Touch as listening

What Ayurvedic massage is

Ayurveda is a tradition from India; the name means, roughly, "knowledge of life". Among its practices is abhyanga: a slow, full-body massage with warm oil. The oil is not a detail. It warms, it slows the hands down, and it turns the massage into something closer to a conversation than a technique.

Ayurveda describes people through three doshas — vata, pitta and kapha — three ways in which movement, heat and stability combine in each of us. I use them the way one uses a good description of character: to meet the person in front of me, not to put a label on them.

Why a massage is a path

We are used to thinking of self-awareness as something that happens in the head. Much of it happens elsewhere. The body shows how we are before we have found the words: the breath that stays high, the shoulders that never quite come down. A massage gives time and permission to notice that — without having to explain anything.

What it is not

Ayurveda also has a medical side, practised by doctors. What I offer is massage for wellbeing and deep rest. It does not treat pain or conditions, and it does not replace your doctor.

A practice to begin with

Before sleep, warm a little sesame or olive oil between your hands and massage your feet slowly for five minutes: the soles, the heels, between the toes. Ayurveda calls this padabhyanga. Do not aim for anything. Just notice what the rest of the body does while the feet are being cared for.