The Benefits of Ayurveda Self-Massage

There is no greater expression of self-love than lovingly anointing ourselves from head to toe with warm oil—this practice is called Abyanga. The Sanskrit word Sneha can be translated as both “oil” and “love.” It is believed that the effects of Abhyanga are similar to those received when one is saturated with love. Like the experience of being loved, Abhyanga can give a deep feeling of stability and warmth.

A daily Abyanga practice restores the balance of the doshas and enhances well-being and longevity. Regular Abyanga is especially grounding and relaxing for Vata dosha imbalances, but everyone can benefit from this practice.

“The body of one who uses oil massage regularly does not become affected much even if subjected to accidental injuries, or strenuous work. By using oil massage daily, a person is endowed with pleasant touch, trimmed body parts and becomes strong, charming and least affected by old age”

Charaka Samhita Vol. 1, V: 88-89  

(One of the Great ancient texts of Ayurveda)

What I recommend is to give yourself a massage (instructions here or below) and then assess how you feel. Sure, you can read this commonly printed list of benefits. While some benefits come from claims from the ancient Ayurvedic texts, studies are actually being done to qualify or dismiss these claims. Here is a list of claims commonly found on websites, substantiated by MAPI.

Increased circulation, especially to nerve endings

Toning of the muscles and the whole physiology

Calming for the nerves

Lubrication of the joints

Increased mental alertness

Improved elimination of impurities from the body

Softer, smoother skin

Increased levels of stamina through the day

Better, deeper sleep at night

In many ways, this is amazing. I’ve also heard vaidya’s (Ayurvedic masters) claim that self massage improves all of the sense organs, and remarkably, improves eyesight. What I know from personal experience is that self massage is the best tool I have:

To boost my immune system

To make me feel whole again

To nourish my body and soul simultaneously

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What You Should Know About Foot Massage and Reflexiology

Some of the benefits of reflexology include its ability to stimulate nerve function, increases energy, boosts circulation, induces a deep state of relaxation, eliminates toxins, stimulates the central nervous system, prevents migraines, cleans up urinary tract conditions, speeds recovery after injury or surgery, helps relieve sleep disorders, reduces depression, and relieves pain. Furthermore, it can help ease the treatment of various cancer and even helps to soothe the pains of pregnancy, even those occurring after the baby is born.

Many of us find ourselves on our feet all day at work. Whether you work in an office, a factory, a field, a hospital, or anything in between, there is a good chance that you put a lot of weight and stress on your feet every day. The thing is, that stress can also manifest itself in the other parts of our body. It is a similar situation to back pain. For back pain, people often get massages, so it makes sense that there should also be foot massages, right? Reflexology is much more than a foot massage, but at its foundation, that’s the easiest way to describe the process. This specific area of massage therapy also includes the hands and ears, making it more of an extremity massage than a foot massage.

One large review by Kunz and Kunz (2008) summarized 168 research studies and abstracts from journals and meetings from around the world. Many of these studies originated in peer-reviewed journals in China and Korea. All of the studies had information about the frequency and duration of the reflexology application. Based on the studies they reviewed, Kunz and Kunz concluded that reflexology may:

Have an impact on specific organs (e.g., fMRI readings demonstrated an increase in blood flow to kidneys and to the intestines)
Be associated with an amelioration of symptoms (e.g., positive changes were noted in kidney functioning with kidney dialysis patients)
Create a relaxation effect (e.g., EEGs measure alpha and theta waves, blood pressure was decreased, and anxiety was lowered)
Aid in pain reduction (27 studies demonstrated a positive outcome for reduction in pain; e.g., AIDS, chest pain, peripheral neuropathy of diabetes mellitus, kidney stones, and osteoarthritis)

Benefits of Reflexology

Nerve Function: As our bodies age, our nerve endings become less sensitive in parts of our body, particularly in our extremities. That being said, reflexology has been connected with stimulating more than 7,000 different nervous endings in a single session, thereby increasing their function and reactivity. Opening and cleaning out neural pathways can help improve functionality and flexibility of many areas around the body. Neural pathways are like muscles, so it is good to work them once in a while to keep them sharp!

