In addition to diet and medicines, ayurveda has countless body treatments for both health and beauty, and it is important to note that in ayurveda beauty is a result of health, and health is one’s natural state. At Earthbody, we’ve designed a series of rituals inspired by Ayurveda to work with particular ailments such as insomnia, anxiety, stress, and nervousness.
Many of these treatments consist of medicated oil massage, as vata (the dry dosha) tends to increase with age, and therefore is the most commonly aggravated dosha. Oil provides lasting moisture and protection for the skin and even deeper tissues. Soap is not recommended in ayurveda, as it strips away one’s natural protective mantle.
Getting regular oil massage, ABHYANGA, with the appropriate medicated oil, can help to protect and nourish the skin, improving the flow of blood and lymph, and encouraging the body to heal it’s self. It can also help to nourish one emotionally, illustrating that the mind and emotions are all considered to be property of the body in ayurveda and Indian philosophy in general.
Another common treatment in ayurvedic practice is shirodhara, which consists of pouring a continuous stream of warm medicated oil, (sometimes milk) on the forehead. This is a deeply relaxing treatment, which soothes the mind and lubricates the organs of the head, improving sight, smell, taste, and hearing. It can alleviate migraines, prevent them from reoccurring, and cure insomnia. Oil treatments are plentiful in ayurvedic medicine, and it is recommended that one do self-oil massage on a regular basis. Vata should oil themselves daily, pitta every other day, and kapha once a week.
Sometimes people may need a drying treatment, these will usually be kapha types. In such cases dry powder scrubs are called for. They are usually made of heated abrasive powder, cooked with invigorating herbs. These scrubs can break down cellulite helping one to loose weight. In addition it will help to reduce oily skin and break up phlegm in the system.
Unlike western medicine, ayurveda places emphasis on the power of small things. This means it is usually better to take a multifaceted approach to healing than to just look for the one thing that will cure you. Hindu and Buddhist philosophy state that all things in the universe are connected and interdependent, and in line with this way of viewing things, ayurveda does not look for the one pathogen or injury that is causing illness. If there is disease it is because the body has become a hospitable environment for disease, and such an imbalance is probably caused and corrected by multiple factors. The ayurvedic approach to life is inclusive and holistic, taking into account the entire individual, and the environment they interact with.
