In Ayurveda, Self Massage as part of a range of Self-Care practices is considered of great importance. Self-Care is of such significance that Ayurveda Medicine has created a set of directives for daily Self-Care routines, which are called Dinacharya.
The overall idea behind a daily Self-Massage routine is to nourish body, skin and hair, stimulate circulation and vitality, calm the nervous system, and maintain or improve one’s wellbeing and longevity. It doesn’t need to be a very long practice: fifteen minutes of daily Self Massage is more than enough to support a good start of the day.
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The most common type of Self-Massage is an Abhyanga Full-Body Oil Massage, which is then called Self-Abhyanga. Nevertheless, it’s also common to perform a Head and Scalp Massage i.e. Shiro Abhyanga, Face Massage i.e. Mukha Abhyanga, or Garshana Brushing as an additional massage treatment or alternative.
Don’t look at Ayurvedic Self-Massage as a very extensive massage practice. It shouldn’t be placed at the same level as a (therapeutic) treatment given by a professional Ayurveda practitioner. Self-Abhyanga is more like firmly, but lovingly “rubbing in” oils.
Nevertheless, the choice of oils is not random and depends strongly on a person’s Dosha-type and/or the Doshas that need to be balanced i.e. pacified. Additionally, the season of the year can also play a role in the choice of massage oils.
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