Breast Health for Women
Celebrating the Goddess within us can occur by honoring and taking care of the physical body. As the stress of our fast-paced living becomes ever more acute, self-breast care is an effective way for every woman to stay connected to her natural being. The breasts represent nurturing and caring in women. Their natural curves are comforting. Their delicate softness invites the warmth of a giving touch. In a time where the female body is on the one hand idealized, and on the other hand subject to serious health concerns, self-breast massage becomes a means for maintaining balance. In its beautiful simplicity it cultivates health for body, mind, and soul.
Self-breast care can be practiced during any phase of life. It is a centering, calming activity that feels good. Since it takes no more than ten minutes to complete, it can easily be added as a daily ritual to even the busiest schedule. There are many different techniques of massaging the breasts, all of which are beneficial when performed regularly. During the childbearing years, breast massage regulates the menstrual cycle, eases cramps, and promotes the alleviation of breast soreness due to hormonal fluctuations. During menopause it is a stabilizing factor in reducing undesired symptoms, and after menopause it is just as helpful in keeping the breasts healthy.
Any simple self-manipulation technique prevents stagnant tissue from creating blocked ducts or forming calcifications. The sheer fact that the breast tissue is stimulated results in drainage of the glands; consequently, toxins cannot settle. Some women have also reported that self-breast massage effectively treats and reduces cysts. It gives wonderful toning and firming benefits to the breasts.
Self-breast massage enhances emotional wellbeing by stimulating the production of the hormones progesterone and oxytocin. Both these hormones are proven to affect the human organism in positive ways. Progesterone has a calming effect and aids in sleep. Oxytocin is normally produced in lactating women. It may also reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer.
Just like the ears, hands and feet, the breasts are reflexively connected to the entire body. Breast tissue links to the major organs of the body, while the nipples correlate to the glands. Both the glands and organs, in turn, are linked to the subtle human energy anatomy and the life force that runs through this system. Massaging the breasts contributes to maintaining balanced energy channels. This may result in healing of seemingly unrelated ailments.
The felt sense of wellness and the build-up of healthy breast tissue are gained over months and years of practice of self-massage. This fosters trust in the self-regulating mechanisms of the body. As one becomes intimately accustomed to handling and assessing one’s own breasts with confidence, any change in size or firmness, including any lumps or calcified areas, are immediately noticed and can be reported to your doctor. In light of genetic factors that play a key role with fast growing cancers, medical supervision is recommended with all forms of medical self-care.
When massaging the breasts, it is most important to be comfortable. Either sitting or lying down works well. The breasts can be covered with a thin cloth, such as silk, or they can be bare. Time of day does not matter for this practice. What matters, however, is to do it regularly. It should be integrated into the daily routine without creating disruptions. It is best not to use lotion or oil, so that rather than to slide on the skin, friction is generated to move the tissue. This is also why working directly on the skin is often preferred.
The massage starts with the nipples, using two fingers of each hand on each breast, mirrored in outward circles for dispersion to the sides of the body. Pressure is light, but firm enough not to slide. The second part of the massage uses the entire palm of the hands. Again the motion is mirrored in outward circles to the sides, with light to medium pressure applied directly to move the breast tissue. Add the awareness of breath. The out-breath clears negative feelings and emotional states, while the in-breath generates positive, calming and nurturing qualities that are transmitted to the body’s major organs.
At the end of this massage it is clear that more than the breasts have been engaged in this routine by the sense of increased wellness and peace you have brought about with your own two hands. With more advanced training in self-breast massage, a woman might add sounds and visualizations to the massage movements. The sounds clear negative feelings and emotional states, while the visualizations relate to the glands, which can be followed in a specific sequence to raise the Kundalini energy of awareness and evolution.
Real power is found in answers that arise from within. Growing awareness makes us realize our intuitive potential. In combination with self-breast care it cultivates inner radiance. Once we connect to this power, the Goddess can guide us in all that we think, feel and do. She takes care of our body, mind, and soul, because she is in everything.
Katharina Wehrli is a holistic practitioner, counselor and teacher. She is also the author of The Why in the Road — Soul Healing for Changing Times. She can be contacted at (508) 651-2648 or visit http://www.earthlit.com for more information. Please see July 22 calendar listing for a self-breast massage class.
