Traditional Ayurveda medicine practice is based on ancient Hindu philosophy and is centered on the idea of creating a long & fulfilling life, meaning the principles are to encourage vitality, health and longevity.

The actual practice is largely based on prevention, rather than cure. At the core of prevention is the every day custom of personal healthcare – a type of regular health maintenance.

Fundamental to this is daily self massage, known as abhyanga. Massage with Ayurvedic oils can relieve your mind and body from many kinds of stresses and toxic build ups. Regular self massage rejuvenates your entire physical structure and promotes mental relaxation.

Ancient Indian texts written 5000 years ago state that ‘a person with a view to preserving and promoting positive health should use massage therapy every day’.

How can Ayurveda Oils enhance your wellbeing?

Daily self massage with Ayurveda oils is a positive way of unlocking the body’s innate healing ability, revitalising the body and mind & empowers you to maintain your body’s optimum health.

We live in a ‘time-poor’ society, and many of us are experiencing high levels of stress and feel overwhelmed by the pace and pressure of our busy lives. The effects of stress have a negative impact on our overall physical and mental wellbeing and leave us with an ‘out of sorts’ feeling.

Our skin contains the greatest amount of beneficial hormones, therefore, touch through massage communicates a positive therapeutic message. It balances the endocrine and nervous systems, enlivens the vital energy points (marma points) and affects literally billions of nerve endings that connect to all parts of the body including the brain and vital organs.

Toxins are dislodged from the bodily tissues and gently eliminated, leaving our entire system deeply balanced and nourished.

What conditions can the oils be used for?

What are the benefits of self-massage (abhyanga)?

How do Ayurveda oils work?

Ayurvedic massage has become a lifestyle for the people of India . It is a natural form of exercise that offers a balance between the mind and the body.

It is believed in the Ayurveda system that each human being is composed of a Dosha. According to doctrines, a dosha is a combination of the 5 different elements; ether, wind, fire, water and earth. Doshas, according to Ayurveda, need to remain balanced in a person. An imbalance will manifest a negative or undesirable condition.

Using Ayurvedic oils in massage is a potent contributor at maintaining harmony & balance. Due to the extremely small size of the oil molecule, Ayurveda oils penetrate the skin easily and transport the healing properties of nature, directly to the cells in the body. See our range of Ayurvedic Oils available to purchase online.

What’s the best time for massage?

Ayurvedic massage is traditionally performed in the morning, before your bath or shower, to facilitate the release of toxins that may have accumulated during the previous night.

However, at the end of the day a mini massage before your shower and bed or simply massaging the soles of your feet with Ksheerabala oil will certainly help those with insomnia and promote restful sleep.

So make sure that you participate in this type of Ayurvedic healing as often as you can, so you can enjoy all the benefits, everyday.

Ayurveda full-body massage (abhyanga)

• Start by warming the specific oil in a bowl of boiled water.
• Use the open part of your hand, rather than your finger tips, to massage your entire body.  In general, use circular motions over rounded areas (joints, head) and straight strokes over straight areas (neck, long bones). Apply moderate pressure over most of your body and light pressure over your abdomen and heart.
• Start with your head. Pour a small amount of oil on your hands and vigorously massage it into your scalp. Use the flat part of your hands, make circular strokes to cover your whole head. Spend more time massaging your head than other parts of the body.
• Move to your face and outer ears, remembering to apply a small amount of oil as you move from one part of your body to the next. Massage this area gently.
• Massage the front and back of your neck, and the upper part of your spine. At this point you may want to cover the rest of your body with a thin layer of oil to give maximum time for the oil to soak in.
• Vigorously massage your arms, using circular motion on your shoulders and elbows and long, back-and-forth strokes on your upper arms and forearms.
• Now massage your chest and abdomen. Use a very gentle, circular motion over your heart and abdomen. You can start in the lower right part of your abdomen and move clockwise toward the left lower part, to gently massage your intestines.
• Massage your back and spine the best you can.
• Massage your legs vigorously, using circular motions over your hips, knees and ankles. Use long straight over your thighs and calves.
• Finally massage your bottoms of your feet. As with the head, you can spend more time on this important area of your body. Use the palm of your hand to massage the soles vigorously.
• Allow absorption for 20 minutes before a warm bath or shower.

Each Ayurveda oil (thailam) has a unique & specific formula that can contain the components of up to 50 different plants. As the oil molecule is extremely small it easily penetrates the skin, delivering the medicinal properties to all the cells in the body. Given our modern lifestyle, our cells can become overwhelmed & dysfunctional.

Each ingredient has been carefully selected for its physiologic action in the body & to help restore the body’s natural state of health. More than a mere system of treating illness, Ayurveda is the science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge). Read more about the Tradition of Ayurvedic Oils or view The Process to see how the oils are made.