Expert Sophie Dulac leads you through her personal Bondi beachside ritual of self-lymphatic drainage massage of the stomach. This is an easy, quick and nourishing practice that helps to move fluid retention, assist with digestion and reduce bloating.

Lymphatic drainage has been used in the medical and remedial fields for decades. Just a few minutes of the technique can produce visible results of de-bloating and de-puffing. No one is better at this than our expert Sophie. A massage legend in Bondi, her treatments are a local favourite, and you will often have to book months in advance to get blessed by her magic hands. Despite her books being perpetually full; Sophie also manages to find time to host face workout and lymphatic drainage workshops as well as her own retreats, most recently in Bali this year offering yoga, face sculpting and lymphatic drainage treatments.

Find out more about Sophie’s Bali retreat.

Be sure to drink plenty of water after performing this massage as it will help the body remove the toxins and the results will last longer. Also, note that it’s very normal to be going to the toilet more than normal after any form of lymphatic drainage. 

You will need:

• Oil (you can even use coconut oil for cooking) / Sunscreen or something to massage with
• A comfortable space to lay flat in.

Contraindications:

Please do not perform this massage if you are pregnant, have cancer (lymphatic drainage is beneficial for cancer patients, however, it’s best to have the treatment done professionally), prone to blood clots, have had any recent abdominal surgery or any acute infections or inflammation. 

About Sophie:

Inspired by movement and the human form, Sophie Dulac started her holistic journey studying yoga in Goa, India.  After a few years of teaching, she commenced her massage studies to increase her knowledge and understanding of the human body in new ways, to be able to offer people further modalities for healing. Sophie fell in love with lymphatic drainage after completing the lymphatic module in her Remedial Diploma and was amazed after witnessing and experiencing incredible results and post-treatment effects. She currently works in Bondi at The CALMM as a remedial therapist, runs face workout self massage workshops and is collaborating on an upcoming yoga retreat in Bali – end of April / start of May 2023 offering lymph and face sculpting treatments. Find out more about her retreat here.

Massage instructions: 

• Start in a comfortable supine position laying down on your back to allow the stomach to be relaxed – this will make the whole massage more comfortable for the stomach and easier on the arms that will be doing all the work.
• Apply oil / sunscreen in a clockwise motion – always clockwise because that’s the direction of the large intestines, so this motion will assist your digestion.
• Always begin any lymphatic drainage by pumping the lymph nodes in the area that you want to drain. For us, that will be the stomach. Placing hands on lower abdomen with fingertips just above pubic bone and palms just next to the ilium (hip bones) and using an alternative motion start to pump the pubic / inguinal nodes.
• Now pumping the upper abdominal nodes and the Cisterna Chyli, using the fingertips gently start to pump just under the sternum working down towards the belly button.
• Pumping the nodes stimulates the lymphatic system to start draining. Like unclogging the drain so all the water can flow. If you think of the lymphatic system like a sewerage system, that waste can’t drain or move if there is a block in the pipes so we need to open / clear that block first before the rest of the waste can start moving.
• From here, we will work into the large intestine, clearing out any waste that is built up there. Starting on the right side (ascending colon) create little circles with the fingertips working in a clockwise motion starting to clear the large intestine.
• Feeling for lumps and areas of tenderness and spending a little extra time there until you feel that area start to soften or release. You can work over the large intestine in clockwise circles multiple times until it starts to feel more smooth and the tenderness dissipates.
• Now, starting on the left side (because most of the body drains from the left), in a downward stroking motion with the palms just under the ribs draining the fluid down towards the hips. Repeat this step 5 times on the left and again 5 times on the right.
• Once both sides are drained, finish with some downward strokes on both sides simultaneously then pump the nodes in the upper abdomen and the pelvic nodes again to complete the sequence.

Follow Sophie for updates here.

If you haven’t already, immerse yourself in a well-rounded Bondi lifestyle with our Bondi retreat.