Massage Oils : At Home

Why use any massage oils at all ? If the body is rubbed dry, the friction created generates heat and pain, which aggravates the element of vata (wind) and thus disturbs the gasses in the body.

Massage oils eliminate friction and disperse heat evenly through the body. Massage oils are a nutrient for the skin and strengthen the nerve fibers that are connected to the hair follicles. The small amount of massage oils remaining on the skin afterwards, and after the shower or bath that follows, provides resistance to environmental temperatures and pressures. Application of massage oils to the navel before going to sleep cures dryness of the whole body. When massage oils are applied at the junction of spine and skull, they calm the entire nervous system, strengthen memory and improve the eyesight.

Many types of massage oils are used in Ayurvedic massage. For general body massage, mixed formulas of massage oils are widely used in ayurvedic massage, of which some examples :
 

Massage oils for women and children : To 4 cups of sesame oil, add 2 tablespoons each of almond oil, wheat germ oil and jasmine oil.

Massage oils for men : To 4 cups of sesame oil, add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil, heated with ½ a teaspoon of asafoetida. Filter the mustard oil, then add 3 tablespoons of turmeric (kurkuma) powder and cook until the turmeric turns dark brown. Then add to the sesame oil. 

The following massage oils are primarily used to stabilise an aggravated or simply dominant dosha :

Aggravated or dominant dosha	Primary massage oils
Vata	Sesame
Pitta	Coconut
Kapha	Mustard or Olive

Individual massage oils may have particular therapeutic use, such as Babuna (Chamomile) oil for relief of muscular pains or coriander oil that removes excess body heat. Some indian formulas for massage oils have becomes particularly popular, such as Bringaraj oil, Brahmi oil and Mahanarayana oil.

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PANCHKARMA

 AYURVEDA USES TWO MAIN MODALITIES IN THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE, EACH WITH ITS OWN DISTINCT PURPOSE, namely Shamana and Shodhana therapies.

SHAMANA CHIKITSA
(Procedures for Alleviating the Symptoms)

Shamana, which means "to suppress", reduces or eliminates symptoms. Shamana treatments make the patient feel better by suppressing the effects of the body's accumulated ama. When we take aspirin to alleviate headache or muscular pain, we are employing a shamana or palliative type of treatment.

SHODHAN CHIKITSA
(Procedures for Eradicating Disease)

The second means that Ayurveda uses to treat illness is called Shodhana, which literally means "to go away". In this form of treatment, the basis of the disease process is eradicated. Shodhana therapy rids the body of ama and mala and restores balance to the doshas. It is considered superior to Shamana because it not only removes the symptoms of disease but also eliminates their cause.

Panchkarma is one of the unique therapeutic procedure in Ayurveda advocated for the radical elimination of disease causing factors and to maintain the equilibrium of doshas. The five fold measures comprehended by this therapy for internal purification of body system are Vamana (Therapeutic Emesis), Virechana (Therapeutic Purgation), Basti (Therapeutic Enema), RaktaMokshan (Therapeutic withdrawal of Blood), Nasya (Therapeutic cleansing of Sinuses).
 
It Prevents ageing process and improves memory and functions of sense organs. Panchkarma therapy is very effective in the management of auto-immune disorders, chronic ailments like rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, G.I.T. disorders and mental diseases.
                                         

Panchkarma Procedure

The whole procedure of Panchkarma is divided into 3 steps : Purva Karma, Pradhan Karma and Paschat Karma

• PURVA KARMA

The set of procedures which Ayurveda prescribes to facilitate the removal of ama and toxins from the tissues is collectively called Purvakarma. Purva means "before" and Karma means "actions". These treatments help to loosen ama and move it out of the deep structures into the G-I tract, where Panchkarma's main therapies can then eliminate it. There are two purvakarmas : Snehana and Swedana

SNEHANA (Therapeutic Oleation)

Snehana, the first step of Purvakarma, saturates the body with herbal and medicated oils. The saturation takes two forms: bahya snehana or external oleation, where medicated oils are vigorously massaged into the body; and abhyantar snehana or internal oleation, where medicated oils are ingested. Snehana uses four types of oleaginous substances: vegetable oils (taila), clarified butter (ghee), animal fats (vasa) and fat from bone marrow (majja). 

