Warm Sesame-Oil Massage: A Yummy Yoga Treat! (And Great Way of Calming Vata)

The art & science of Ayurveda (a close cousin to Yoga) perceives, maps & speaks of the human body in terms of the three Doshas ~ Vata, Pitta and Kapha ~ each of which governs a different aspect of our lived experience. Though all three Doshas operate within every (living) person, each of us manifests a unique (and ever-changing) combination of their attributes. The predominant pattern of this combination within us gives rise to what is known as our Tri-Dosha “type,” or “constitution.”

The Vata Dosha, which will be the focus of this article, corresponds to the elements space and air. As such, it governs all movement in our human physiology, from the subtle, fleeting movement of thoughts across the screen of our mind, to the coursing of blood through our arteries and veins, to the movements of our limbs and pranic body in a yoga asana practice. The Vata Dosha can be, within this system, divided further into five sub-doshas, each of which represents the functioning of Vata in a specific part of the body. These sub-categories (which correspond to Yogic divisions of Prana) are: prana, udana, vyana, samana & apana.

When Vata is in balance, we are alert and spontaneous in our mental, emotional & physical movements. Our intelligence is active in a relaxed and fluid way. We are spacious without being “spaced out.”

When Vata is out of balance, we manifest symptoms such as: worry, stress, anxiety, fatigue, an over-active mind, restlessness, agitation, difficulty sleeping and mood swings. There are also physical symptoms of out-of-balance Vata, such as dry skin or constipation … though my focus here is more on the emotional/mental aspects. [Just an aside: these are symptoms which are often given, within western medicine, the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD … hmmm …]

So how do we bring an out-of-balance Vata back into balance? Ayurvedic suggestions for doing this include:

(1) Maintaining a regular daily routine with respect to meal-times, exercise & relaxation, and sleeping times. Early to bed & early to rise tends to be best for Vata … and if you’re having trouble sleeping, try drinking a cup of warm milk with a pinch of ground nutmeg, right before bed.
(2) Eating warm cooked meals (as opposed to cold or raw foods) which include oils (e.g. ghee or sesame or sunflower oil) and/or oily foods (e.g. nuts, seeds, olives, avocados).
(3) Living in a warm moist climate with lots of fresh air and sunshine (e.g. Hawaii … or at the least, buy a humidifier!).
(4) Wearing clothing that is either warm (e.g. red, orange, yellow) or calming (e.g. green) in color.
(5) Choosing for leisure calming activities such as walks in nature or parks (see my previous post on “Walking Meditation”!)
(6) Treating yourself to a warm oil massage … the really yummy thing which will now be described in a bit more detail …

A delightful way of calming an out-of-balance Vata is to give yourself a warm-oil massage. The oil that is best to use for Vata imbalance is sesame oil (organic un-roasted cold-pressed is the very best). So buy yourself some oil; warm up about 1/3rd cup or so (in a small pan on your stove, medium heat); turn up the heat in your house; spread a large towel or a sheet on the floor; and then ~ from head to foot (including your hair and scalp!) ~ work the warm oil into your skin, using circular massage-strokes. When you’ve finished, cover up so that you stay really warm, and let the oil soak into your skin for a half-hour at least. After you’ve relaxed like this for a half-hour or hour, then take a warm shower, washing off any excess oil (which hasn’t by this time been absorbed into your skin). Apply a light moisturizing lotion after the shower (to “seal” the oil that’s already there) … and notice how you feel!

If you do this weekly or even daily, when you’re experiencing Vata-imbalance symptoms, you’ll very likely notice a shift … notice the balanced-Vata qualities of relaxed alertness and joyful spontaneity emerging once again.

And to end (this article, and begin the rest of your day), what feels to me to be a very “Vata” poem (you can decide if it’s balanced or imbalanced!) by the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore (from his Gitanjali ):

I am like a remnant of a cloud of autumn uselessly roaming in the sky, O my sun ever-glorious! Thy touch has not yet melted my vapour, making me one with thy light, and thus I count months and years separated from thee.

If this be thy wish and if this be thy play, than take this fleeting emptiness of mine, paint it with colours, gild it with gold, float it on the wanton wind and spread it in varied wonders.

And again when it shall be thy wish to end this play at night, I shall melt and vanish away in the dark, or it may be in a smile of the white morning, in a coolness of purity transparent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Reninger holds a Masters degree in Chinese Medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. She is a student of Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For more essays on yoga-related topics, please visit her website.

Yoga - Articles and Resources

Warm Sesame-Oil Massage: A Yummy Yoga Treat! (And Great Way of Calming Vata)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR