VIDEO: Relaxation by Tapping Your Face

Soon Min Jang, an Alhambra-based homemaker whose husband runs an acupuncture clinic in Koreatown, frequently spends time at the South Pasadena Public Library. When she's not reading, however, she steps into the gardens outside and performs a stress-relieving exercise she recommends to anyone looking for a bit of instant relaxation.

“If I have some stress or I feel headache, I just say some positive things—I’m good, I’m good, I’m fine—something like that,” Soon Min said during her brief encounter with a Patch editor last month. “And then I start tapping my face with my fingers.”

Soon Min starts by taking some deep breaths and joining the fingertips of her right hand together. Then she performs a gentle, five-step dance. Here’s how you can do it yourself in conjunction with watching the video above:

• Tap the area immediately above your right eyebrow.

• Move your still-tapping fingertips clockwise to your right temple.

• Return to the eye area and gently tap under your right eye.

• Tap under your nose.

• Tap your chin, about an inch under your lower lip.

Repeat the dance, and then start tapping the other side of your face with your left hand in a counterclockwise direction. Perform as many sets as feel comfortable to you.

According to Soon Min, the finger-tapping circulates positive “chi” energy in the facial area.

The key is to tap gently but constantly.