• OLEAGINOUS SUBSTANCES


SEASAME OIL (til) is the primary vegetable oil used for external application. It is sweet, bitter and astringent in taste, warming in action and easily penetrates and nourishes the skin. It soothes and reduces the effects of excess vata without aggaravting kapha and promotes stability and strength. Seasame and all other herbal oils used in snehana are prepared with herbal decoctions to enhance their effectiveness for individual patients.

HERBALIZED GHEE (tikta ghrita) , the main substance used for internal oleation, is made by processing butter to remove all its milk solids, proteins and water and then cooking it with numerous prescribed herbs. By itself, ghee has remarkable properties as a nutritive and medicinal substance. Its effect on the body is quite different from that of butter, and research has demonstrated that it does not tend to elevate cholesterol levels. In proper amounts, Ghee increases the strength of the digestive agnis, while decreasing the heat and inflammation due to excess pita. It reduces excess acidity both in the digestive tract and in the tissues, pacifies vata and softens and lubricates the tissues and joints.

VASA (Animal Fat) and MAJJA (Bone Marrow) are also used in the internal oleation. However, these oils are heavy and difficult to digest, and they can produce excess kapha and ama if a patient's digestive agni is weak. Their use is indicated only for specific disorders such as leukemia and several other types of cancer, as well as certain degenerative disease conditions like myopathy. 
 

• TYPES OF SNEHAN


INTERNAL OLEATION (Abhyantar Snehana), consists of taking prescribed amounts of warm, herbal ghee, called tikta ghrita, first thing in the morning and in late afternoon on an empty stomach. The Ayurvedic physician gradually increases the prescribed dosage, depending on the strength of the patient's digestive agni. The patient does not eat until the ghee is digested, which is signaled by the return of appetite.

In preparation for the main eliminative procedures, the patient receives both internal and external oleation each day. These treatments continue for seven days, the time required for the oleaginous substances to reach and saturate all seven dhatus. After the seventh day, oleation becomes counterproductive, as there is nowhere else for the oil to go. If continued, it starts to collapse in the dhatus as saturated fat and depletes the dhatu agnis.

Certain classical signs indicate oleation's completion. When oil has saturated all seven dhatus, the body is well-lubricated, internally and externally. The skin displays a soft and shiny appearance and smells slightly unctuous.

EXTERNAL OLEATION (Bahya Snehana), employs a specific form of massage to apply the herbalized oil to the skin. There is great significance to the strokes used in bahaya snehana, for they match the movements of vata's five different directional functions.

Description of vata's five directional functions :

Prana Vayu, the vata function which moves from the head, mouth and nostrils to the navel, takes prana, or life-force, in the form of air, food and water from the environment into the body. It also controls sensory functioning.

Udana Vayu, flows in the opposite direction, moving from the navel to the mouth, nostrils and head. Udana Vayu eliminates carbon dioxide and various forms of mala, like mucus and saliva, from the kapha zone, and also creates the sounds used in speech.

Samana Vayu, circulates in a clock-wise direction around the navel area. It helps strengthen the digestive agni in the same way that air or wind strokes a fire.

Vyana Vayu, moves from the heart to the periphery and from the periphery back to the heart in a circadian rhythm.

Apana Vayu, travels from the navel to the anus and urethra. Its main function is to eliminate urine, faeces and menstrual discharge. Its also responsible for childbirth.

Both the massage technique and the herbs allow the oil to penetrate deep into the tissues to loosen the grip of the ama.The ama that has formed on the walls of the dhatus shrotas is also loosened, opening up these channels so that ama can be more easily removed from the tissues. Snehana's actual meaning implies kindness, tenderness and love, and true to its meaning, it is a thoroughly soothing and enjoyable experience.
 

• IMPORTANCE OF SNEHANA


1) It Induces the Dhatus to give up their accumulated toxins.

2) It enhances the secretions through which the doshas transport ama and malas to the gastrointestinal tract for elimination.

3) It lubricates and protects the dhatus from damage while ama is being removed.

4) It pacifies and nourishes vata through its unctuous qualities.

5) It removes the obstructions in the shrotas or channels. 

 

SVEDANA (Therapeutic Heat)

The second major aspect of the preparatory procedures of PurvaKarma is called swedana, the theraputic application of heat to the body. Though swedana literally means "sweat", the main purpose of swedana is not to poduce sweat, but to dilate the body's shrotas or channels so that oleation's objective - removing anna from the dhatus - can be easily achieved.
 

Sweat results naturally when the channels widen. In addition, the application of heat also counteracts the coldness of both vata and kapha, reduces the body's stiffnes and heaviness, and counters the slow, heavy and sticky attributes of ama.

