6 Tips For Practicing Abhyanga, Aka Ayurvedic Self Massage
Oh man, you guys are going to have to tell me if you get sick of hearing about Ayurveda, k? After the weeklong retreat I just went on, I have little else on the brain. I learned lots of interesting bits and bobs about this ancient practice of truly preventitive healthcare—and ever the envangelist, I probably won’t shut up about it for some time still.
Siobhan and I have both been talking abhyanga lately, the practice of self massage with body-balancing oils. The wonderful Claudia Welch considers it a key prescription for hormone (and life) balance. But we—and some of you—have expressed a bit of a nagging concern over whether we’re doing it right. Do I just rub-a-dub in warm oil and call it abhyanga? Am I getting the benefits? Probably, yes, just taking the time to (lovingly) massage your body with oil is going to do plenty of good—but there’s more to it than that and I have some practical tips for the whole oil-stains-stuff conundrum too.
On the retreat I received a four-handed abhyanga which, as you may have guessed, involved not one, but two massage therapists (and enough oil to deep fry me). If you’ve never had one of these treatments, I suggest you put it on your bucket list. I get regular massages, but having my feet massaged at the same time as my shoulders? An unmatched joy.
Most of us would have to dig quite a bit to find one of these treatments in our respective cities—suggestions anyone?—so the DIY approach is the more practical option for the day to day. Here are some of my personal tips, and a few things I learned from the pros. It helps to know your dosha, which you can figure out here.
1. Do it in the bath if you have one. Just a bit of practical advice, really, because people get concerned about the mess of oil and such. The bath works great: I just lay a towel down (no water of course) and get to work. I use a lot of oil, but not so much that the towel ends up covered or anything. Still, don’t use the towel your mom got you for Christmas.
2. Warm your oil in a pot of almost-boiling water, and then use that water to shave if you want. I usually pour some oil in a measuring cup, or metal cup with a handle (careful though, the heat transmits quickly with those), and set it in a pot of super-hot, almost boiling water to let it warm. Then I take both the cup of oil and the pot of water to the bath. I use the oil for abhyanga, but then if I want to shave my legs with the oil (as many of us do in these parts), instead of running the tap, I use the super hot water to clean the razor. This was inspired by Krystal’s Morning Routine, where she advised to use super hot water when shaving with coconut oil, to get the oil out of the razor.
3. Try a different touch depending on your dosha type, or current state of mind. The basic method is to start at your feet, using long vertical strokes on your limbs/muscles, and small circular rubbing around the joints. So circlecircle ankles, strokestroke shins and calfs, circlecircle knees etc. I’ll get to the tummy in a moment. But when I received the treatment I was surprised at how vigorous some of those strokes were! Here’s what I learned, depending on your dosha and/or state of mind, change up the stroke. Feeling super anxious or ticked off? Go nice and slow. Feeling groggy and lethargic or cold? Get a little more vigorous and really warm up those limbs and joints. Logical enough, I’d just never thought about it.
4. Choose the right oil for your dosha, or just the season. Because Ayurveda is predicated on the notion that “like increases like,” it’s important to choose an oil that counterbalances your natural state. If you’re a warmer-bodied pitta, coconut oil is recommended for its cooling properties. Whereas if you’re a vata, heavier oils like almond and sesame are where it’s at. In all the texts I’ve read corn oil is recommended for the calmer, slower kapa types. But because that doesn’t sound pleasant, I’d suggest that kaphas choose one of the vata or pitta oils (depending on which is more dominant for them) and then add a bit of orange essential oil to it—this is very good for invigorating kaphas. Consider the season too. Example: Cooling coconut can be good for all the doshas in the heat of summer, and so on.
5. Follow your colon when you massage your stomach. That means up the right side, across and down the left in a counterclockwise direction. Ayurveda is very big on elimination. Enough said.
6. Make it a ritual. My bathroom is pretty dark in the morning, so I light a few candles, burn a little sage and try to get a bit Cleopatra-godessy about the whole thing. Like most women, I struggle with loving my body just as it is. I also work a lot, and generally indulge my more masculine/yang side. So abyhanga, for me, is a time to reconnect to that female energy and be nice to my body instead of telling it crappy things about how it looks and feels.
Aside from all the mental/spiritual benefits of this practice, it also happens to be wonderful for the skin and circulation. Have you tried it? What does it look like for you?
Not tired of listening, always willing to learn.
I’ve benefited so much from this community that a simple thank you seems inadequate ..
Dry brushing + self massage with oils ( rotate between a few that I like ) are part of my evenings “me” time
It does wonders.
It’s really not too much. I have small children and often spend my day doing things for them which means that I often don’t do things for myself. Sitting down and reading this blog is one of the small things that I can do for myself and I love that you always have suggestions or tips that make it that much easier or justifiable to slow down a little and do some thing for myself.
I was recently informed that, despite what I was told in the spring and throughout the summer, I would not be given the contract to teach ballet at the school where I was teaching last year. I was informed so late in the summer that I had no opportunity to find another position. My students, some of my colleagues and myself were, understandably, upset by what was an unjustifiable decision on the part of my former employer. I wasn’t doing it for the money so financially it isn’t that big a deal but…
Anyway you probably get the point that right now, in my current state, anything that you post that involves being nice to myself is a very good thing.
