(7 Minute Video)

It’s recommended to view the video on full screen (horizontal) and then follow along at home.

To begin your cupping massage, you want to make sure you have a good amount of slip on your skin. So warm some facial oil in your hands and pat or massage all over your face and neck. I like to use a cleansing oil and then wash this off after my massage.

The neck is the gateway to the face so we’re going to start here with gentle cupping/suction actions down the sternocleidomastoid, moving downwards. You don’t want to glide down here, as this can be too strong, but just create gentle suction to start activating the lymph nodes. I’m starting with my big cup and you can use glass or silicone cups. And repeat this three times on either side of the neck.

Then we can start working on the face. First pinch the cup to create suction on the skin, and glide out to the ear. You can repeat this three to ten times. Then move up the face, starting at the corner of the mouth and again - create that suction and glide out. And we’re really creating space in the tissue here.

Starting from the nasolabial fold, pinch the skin into the cup and glide out to the ear. And then working from the side of the nose, making sure you’re not too close to the eye area. We then want to glide down the offramp, the area from your temple down to the corner of your jaw, to drain any fluids that may have collected - and take some mindful breaths.

I’m then repeating on the other side, and you can go over these areas a few times and you will start to experience some pinkness as facial cupping brings blood to the surface of the skin. Facial cupping has many benefits - it brings oxygen-rich blood circulation, releases muscle tension, stimulates lymphatic flow and boosts collagen production. The result is glowing, plump and healthy skin. I like to do facial cupping twice a week or I’ll do a quick sequence if I look puffy in the morning, to get everything moving. And once again draining down.

We then move up to the forehead, working in lanes either vertically up to the hairline, or horizontally gliding out. As this area is less fleshy, it can be tricky to grab the skin into the suction cup, so using a smaller cup can make it easier. Work on one side of the forehead and then the other, massaging out any lines and draining the fluid out - and generally getting the blood and Qi moving in your face.

Then use a smaller facial cup to start working in a more targeted way on lines and wrinkles. You might want to spend some time on the 11’s or frown lines, or working on lines across your forehead. It’s also great to work the muscles in your brow area which can hold a lot of tension.

We can then start to work around the eyes - first on the eyelid which is especially helpful if you have hooded eyes or puffiness. And just make sure to be very mindful here not to tug or stretch this delicate skin. Repeat on the other side - first creating a line of suction motions, and then gliding out to drain. This is great to open up the eye area as the orbicularis oris is this round muscle around the eye that starts to pucker and tighten as we age, drawing everything in, so we want to keep stretching this muscle out to keep it relaxed and supple.

We can then work under the eyes, not going too close to the eye, and making sure there is enough slip on the skin. First we create our cupping movements to stimulate the tissue, and then glide out in sections, working on any lines and then draining the fluid out.

Repeat on the other side. First creating our sucking movements, just grabbing the tissue into the cup, and then gliding everything out in sections. And you can spend a bit longer on any lines you want to work on, but don’t overwork the area as we don’t want to stretch the tissue here. You can also support the skin with your other hand and just be precise and mindful around the eye.

I then like to work on the nasolabial folds, creating suction to grip the skin and then gliding downwards. Repeating on the other side, just stretching out that tissue here.

You can also use the small cup around your lips to create a plumping effect, just bringing circulation to the surface on the skin. And you can also stretch out the upper lip. You can repeat this facial cupping sequence three times a week for plump and radiant skin.