This past weekend, I had the pleasure and honor of offering an Abhyanga workshop as a part of an incredible women’s retreat at Breitenbush hot springs in Oregon. This nourishing ritual of oiling the body strongly resonated with many of the women who joined in, and I’d love to share a little about it here.
What is Abhyanga?
The essence of this ancient practice is oiling the body with an oil that is infused with medicinal herbs that help to balance the nervous system, soften the skin, support the musculoskeletal system, soften and bring luster to the skin, and much more. Doing this mindfully, lovingly, and with affection and intention differentiates Abhyanga from simply rubbing oil on the body hastily in an effort to get on to the next thing.
The Sanskrit term Sneha refers to both oleation and maternal love. Physically, the body is softened, healed, and detoxified by the oil; energetically, the body finds grounding, relaxation, and calm.
Abhyanga can be received by another person, and at many Ayurvedic wellness centers you may be able to schedule an Abhyanga massage which feels downright indulgent, but you can also practice an Abhyanga self-massage, which is a powerfully nourishing practice to heal a disconnection with the body and cultivate a deep sense of self love.
Benefits of Abhyanga
The benefits of this practice are extensive. Not only does the skin become smooth, soft, and radiant, the revitalizing long strokes along the limbs of the body promote a healthy circulation and drainage of lymph, and help to tone the skin and tissues. Our skin absorbs the medicine that is infused into the oils, helping to support the joints, calm the nervous system, and promote a sense of calm. Practicing Abhyanga in the morning before a shower gifts you with glowing skin all day, and if practiced in the evening, can be a wonderful evening routine to relax you into a restful sleep.
Mindful massage helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system - our rest and digest flow - and reduce cortisol levels; reducing stress is the number one thing we can all do to care for ourselves, keep ourselves healthy, and promote balanced lifestyle!
If you have any areas of the body that are irritated, inflamed, or have any open wounds or burns, you may want to wait to perform an Abhyanga or avoid those areas of the body. Those experiencing excess kapha symptoms such as a chest cold or excess mucous may benefit more from dry brushing (mentioned more below) than an oil application.
How to Practice Abhanga
You’ll want to start by choosing an oil. While you can use many different types of oil, a tridoshic daily massage oil is a wonderful place to start. If you know your doshic prakriti (balance) or vikriti (imbalance), you can find oils that are specific to different doshas. If you are wanting to you infuse your own oil, Vata types will want to use a warming sesame, or almond; Pitta types will love cooling coconut, or sunflower; Kapha will enjoy a heating safflower or mustard, or sunflower. If you are just getting started, you can use an oil you may already have on hand that doesn’t have herbs in it, but herbal infusion really takes the experience to the next level.
Make sure to start with a clear and calm mind. Prepare your space: you can do this right in your bathroom if it is comfortable (or even right in your bathtub or shower if you are going to get really oily. In the winter, I love to set up with a special towel I don’t mind getting oil on, on top of my yoga mat and right in front of the fireplace, light a couple of candles, and burn some palo santo or other incense and create a sense of sanctuary.
While setting up your space, begin to heat up your oil. A double boiler setup on a stove works really well. Heated oil absorbs into the skin better and feels so good!
You may start with the head or the feet. Make sure your feet are clean either way for the best experience. I instinctively start with my feet for some reason; if you are not starting with your face or head, you may want to wash your hands before touching the sensitive skin on the face. Enjoy taking at least 10 and ideally towards 20 minutes to give attention to each part of the body. In my workshop, it was nice to give guidance in some creative ways to bring touch to different areas of the body, but I also find that we naturally can explore our relationship with ourselves, and what it feels like to touch our own precious body in a myriad of ways. Do what feels good!
The feet appreciate extra attention. Make sure you oil each and every toe, and even the webbing between the toes. Give love to the entire sole of the foot, and notice if you feel any ‘crunchy’ parts. In reflexology, these may indicate stuckness in the areas of the body that different parts of the sole of the foot are correlated with.
Try long strokes along the limbs, and circular strokes around the joints. Give attention to the hands, wrists, palms, and don’t forget to massage along each finger and the webbing between each finger.
Apply oil with a clockwise motion (up the right side, down the left) around the belly following the path of the intestines to aid in promoting balanced digestion. Spend time along the heart, sternum, breasts, chest, and collarbones. Reach around the shoulders and the back as you are able. If you have a partner, you can each self-massage and apply to each other’s backs.
On the face, apply light oil with your palm and massage with one or two fingers, using gentle motions as you start from the middle and draw lines out towards the temple or jawbone, and then dropping down the neck. Reach around to the back of the neck and shoulders, base of skull, and don’t forget the ears!
A head and scalp massage is optional if you are not wanting to get extremely oily and have to wash hair, but recommended when time and space are available! Not only does it feel divine, but leaves the hair lustrous and healthy.
Your Abhyanga can be before, during, or after a shower. If done beforehand, its nice to take anywhere from 5-20 minutes to allow the oil to penetrate into the pores. Soap isn’t necessary as the oil will absorb into your skin, and any extra can be toweled off with a dedicated towel when you are complete. That being said, you can use a small of soap if you like.
If you try Abhyanga during a shower, make sure you have a cozy bathroom setup, maybe even a stool in your shower, and consider turning off the water so you can really take time with your ritual.
Post-shower Abhyanga is best done with a smaller amount of oil so that it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy. After the majority of oil is absorbed, towel off with your dedicated towel.
Dry brushing and dusting
Dry brushing is a sister practice to abhyanga that is wonderful for those that are Kapha-dominant or experiencing a Kapha imbalance (i.e. sluggishness, heaviness, depression, stagnancy). While it deserves a write-up in itself, for now I’ll just mention that it helps to bring energy and stimulation to the body, and can be done head to toe, either on it’s own, or before an abhyanga.
Dusting is a practice of creating a paste with chickpea flour and water, and covering the body with a light paste (in lieu of any soap at all) and allowing this to absorb extra oil and rinse off in the shower. I haven’t tried this part of the practice, most recommended for Vata or Kapha types, so I can’t speak from experience, but wanted to mention it if you’d love to explore taking this practice even further.
Do you want to learn more about how to integrate nourishing Ayurvedic practices into your life to uplift and amplify your wellbeing? Check out my Wellness Packages and book what suits you best - whether a single session Q+A or a 12 session comprehensive transformation journey!
Have you started an Abhyanga practice? I’d love to hear about your experience!