As the influence of agni bhuta increases, it begins to soften or melt ama's density. Ama gets liquified and shrinks in volume, making it easier to be carried from the tissues. The heating action of swedana also mobilizes the doshas, which are responsible for transporting these toxic waste materials from the deep tissues to the gastrointestinal tract.

• TYPES OF SWEDANA


NADI SWEDA (Penetrating Heat), Nadi, which means "tube", uses steam from an herbal water decoction. Nowadays, this method is facilitated by the use of a pressure cooker and a nylon reinforced plastic hose which eases the steam's application to the body's surface. Nadi is a more penetrating type of wet heat than bashpa, because the steam actively drives the heat and oil deep into the tissues through the pores of the skin.

Although this type of steam treatment is given to the whole body, it focuses on the thick and complex structures of the joints to improve their mobility. Nadi swedana usually lasts for five to seven minutes. Outside the panchkarma process, it can be used with snehana for reducing pain, muscle pain, muscle spasm and rigidity in localized areas. This treatment can be very helpful in the palliative management of backache, inflammation of the spine, hip and knee, and for generalized muscle pain.


BASHPA SWEDA (Steam Heat), the second type of agni swedana, generally folows immediately after nadi swedana is administered. Bashpa literally means "steam" and unlike the more directed form of heat used in nadi swedana, bashpa applies steam evenly to the entire body.

Bashpa sweda uses a sweat box, in which the patient either sits or lies down on his back. Every part of the body is exposed to the heat except the head, as it cannot tolerate high range of temperatures. In fact, a technician continuously places cool compresses on the forehead during the treatment to maintain the head's normal temperature. To avoid dehydration, the patient is given a glass of water before administering bashpa sweda.

These small, one-person steam baths are normally constructed of wood with a thermostat that allows their temperature to be easily controlled. Herbal steam is released into the box according to the needs of the patient. The duration of the treatment is seven to ten minutes, or until sweat begins to bead on the face and forehead.
 




• CONTRA - INDICATIONS :


Though Bashpa sweda is an important preparatory procedure, it is not appropriate for people with heart disease or hypertension, since the heat may cause a rise in heart rate and blood pressure. Individuals with blood disorders, such as anaemia or leukaemia, also cannot tolerate the temperatures used to induce a full body sweat during this treatement.

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KERALA PANCHKARMA

Kerala Panchkarma is a special form of Panchkarma developed in the Green state of Kerala and it generally employs some form of Snehan or Swedana, and often address the functions of a particular dosha.

PINDASWEDA 

It is the process by which certain medicinal puddings, especially the cooked navara type of rice in the form of boluses tied up in cotton cloth is applied the whole body or a specific part of the body, for a period of 7 to 14 days, It is used in the treatment of neuromuscular disorders, hemiplegia, chronic rheumatic disorders, for rejuvenation, geriatric problems etc.

During Pinda Sveda Ayurveda treatment small linen bags filled with a specially prepared mixture are applied locally to relieve the muscles. An additional major role in this therapy is played by the highly effective herbal oils mixture which are specially selected by the 'Ayurveda doctors' for the parts of the body where the treatment is required. The effect of the herbal extracts is to relieve the pain if there is any and to relax and build up the body tissues of the application area

During Pinda Sveda Ayurveda therapy massaging is done by trained and experienced Ayurveda technicians, using a bag filled with specially medicated special rice which is very useful to remove body pains, improve digestion, cures sclerosis.

The oil massage is often followed by a herbal steam bath with specially selected medicinal herbs. This widens the vessels and thereby assists the de-toxification of the body system. After a gentle massage on the body, specially prepared warm herbal oil is poured over the lower back and kept inside an herbal paste boundary for 50 minutes. The healing properties of herbal oils used for this massage deeply cleans and enriches the blood, builds and maintains strong muscle and connective tissues and lubricates the joints keeping them flexible and pain free.
 

 PIZHICHIL

It is the process by which warm medicated oil is poured on the whole boy in a specific manner with simultaneous gentle massage. It is used in the treatment of various neurological diseases, rheumatic disorders, for rejuvenation, preventing ageing process etc.

Pizhichil is a special form of treatment which is a combination of oil massage and heat treatment. This therapy is also known as treatment for aristocrats as in the olden days the Maharajas or Kings used to have this treatment. A gentle, synchronized massage is carried out under a constant flow of warm herbal oil. This Ayurveda treatment also involves squeezing a cloth soaked in oil over the body. During this treatment the patient is made to sit on a Ayurveda chair specially made for this purpose and the medicated oils are then applied over the head and body.

