Ayurvedic Massage
by Ariana Vincent, Ariana Institute
What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is said to be the oldest system of healing in the world. It traces its root to ancient India. It is an age-old healing system that incorporates diet, exercise, herbs and body therapies to help meet life's demands and embrace life's opportunities. Ayurveda is considered to be a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the Western world, where several of its methods, such as the use of herbs, massage, and yoga, are applied on their own as a form of CAM treatment. To Ayurveda, the world is comprised of five basic matters: space, air, water, fire and earth. These are collectively referred to as the panch mahabhoot; and they are represented in the form of the three doshas: kapha, pitta and vata. Although Ayurveda is practiced in India as a comprehensive health care system with eight branches, including pediatrics and gynecology, it has only recently become known in the United States. Ayurveda's premise that mind, body, and spirit are intimately connected is revolutionizing the way Westerners understand their body and their health. Ayurveda teaches that separating mind and spirit from the body creates physical imbalance, which is the first step in the disease process. It naturally follows that re-integration is the first step toward healing. Based on the principle that disease is the natural end result of living out of harmony with our environment, Ayurveda views symptoms of disease as the body's normal way of communicating disharmony. With this understanding of disease, Ayurveda's approach to healing becomes obvious: to reestablish harmony between self and environment and create an optimal environment for health. According to Ayurveda, each person has a constitution that determines basic physiology and personality. This constitution is the inherent balance of three doshas, or subtle biological forces that govern the functions of the body, known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. There are infinite combinations and permutations of these three basic energies, and each person's constitution is a unique expression. Constitution determines what a person is naturally attracted to and what is experienced as repulsive, what is in harmony with his or her nature, and what will cause imbalance and susceptibility to illness. Because no two people are alike and no two presentations of a disease are alike, Ayurveda does not approach the cure of a disease as much as it approaches the cure of the person who has the disease. To help individuals create an optimal environment for health, Ayurveda offers a group of treatments often referred to as "five sense therapies." Through its detailed science of diet and herbalist, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound therapy, and touch therapy (massage and marma therapy), Ayurveda recommends how to use the senses to interact with the environment to create balance. Origins of Ayurveda Ayurveda dates back an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 years and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world. It is understood by many scholars that knowledge of Ayurveda spread out from India and influenced the ancient Chinese system of medicine and the medicine practiced by Hippocrates in Greece. For this reason, Ayurveda is often referred to as the "mother of all healing." Ayurvedic knowledge was passed down orally through the generations and then written down in the Vedas, the sacred texts of India, believed to be the oldest writings in the world. We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparations were mentioned that could be used to assist an individual in overcoming various ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago; however, Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. What we see is that Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It is a Science of Life. Written in Sanskrit, the Vedas cover a vast number of subjects from grammar to health care. The Vedas were written approximately 2500 BC or earlier. Current knowledge about Ayurveda is mostly drawn from relatively later writings, primarily the Caraka Samhita (approximately 1500 BC), the Ashtang Hrdyam (approximately 500 AD), and the Sushrut Samhita (300-400 AD). These three classics describe the basic principles and theories from which Ayurveda has evolved. They also contain vast clinical information on the management of a multitude of diseases expanded upon by later writings and research. Ayurvedic massage is based on ancient Indian principles of Ayurveda designed to heal the body and create a balance between mind, body, and spirit. The word is a Sanskrit compound: ayu, meaning “life,” and veda, meaning “knowledge.” Sometimes translated as “science of life,” Ayurveda lays out a complete mind-body prescription for healthy living that includes a dietetic regimen and a body of herbal healing techniques. Many of the dietary guidelines—say, for example, eating freshly prepared organic foods—dovetail with modern nutritional thinking. Ayurvedic massage is a customized treatment, incorporating essential oils; typically herbal-infused, with time-honored and non-traditional strokes and kneading that suits each individual’s needs. Movement flow can be quick or drawn out, depending upon the person; some Ayurvedic spas provide two therapists working on one guest simultaneously. The Sushruta Samhita of Sushruta appeared during the 1st millennium BC. Dwivedi & Dwivedi (2007) wrote, “The most authentic compilation of Sushruta’s teachings and work is presently available in a treatise called Sushruta Samhita. This contains 184 chapters and description of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources." Recent History of Ayurveda Before Ayurveda began its recent renewal in the West, it went through a period of decline in India when Western medical education became dominant during the era of British rule. Ayurveda became a second-class option used primarily by traditional spiritual practitioners and the poor. After India gained its independence in 1947, Ayurveda gained ground and new schools began to be established. Today more than five hundred Ayurvedic companies and hospitals have opened in the last ten years, and several hundred schools have been established. Although Ayurveda remains a secondary system of health care in India, the trend toward complementary care is emerging, and Western and Ayurvedic physicians often work side by side. Interest in Ayurveda in the West began in the mid 1970s as Ayurvedic teachers from India began visiting the United States and Europe. By sharing their knowledge they have inspired a vast movement toward body-mind-spirit medicine. Ayurveda became even more popular in the United States in the 1980’s. Deepak Chopra’s books on healing helped bring Ayurveda into the limelight. Vasant Lad and Sunil Joshi are also credited for bringing this ancient science to America. Today Ayurvedic colleges are opening throughout Europe, Australia and the United States. Ayurveda gained recognition in the Western world as medical scholars, notably Frank John Ninivaggi, M.D. of Yale University School of Medicine, researched and outlined its various postulates in a major textbook suitable to Western academic science. In the United States of America, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health expended some of its $123 million annual budget on Ayurvedic medicine research. In addition, the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, established by Dr. Scott Gerson, is an example of an Ayurveda research institute. Gerson has published part of his work on the antifungal activities of certain Ayurvedic plants in academic journals. Balance is the Keystone of Ayurveda When you get right down to it, balance is the keystone of Ayurveda. The philosophy holds that there are three basic constitutions, or doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—that make up our physical, mental, and emotional selves. One dosha usually dominates, but ideally the three exist in harmony. That’s the healthy state. When the doshas get out of balance, illness can result. According to believers, Ayurveda’s lifestyle guidelines keep the doshas in equilibrium and the herbal remedies and proper diet realign them. It’s an approach that’s remarkably in line with current thinking about healthy living, as well as increasing scientific evidence that the mind and body interact to maintain health and fight disease. Yoga, meditation, and massage are key components. Popular Ayurvedic massage treatments include the Indian head massage; Abhyanga, an herbal massage, and Shirodhara, a treatment during which a stream of oil is poured in the center of the forehead to help the individual focus, concentrate, and relax the mind and body. Ariana Vincent Ariana Institute www.arianainstitute.com PODCAST: |