Beth, you’re not alone. I have a newborn and just reading this article made me happy and I’ve book marked it for when I do eventually have time…which probably will be not for years ;)
i LOVE reading about ayurveda and have become slightly obsessed w/it ever since being exposed to it on this blog, it seems to be exactly what i need in order to restore balance both internally and externally. i look forward to finding out even MORE!! please share everything you can from your retreat!!
Keep posting please. I have been wanting to try this. I was working on my Dad’s legs for circulation. I will try the to figure out which oil will be best. I was using coconut for convenience. This would be a great for me to end my day. Thanks!
Ayurveda is something I don’t know much about but I find interesting. So happy to hear more!
The ritual of this sounds a lot like my dry brushing ritual, but more messy ; )
love learning about this! tried it for the first time after your last post about it, used coconut oil. It felt so nice during, and all day I felt more connected to myself physically. just more aware of how I was feeling physically… very, very good for me. The dosha quiz told me I was tri-doshic, so I really don’t know what oil is best? I like the idea of just picking based on current mood or season. :) thank you so much for this post, and this blog.
@Joce Not sure my response came through… In case it didn’t: tri-doshic = awesome. You can definitely choose by season, mood or current imbalance. When in doubt balance vata because it’s the one that’s most easily thrown off by things like: stress, travel, general modern living.
Great tips, thank you! I get weekly reflexology + full body deep tissue massages, but I tried self-abhyanga at night and it is indeed very soothing before bedtime. 4-hand massage has been on my bucket list forever!
Nevertheless, I was intrigued by your comment about reconnecting to your female energy. I was once told during a thai massage/reiki session that I should nurture my female side but I am not very sure how to actually do that. The practitioner for example recommended that I start using my left hand more often (I am right handed). Does this make sense? What else could one do – apart from the abhyanga?
I would really love an article about that. It seems that modern lifestyle for working women (and single mothers at that too…) is very demanding, invariably putting more emphasis on our yang side.
Thank you for this blog and community once again!
Thank you so much for all your thoughtful posts – reading this blog is one of the joys of my day. I really enjoy reading about ayurvedic practices. I feel as though I’m always learning and it helps me to work towards a more sound body and mind.
I tried abhyanga early this morning for the first time. After taking my dosha quiz I found that I was predominately pitta in body, fairly balanced in mind but with a tendency toward kapha – so an early wake up call was in order! First I dry brushed and then lit a candle and grabbed some coconut oil and set to work. I found the self-abhyanga to be really wonderful – but wasn’t quite sure what to do then? I just hung out for awhile breathing, but then I got really hot (hi, pitta!) and felt the need to get all the oil off me.
I wonder if you have any tips for what to do after abhyanga? Do you wipe the oil off first? Just jump in the shower? I was worried that all that oil would clog my drain… haha!
@Sallie I have a warm bath or hot shower then towel off the excess with an old towel and wrap myself in my usual towel when I don’t feel overly oily.
Obsessed with Ayurveda over here, more, more please. Everything about it just makes so much sense!
I’ve also been doing daily abhyanga and finding huge benefits, not only is it a truly pleasant experience but I can feel it genuinely calms my whole system. I have a serious yin deficiency at the moment so doing this in conjunction with treatment from my Chinese Dr and following diet tips in Claudia Welch’s book will hopefully help balance me out again. I’m actually just using olive oil, it feels like the right choice for my overly Vata state and adding essential oils like ylang ylang and lavender. SO nice!!
Which retreat did you go to? I’m interested in learning more about ayurveda, too, and am slowly integrating ayurvedic techniques to my daily routine. I hope to one day be totally natural!
I went to the Sivananda ashram in Grass Valley… But they have them all over the world, and often offer ayurvedic programs. I love it, but it’s not for everyone. It’s a pretty strict schedule (meditate, yoga, veg food, no stimulants), and you have to feel comfortable with religious representations and god talk (even though, it’s actually non-denominational and EVERYONE is welcome). Check it out!
Several decades ago, I was given a four-handed massage (I think it’s called a tandem massage by massage therapists) at one of the health centers operated by the Transcendental Meditation community/organization. It was part of a three-day cleansing ritual called panchakarma. These women were perfectly in sync. I went into a zone where it felt like I was being massaged by one woman with four hands, they were that perfect. At the time, they massaged my body (scalp included) with pure ghee at the beginning of the first day. At the end of that day, I was taken to a shower stall. Instead of being given soap, they gave me a small container of chickpea flour to help remove the remaining ghee from my body. Please put panchakarma on your bucket list if you have not already had the experience. It will never be forgotten.
I am a yoga teacher & have been telling my students for years to about self-massage. I try to integrate a little into the classes just to give the the idea and the how-to for the powerful self-care tools they have right there at the end of their arms.
I am also an aromatherapist & also always telling students to integrate the herbal oils into their practice because its a powerful combination. always, as soon as I’d say, ‘take whatever base you like…’ their eyes would glaze over like I was explaining something super complex! they said – ‘you make it and we’ll use it’. so I did!
would love any feedback! I put together a self-massage print-out and would deeply appreciate any feedback on that. I miss out heating the oil and actually lots of bits i’d much rather have it. but I thought if I made it too complex, folks just wouldn’t do it! and like all things yogic, practice is everything.
very sorry if u like the look of anything & would like to buy and are in the US. I haven’t got a distributor into the States yet.
but please do print out the self-massage sheet and let me know what you think!
thanks & blessings
Sinead
http://www.yogandha.com/abhyanga
ps if it prints out funny let me know at sinead@yogandha.com & I can re-shape for American paper-sizes. om shanti