The life-changing magic of Lilynage: Build self-confidence and cultivate love within yourself
Have you ever felt like life has knocked you down, leaving you struggling to find your self-worth and confidence? You're not alone. Many of us face moments when our self-esteem takes a hit, especially after experiencing significant life changes or disappointments. Whether it's a painful breakup, career setbacks, or feeling "behind" in life compared to others, these challenges can shake our foundation and leave us questioning our value.
But here's the truth: setbacks don't define you, and it's possible to rebuild your confidence and learn to love yourself again. In this post, we'll explore:
Why self-confidence often falters after major life changes
The common challenges in rebuilding self-esteem and self-love
A unique approach to boosting your self-confidence and resilience through self-massage
How to cultivate self-love, even when life doesn't go as planned
Tips for overcoming the comparison trap and embracing your unique journey
For those of us longing to feel more self-confident, to trust in ourselves and in life, it can be a daunting journey. We all want to feel secure in our self-worth and believe with unwavering confidence that things will turn out all right. Yet, when life throws us curveballs, it's easy to lose sight of that inner strength.
My Personal Journey
For me, it was after my first breakup that I found myself feeling lost and scared, questioning many choices I'd made. How could I have prevented this from happening? What if it happens again? I was terrified of the thought of another end to a relationship that had been a core in my life. It was at the same time that I was feeling burnt out, unfulfilled, and unhappy with work. In that state, it felt like I was needing to completely relearn my sense of self.
I was past 30, not doing work that I enjoyed, without a partner in my life. I couldn't help but compare myself with all the friends and peers around me - seemingly settled in life with their partners, kids, work. Suddenly, it felt like there was a huge gap, and I struggled to find my self-worth amidst this feeling of being behind in life.
I remember searching online for answers, typing in phrases like "how to build self-confidence," "how to get back up from setbacks," and "how to love yourself." Because deep down, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Can you love yourself enough that even if you stumble, you'll still believe you're worthy? It's about resilience—getting back up after life knocks you down.
Discovering Lilynage: A Path to Self-Love and Confidence
What I found at the time (in a rather miraculous way while doing housework and decluttering) was the Lilynage method of deep lymphatic self-massage. I was listening to a podcast episode by Marie Kondo's husband, Kawahara Takumi, based on his book "Be Yourself" and came across this method founded by former aesthetician LILY in his interview with her.
Though initially for me it was just a way to get healthier and feel better, I was attracted to the concept of improving my lymphatic health. But when I started practicing the self-massage, I realized how it was helping me to build up my self-confidence, starting from a physical approach and also giving me so much hope for my future.
The Power of Community and Shared Experiences
One thing that really inspired me when I first started learning Lilynage was the community of women in Japan who had already experienced incredible life changes. (As of 2024, this method has been experienced by over 90,000 people, taught by over 100 Instructors based in 4 countries - Japan, USA, Finland, Singapore.) These were women who were learning about themselves, their bodies, and taking on new challenges in life—all through the lens of learning to love and cherish themselves better.
The success stories were remarkable, ranging from:
Improving physical health (no longer relying on medications such as headache meds, sleeping pills, antacids...)
Successfully losing weight after trying numerous diets, this time without rebounding
Getting married, getting divorced, and remarrying after divorce
Changing jobs, finding jobs
Successfully getting pregnant after years of infertility
Why Lilynage Works: Understanding and Loving Ourselves
Why is this possible? Because it is a method that helps us to understand ourselves better, love ourselves better, AND supports us to create the change in our body, heart, and mind so that we can lead the lives that we desire. At its core, it is a Self-Massage method based on Deep Lymphatic Drainage Techniques, so the incredible power is that it helps us to streamline our bodies, by reducing tension and hardness in our muscles so that we have less fluid retention and slimmer bodies.
When we take the time to improve our body's natural lymphatic drainage, the first thing we notice is less puffiness, a firmer, more streamlined body line. And there's something so empowering about knowing that we are working towards a healthier, more beautiful body—emphasizing our own unique beauty because this massage focuses on massaging along the 'edges of our bones' enhancing our unique bone structure and body line.
