Massages

The massage is not something new to humankind: it is a fairly ancient art, and documents dating back 3000 to 5000 thousand years have shown its use as a healing art.

Ayurveda, and Ayurvedic texts, describe a whole range of treatments for the maintenance and promotion of good health, through the creation of balance in the inner human body.

Ayurvedic massage targets pressure points that are then gently massaged with organic oils, to achieve balance.

A massage has two main purposes: to improve blood circulation, which facilitates tissue healing, and mobility of joint movements, and to provide relief, but its other benefits are many:

Massage does and has been known to improve sleep quality, reduce the body of giddiness, and improves self-awareness. A massage relaxes the muscles, and removes stiffness, and helps re-establish proper muscular tone (which prevents the dying off of cells from injury or disuse). A massage also increases one's metabolism, and reduces swelling and contusions. A massage helps increase the rate of excretion of fluids and waste products. For skin, it reduces tension, and depending on the use of oil, it can help to moisturize and soften dry skin, and can even help with some skin conditions like eczema.

A massage can also relieve congestion from respiratory organs, through the percussive massaging movements, and this deepens and normalizes one's breathing pattern. Not only does massage soften the skin, it helps retain the elasticity of the skin, preventing wrinkles and the effects of aging from becoming apparent.

Massaging uses various movements, circular movements and non-circular movements, spherical and hemi-spherical movements, to suit the place being massaged.

There are several types of massaging techniques that we use:

1. Friction wringing: a circular movement of the tips of the fingers. This stimulates smaller tissues.
2. Kneading: Fingers, thumbs, and palms of the hands are used in that same way that one kneads dough; this affects a larger surface, and the larger muscles. This technique is especially useful when tackling veins that are inflamed, such as in overweight persons, and pregnant women.
3. Pounding: Loosely closed hands, the sides of which strike the body and leaves as soon as the impact comes off. Usually applied to the fleshy areas, such as the thing, and buttocks.
4. Shaking. The limb being targeted is held and shaken firmly. This helps reduce a common symptom of fatigue: stiffness.
5. Artificial vibrations: The middle fingers are placed on the affected and painful areas, and used to vibrate the area in a soft but rapid manner. This is highly efficient for nerve points. Though fingers are used, they act more as a fulcrum, and the strength for the vibration comes from the forearm.
6. Hacking: The palm of both hands are held out straight, and stiffened; the resulting "knife" shape is used to strike down quickly, lightly, and rapidly, alternating between each other.
7. Beating. The difference between this and pounding is that the knuckles of the loosely closed hands are used instead of the side of the palm. These are usually used to target large muscles, such as the lumbar muscles (between the rip and hipbones).
8. Clapping: These are not full-hand claps: they are a wrist-only movement, loosely performed.

Ayurvedic massages have a flair for treating joint pains. (Joints are the points where two or more bones meet.) Oftentimes, the pain has something to do with the reproductive system (vata dosha); Ayurvedic massages will apply the correct oil, and then massage the proper joints.

An important reminder: if you have had heart surgery (or any other major surgery) prior to coming for Ayurvedic treatment, please inform your doctor of this fact.