Abhyanga — Nourishing From Within
The ancient Ayurvedic ritual of self-massage, and why it belongs in your daily routine.
The ancient Ayurvedic ritual of self-massage, and why it belongs in your daily routine.
In Ayurveda, one of the simplest and most beautiful practices for bringing the quality of nourishment into our lives is Abhyanga, the practice of applying warm oil to the body through gentle, intentional self-massage.
Abhyanga is a soothing and healing process of self-application of oil that offers grounding and balance for vata dosha. This practice is deeply calming for your nervous system and brings the healing power of oil and touch into your muscles and skin to help move out toxins.
Use organic, raw and unrefined oil, as the properties go directly into your largest organ — your skin. Sesame oil is great for colder times of year or to calm excess vata, as long as you do not feel hot. Coconut oil is better for warmer times of year or to cool pitta dosha, as long as you don't feel cold. For kapha, try a lighter oil, such as olive or sunflower. Medicinal herbal oils are most effective, as they have herbs decocted into them. The best herbal oil for you is based on your personal constitution and current state of imbalance, which we assess in an Ayurveda health consultation.
Ayurveda understands health through the qualities that exist within us and around us.
Vata dosha, which is made primarily of the elements of air and space, carries qualities such as light, dry, cold, mobile and irregular. When these qualities increase in our lives, we may begin to feel more scattered, restless, dry, depleted or ungrounded.
Think about how many aspects of modern life naturally increase these qualities:
Oil brings in the opposite qualities. It is unctuous, warm, heavy, soft and grounding.
Through Abhyanga, we intentionally bring these nourishing qualities to the body.
This is why Abhyanga is especially balancing for Vata dosha.
Abhyanga calms the nervous system and nourishes every tissue. In Ayurveda the body is understood through seven layers of tissues in the body called dhatus.
These tissues are nourished progressively — from rasa dhatu, the first tissue associated with plasma and nourishing fluids, through the deeper tissues all the way up to majja dhatu, nerve tissue, and shukra dhatu, the reproductive tissue.
The oils used in Abhyanga can penetrate deep and nourish all the layers of the tissues, including the nerve and reproductive tissues.
When Ayurvedic herbal oils — oils which are decocted with herbs — are used for Abhyanga, these herbs and the oil can penetrate deep into the tissues, providing nourishment and healing to all the layers of the body.
Sesame oil is one of the most commonly used oils for Abhyanga because Ayurveda considers it warming, grounding, and particularly well suited for penetrating and nourishing the deeper tissues.
Abhyanga does not have to become another item on your wellness checklist.
Start simply.
Choose a day when you have a little extra time. Warm your oil, put away your phone and give yourself 30 quiet minutes.
Let your movements be slow.
Notice the warmth of the oil.
Notice where you hold tension.
Notice what happens when, instead of immediately moving to the next task, you allow yourself to simply be in the moment.
When you have a consultation with me, I will provide you a much deeper understanding of your constitution and which Ayurvedic herbal oil can you use for Abhyanga and I will also give you a detailed Abhyanga instructions for a specific pattern that works with the pancha vayus, the five vital areas in the body, which are the Subdoshas of Vata Dosha. The vayus are responsible for all the movement in the body and their proper direction. This approach is specific in how you apply oil to the body to calm and correct the flow of energy.
Download my free Simple Abhyanga Guide for an easy introduction to practicing Ayurvedic self-oil massage at home.
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