Abhyanga: the Ayurvedic Warm Oil Massage

The person lies on a wooden table called a droni. The oil is warmed in a water bath and its temperature is checked on the hand. Work usually begins with the head, ears and feet: the texts single out oil on the head, in the ears and on the feet as the most important.

The body then goes through seven positions. In the teaching sequence the order is:

• Seated, legs extended. Head, neck, shoulders, back, arms.
• Lying on the back. Face, chest, abdomen, arms, front of the legs.
• Lying on the left side. Right side of the body.
• Lying on the front. Back, back of the neck and legs.
• Lying on the right side. Left side of the body.
• On the back again. The front of the body once more.
• Seated again. Closing, as in the first position.

The order varies a little between Kerala schools: the prone position, for example, is sometimes skipped if it is hard for the person. The point is the same — the oil and the hands must reach every part of the body, and nothing is left out.

Each position gets two to five minutes. The figure is not arbitrary. Dalhana, the medieval commentator on Sushruta, describes how oil gradually travels from the hair roots through the skin to the deeper tissues, and allows about 900 matras — roughly five minutes — for the full journey. That is why a hurried rub with oil does not count as abhyanga.

In Kerala clinics abhyanga is often done by two therapists at once: they stand on either side of the table and move in mirrored, synchronized strokes. Both halves of the body receive the same pressure and warmth, and the treatment does not drag on. A single therapist is also common and still gives a proper abhyanga — the sides of the body are simply worked in turn.

The oil in abhyanga is not a lubricant for the hands but the active substance of the treatment. The doctor chooses it according to the person’s constitution, which dosha is currently out of balance, the season and the goal.

• Tila taila. Plain sesame oil, the base of most Ayurvedic oils. Dalhana’s commentary calls it suitable for all three doshas, which is why it serves as the base.
• Mahanarayana. A complex oil of several dozen herbs on a sesame base, described in the Bhaishajya Ratnavali. Traditionally prescribed when the main complaint is joints and muscles.
• Ksheerabala. A short formula: bala root, milk and sesame oil. A gentler oil, traditionally chosen for vata conditions with an admixture of pitta — heat, irritability, sensitive skin.
• Dhanwantharam. A multi-herb oil from the Kerala compendium Sahasrayogam. One of the staple oils of Kerala practice for vata conditions and in restorative courses.

The oil is warmed for two reasons. The first is the Ayurvedic logic of opposites: vata is cold, dry and mobile by nature, while warm oil is warm, unctuous and heavy, so it balances vata on all three counts. The second is practical: warm oil spreads more easily and the body relaxes under it, while cold oil makes it tense up. The temperature should be pleasantly warm, not hot. How oils are chosen for a condition, warmed, stored and patch-tested is covered separately in Oils for Ayurvedic massage.

Contraindications are already listed in the Sushruta Samhita, and clinics still follow them. Abhyanga is not done:

• With a fever or at the onset of fever. Including a cold with a temperature and any acute infection.
• With indigestion. Heaviness, nausea, diarrhea, a feeling of undigested food — in Ayurveda these are signs of ama, and according to the text oil in this state only makes treatment harder. For the same reason the treatment is not done on a full stomach.
• Straight after cleansing procedures. After therapeutic vomiting, purgation or a medicated enema.
• With pronounced kapha conditions. A cough with heavy phlegm, severe congestion, swelling, obesity — here the doctor is more likely to choose dry treatments.
• With acute inflammation, broken skin or a skin infection in the area to be massaged.
• With blood clots or clotting disorders — a general restriction for any massage.
• In the first days of menstruation. Most Ayurvedic schools pause oil treatments on these days.
• During pregnancy — only if the treatment is prescribed and supervised by a doctor; standard abhyanga is not given.

With chronic illness, during cancer treatment, after surgery or injury, the decision belongs to a doctor, not to the therapist or the patient. This article does not replace a consultation.

There is no separate “women’s” abhyanga: an Indian oil massage for women is the same treatment, the same seven positions, the same anuloma rule and an oil chosen by the doctor. What differs is not the technique but a few circumstances worth knowing in advance.

• The cycle. Most Ayurvedic schools pause oil treatments in the first days of menstruation, both in the clinic and at home. Sessions are scheduled around the cycle, and you tell the therapist which day you are on before the treatment.
• Pregnancy. Standard abhyanga is not given. Any oil treatment during this time only if a doctor prescribes and supervises it.
• After childbirth. The classical texts describe special care for the mother after birth, and anointing with oil is part of it. When to start, which oil and how much pressure is decided by a doctor — especially after a cesarean or any complications; general rules do not apply here.
• Who gives the treatment. In many Ayurvedic clinics in India women are treated by female therapists. If this matters to you, ask when you book.
• Sensitive skin and the face. Oil for the face and head is chosen separately, and any new oil is patch-tested on a small area of skin.

The other restrictions from “Who should avoid it” are the same for women and men.

At a spa “abhyanga” often means any relaxing massage with a fragrant oil. The difference comes down to four things. The oil: in a clinic it is a medicated oil on prescription, not one for everyone. The sequence: the seven positions and the direction of strokes are kept, not replaced by a free-form technique. Screening: before the treatment the doctor asks about digestion, temperature, cycle and chronic illness — and may cancel the session. Context: abhyanga is built into a course, followed by rest, diet and other treatments. The spa version can be pleasant, but it is a different service.

On the Ayurvedic massage course at Ayurvedashala, a school of Ayurveda in India, abhyanga is taught hands-on: the body positions, the direction and rhythm of strokes, working in pairs, warming the oil and choosing it with the doctor, contraindications, and how to look after a person after the treatment.