PRENATAL ABHYANGA

Prenatal Abhyanga

The Art of Self Love For Pregnancy and Post Partum Bliss. Giving birth is one of the most powerful experiences a woman will have in her life. To go through pregnancy and childbirth feeling clear, connected, blissful, devoted and loving, mama will transfer these feelings directly to the unborn baby. 

By using the practices from the ancient science of Ayurveda, one can achieve a balanced body, peace of mind and bliss in the spirit. Everything that a woman experiences during this time is directly transferred into the growing life inside her body.

Everything that a woman experiences during this time is directly transferred into the growing life inside her body.

More benefits of Abhyanga as stated by the ancient Ayurvedic text, Astanga Hridaya:

· Improves Sleep

· Promotes sturdiness of the body

· Promotes longevity

· Nourishes the body

· Promotes better eyesight

· Prevents and corrects affliction of the nervous system

· Overcomes fatigue

· Prevents and corrects the aging process

· Detoxification of the body

Enjoy the benefits of daily Abhyanga and your growing connection with your baby.

The tradition of Ayurveda is based on purifying and enlightening the body and mind so that the spirit can Blossom unencumbered by distractions of stress, ill health, confusion and anxiety.

Abhyanga: The Art of Self Love through Massage For Pregnancy and Post Partum Bliss : 

Call +91982546394/9773170560 to Book Your Abhyanga Body Treatment.

The body of one who uses oil massage regularly does not become affected much even if subjected to accidental injuries, or strenuous work. By using oil massage daily, a person is endowed with pleasant touch, trimmed body parts and becomes strong, charming and least affected by old age.

Charaka Samhita Vol. 1, V: 88-89

Ayurveda is a holistic healing approach that considers an individual as an entity and as a ‘Whole person’. This ancient science considers the physical, mental, emotional, environmental and sociological reasons contributing to a particular illness of an individual. While prescribing medications, Ayurveda does not stop with giving herbs or oils as remedies for a disease instead it suggests regular practice of yoga, meditation, taking an Ayurvedic diet, an Ayurvedic routine and certain other lifestyle changes according to an individual’s body type (doshas) and the unique constitution known as Prakriti. Ayurveda is a holistic method that considers the connection between mind, body and spirit.

Ayurveda has offered prenatal care to the pregnant mother for over 5,000 years, for blissful body, mind and spirit. Complement your Obstetric prenatal care with Ayurveda for your best experience of pregnancy. Allow us to help you experience all the joys of pregnancy, with fewer (if any) discomforts. Ayurveda knows true health AND pregnancy.

* Prevent or remove physical discomforts and most complications, safely & naturally

* Maintain (or regain) your own health

* Bond closely with your baby in-womb

* A Spiritual Pregnancy

Ayurveda abhyanga body therapy is NOT only a muscle work. It also works at a CELLULAR level. Warm oils deeply penetrate cells and release physical, mental and spiritual toxins, hence it is detoxifying as well as healing CELLULAR therapy. Hence the stress is removed from the root place thus it promotes self healing of cells.

Giving birth is one of the most powerful experiences a woman will have in her life. To go through pregnancy and childbirth feeling clear, connected, blissful, devoted and loving, mama will transfer these feelings directly to the child. By using the practices from the ancient science of Ayurveda, one can achieve a balanced body, peace of mind and bliss in the spirit!

Everything that a woman experiences during this time is directly transferred into the growing life inside her body. Massage, skin care, footbaths, compresses, aromatherapy, and sacred bathing will increase the connection between mama and her growing baby.

The Ayurvedic knowledge helps to maintain energy levels and nourish both the mother and her baby during and after pregnancy. This is done by working on an appropriate diet, life style, exercise/Yoga program and relaxation/meditation program. Ayurvedic oil massages are especially supportive and indicated before and after delivery to nourish the tissues of the body and stimulate circulation and proper lymph function.

How Abhyang Helps In Pregnancy and Post Partum Period:

This is a traditional Ayurvedic full-body therapywith warm herbal oils but modified for pregnant women. It helps to decongest the tissues, stimulates lymph drainage and relaxes sore muscles. Nourishing and calming for mother and baby, it is the best preparation for delivery. 

