Abhyanga: Oil Massage To Soothe Your Nerves

Soothe Your Nerves with Daily Oil Massage

Keep your skin soft, calm your mind, and warm up your body in the fall with an early morning oil massage. The practice of oil massage is called abhyanga in Ayurveda. The sensation of abhyanga is so deeply nourishing to your nervous system, mind, skin, muscles, and joints that it is like being wrapped up in loving arms. It emulates the warmth and support of the tropical rainforests of lush Hawaii with its sweet, sensual, soothing effects.

Try to work abhyanga into your schedule once a week and see how that small but powerful change makes a difference in how you feel. For a stronger effect, commit to doing abhyanga every day for just one week. The physical and mental changes you feel can be quite dramatic.

Why Not Just Use Lotion?

Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It absorbs the elements, qualities (gunas), and chemicals of every product you apply to your body. That's why it's so important to use pure oils instead of lotions that contain parabens and other chemicals. But that's not the only reason to use oil! While lotions remain on the surface of your skin, creating the illusion of moisture, oils sink down through the layers to truly hydrate and nourish your skin on a deeper level.

Improved Circulation and Added Warmth

One benefit of summer heat is that is causes you to sweat. Fluids and blood naturally circulate to the surface of your skin to release heat. The added benefit of sweating is that it hydrates and lubricates your skin. A protective layer of dense, insulating fats keeps your core body temperature and extremities warm. As the temperature drops and you sweat less, your body pulls blood and fluids into your core in order to preserve heat and your skin dries out. The coloring in your skin fades and it takes on a dry, aged appearance. Oil restores softness to your skin by rehydrating it and protecting it from the wind.

Soft, Supple, Wrinkle-Free Skin

The beautiful fall season brings with it gusts of drying wind. Do you have lush, soft skin all summer and suddenly notice that around mid-September your cuticles started cracking and heels became thick and scaly? This sensation of dryness is your first indication that it's time to nourish your skin with oil. A self-massage with oil creates a buffer between your skin and the harsh fall winds. Daily application of oil makes your skin soft and supple. Thanks to this added hydration and lubrication of your skin, you may notice increased resistance to dryness, cracking, and even bruising. Self oil massage is a powerful anti-aging practice that increases the strength of the fragile skin of the elderly and helps younger skin adapt to the aging process more gracefully. The main cause of wrinkles is the diminishing layer of subcutaneous fat that creates lustrous skin with a healthy sheen. Replenish these oils to retain - and even increase - your skin's natural vibrant beauty!

Calm Your Anxieties

As you become more consistent with your daily oil massage, you may notice not only benefits in your skin, but a subtle change in the way you feel. Anxieties will be replaced as a sense of calm steadily seeps into your life. You begin to feel content and confident. This is because the oil seeps into your skin all the way to your nerve endings, delivering the message of stability, warmth, and calm to your mind and heart. In Sanskrit, the word for oil, sneha, is also the word for love. After offering the loving practice of oil massage to yourself for a few days in a row, you may find it easier to accept yourself just as you are.

Improved Sleep

Sleep deeply as you calm your nervous system with abhyanga. Oil massage is heavy, stable, warm, calm, and grounding - all the qualities of sound sleep! After only a day or two of self oil massage, you will be sleeping better. Do you find yourself lying in bed consumed by churning thoughts, just hoping for sleep to overtake you? Evening oil massage can help you to fall asleep and stay asleep all night long.

Pain Relief in Your Muscles and Joints

Dryness and cold create tight, painful muscles and joints. Oil massage softens your tight muscles and even nourishes dried-out joints. Massaging your muscles unblocks stagnation, allowing important circulation of nutrients and oxygen to reach painful places in your body. Oil seeps in and lubricates dry, painful joints so that they can move freely.

Relief from Gas and Constipation

Constipation, especially during times of stress, can be due to a contraction of your abdomen, low belly, and even as deep as the smooth muscle that lines your small and large intestines. Daily oil massage encourages the soft release of these muscles, bringing ease back to your bowel movements. If you suffer from constipation, spending extra time on your abdomen during your self massage practice will encourage regular elimination of stools.

Contraindications

Abhyanga is contraindicated for toxins (ama), as oils are nourishing, and building (anabolic). Massage is contraindicated for high ama generally.

Instructions

1. Select a dosha appropriate oil - Vata oil, Pitta oil or Kapha oil. Vata and kapha individuals may alternatively use plain sesame oil in cold weather. Pitta individuals may use coconut oil in hot weather.
2. Warm 1/4 - 1/2 cup of your oil by placing it in a small bowl, in a pot of water at boiling temperature. Before using make sure it's not too hot!
3. Spread an old towel on the floor in a warm room. The bathroom is great because it's small and holds heat well.
4. Massage the oil gently into your body, starting with your head and moving down. Use long strokes on your muscles and circular strokes on your joints. Massage your abdomen slowly in a clockwise direction from your right hip up to underneath your ribcage on the right. Move toward the center and across to the left side. Now move down toward your left hip. Continue until you feel more softness in the abdomen.
5. Allow the oil to soak into your body for 10-15 minutes.
6. Use your old towel to remove any excess oil. Hop into a hot shower. Sesame oil is antibacterial, so use minimal soap that has no harsh chemicals. End your shower while you still have a little bit of oil left on your skin and you won't need to apply any lotion.
7. Enjoy your day!