Last month, I could not write a blog because I was being immersed in an Ayurvedic massage course. I already knew that massaging was an important part of Ayurveda, but experiencing the effect of it was more interesting and wholesome than I could have ever imagined. Therefore, I want to involve you in some of the things I learned.
First of all, we tend to forget that our skin is an organ. In fact, it is the largest organ of our body. However, we hardly ever approach or treat it that way. We can be pretty ignorant and sometimes even rude to our precious skin.

And if we consider it in our daily routine, we generally put expensive lotions on our face and body. Now, what if we would know that, just like all the food we eat, the body actually needs to digest all the things that we put on our skin. In other words, all the chemical lotions, gels, creams and balms, that enter our body through the skin, in fact has to be processed and assimilated in the same way as our food. It is for this exact reason that Ayurveda states: don’t put anything on your skin that you would not put in your mouth. If the body cannot digest something, it’s hard to get rid of it. The toxins that are in all these products stay behind, somewhere in the body (forming Ama), and over time can cause disease.

But now let’s look at the bright side of this story! Now that we know that we can influence our system through our skin, we can see how we can use it in a positive way. In Ayurveda, the use of oil on the skin is called Abhyanga, and is considered a crucial part of nurturing yourself. Self massage and being massaged by others is part of the daily or weekly routine in Ayurveda. Massages have many, many benefits, such as nourishment of the skin, lubrication of joints, helping the energy (prana) flow freely through the body, eliminating of toxins, relaxing and stress relief, and also, many oils have medicinal qualities. In short: Oil massage is good for you!

Especially Vata types and people with Vata imbalances do very well with oil massages. In our society, with all these computers, smartphones, televisions and stressful jobs, it is very likely that you have an imbalance in Vata. Massaging calms down the system and the oil counters the qualities of Vata – it is grounding and decreases the level of dryness and roughness in the body. Therefore, it is advised to oil on the body at least once, but preferably twice a week, or even daily (if you are Vata type). Hands and feet are Vata areas and can be oiled daily. It helps you to relax more, think less and sleep better. The type of oil you can use best depends on your constitution*. Here’s a basic list:

• Vata: sesame oil
• Pitta: coconut oil or ghee
• Kapha: sesame, but use in moderation

Like I said, massage is very wholesome – give it a try! You can use organic oils that you buy in your food store, to start with. Later, if you wish, you can buy specific Ayurvedic oils online. Do you want to know more about self-massage? Here’s a very nice video that explains basic techniques.

I hope you will enjoy – and relax! <3

* There are 3 types/constitutions: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. To get an idea about your constitution, you can take this test.