An Ayurvedic Abhyanga (oil massage) is a massage of pure love. Performed in a warm and caring atmosphere, Abhyanga reaches our innermost self. The massage involves gentle strokes mindfully applied by the practitioner that lead to a deep state of well-being and sense of security within us.
Our body is a miracle and home to our soul. It accomplishes truly amazing things: every day our heart beats some 100,000 times, pumping approximately 8,000 liters of blood through our blood vessels – without pause. We take some 20,000 breaths a day. Every second, our body produces roughly 50 million new cells. All of this happens without effort or conscious thought on our part. Most of us take these daily miracles of the human body for granted – until things start going wrong.
Our body is a masterpiece, and it is high time we show it the respect and mindfulness it deserves. It needs looking after; it requires nurturing, cleansing, strengthening and healing.
An Ayurvedic massage applied with high-quality herbal oils does precisely that, so that the vehicle that carries us through life can continue to perform its masterly work.
Ayurveda is Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
These three energetic forces of nature constitute the basic concept of Ayurveda and serve as the starting point for any Ayurvedic treatment.
Prior to performing an Ayurvedic massage, your practitioner will ask questions in relation to your physical constitution so as to find the right herbal oil for you. This process will involve determining the ratio of the three energetic forces (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) that make up your physical constitution. Warming and calming herbal oils will be used on Vata types, whereas cooling and relaxing herbal oils are suitable for Pitta types. If the bio-energy in your constitution is predominantly Kapha, then stimulating and warming herbal oils will be right for you.
Ayurveda - a burnout remedy
Your health is your most valuable asset – and regular, conscious relaxation constitutes an important factor in preserving it. That being said, our demanding -sometimes even excessively demanding- lives tend to make this increasingly difficult. As a result, we succumb to stress. Since banning stress from our lives is unrealistic, the focus needs to be on managing it. While short-term, positive stress can be invigorating, long-term, negative stress is damaging to our health and can lead to a serious state of exhaustion of body and mind (burnout).
Ayurveda is the most valuable and sustainable preventive system of medicine currently available. An Ayurvedic massage will teach you the key skill of deep relaxation and being in your own space. This skill is a priceless asset that will protect you from many illnesses.
The term «Ayurveda»
Ayurveda is the world’s oldest system of medicine. Its historical roots are in the Vedic civilization of ancient India and date back more than 4,500 years. Initially passed down orally, the earliest written texts are roughly 3,000 years old.
Ayurvedic medicine is based on five elements (water, earth, fire, air, ether) and has aspects in common with Tibetan and Chinese medicine.
Ayurveda is a system of medicine equivalent to conventional medicine. Although in some ways diametrically opposed to the latter, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes Ayurveda as a method of healing. According to Ayurveda, the foundation of human life is the unity of body, mind and soul. If the body is suffering, the mind and soul will suffer too. This unity of body, mind and soul is largely disregarded by conventional medicine, the focus being on the disease rather than on the person as a whole. As a result, conventional medicine is often helpless, especially when facing chronic diseases. Conventional medicine accomplishes miraculous outcomes in emergency situations, accidents, surgeries and acute medicine. But when it comes to analyzing the cause of complaints and illnesses, Ayurvedic medicine offer a phenomenal treasure trove of knowledge to support us.
Ayurveda and I
A certified Ayurveda Massage Practitioner since 2005, Ayurveda has been an indispensable part of my life since 2004. I received my training at the Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda (REAA) where I also qualified as an Ayurveda Dietetics and Health Coach in 2008.
This combined skillset has opened the door to a world that beautifully appeals to all of our senses. Ever since then, whether I am performing a massage or cooking, the air in our house is filled with the wonderfully intriguing scents of Ayurvedic herbs.
Ayurveda is a daily ingredient that contributes decisively to my happiness and wellbeing. The wealth of knowledge provided by Ayurveda has given me a better sense of self, thanks to which I now know what is good for me and how to stay healthy.
Ayurveda is recommended for
- Tenseness
- Physical and mental exhaustion
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Nervousness
- Back pain
- Cervical pain
- Paucity of touch
- Lack of self-love
