Do This One Simple Thing Every Day To Improve Your Health
Feeling exhausted? Is your skin looking dull and your hair dry? Practice this at-home remedy daily to detox your mind and body naturally...
Tired, stressed, or just straight out physically and mentally exhausted? Is your skin lacking lustre, is your hair dry and brittle? Definitely sounds like the definition of a dire situation! But before you go taking drastic - and costly - measures, the good news is there is something you can do every single day at home to help calm your mind, strengthen your body and get your glow back completely naturally.
Narissa Moeller, Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, Therapist and Journalist, talks us through the benefits of self-massage and how to do it at home.
What Is It?
Self-Abhyanga, a Sanskrit word for self-massage, is an ancient Ayurvedic healing and detoxifying practice that you can treat yourself to everyday from the luxury of your own home.
Perfect for releasing stress, nourishing and re-energising the body, increasing blood flow and lymphatic circulation, imparting muscle tone and firmness to the limbs. Do this everyday and you will receive exactly the same benefits as exercise!
Not to mention that it also improves sleep, enhances vision, helps hair grow luxuriantly, softer and glossier and makes the skin and nails softer, smoother and more lustrous.
So, How Does It Work?
First of all, it’s important to know your Ayurvedic body-type and be in tune with any imbalances you may have so that you can use the appropriate oil.
Vata types are generally thin, bony, light-weight, cold and dry, and will benefit from oil that is heavy and heating to the body.
Pitta types are moderate in build, hot and firery in body and personality. They benefit most from anything that is cooling in quality so coconut oil is a good choice.
Kapha types are larger in build, solid, and cold. They again need oil with stimulation, heat and fire to burn excess fluid and heaviness so sesame is best.
However, in general, coconut is recommended in warm seasons for it's cooling effect, and sesame in cold seasons for its warmth.
The Procedure
Warm about 1/4 cup of oil safely and gently either by sitting a cup of oil in a larger bowl of hot water or in a pot on the stove. (NB: Coconut oil should never be heated on the stove).
Be in a warm room free of cold drafts. You can choose to sit on a towel that you don’t mind getting oily or you can also apply in the bathroom.
Start by applying oil over your entire body including the scalp. Generally, you want to begin with the head, face and neck, and then move down to the chest, stomach, back, arms, hands, and finally the legs and feet.
Massage it in doing long strokes on the limbs and circular motions around the joints.
Aim to leave to oil on for at least 10-15 minutes, up to 50 minutes. It is very important to wash or wipe off the oil afterwards to remove toxins that have been pulled out through the skin.
If there is one thing I recommend including into your morning routine, it’s this!