Ayurveda therapists are all the time present for the observation of the treatment and if needed at the same time the Shriodhara is also undertaken.
A cloth is tied over the forehead of the therapy taken to prevent oil from getting into the eyes. The warm, medicated oil is then poured in a continually flowing single stream, by squeezing a clean cloth dipped in oil over the body. The treatment starts and ends with the patient in a sitting position. In the duration in-between, the patient is made to lie flat while the application of Shirodhara goes on. 

This Ayurveda treatment of Pizhichil has been highly valued by all our guests and produces good results in case of joint problems and muscle tension. The duration of Pizhichil is decided by the Ayurveda experts after the body constitution of the individual has been determined.
Pizhichil Treatment increases the blood circulation, nourishes muscles, nerves tissues and sexual ability. Pizhichil Ayurveda treatment is also effective for Paraplegia, Hemiplegia and general debility.

SIROBASTI

It is the process of keeping ceratin amount of medicated lukewarm oil on the head for a prescribed period of time by using a special type of cap without top, fixed properly on the head for the treatment of various neurological disorders, diseases of head, facial palsy etc.

Certain mixture of the lukewarm herbal oils which are prescribed by the Ayurveda Physician according to the individual body type are poured into a cap fitted on the head for 15 to 60 minutes per day according to the patient’s conditions for the advised period. 
 
This treatment is highly effective for mental stress, rejuvenation of sensory organs, facial paralysis, dryness of nostrils, mouth and throat, severe headaches, burning sensation of head and other vata predominant diseases.

 SIRODHARA

It is the process by which medicated oil, milk, buttermilk etc. is poured in a continuous stream on the head, especially forehead in a specific manner It is indicated in mental disorders, insomnia and skin diseases. Duration of treatment 7 to 14 days. 

Shirodhara is a modern purification and rejuvenating therapy based on an ancient Indian technique.

 

In Sanskrit language Shirodhara is composed of two words shiro + dhara. Shiro means head and Dhara means flow of warm oil on head. Sesame or another base oil is mixed with a few drops of aromatic essential oil to create the liquid. It is then warmed till a comfortable temperature is reached and the treatment begins. The exact combination of the oils depend on the body constitution and is decided and prescribed by an Ayurveda expert. The patient lies supine on a flat surface with head back and a rolled towel or pillow beneath the neck. A stream of warm oil is poured very slowly onto the center of the forehead (the location of the "third eye") for 30 to 45 minutes followed by gentle scalp massage. The effect is indescribable.

Shirodhara treatment is done in absolute silence. It takes you to deep relaxation and into a balanced state of rest in mind and body. Men and women alike experience it as a high-point of Panchakarma applications of Ayurveda.

Best experienced after a massage, Shirodhara is one of our most popular Ayurveda application taken by Ayurveda lovers.

This therapy is meant for 'Shodhana' (a Sanskrit term). 'Shodhana' or purification therapy is not only meant for elimination of disease-causing toxins present in the body but also to replenish the tissues with nourishment and rejuvenate them. Rejuvenate literally means 'to make young again'.

Shirodhara is a great rejuvenating therapy that gives a healthy face and body glow. In Ayurveda, rejuvenating therapy is the golden path to attain longevity as it is aimed at the preservation of health. Ayurveda says that rasayana or rejuvenating therapy optimises the circulation of nutrients to both body and mind. Shirodhara removes the root cause of the disease and is a rejuvenating therapy at the same time as well.

Shirodhara Ayurveda therapy helps to overcome stress and its ill effects on nervous system. Shirodhara helps to relieve insomnia, stress, tension, anxiety, anger, chronic headaches, rheumatism, hypertension, asthma, hair problems and gives mental relaxation.

The Ayurvedic physician determines the number of days of the treatment for different problems after your body type according to Ayurveda has been determined. With weekly sessions, you will find relief from stress and strain from daily life. To achieve the maximum benefits from the therapy, it is advisable to follow Ayurvedic lifestyle. An Ayurvedic physician decides appropriate foods, exercise, yoga and herbal preparation to optimise the benefits after the therapy.

SIROLEPANA

It is a procedure in which paste of medicinal herbs / rugs is applied on the scalp for a specified period. It is an effective method of treatment for neurological disorders and mental diseases.

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