Energy Levels: By aligning the functioning of various organ and muscle systems, reflexology can increase metabolism and energy creation processes within the body. If you need a boost in energy or are always feeling sluggish, perhaps a reflexology session can help put some pep back in your step!

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Benefits of Massage in Overcoming Anxiety

Massage Therapy Lowers Anxiety

During an era when each day seems to bring new stress, it's no wonder that massage has become increasingly popular as a means of reducing anxiety.

"Americans are looking to massage for much more than just relaxation," says Mary Beth Braun of the American Massage Therapy Association. "Massage therapy can be effective for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, lower back pain, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, circulatory problems and recovery from a sports injury."

What Causes Anxiety?

The human body was designed to respond to danger, such as an attack by wild beasts, by either fleeing or fighting. Both those actions require extra levels of cortisol, known as the "stress hormone," which suppresses the immune system and increases blood sugar levels to keep our muscles ready for fight or flight.

But since most of today's problems don't involve wild beasts, sustaining higher cortisol levels can lead to digestive problems, headaches and insomnia. That's where Massage Envy comes in.

How Massage Helps

If you carry anxiety symptoms in your shoulders, back and neck, a professional massage can specifically target those areas. Regardless of where you carry tension, studies have shown that massage increases your body's levels of oxytocin and serotonin, which results in lowered stress. The feeling of relaxation created by regular massage therapy also lowers your blood pressure and elevates your mood.

When your body is relaxed, your nervous system responds with a lower heart rate and improved breathing. Deep sleep becomes easier to achieve, because your muscles remember the sensation vividly enough to recreate it at home, which enables you to enjoy a healthier life.

Benefits of Facial Massage

Some of the benefits of facial massage. 

Massage your forehead for digestive problem, irregular sleep, liver issues, stress and poor dietry. 

Massage your temples/eyebrow for poor circulations, gallblader problem, diets too high in fats, processing food and alcohol. 

Massage your nose to cure poor diet, constipation, indigestion, poor blood circulation. 

Massage your ears for relieving kidney problems and issues

Massage your cheek for liver issues, stress, overeating, stomach

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Benefits of Back Massage

Nearly everybody likes a good massage. But besides feeling good and being relaxing, does massage provide health benefits?

It’s claimed that massage can relieve all sorts of pain—everything from arthritis pain to migraines—though it has been hard to prove this. That’s why a large, well-designed study on massage for back pain, funded by the National Institutes of Health and published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine, deserves attention.
The study included 400 people who had chronic “nonspecific” low back pain—meaning it had no identified cause, such as a fracture or herniated disk. One group received relaxation (Swedish) massage, another got structural massage (focusing on specific muscles, tendons and ligaments potentially related to the pain) and the third group just continued with their usual care (whatever that was).

The massages lasted about an hour and were done once a week. After 10 weeks, two out of three people in both massage groups reported substantially reduced pain and improved mobility, compared to only one in three in the control group. Four months later, those who had gotten the massages still fared better than those who did not, but the difference was smaller. Another six months later, though, any benefits were pretty much gone.

It was somewhat surprising that relaxation massage worked as well as structural massage. But that’s good news, according to the researchers, since it is more widely available and usually less expensive than more specialized forms—though also less likely to be covered by insurance.

Despite the positive results, the study left unanswered questions:
How does massage compare to other treatments, such as exercise, yoga, medication or acupuncture? The study did not compare them, but one of the researchers suggested that the benefits of massage are as strong as those reported for these other effective therapies.

Would fewer or shorter sessions have been as beneficial? On the other hand, if the weekly massages had continued, would improvements have increased, leveled off or lessened over time?
The massage therapists in the study were all trained and licensed. Would therapists with less training, or even your spouse or a friend, have been as effective?

Were the benefits due to the placebo effect? That is, if people expect the massage to help, it’s more likely to do so. The way to rule this out is to do a placebo-controlled study, in which the subjects don’t know if they are getting the treatment (that is, a real massage) or a placebo (a sham massage), and then the results are compared. But it’s hard to fool people with a “fake” massage. Any kind of hands-on work by a seemingly caring person in a relaxing environment might be just as effective as a real massage.

Bottom line: If you have chronic back pain, consider getting a few massage sessions. Many health professionals practice massage—physical therapists, osteopaths and, of course, licensed massage therapists.http://www.berkeleywellness.com/

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