Q- Why are oils such a big part of Ayurveda?
Yes, oils play a very significant role in the legacy of Ayurveda. They are revered for their capacity to restore and replenish the body and are viewed as chief ingredients throughout many applications within Ayurveda. To better understand why they are placed in such high regard, it might help to understand the Sanskrit word for oil, which is Sneha. Sneha means oil, or that which has an unctuous quality, but it also means love. I love to just sit with the beauty in that understanding.
What does that mean? It means that the sacred use of oils on the body or within the body helps to cultivate love. Regular use of oils in daily massage or in therapies helps us to rediscover and experience pure love at the deepest cellular level. Perhaps this is the true root of self-care.
Q- Ok, but why do our bodies need oil?
As we age, our bodies, tissues, and cells all begin to lose moisture. This is a part of nature that we acknowledge and respect. Aging is simply another way of referring to change. That change is happening every day, all day. There are many things in life that can change or decrease the moisture and lubrication within our cells and tissues. Stress and intense emotions, dry and processed foods, cold and dry climate, air conditioning, pharmaceuticals, alcohol and caffeine, fast-paced living, and lack of sleep—all of these work to dry and deplete the body.
When we lose the lubrication in our body, we can begin to see inflammation, impaired nervous system and cognitive function, malabsorption, constipation, ulcers and acidity, repeated infections, joint pain, insomnia, anxiety, and accelerated aging of the skin. Embracing qualities or substances that soothe, slow, lubricate, and nourish our cells and tissues will naturally help restore our body to its balanced state and slow the rate of change or aging. Oils are one such substance.
Perhaps the perfect substance. They penetrate all seven layers of the skin, nourishing the blood, lymph, tissue systems, even cellular membranes. This means that oil can play a role in reducing inflammation and dryness at the deepest levels of the body, restoring cellular communication, cognitive functioning, and improving immunity.
Q- What are some specific ways that oils can be used to help the body?
The practice of using oils as therapy is known as snehana. You will find oils play an integral role in deeper detoxification practices like Pancha Karma, where they are integrated into most aspects of treatment through the hands of experienced practitioners who use them to help guide toxins out of the body. But they are valued equally as part of daily rituals to purify and balance the body. I recommend most of these to patients who are looking to really embrace preventative medicine and promote vitality in their mind and body. All of these you can safely do at home.
Nutrition: Using Ghee or high-quality organic olive oils daily for cooking will help oleate and restore the delicate lining of the digestive tract. It can help balance elimination, promote detoxification, and nourish the skin from within.
Daily Abhyanga: Self-massage using warm sesame, almond, or coconut oil will do wonders for the body. When performed regularly, this will revitalize and nourish the skin, improve circulation, promote detoxification, break up stagnation in lymph, improve sleep, reduce stress and stagnant emotions, and promote digestion.
Oil Pulling: Using sesame or coconut oil as an oral swish helps to pull toxins from the teeth and gums, restore bone density, lubricate the oral cavity, and control bacteria.
Hair Oiling: Apart from gorgeous silky hair, massaging warm oil through your hair follicles and scalp improves circulation, drains lymphatic fluid, nourishes and strengthens hair at its roots, grounds the mind, and improves sleep.
Nasya: The practice of lubricating the delicate channels of the nostrils helps to cleanse the sinus cavity and clear congestion, but it can also help to significantly improve focus and mental cognition. (The nose is the doorway to the brain.)
Ear Oiling: The practice of putting a few drops of warm sesame oil in the ear canal is a beautiful way to balance Vata in the mind, ears, and jaw. Lubricating the ear canal can help prevent ear infections, improve immunity, relieve headaches, and reduce tinnitus, vertigo, and jaw pain.
