"Ayurveda is not just about treating diseases; it is about creating harmony in body, mind, and spirit." - Dr Vasant Lad
I recently had a client come in to receive bodywork. She expressed her current struggles with sleep (or lack thereof). She was averaging 3-5 hours of sleep each night and was lying awake in bed at night/in the early morning for hours. She would start to get anxious about not sleeping, which she believed was adding to the issue, creating anxious thoughts. We had previously met months earlier to do an Ayurvedic Consultation. During this time I learned all about her current imbalances, daily habits, eating habits, sleep, her work, her energy levels, digestion and her goals. It was concluded that she was currently experiencing a Vata imbalance, which was no surprise as we shift into the Fall/Vata Season.
When she came in to receive massage just recently, she specifically asked for a bodywork style to help with her Vata imbalance. We decided on an Abhyanga-inspired massage. Abhyanga is a style of Ayurvedic bodywork to help balance the doshas. The goal of Abhyanga is to rub the oil into the skin so it does not involve deep, targeted work. In Ayurveda, oil is highly valued because of the nourishing/balancing properties. I was elated to pull together my knowledge from my Abhyanga training with Hilary Garivaltis, Ayurvedic Health Counselor training, and massage therapy training to create a beneficial bodywork session to help balance the client’s doshas.
Because we had previously met for an Ayurvedic Consultation, I had a knowledgeable understanding of her doshas and constitution, so I felt prepared to provide her with beneficial Ayurvedic bodywork. When Vata is out of balance, it typically means there is an aggravation of the Vata dosha, which comes from having too much of a quality. The qualities of Vata are: light, subtle, mobile, dry, hard, rough, and cold. In order to bring balance, Ayurveda says to bring in the opposite quality.
My goal for the bodywork session was to bring in the opposite qualities of Vata: heavy, stable, slow, oily, smooth and warm. First off, I discussed the session with my client. I told her I wanted to focus on long, slow, rhythmic strokes. Because Vata can be so mobile and erratic, it is important to bring in rhythm, routine and stability. I used warm sesame oil, which is suitable for Vata, as it has a warming and heavy quality to it.
The client expressed that she wanted to “feel heavy.” I suggested that we do the session in silence to give her ears a rest. Because the ears are hollow and composed of the Air & Space elements, they are a homesite for Vata. Ayurveda believes strongly that nourishing and cleansing the sense organs is incredibly important and valuable.
Before I put my hands on the client, I knew I wanted to move her and her limbs as minimally as I could. Again, with Vata being mobile, I wanted to create as much stillness as possible. Because of this, I did not offer any passive stretches or range of motion techniques. I was as mindful as possible when draping and undraping, doing my best to not disturb my client. Allowing her to rest undisturbed was also helping the “heavy” feeling build in her body.
I started my client face down, and immediately began with small circles on the lower back, another home site of the Vata dosha. The circles were slow and gentle with warm sesame oil.
From there, my hands performed long, full, rhythmic strokes. I circled at the joints and did long strokes up and down on the limbs. Some strokes are so long they go from the bottom of the foot, up the leg, over the outer glute, up the low back, mid back, upper back, down the arm and off the hand…SO delightful!
With Vata being the King of doshas, it has many functions. One function is that it is the initiator of all mental activity. To turn down the mental activity for my client, I used warm sesame oil on her scalp for a scalp rub while setting the intention to calm down any mental gymnastics that might be going on-over thinking, anxious thoughts, creating stories, etc.
Another function of the Vata dosha is the close relation it has with the nervous system. The nervous system is housed in the spinal column. To ease the nervous system, I performed long, slow strokes down the spine, hand over hand, to the sacrum, and then slowly back up the spine, to the cervical spine and off the back of the head. I repeated this soothing stroke 3-5 times.
I had my client turn over, so that she was face up. From there, I added to the scalp rub making sure the strokes and pressure were gentle and slow. Sometimes when I get my hair cut, the hair stylist can be a bit aggressive with my scalp, it is sometimes invigorating, but other times too invasive for me personally. For calming Vata, I did the exact opposite of that aggressive, intensive scalp rub. This was slow, smooth, and soft to help balance Vata. Note: for balancing the Kapha dosha-fast, quick, subtle strokes on the scalp are usually better suited!!
As mentioned above, the ears are a home site of Vata. I spent extra time here, oiling the ears, and tugging gently at them. I massaged around them, behind them, and very gently inside them. More long strokes were performed on the arms and hands. Of course, I wanted to spend extra time on the feet and focus again on grounding. With Vata being composed of the Air and Space elements, it can use a little extra energy towards grounding.
After the session the client had a look of bliss and relief on her face. She was calm and moving slowly. I felt honored that I was able to assist her in a way that involved more than “just working on the muscles.” I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people ask, “If the massage therapy work isn’t hurting my muscles, is it really working and helping me?” I am here to tell you that YES, massage therapy and bodywork does not need to be deep pressure to be effective and helpful. I have often found that the slow, gentle bodywork can sometimes actually be more beneficial to the client.
This session described above was curated specifically for this client, her current struggles and current Ayurvedic imbalances. As you can see, an Ayurvedic Consultation can actually enhance the bodywork session, making it more beneficial. Sessions like that can improve sleep, energy, mental activity, calm the nervous system and help balance the doshas.
“Learning more about the doshas strengthens our capacity to return to greater balance, while also engaging the mind in the healing process.” ~ Unknown
Meg Visnaskas is a licensed massage therapist and Ayurvedic Health Counselor at the NH Health & Wellness Center in Nashua, NH. She finds such joy and passion in combining the two healing systems together to help her clients on their healing journey. For more information on booking an Ayurvedic Consultation or an Abhyanga-inspired massage, please contact Meg by email at meagan@nhhealthwellness.com
