Instructions for performing warm oil massage

Materials: 2-3 oz massage oil suited to your needs for balance, plastic squeeze bottle, pot of very warm water, old cotton towel or mat, paper towels.

Step 1. Pour oil into squeeze bottle and shut bottle tightly.

Step 2. Place bottle in warm water for 5 minutes or until oil heats up to comfortably warm.

Step 3. Stand on your towel or mat in a comfortably warm, draft-free room.

Step 4. Squeeze oil a little at a time into your palm and apply oil to your body, working systematically down until your entire body is anointed with oil.

Step 5. Next, massage oil into your skin, giving each part of your body adequate attention. Use up and down strokes over limbs and circular strokes over joints, chest and abdomen. Apply lighter pressure over chest and abdomen than over extremities. This process should take about 10-12 minutes.

Step 6. If massaging your scalp, apply oil to crown of head and then work oil into your scalp with your fingers in outward circles.

Step 7. Sit quietly with eyes closed for 5 minutes, breathing deeply.

Step 8. Pat excess oil, if any, off with paper towels.

Step 9. Take a warm bath or shower, being very careful not to slip. Wipe excess oil off your feet before stepping off towel or mat. Use a very gentle, non-soap cleanser and a gentle shampoo.

Step 10. Pat your skin with a towel and apply moisturizing lotion or a gentle natural dusting powder.

Note: The towels and mats you stand on for abhyanga will get stained and eventually oil-saturated, so use old ones and do not put them in washing machines or dryers. They should be periodically thrown away and replaced.

Disclaimer: This information is educational and is not intended to replace standard medical care or advice.

Shreelata Suresh is a yoga instructor who lives in the Bay Area. She writes for various publications on yoga, ayurveda and Indian culture. For more articles on ayurveda and premier ayurvedic products, please visit http://www.ayurbalance.com.

Do not bathe or shower in very hot water. Comfortably warm water is much gentler on your skin. Do not bathe more than once a day if your skin is very dry.

Do not use harsh soaps to cleanse, as they will strip your skin of precious lipids. Use a non-soap cleanser or very mild soap to cleanse. Give your skin lipid support from within by including soaked and blanched almonds, soaked walnuts, whole milk, fresh cheese such as paneer, and ghee (clarified butter) in your daily diet. Drink a cup of warm milk laced with 1/4 teaspoon ghee at bedtime for a daily boost of lipid support from within. Eat fruits and vegetables high in water content at every meal. Zucchini, lauki squash, tender asparagus, tender greens, and carrots make excellent vegetable choices. Sweet juicy berries, cooked apples and sweet grapes are good fruit choices. Drink lots of warm water through day.

Ayurvedic herbs such as Amla provide concentrated nourishment to deeper layers of skin. Amla is richest known natural source of vitamin C and offers potent antioxidant support. Take Amalaki Rasayana on a regular basis to replenish skin from within.

Remember that a holistic approach yields best results and longest-lasting results. Try and incorporate as many of above suggestions as you can to keep Vata dosha in balance and your skin looking smooth, soft and beautiful through dry winter months.

Note: This ayurvedic information is educational, and is not intended to replace standard medical care or advice.

Shreelata Suresh is a yoga instructor who lives in the Bay Area. She writes for various publications on yoga, ayurveda and Indian culture. For more articles on ayurveda and premier ayurvedic products, please visit http://www.ayurbalance.com.