What is Abhyanga and Why should I practice it?

I love this question! Like many of us, I grew up longing for beautiful, smooth skin. I scrubbed, I stripped, I loathed any hints of “oily sheen,” and all the while, there was no one telling me that oil production is natural and that oil is actually of vital importance to our skin health.

In Sanskrit, Sneha translates as both oil AND love... take a minute to digest that. This one term suggests that anointing yourself with oil, known as the practice of Abhyanga, represents an act of saturating yourself with love. While practicing Abhyanga, your breath slows; you savor the moment of caring for your body; you embrace your muscles + bones which bear your weight and support your livelihood; you are left feeling renewed, grounded and more connected... clearly I'm a fan, and nothing has helped me to embrace and feel reverence for my body quite like Abhyanga.

Spending time each week practicing Abhyanga, connecting with yourself, and soothing your parasympathetic nervous system can provide profound insight into (a) how much energy your busy lifestyle actually requires of you, and (b) how easily these needs can be addressed with simple restorative practices.

In a nutshell, we should all be oiling our skin because:

a. it helps our skin do its job (ie. keeping nutrients IN and pathogens OUT),

b. it feels G O O D, and that feeling lasts long after application,

c. depletion, burn-out, and a sense of estrangement from self are real things that many Americans are experiencing; Abhyanga on the other hand is restorative, soothing and offers a direct somatic experience for total body re-balancing.

Set up your space. Make sure you have everything you'll need close at hand for a seamless, uninterrupted practice - towels, floor coverings, hair ties - and the room temperature is comfortable. Place bottled oil in a hot water bath to gently warm the oil. If clothing feels necessary, it's best to use old garments that you don't mind getting oily.

SNEHANA: let the abhyanga begin. This full practice should take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour.

• Pour a small amount into hands and starting at the lower legs, massage up-and-down the long bones (shins, thighs, etc) and circularly around the joints (ankles, knees, etc).

• Work up through the length of the legs, and take the same considerations as you massage from wrist to shoulder on each arm.

• Massage around the hips and pelvis. At the abdomen + lower back, massage in a circle up the right side, across the belly/back, and down the left side.

• From hips to armpits, massage from the outer margins of the side body to the mid-line on both sides. Massage around the armpits, breasts/pectorals, collarbones, upper back and neck.

• Thoroughly massage the soles of your feet and each of your toes, and likewise, the palms and fingers of each hand.

• When you’ve finished your abhyanga, it should feel like you have covered as much skin as possible with warm oil.

• To further pacify your nervous system, spend 5-10 minutes in a comfortable restorative yoga pose (legs up the wall, supta baddha konasana, etc)

SWEDENA: follow up with heat. Traditionally, a complete practice ends with a hot shower or steam to open the pores and dilate the blood vessels closest to the surface of the skin, allowing for maximal absorption and delivery of therapeutic properties. Avoid scrubbing your skin - just allow the heat and water to work their magic.

***There are occasions where it feels more supportive to allow the oil to absorb naturally overnight in order to avoid the drying qualities of a hot shower, ie during cold & dry spells. Use your judgement!

Integrate with ease. If you practice early in the day, honor the work you’ve done to ground + fortify yourself for the day ahead. You got this! If you practice in the evening, avoid excess stimulation (computer, phone, television, triggering conversation etc) after your abhyanga. Capitalize on the grounded state you’ve cultivated in mind + body through this practice and let it guide you towards restful sleep.

Using Crown Hair + Body Oil

FOR DEEP CONDITIONING HAIR + SCALP TREATMENT: warm bottle of oil in a hot water bath. Massage a generous amount into scalp and through strands to saturate. Wrap hair in scarf or wind into top knot, and let sit for 8+ hours - I usually sleep on it or even give it a whole 24 hours to really sink in. Here’s an important part: when you’re ready to remove any excess that hasn’t absorbed, massage shampoo into scalp and strands FIRST to emulsify and lift unabsorbed oil off your hair, and then follow-up with rinsing and conditioning as needed.

FOR DAILY/REGULAR USE: massage small amount of warm oil through scalp and strands. Leave on for 15-20 minutes. Hope into a hot shower, and before getting wet allow the heat to encourage more absorption and scalp-soothing affects. Cleanse and condition as usual.

Using Nasya Sinus Oil

TO USE: Start with clean + moist nasal cavities, ie. right after using neti pot, showering or washing your face, and blowing your nose. Lay completely flat, and using the dropper top apply 3-5 drops of Nasya Oil into each nostril. To create suction and move the oil up into the nasal cavities, pinch nostrils shut, inhale and release; repeat that rapidly several times.

It’s completely normal to experience some post-nasal drip and/or to have your nose flow a little more freely after irrigating and using Nasya Oil. Just make sure you have some tissues close by for approx 30 min - 1 hr after applying. Use first thing in the day to prime + protect this pathway, especially if the climate is dry and/or you suffer from dry nose + sinuses, or use as needed to calm + quell an overactive mind.