I am a believer in the healing power of human touch, and have always felt there was nothing as effective as the skilled use of our hands in easing a host of ailments. I also tend to be a bit skeptical when I hear people talk about the use of “subtle energy” and instant results from the latest fad or tool. That said, when I was first introduced to the Kansa Wand – a bronze-capped massage tool from India – I was hesitant. However, when I actually tried the tool, the results piqued my interest.
Kansa means bronze, which is one of the first alloys made by combining copper and tin. The best kansa is very pure, but may have traces of zinc and other metals. Kansa has been created and utilized for thousands of years, and is very similar to the metal used for Tibetan singing bowls and sacred statues. Kansa is also called “the healing metal” in India. There the elderly will tell you, “If you are stressed or your body feels strained, try rubbing it with a kansa bowl.”
Traditionally, kansa was used to ease foot pain and tension around the eyes. To use a kansa wand in this regard, simply apply coconut oil or ghee to your feet to provide an even glide, and rub the kansa wand up and down on the soles of your feet. Ayurvedic textsat massaging the feet in this way pulls tension, heat, and acidity away from the face, particularly from around the eyes. Personally, I have seen kansa foot massages normalize high, or reddish, skin tones, ease migraines and various foot pains, and help restore a more confident walking gait for elderly clients.
Kansa wand massage for facial care is now one of the hottest trends in the spa industry here in the United States, as well as in the European and Asian markets. It’s easy to do and takes less than ten minutes, making it the perfect antidote to today’s fast-paced lifestyle.
Getting Started
Facial massage always starts with clean skin, so make sure you cleanse before starting the massage! You’ll also need a good facial oil. I recommend jojoba oil as it’s good for most skin types and is less congesting for the skin. Lastly, you’ll need a kansa wand.
Kansa Face Massage How-to
I like to think of the kansa wand as a stress eraser. You can use it all over your face or concentrate on parts that you feel carry more tension. These strokes work relatively well with just fingers, but the kansa works with ease. Below are some suggestions for use.
- Forehead: Work in the middle of the forehead, just a couple of finger widths above your eyebrow in a clockwise spiral. Progress to up and down zig-zags, and then gently move from side to side.
- Temples: Massage in gentle circles in the hollow of your temple. This is calming, soothing, and is said to help memory and attention span.
- Eyes: Working counter-clockwise and then clockwise, apply gentle pressure to the bony orbit around the eye. (Never press directly on the eye or into the eye socket.) This is can be helpful for eyestrain or irritated red eyes.
- Cheekbones: Work counter-clockwise then clockwise. I have seen this make the cheeks look fuller, and have also had it help with sinus congestion.
- Under the Cheekbones (from the midline to in front of the ear): This stroke is very refreshing and revitalizing for your complexion. Circular massage over the jaw joint seems to ease general tension in your face and improve circulation.
- Jawline: Work from the tip of the chin up toward the earlobe, keeping the upward and outward strokes a little firmer than the downward strokes. Downward strokes that move toward the midline should barely brush the skin.
- Chin: Working the wand in clockwise circles is believed to improve circulation to the entire face, and better connect us to our emotions and feelings.
- Mouth: Move in a counter-clockwise, and then a clockwise circle. This helps erase tension patterns held in the mouth.
You can work on one side of the face at a time, noting the differences you see and feel. You may also choose to work on the right and left side alternately or even have two wands, working both sides simultaneously.
