In today's fast-paced world, where stress and hectic pace are omnipresent, more and more people are longing for relaxation and simple ways to promote physical and mental well-being. A method that has been around for thousands of years is Ayurvedic massage , specifically Abhyanga massage . Ayurveda , the "knowledge of life", is one of the oldest holistic healing arts that has its origins in ancient India. It offers a comprehensive approach to maintaining health and treating various ailments, with soothing massages playing a very important role in the treatment.

In this blog post, we delve into the world of Ayurvedic massage and Abhyanga to explore how you can enjoy the benefits of an Ayurvedic massage at home.

What is an Abhyanga massage?

Abhyanga is a gentle but profound full-body massage performed with warm (herbal) oils. This technique differs from conventional massages in its special hand movements and the use of specific oils that are tailored to the individual constitutional type (dosha). The gentle strokes and circular movements of the Abhyanga massage not only promote relaxation, but also circulation, help detoxify the body and support the lymphatic system.

The warm oil is not massaged into the muscles as usual, but the focus is on working the valuable herbal oils into the skin and thus into the tissue layers by applying gentle pressure from the head to the feet and stroking along the arms and legs. Through regular use, the skin becomes softer and more resilient and tension can be relieved as the oils penetrate deep into the skin layers and provide the skin and tissue with moisture and nutrients.

How does an Abhyanga massage work? - Deep relaxation for body and mind

The benefits of regular use are many:

• Relief from stress and tension
• strengthens immune system
• natural and nourishing skin care
• improved sleep
• Deeply calming effect on the entire nervous system
• Promotes inner peace and relaxation

In particular, the Vata dosha is calmed by the warming full-body massage and symptoms of Vata excess (stress, nervousness, sleep problems, body pain) are alleviated.

Performing Ayurveda massage at home - a ritual of self-care

Regular practice of Abhyanga is highly recommended to strengthen well-being and health. However, very few people have time in their everyday lives to treat themselves to a full-body self-massage every day or several times a week.

For daily use, we would like to introduce you to Padabhyanga - the Ayurvedic foot massage with warm oil . This is carried out either in the morning or evening and supports the body in detoxification and, especially in the evening before going to bed, Padabhyanga can give deep relaxation and a restful sleep .

There are many nerve endings, especially in the feet, which can be stimulated very effectively with an Ayurvedic foot massage. You also massage here
Foot up the ankles, calves, thighs and knees.

Directions:

1. Cover your foot with warm oil (e.g. aged seasam oil warmed in a water bath, almond oil or a high-quality Ayurvedic massage oil of your choice) and rub the oil in gentle movements from top to bottom to your knee.
2. Now massage your foot, the inner arch of the foot and the ankle with gentle, circular movements.
3. Massage the spaces between the toes and moisten them with the warm oil and rub it over the foot
4. Massage and stroke the rest of the leg in gentle circular movements
5. Then wash the oil off with a warm washcloth

Important:
The massage pressure should be very gentle because we want to work the herbal oil into the tissue and not necessarily knead and massage the muscles.

You could also add high-quality essential lavender oil to the massage oil to provide an extra relaxation stimulus.

Create islands of relaxation in your everyday life with Ayurveda and yoga!

Before or after yoga, it is also a good idea to oil your body again and feel a conscious moment of peace and connection to yourself. It doesn't always have to be elaborate self-care rituals; sometimes small islands of relaxation in everyday life are enough and can make a big difference.

So feel free to take 5-10 minutes a day to give yourself an Ayurvedic massage at home.