Ayurveda is built on many fundamental principles which together can create a long healthy life. One of the hallmarks of Ayurvedic wisdom is the daily oil massage, known as abhyanga. Let’s take a look at the many reasons the ancient doctors thought it might be a good idea to rub the body with oil several times a week, from the time a baby is born all the way up into old age.
My teacher and mentor, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, used to say to be very careful what you put on your skin since the skin is very porous and whatever you put on it goes directly into the bloodstream, quicker than if you had taken it by mouth. When you swallow something it has to go through the digestive tract to be absorbed, but when you put it on the skin it goes directly into the bloodstream, bypassing digestion completely.
Get Your Omega 3’s Through the Skin; Not Orally
Many people report to me that they take various oils internally, such as fish oil, Evening Primrose oil and other omega-3’s. While they may have some effects on the physiology, the ancient doctors were much wiser. They instead recommended rubbing the entire body with oil several times a week or more. In this way, the oil is taken up through the skin giving an immediate effect on the entire physiology.
By taking these oils orally as concentrated oil supplements they have to go through the digestive tract and can upset the liver and gall bladder function as these concentrated oils are now dumped into the bile, running the risk of thickening it and turning it into a sludge. Remember, all the fats you eat have to be processed by the bile which is held in the gall bladder. The bile has two detergents which emulsify the fats, breaking them down into small enough particles for best absorption into the blood stream. If too much fat enters the gall bladder at one time it can overwhelm the gall bladder which is why many people end up burping up fish oil for hours after taking it. A better way to get these oils in is to both eat them in the diet through good fats, such as olive oil, ghee, avocados, nuts, seeds, and grass-fed milk and milk products. And through massaging the skin with oil which takes it directly into the bloodstream.
The Skin Makes Hormones!
The skin is now being reclassified as an endocrine organ! Just as the ovaries can release hormones into the body through the bloodstream, the skin can also produce hormones that are released through blood circulation. In fact, after menopause the majority of the female hormones found in a woman’s bloodstream are produced by other organs, such as the skin! And this is also mind-blowing: the skin produces a lot of other hormones, including thyroid hormones, stress hormones like cortisol and even hormones like melatonin. And of course we all know how it produces Vitamin D through its interaction with the sunlight, a hormone which affects every cell in our body! And by giving your skin a drink of oil, it will help enhance its capability of making these hormones.
Oiling Up the Skin Helps Detoxification and Is Great for Joint Pain
Once you put oil on the skin, it spends 3-5 minutes in each of the 7 tissues (the blood plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and reproductive fluids). It softens the toxins sitting in each of these tissues, allowing for their elimination. That’s why may of the Ayurvedic cleansing techniques, such as Panchakarma begin with the oiling up of the body. Once the oil is applied to the skin and left on for 20 minutes or more, you could either enter a steam sauna or take a warm bath or a shower. An oil massage followed by heat drives the oil in deeper, and is especially good for not only detoxification, as the heat opens up the body’s physical channels allowing the oil to flow in and the softened toxins to flow out, but also helps one to overcome aches and pains caused by the drying effects of Vata. This is especially true in the latter years of life known as the Vata stage of life where the elements of Vata can take over, literally drying up the body. And when the joints and bones dry up you can suffer from serious arthritic pain. A daily oil massage followed by moist heat or a warm bath or shower works wonders for this type of pain and stiffness.
Even if you’re not doing a cleanse, it’s always important to leave the oil on for about 20 minutes to allow the oil to seep into all 7 tissues, both nourishing and detoxifying them.
Oil Massages Prevent Wrinkles and Keep the Skin Soft and Supple
And of course, on a more superficial level the skin itself obtains great benefits from rubbing oil into it as it prevents the drying and wrinkling which can occur as we go through our busy lives, especially if we live in cold or dry climates.
Abhyanga Can Also Facilitate the Entrance of Other Nutrients into the Body
Many of the abhyanga oils contain herbs and other nutrients, such as magnesium and Vitamin D, which can be also taken up through the skin during the oil massage. This is an excellent way to absorb magnesium, which is best taken through the skin since it can go through the digestive tract too quickly at times causing diarrhea. And Vitamin D is also readily absorbed through the layers of the skin which activate it on its way to the bloodstream.
And many of the Ayurvedic companies infuse herbs into their oils to balance not only Vata, Pitta and Kapha but also for numerous other herbal applications since the skin will also absorb the herbs directly into the bloodstream. That’s why herbalized oils like ashwagandha oil or ashoka oil have an immediate effect once the oils are applied to the skin. Just think how wonderful it feels when every one of your pores goes to work absorbing these amazing Ayurvedic herbs directly into your circulation. Many times the effect is much quicker than if you had taken it orally, as Vaidya Mishra predicted.
Specifics of Abhyanga
There are several types of Abhyanga oil you can use for your daily oil massage. While sesame oil is commonly used in India, Vaidya Mishra and I found that our patients who had fair skin had problems associated with the sesame oil. For one thing it was too heating, creating rashes and irritability as it increased their pitta or internal body heat. In other cases the oil just sat on the top layer of the skin and didn’t absorb well.
Vaidya Mishra’s specialty was dermatology so he ended up taking certain fractions out of the sesame oil which were giving these side effects and also developed numerous types of abhyanga oils using many other lighter oils instead of just plain sesame oil.
And there are other Ayurvedic companies which make wonderful abhyanga oils, both here in the States and in other countries as well. But if you prefer, good generic oils to use are almond oil in the colder months and coconut oil in the summer months. If you have darker skin feel free to use sesame oil as your skin can absorb it fairly well and it usually doesn’t create as much heat as in more fair-skinned people.
First warm the oil by letting the bottle run under hot water from the faucet for about two minutes. Starting from your head, apply the oil going up and down on the long bones and circular on the joints. Leave it on for 20 minutes. The oil spends 3 minutes in each tissue before moving onto the next, softening the toxins sitting in that tissue, allowing for their release. Since there are 7 tissues it’s good to leave the oil on for about 20-21 minutes to allow all 7 tissues to be both nourished and detoxified.
Then you can wash off the oil — you can use besan or chickpea flour to rub onto the skin, as they do in India, or a nice mild soap or no soap at all. Towel dry and feel how not only your skin but your whole body feels nourished and calm and notice the glow coming up from the skin as the impurities are removed and the ojas can shine through.
Do an oil massage as many days of the week as time allows, and by doing so you will feel very nourished, calm, less joint pain and feel an overall sense of bliss, joy and radiant health as the oil penetrates deeply into the physiology, relaxing your nervous system and balancing out your endocrine system as well.
I’m fairly certain that rubbing the body with oil extends your lifespan, in much the same way as rubbing oils on fine furniture extends their lustre and beauty. You will definitely feel a shift in your health each time you do abhyanga. It’s no wonder these daily oil massages have been at the center of Ayurvedic treatments and will continue to be so for millennia to come.
Thank you.