15 Benefits of Abhyanga - Ayurvedic Treatment

A daily Abhyanga practice restores the balance of the doshas and enhances well-being and longevity.

There is no greater expression of self-love than anointing ourselves from head to toe with warm oil—this practice is called Abhyanga. Our Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre-trained therapists perform this signature treatment in synchrony as they gently knead and perform a stimulating and invigorating massage using warm, medicated oil. Abhyanga is a synchronous complete-body treatment performed by two therapists. This four-handed massage represents the compassionate four-armed Goddess of Health anointing the body with medicinal oils that nurture and purify all the bodily tissues called dhatus. No other massage technique can be compared to Abhyanga in any other healing tradition. The treatment integrates and focuses on the various levels we have as individuals, from the most physical to the most subtle and spiritual level. The Abhyanga massage stimulates over one hundred Marma points in the body, thereby balancing the energy flow in the chakras. The treatment starts with a Marma point-focused massage of the head, face and shoulders in the sitting position while your feet are washed with fragrant rose water, followed by a full body massage by two therapists. Marma points are energy centres in the body through which pranic (or life force) energy travels. By balancing and stimulating these points, the physiology and psychology of a person get balanced and strengthened as the flow of prana is encouraged. Our therapists are intensely trained at our Indus valley training Centre to perform this delicate ritual skillfully.

The Benefits of Abhyanga are numerous; Abhyanga is known to eliminate fatigue, reduce mental stress, create lymphatic stimulation and, by so doing, assist with detoxifying the body, enhancing sleep, reducing anxiety, alleviating depression, promoting a feeling of well-being and contentment, and balances all the doshas.

Benefits of Abhyanga

1. Nourishes the entire body—decreases the effects of ageing
2. Imparts muscle tone and vigour to the dhatus (tissues) of the body
3. Imparts a firmness to the limbs
4. Lubricates the joints
5. Increases circulation
6. Stimulates the internal organs of the body
7. Assists in the elimination of impurities from the body
8. Moves the lymph, aiding in detoxification
9. Increases stamina
10. Calms the nerves
11. Benefits of sleep—better, deeper sleep
12. Enhances vision
13. Makes hair (scalp) grow luxuriantly, thick, soft and glossy
14. Softens and smoothens skin; wrinkles are reduced and disappear
15. Pacifies Vata and Pitta and stimulates Kapha