Ayurvedic Massage: an Introduction

Ayurvedic massage is the therapeutic use of warm oil on the body, and it is one of the most prized and characteristic of all the practices of Ayurveda. Its foundation is Abhyanga, the anointing and massage of the whole body with warm oil, which the classical texts place among the daily duties, and from this root it rises to the great oil therapies given by trained hands within Panchakarma. To understand Ayurvedic massage is to understand the tradition’s deep regard for oil, sneha, as a substance that nourishes, settles and carries the strength of herbs into the body.

The place of oil in Ayurveda

Ayurveda holds the unctuous substances, the sneha, in high regard, and chief among them for the body is taila, oil, and above all til taila, sesame oil. The tradition holds that oil, warmed and worked into the body, nourishes what has grown dry, settles the cold and mobile quality of Vata, lends the tissues suppleness and steadiness, and, when the oil is medicated with herbs, carries their action deep into the body. This is the ground of all Ayurvedic massage: the oil is not a mere lubricant for the hands but the very medicine, and the massage is the means of working it into the tissues.

The Ashtanga Hridayam gives a famous praise of Abhyanga, holding that one who practises it daily is not overcome by tiredness, by the strain of work or by the ravages of age as readily, that the body grows strong, supple and pleasant, and that sound sleep follows. Charaka likens the daily oiling of the body to the oiling of a leather vessel, which grows soft and lasting, or the greasing of an axle, which then turns smoothly, images that capture the tradition’s understanding of what the oil does.

Abhyanga, the daily self-massage

The heart of Ayurvedic massage, and the part anyone may practise, is Abhyanga, the daily self-massage. In its simplest form it is done at home in the morning before bathing: warm oil is applied to the whole body and worked in with the hands, with attention to the head, the ears, the soles of the feet and the joints, and then left for a while to soak in before a warm bath washes the surface clean. The classical strokes follow the direction of the body hair and use long strokes along the limbs and circular strokes over the joints, working with the grain of the body.

Charaka sets Abhyanga among the daily practices of the Dinacharya that support strength, good sleep, a steady mind and a well-kept body, and the tradition holds it especially valuable for settling Vata, which is why it is prized for tiredness, dryness, restlessness and the stiffness of the joints, and why it is so much a part of the care of the old and of the mother after childbirth. A smaller daily version, the oiling of the head, the ears and the feet, is kept by many who have not time for the full massage, and the tradition values these regions particularly.

The oils and the doshas

Ayurvedic massage chooses its oil by the person and the aim, and this is one of the things that sets it apart. Sesame oil is the classical base and the tradition’s finest oil for settling Vata, being warming and penetrating. From it are made the medicated oils, the thailams, cooked with herbs so that the oil carries their action, and these are chosen for the situation: a warming Vata oil such as one of the Bala or Narayana group for cold, dry stiffness of the joints; a cooling oil such as a Chandanadi preparation where heat leads; a nourishing oil for depletion. In hot climates, and for a person of strong Pitta, coconut oil is often preferred for its cooling nature, and for a heavy, congested Kapha picture a lighter oil or a dry massage is sometimes chosen instead.

This matching of oil to constitution is the Ayurvedic principle at work. The massage is not one fixed thing given to all, but a therapy shaped to settle the dosha that is disturbed and to nourish what is depleted, and the choice of oil is the first step in that shaping.

The direction and manner of the strokes

The classical Ayurvedic massage is not only a matter of which oil but of how the hands move. The tradition holds that the strokes should follow the anuloma direction, with the lie of the body hair and toward the extremities along the limbs, for this is held to move with the natural flow of the channels rather than against it, though in certain therapies a reverse, pratiloma, stroke is used deliberately. Long, straight strokes are given along the length of the arms and legs, and circular strokes over the joints and the rounded parts, the shoulders, the hips and the belly. The touch is firm enough to work the oil into the tissue but not harsh, and the massage is unhurried, giving the warm oil time to be received. Particular care is given to the head, the ears and the feet, which the tradition holds to be seats of special benefit, so that even when the whole body is not oiled these three are attended to. The oil is warmed before use, since warmth opens the channels and helps the oil penetrate, and after the massage the oil is usually left on the body for a time before a warm bath, so that it soaks in rather than being at once washed away.

The classical oil therapies

Beyond the daily self-massage lie the deeper oil therapies, given by trained hands, which belong to the clinic and to Panchakarma, the great cleansing of Ayurveda. These are forms of Snehana, the oiling of the body, and several are famous.

Abhyanga by trained hands. The full therapeutic Abhyanga, given by one or two therapists with warm medicated oil, is deeper and more thorough than the home version and is often the preparation before further therapies.

Shirodhara. The steady pouring of a fine stream of warm oil over the forehead, a therapy the tradition connects with a deeply settled mind and with the care of the head and the senses.

Pizhichil and Kizhi. The Kerala therapies in which warm oil is poured over the body in a stream, or in which warm boluses of herbs and rice are pressed over it, used for the joints, the muscles and the nervous tissue.

Basti and Nasya oils. The medicated oils used in the specialised routes, the oil enema and the nasal medication, which though not massage belong to the same family of oil therapies.

These are clinical practices, given under the direction of a physician within a wider plan, and they are not self-administered.

The benefits the texts name

The classical texts connect Ayurvedic massage with a settled list of benefits, all following from the nourishing, Vata-settling action of the warm oil: the settling of Vata; the nourishment and strengthening of the tissues, the dhatus; the easing of tiredness and stiffness; the softening and lubrication of the skin and the joints; the promotion of sound sleep; a clear, well-kept complexion; and a general steadiness and grace of the body. Because Vata governs so much of the restlessness of body and mind, the tradition holds the settling of Vata by oil to reach the mind as well, lending calm and steadiness.

When massage is not advised

The classical texts are careful to name the times when oil massage is not the right thing. It is not advised during acute illness or fever, when Ama, the residue of poor digestion, is high, during indigestion, or just after a meal, and it is used with care in a heavy, congested Kapha state, where the heaviness of oil is not wanted. In pregnancy, and for anyone managing a health condition, the tradition holds that the choice of oil and the manner of massage should be taken up with a qualified practitioner first.

There is also the matter of what suits the season and the constitution. The tradition holds oil massage to be most valuable in the cold, dry seasons and for the Vata and Pitta constitutions, and to be used more sparingly, or replaced by a dry powder massage, the Udvartana, in the damp Kapha season and for a heavy, congested Kapha person, where too much oil would add to the heaviness. This seasonal and constitutional judgement is part of the Ayurvedic approach and is one more reason the practice is shaped to the person rather than given the same to all. A little oil to the head and feet, however, is held to suit almost everyone almost always, which is why that smallest form of the practice is the most widely kept.

For a person in ordinary health, a gentle daily self-massage with a suitable oil is one of the soundest and most accessible of all Ayurvedic practices, while the deeper therapies belong to trained hands. This entry introduces the classical understanding of Ayurvedic massage and is offered for education, not as medical advice.