.  We will avoid oils or lotion on the skin and use the gua sha tool to loosen restrictions in the muscles and fascia of the face, jaw, and scalp.  

Class Flow

• Education: Brief talk about the gua sha tool and its history.
• Grounding: We’ll assess how our body feels before we begin.
• Body Mechanics: How to hold the gua sha tool in a way that’s effective but also doesn’t cause strain on our hands and wrists.
• Technique: Adjusting pressure, direction, speed, and angle of the gua sha tool.
• Flow:  Learning to go with the flow of the practice: yawning, pausing, rocking and adding to what feels good and right for our body.  
• Whole Body Integration: Gentle restorative movements and stretches for the whole body to connect the work we’ve done with the face and scalp.
• Mindfulness:  We’ll re-assess how our body feels after the practice with mindfulness and intentional breathwork.

How to Prepare

Wear clothing that is comfortable, loose fitting and allows access to the neck and collarbones.  Please avoid putting on lotion an hour or two before class.  Ideally, allow the hair to be loose and comfortable. Bring your own gua sha tool.  Come to class with a yoga mat if you have one or borrow one from the studio.  Grab any props you want to make yourself comfortable.   Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the start time to make your space comfortable.  Doors will be locked after class starts.  

Workshop investment: $30 or $25 for Balance Members.

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