What is Ayurvedic Massage

special note: I have practicing Abyanga and studying Ayurveda since 2012.

Ayurveda is an Indian Medical System that is approximately 5000 years old. Do you know of Traditional Chinese Medicine? Well, Ayurveda belongs to India.

Similar to Chinese Medicine it offers herbs as a prescription for healing of certain bodily ailments however the three basic pillars of Ayurveda are:

• herbs
• diet
• massage

It is worth mentioning that although the above mentioned may seem simple I assure you that Ayurveda is an intriguing and complex system. At times, the very element which which you eat from (e.g. a copper cup) demonstrates the strategy within Ayurveda. For the purpose of this content we will focus on the massage aspect.

The bodywork ritual is called Abyanga or daily oil massage. The oil is infused with specific herbs to help balance your doshas. Think of doshas as a pillar or a totem pole. Every person and animal has three doshas within them.

• Vata
• Pitta
• Kapha

These three doshas may be classified as constitutions which is a term as old as Greek medicine in the time Hippocrates.

Every person and animal is born with all three doshas however you will always be born and die with a dominant dosha. The latter two may change within the course of time according to differing external circumstances or internal hormonal changes.

In the East, the concept of balance is highly sought after which reflects in its medicinal system. Before the advent of western medicine as we know it, humans coincided with nature and thus felt at ease naming doshas after elements because thousands of years ago this was much more relevant.

To summarize , Pitta represents fire. Vata represents space, water and air. All are of similar compounds and thus affiliated with Vata. Then , there is Kapha which is represented by the earth and all that is still, peaceful and slow moving.

Because you have all three, it is possible that one dosha can “outnumber” the others and rise above to such an extent that it places you in a state of unbalance.

This doesn’t sound like a big deal until you begin to understand the negative manifestations of too much a dosha taking place. Also, it is important to note that dosha imbalance not only manifests in the physical body but also in your temperament, life choices and behavior.

Abyanga massage is a part of evening out your doshas, again the key is in the oils that are used. But, make no mistake the technique, speed and method of a true Abyanga massage is very different from what we so readily accept here in the west.

First, the person is barely clothed. Normally for men, shorts or a bikini bottom is worn. For women, a bathing suit bottom and a towel placed on top to cover the chest. Other than that it is encourage for as much skin to be exposed as possible. For modesty purposes you may cover the bottom briefs with a towel. You will soon read why.

In a traditional Abyanga massage, the session takes place outdoors among a wooden table. No doubt the wooden element may play a role in the dosha balancing. For example, Kapha is often comforted by nature and touching wood could be used as a part of the treatment.

So, there we are a top of a wooden table, in open air and barely clothed. You can see where the stark differences in massage styles begin.

Unlike a therapeutic massage where the purpose is to knead away muscular tension or provide rehabilitation ; the goal is to coat the person in oil and massage them in quick methodical strokes throughout the body. The pressure is light to firm with focus on the joints. Areas includes the scalp, ears, face, stomach, between the toes, hands, rib cage area. Rotation of the joints to help with range of motion is common as well. The long sweeping hand movements across the body are almost rhythmic and when done properly can send you into a deep state of relaxation.

Again, the focus is not to relieve pain. Think of this massage as a daily vitamin. In Indian Ayurvedic culture it truly is seen as a medicinal component of your health regimen.

Another difference is that this massage is done with two people. Yes, it can be done with one person. However, if we are covering the traditional methods it’s worth mentioned that a four handed massage is common place.

In Swedish massage the movements on the limbs are always to go towards the heart to assist in blood and lymph circulation. However, in Abyanga the limbs are to be massaged in a downward motion. For example for the arms you would move towards the hand and in the legs, beginning at the thigh and move towards the foot. Broad criss cross motions are normally used across larger areas such as chest, back and stomach. The last unique component is the warm oil that is used which can be placed in a warmer. It is important to note that the temperature of the oil must be comfortable. It is meant to feel good, take precautions not to scald the person as oil left for too long can seriously injure the skin. I prefer to place it in a bowl and then dip my finger to check the temperature before placing it on the skin.

And there you have it, the key factors of what Ayurvedic massage is and what makes it different from our well known western massage.