Ayurveda, today, is known as 'Alternative Medicine' but in the ancient India, it was the way of life. The original scriptures of Ayurveda have recommended the right ways of doing all the life activities. They suggest the proper food to be eaten, exercises to be done and common Indian herbs to be used when suffering from diseases. One of the important part of Ayurveda is Massage. It doesn't see massage as something to be done only when one falls ill or experiences difficulty. Massage is the way of Indian life- a part of every day routine. Each Indian child, right from the day he/she is born, gets everyday massage. Whether it is the occasion of marriage or issue of gaining post natal strength for a new mother- massage is the ultimate thing to do. Apart from the everyday massage, Ayurveda also recommends many special types of massages such as Abhyanga, Garshana, Shirodhara etc.
The Ayurvedic massage techniques rest on certain basic theories of Ayurveda. One of such theories is that of Panchkarma- the five types of therapeutic measures. Ayurveda believes that any problem occuring to human body is the result of imbalance among the three toxins or “doshas”- Vaata, Pitta and Kapha. Panchakarma consists of five basic types of advanced treatment for balancing the vitiated Dosha from the body. Snehana or Massage is one of the subsidiary of Panchakarma. It includes other Ayurvedic therapies such as Swedana or fomentation/sweating, Basti or medicated enemas, Virechana or purging through herbs, Vamana or vomiting with the help of herbs, Nasya or nasal administration of oils etc.