Physical Condition: aiming to detoxify and decongest your body through a wholesome diet, body treatments and exercises such as Yoga, swimming and light walking.

Mental Attitudes: addresses your mental attitude and resistance you may have towards pregnancy – or any fears about birth. Meditation.

Emotional Bonding: extending a loving welcome to your unborn baby and learning how to bond with your baby in the womb.

We begin with an Ayurveda Constitution Assessment and continue with regular Follow-up Visits to support you in every stage of pregnancy and afterwards.

This Ayurvedic treatment helps move the lymph and release tension in the back, neck and head area. It also helps to clear the mind and release tension in the jaw, which is of particular importance during the birth. 

This treatment focuses on clearing congestion in the lymphatics of the neck, back and pelvis by massaging and loosening the back muscles and creating drainage channels for the sacrum.

Pregnancy Body Therapy has been found to reduce stress, decrease swelling in the arms and legs, and relieve aches and pains in muscles and joints. As the pregnancy progresses the mother must carry more weight, and particularly in late stage pregnancy the mother’s centre of gravity moves further forward. As the body compensates for the changing centre of gravity, more and more back muscles and joints begin to complain. Swelling of the feet is also common in later stages due to circulatory issues related to the position and presence of the fetus. The presence of certain hormones in the mother’s body (particularly relaxin) causes ligaments to loosen up in preparation for the birthing. While this makes delivery easier, it can have somewhat unwanted side effects in the feet and pelvis in the last few months of pregnancy. Massage addresses many of these issues, and it does it at a time when the mother has few pharmaceutical options to address the pain. Not only can massage be physically beneficial, but the human touch can be comforting and provide emotional support during pregnancy.

A common symptom during pregnancy is edema (swelling) of the joints. Edema during pregnancy is often caused by reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by the heavy uterus. Massage therapy can help stimulate soft tissues to reduce collection of fluids in swollen joints, which also improves the removal of tissue waste, carried by the body’s lymph system. Another common complaint is sciatic nerve pain. Sciatica is experienced by many women in late pregnancy as the uterus rests on muscles of the pelvic floor and lower back. The pressure of the uterus spreads tension to the muscles of the upper and lower leg, causing them to swell and put pressure on nearby nerves. Massage therapy addresses the inflamed nerves by helping to release the tension on nearby muscles. Many women have experienced significant reduction in sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy through regular massage.

There are many benefits to a prenatal body therapy. These therapiess are meant to help you to overcome everyday symptoms that may include headaches, swelling, aches, muscle spasms, as well as fatigue. You will end up with a better night of sleep as well as relaxation. By increasing blood flow you will get rid of toxins in your body as well as provide a more stable nutrient rich pregnancy for your baby. These massages will also help to reduce anxiety and help you to get on a better set sleep pattern when done regularly.

And as you may know, the benefits don’t stop there. They are bountiful, both on a physiological, emotional and psychological level. “It can be exhausting growing a little human”

It is deeply relaxing,
reduces muscular tension in the whole back,
facilitates lymphatic drainage,
has amazing detoxifying effects,
provides anxiety relief,
increases muscular-skeletal mobility to shorten labour,
and encourages the baby’s head to engage.
Promotes relaxation
Supports a healthy in utero environment
Minimizes nausea
Decreases swelling
Alleviates discomfort and muscular tension
Improves posture
Improves digestion
Improves sleep
Improves body awareness
Decreases anxiety
Elevates mood
Assists in preparation for labor
reduce anxiety
reduce edema swelling
decrease symptoms of depression
relieve back aches and stress
hormone regulation
better sleep
improve overall circulation
Reduces stress with a pampering and relaxing environment
Eases muscles, back pain, spasms and relieves the burden of carrying extra weight
Promotes circulation in arms, legs and extremities
Makes labor pain and delivery better
Provides a relaxing state of mind to the mom-to-be during an overwhelming time
Improves skin elasticity
Alleviates soreness and lessens stretch marks
Stimulating blood flow (may prevent anemia)Massage helps you to take care of yourself during Pregnancy
Increase muscle tone and flexibility (alleviating muscle cramps and spasms)
Stimulates lymphatic system (may help prevent/reduce edema)
Relieve headaches
Help alleviate morning sickness
Reduce fatigue
Alleviate backaches and leg cramps
Enhance sleep
Alleviate ligament pain
Relieving aches and pains
Alleviate stress on weight-bearing joints
Learn relaxation skills
Release physical and emotional tension
Reduces pregnancy-related pain
Reduces prenatal depression and anxiety
Decreases stress hormones which helps prevent prematurity
Improves obstetric and postnatal complications
Aids in post partum depression and recovery

