It’s wonderful to be in India and benefit from the high availability of well trained Ayurvedic massage therapists. Unfortunately not all of us have the luxury of being in this situation permanently or even temporarily.

There is another option which provides similar benefits at a fraction of the cost and no dependence on a proficient massage therapist. In fact, you are the massage therapist.

An abhyanga (meaning “self massage”) is best performed early in the morning or just before bed and is a beneficial practice for balancing Vata dosha. A balanced Vata dosha will calm restless legs, focus your energy, quiet the mind and enhance sleep.

Set aside 20-30 minutes for yourself (including a bath/shower) and turn off the mobile phone and any other distractions. Put on some calming music if you feel that would be appropriate.

Set aside and warm enough oil to liberally cover your entire body – sweet almond oil is good for Vata. Do not warm the oil in the microwave and do not rush the practice, take your time.

Here are the steps to perform a healthy self-abhyanga (follow these steps while standing):

  1. Place oil on your hands and starting with the ankles, draw the hands up the legs towards the hips. Place more oil on your palms as you begin to run out.
  2. Then do the same with the arms, starting with the wrists and drawing the oil towards the shoulder.
  3. Now place the oil on your upper back and draw the oil around the shoulder to the chest and then do the same with the lower back drawing the oil around to the belly.
  4. Finish by drawing the oil down the chest in towards the navel.

Once you are done, take a warm bath to let the oil soak in further. If you prefer showers, wrap yourself in a warm towel or robe and relax for a while to allow the oil to have an affect.

The oil is an effective and healthy moisturiser, so when washing afterwards, leaving a thin layer of oil will allow the oil to continue to nourish the body.