You can do the Ayurvedic oil massage wonderfully yourself at home. In the Vedic principles of Ayurveda, it was originally part of the Ayurvedic daily routine as a self-massage. The warm oil applied by massage has a wonderfully harmonising effect and enhances detoxification through the skin.
Preparation
Take your time and create a pleasant and relaxed environment. Warm the oil in a vessel in a water bath. Tip: Rather hot, because the oil cools down during the massage. Sesame or grape seed oil is a good oil to use, olive oil is not. Spread a large towel over a chair and place the oil container next to it so that you can easily add oil again and again.
The massage
Start at the head: Pour some oil into your hand and massage your head skin with it. Massage the oil with the flat of your hand and not with your fingertips. Rub in small circular movements all over the top of your head, then gently over your face and ears. Gently massaging the temples and back of the ears is particularly soothing and relaxing.
Note: If you do not want to or cannot massage the entire head with hair, massage only the face and the zone behind the ears.
Then put some oil on your hands and gently massage (always with the flat of your hand or the palms of your fingers) the throat and neck, then the shoulders. Massage your arms vigorously – with circular movements the shoulders, elbows and wrists, the upper and lower arm with sweeping back and forth movements. Do not work your upper body and abdomen too vigorously. Massage the chest, stomach area and lower abdomen with large, gentle movements. (Ayurveda recommends clockwise movements.) Gently stroke up and down over the breastbone.
Again put some oil on the hands and massage the back and backside without contorting yourself. Massage the legs as vigorously as the arms – circularly on the knees and ankles, up and down and on the upper and lower legs. With the rest of the oil, vigorously massage the feet. Again, use the flat of your hand, except for the toes, where you use your fingers.
Washing off the oil: It is good for your skin if a thin, barely noticeable film of oil remains. The longer it remains on the skin, the more intense the effect of the abyanga. However, the oil should be washed off the same day so that the skin pores are not blocked.
