Originally from India, this massage is often done with warm sesame oil to make the senses travel and re-balance our body and its functions. A care particularly indicated to the people in a hurry, under stress... And to all those who have a hard time "stopping". Explanations with Jean-Guy De Gabriac, trainer in well-being massages for spas.

For several years now, Abhyanga massage has been one of those "massage of the world" successfully offered by institutes and spas, sometimes under the name of "ayurvedic massage". An unsuitable name for a treatment that is nevertheless well taken from Ayurveda, this traditional Indian medicine whose name literally means "the science of life" in Sanskrit.

Based on the 7 energy centers of the body - the famous chakras - the Abhyanga massage is above all a re-balancing treatment. The principle? The masseur will act on the nadis, the paths of energy on which pressure points are distributed, to allow the vital energy - the prana in the Ayurvedic tradition - to circulate freely and harmoniously throughout the body. The goal: a general well-being, both physical and mental.

A care of harmony

Through circular and sliding pressures, friction, accupressions but also stretching, the Abhyanga will bring relaxation and harmony to the body, thanks in particular to its moderate and fluid rhythm. In reality, this care also exists in a much more tonic form - a variant called Vishesh - which is also the one practiced in India. Do not be surprised if, during a trip on site, the care provided to you is much brighter than what is done in the West.

For stressed and nervous people

The properties of Abhyanga? They are numerous but it is notably famous for acting on our moods, helping us to temper them. Ayurveda, in fact, makes it possible to regulate wonderfully the temperaments called doshas (Kapha - earth and water, Pitta - fire and water - and Vata - air and ether).

But it is probably nervous, stressed or stressed people that can be the most profitable. In fact, it allows us, among other things, to increase our vital energy (prana), to promote our concentration and to help us better manage our emotions. It is also a very good preamble to meditation as it allows you to relax and "relax" the mind.

Physiologically, too, its virtues are many: strengthening the immune system, improving breathing and circulation, relaxing joints and strengthening muscle tone... All properties that should not make us forget the essential: this massage, often made with edible products - such as warm sesame oil, mustard oil to activate tonus, ghee (clarified butter) on legs or herbs - is also an invitation to the journey of the senses. A truly relaxing treatment, simply.