Each trimester bring its own issues, which can be helped with massage, but throughout the whole pregnancy, benefits include as described above.

Reduction of swelling:
Edema, or swelling of the joints during pregnancy, is often caused by reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by the heavy uterus.
Massage helps to stimulate soft tissues to reduce collection of fluids in swollen joints. 

Improvement of nerve pain:
Sciatic nerve pain is experienced by many women in late pregnancy as the uterus rests on muscles of the pelvic floor and lower back.

The pressure of the uterus spreads tension to the muscles of the upper and lower leg, causing them to swell and put pressure on nearby nerves.

Massage therapy addresses the inflamed nerves by helping to release the tension on nearby muscles.
Many women have experienced a significant reduction in sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy through massage.

Benefits of the Abhyang also include

Increase blood circulation and reduce stress on the heart this keeping blood pressure in check
Ease muscle stiffness, tightness, tension and cramps
Remove waste products through the lymphatic & circulatory system which combats fatigue
Relieve headaches, backaches, stiff neck, sciaticam, edema and sore feet
Stabilize the hormone system
Increase muscle flexibility
Relax the muscle and body thus improving sleep
Reduce tension thus improves breastfeeding and better milk production
Speed up healing from surgery or operation
Realigns the pelvis after birth
Relieves soreness and stiffness after birth

Alleviate stress on weight-bearing joints and other structures
Assist in remedying many of the common discomforts experienced during pregnancy: muscular discomforts, lower-back pain, upper-back pain, headaches, leg cramps, sciatica, stiffness, tension and knots, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, heartburn and acid reflux, fatigue, varicose veins, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, edema of the lower extremities, neck pain, hip joint pain and other pains as well as constipation

Increase blood circulation, which provides more oxygen and nutrients to both mother and fetus and stimulates the lymph system, thereby increasing immunity and removal of toxins
Stabilise hormonal levels and helps relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes

Soothe and relax the nervous system by releasing endorphins into the mother’s body. As a result, the expectant mother feels more relaxed and at ease, and will also sleep more easily and more deeply

Assist in maintaining good posture and adjusting to a changing alignment caused by the baby’s increasing weight. Massage increases muscle tone and flexibility, enhancing the ability to carry this extra weight while also relieving aches and pains, leg cramps and muscle spasms.

Ease the load on the heart and helps keep blood pressure in check
Enhance the pliability of skin and underlying tissues
Support the return of blood to the heart and increases blood flow to the uterus and placenta.
Prepare the mother-to-be for an easier delivery with its sedating effect on the nervous system, promoting relaxation and stress relief
Offer a natural, safe, drug-free alternative choice for pain relief, since taking medications are often limited during a pregnancy for the sake of the unborn child

*Highly recommended for those who have undergone Caesarian deliveries.

Prenatal Ayurvedic Foot- Leg Massage: 60 min

Ayurvedic foot and leg massage that is recommended during pregnancy for its decongesting effect. It relaxes and rejuvenates the whole body and helps with swelling and heaviness in the legs and feet. In preparation for the birth, it is of particular importance to release any excess tensions in the upper thighs and buttocks, since this can prolong labour.

Head and Foot massage: 30 min

This combination of a traditional Ayurvedic head and foot massage is the all time favorite treatment of most clients!

“It’s like a meditation! And so loving!”