The Transformative Power of Self-Care
For instance, when you do a faceline, neckline, and arm self-massage and see the changes in your photos—less stress, a more radiant appearance, more relaxed shoulders, slimmer arms (the changes are aplenty!)—you feel proud of yourself. Proud that you're taking care of your body, your well-being, and that you're presenting the best version of yourself to the world. I think to myself, Yes, this is the face, this is the body that I want to present to the world. This feels good. I know what feels good for my body.
Changes to my back profile after with consistent Lilynage Self-Massage Practice and also learning how to make changes in my lifestyle on a holistic level.
But I'm not the only one who has experienced such profound change. Here's what others have shared:
39y/o H-san, Lilynage Instructor in Japan.
"Physically I was less tired, and there was less swelling of my body. I had an increase in basal body temp of 0.5 deg celsius. Emotionally and mentally, I became aware of my physical condition when I was pushing myself too hard. I know now that I am doing my best. I started to value myself more. I can now accept that I am not perfect." - H-san
We care for ourselves better when we learn to listen and to accept ourselves. When we spend time getting to know our bodies better, we start to realize the real state of our bodies that never lie. How often do we push ourselves too hard, not realizing that the body is already at its maximum, experiencing tension and aches, and that it's time for a rest?
Another inspiring story:
37 y/o Yuko-san, a Lilynage Instructor currently based in the U.S. Started Lilynage at age 32.
"My weight decreased from 72 kg to 58 kg. Additionally, the atopic dermatitis I had struggled with since childhood improved.
I gained confidence in both my body line and skin, and I now feel comfortable wearing lighter clothing. Moreover, through practicing Lilynage, my body temperature increased, making me less prone to illness.
In the past, I always felt like I had to work harder, blaming myself for not achieving results because I wasn't trying enough.
However, through Lilynage, I learned to "touch my heart by touching my body with my own hands." This method allowed me to accept and forgive myself. I've learned the mindset of living honestly and valuing myself deeply."
The Magic of Seeing to Believe
The magic lies in realizing that you can create positive change with your own hands. That's where confidence begins to build. It's a powerful feeling, knowing that you don't need to rely on anyone else—not a masseuse, not a therapist—the results are reproducible with your own hands because the more you get to know your body, the more you understand and learn what causes your body to be the way that it is today.
Seeing the changes to my body over time were really what gave me that happy realization that wow, change is possible. Things can get better. And they do get better. And we are already changing for the better. And when I see and hear the success stories and photos from fellow Lilynage practitioners, it expands my reality of what is possible.
Embracing Change and Self-Love
At the end of the day, nothing changes if nothing changes. So yes, we do need to take a step forward. But the good news is that that step can be smaller, more enjoyable, and much less scary than we think. Rather than going all over the place and changing everything, it is about a return to ourselves. Reconnecting and relearning about who we are, who we want to be, and nourishing ourselves with health and energy.
It's about creating and living life more confidently. Enjoying who you are. Showing up more fully in life, knowing that no matter what happens, you'll be okay. You'll get back up because you've done it before, and you can do it again. For myself personally, it has been a multifaceted journey in cultivating resilience in all ways - in physical health, learning to care for my body and gaining my own personal roadmap for getting my health back in order; in emotional health as it has been a practice in loving, cherishing and accepting myself more deeply than before; and in mind health as it has been about learning about my mindset patterns and learning to change them for a better life.
Lilynage helps immensely because it's not just about seeing changes in your body—it's about the empowerment that comes from knowing you can care for yourself. And even if you hit a rough patch, you know you can always get back to a good place. It is self-care that builds up love, gratitude and cultivates resilience. A magical combination of self-love and body awareness that can truly transform your life.
Has this article been helpful for you?
If so, let me know in the comments.
To get started on your daily self-massage ritual, you can check out my YouTube channel here.
