Self-love and Healing with Abhyanga, Ayurvedic Oil Massage

One of Ayurveda’s signature, holistic healing practices is abhyanga, the ancient art of oil massage. Abhyanga is the daily practice of snehana, which comes from the Sanksrit words meaning “oil” and “to love.” Oil massage, in Ayurveda, is truly a way of giving your body self-love. It anoints your bodily temple and shows your body gratitude for its constant hard work.

Abhyanga helps to provide lubrication to the body and the joints, facilitating movement and reducing pain and inflammation. Oiling the skin improves skin texture and elasticity, as well. However, abhyanga has many other benefits that you may not expect.

Abhyanga Benefits for the Organs and Mind

According to the ancient Ayurvedic texts and physicians, abhyanga nourishes your deeper tissues when done regularly. In Ayurveda, each layer of skin tissue is associated with different organs and structures in the body. For example, the first layer below the surface is related to your digestive tract. The second layer is related to your blood, liver, and gallbladder. Each day of abhyanga allows the oil to penetrate further into your skin tissue and benefit the different systems in your body.

Our skin and muscles are also warehouses for our emotions. Muscles become stiff from repressed emotions, like anxiety, grief, and lethargy. The longer we hang on to grievances and stress, the more rigid we become. This prevents the proper flow of wastes, nutrition, and energy within your body. Abhyanga helps to release these emotions and eliminate them through the skin and digestive tract. It helps to return harmony, fluidity, and balance to both your body and your mind.

Abhyanga and the Energy Points

As we rub the oil into the skin, we pass over the nadi marma points, which are the Ayurvedic equivalent of Chinese acupuncture points. Acupuncture originated from the Ayurvedic marma points after healers brought the science to China from upper India and Nepal. These points are the intersections of energy channels or “highways” in your body.

By simply massaging these points, located all over the body, we can relieve digestive issues, pain, and other imbalances. The center of the palm, for example, is related to our heart. Rubbing sesame oil into the center of the palm helps to bring a “warming” energy to the heart, which helps release “cold” emotions of tension/anxiety as well as the “cold” stagnated plaque in the blood vessels.

How to Perform Abhyanga

Find a quiet, private place to sit in your home. If you have a bathtub, this is the perfect place as you may spill some oil. Here are some guidelines on oil types and ideal frequency:

• Vata types – Organic, cold-pressed sesame or almond oil. Abhyanga daily.
• Pitta types – Organic, cold-pressed coconut oil or sunflower oil. Abhyanga 3 times a week.
• Kapha types – Organic, cold-pressed mustard oil, sesame, or corn oil, Once a week. OR simply use a dry hair brush lightly along the skin for a stimulating, dry massage.

Instructions:

1. Warm about one-quarter cup of oil slightly in a pot on the stove. Do not boil. This can be done by placing the oil in a plastic bottle and putting the bottle in a pot of hot water. Warm oil penetrates further into the deeper skin tissues.
2. Remove clothing and place a small amount of oil in your fingertips. Begin by massaging the ears well. Next, massage your scalp in a slow motion with your fingertips. Be sure to massage the front, back, and sides of the scalp.
3. Next, take some more oil and massage the neck muscles and upper shoulder muscles. Vata types tend to carry a lot of tension in the upper shoulder muscles.
4. Next focus on the joints. Rub oil on your knees, ankles, hips, wrists, and elbows in a circular motion.
5. Next, apply more oil in firm downward strokes to the arms and legs. As you push downward, say the mantra “I release everything that holds me back to the Earth.” The Earth is much, MUCH bigger than us and absorbs energy from all life daily. It is ready and willing to take what is holding you back as long as you allow it. Give away what is weighing you down back to the Earth, and you will feel the difference!
6. Next, massage your feet well. Massage the toes and the joints between the toes as well, which are linked to the brain and hormone-regulating glands.
7. Lastly, massage your stomach moving up the right side, across the body, and down the left side. Use light pressure. This moves in the direction of your colon and keeps digestion moving.

During your massage, play some relaxing music to further calm your Air element and release your accumulated Vata energy.  A full massage should take around 15 minutes so move along your body slowly and thoroughly. Let the oil sit on your skin for at least 15 more minutes to seep into your deeper tissues. You can have a book handy to read or simply relax. Avoid any upsetting material like social media interactions, politics, news articles, anything that may bring on stress.

Then, take a warm shower to further push the oil into your body. DO NOT use soap on the skin where you massaged. You can use soap on underarms and genitals if you like.

If you do not have time for a full massage, focus on the head, ears, feet, and stomach, and massage the joints that may be troubling you.

When You Should NOT Do Abhyanga

There are certain times when abhyanga should not be performed. These conditions include:

• Fever
• Menstruation
• Oily conditions
• Hypertension
• High blood pressure
• Hangover
• Severe Illness
• Intense Emotional Stress

I hope you enjoyed learning about abhyanga and can bring this ancient holistic health practice into your daily or weekly routine. It’s a simple practice with tremendous benefits for the mind and body, and I would love for you to try it!

Blessings,
Kristina