Ayurvedic Marma Point Therapy

It is used to relieve joint and muscle pain in the body. It also treats various other symptoms such as, digestive disorders and heart issues as well as organ weaknesses.

Abdominal Toning:

Oxygenates the baby,
encourages lymphatic drainage of the whole abdomen,
tones the uterine muscles
and encourages placental circulation,
decongests the veins, reduces swelling in the legs,
helps with digestive function and grants the mother asense of “lightness” within the abdomen

Pelvic Drainage:

This helps to remove fluid accumulation in the inner pelvic area, especially around the base of the cervix and the uterus.

it oxygenates the baby,
decongests the pelvic area and tones the uterus,
it also encourages the baby’s head to engage,
hastens labour,
and reduces swelling in the legs.

Abhyanga is an art. It begins with the intention to move slowly, to breathe and to connect with ourselves in a supportive way. The end effect is soothing to the nervous system, reducing stress and preventing early aging. Ayurveda teaches that there are seven dhatus, or layers of tissue in the body. Each is successively more concentrated and life giving. By slowing down in this daily process, we support the deepest layers of our tissues from the outside in. The oil nourishes the skin, moves into the muscles and joints, and provides lubrication to the deeper tissues of the body, which helps to ease during labor.

My personal experiences with both pregnancies:

The itchiness of a growing body and winter dryness was soothed.

No stretch marks appeared!

Very little skin discoloration (melasma) occured. During postpartum continued massage significantly minimized the discoloration.

I felt calm, relaxed, and aware. It relieved my anxiety immensely!

"By using oil massage daily, a person is endowed with pleasant touch, trimmed body parts and becomes strong, charming and least affected by old age."
— Charaka Samhita Vol. 1, V: 88-89

Embrace the idea of creating a new life within you. Embrace your changing body. Take time to educate yourself of the pregnancy, labor and delivery processes. Finally, educate yourself about caring for your newborn.

This postpartum Ayurvedic treatment honors the mother – body and mind. Post delivery when you’ve settled in at home, this treatment brings a peace and calm element to recovery.

Staying healthy requires eating right, taking time for yourself, being happy & mindful. All ways to get us to a good place ~ a time for our bodies to be ready to conceive, fit to feel good during pregnancy, and have the ability to bounce back (at your own pace) after delivery.

When we work with a woman who is carrying another human inside her, we are essentially working with two people simultaneously.

Prenatal massage can address specific symptoms unique to pregnancy. By decreasing chronic muscle tension, we can help to restore our client’s postural balance and reduce back pain. By increasing blood and lymph circulation, we help to expedite the delivery of nutrients to tissues, and the elimination of waste from the body; this can also reduce swelling and support a healthy in-utero environment. With the incorporation of breath work into the session and massage techniques that relax the respiratory, we can assist the client to breathe more deeply, which in turn delivers more oxygen to the fetus. When we apply acupressure at specific points, we can help to disperse excess and nourish deficiencies, both physical and energetic. On the psychological/emotional level, our client’s experiences of touch therapy during her pregnancy can help increase her awareness of her body, and deepen her connection to her experience of this human phenomenon. A closer and more positive relationship to her body, and her self, fostered by the massage experience, can help prepare her physically, mentally, and emotionally for the labor process.

Prenatal Abhyanga massage therapy is an opportunity to learn breathing patterns that lengthen your breath, increasing the oxygen and nutrient delivery to your and your baby's cells, as well as removing cell wastes. Slow, relaxed breathing optimizes relaxation and is a useful tool to have available during labour and birth. Self care techniques including stretching, strengthening, postural and positioning awareness are discussed in depth and recommended on an individual basis, ensuring they are tailored to your specific needs.

Massage therapy has been shown to immediately lower cortisol levels when measured in saliva tests before and after treatment, due to the increased release of the hormone oxytocin from the pituitary gland in the brain. Oxytocin has a well known role in childbirth (creating uterine contractions) and breastfeeding (milk letdown), and many other positive effects; in all phases of life, it has an anti­depressant effect, lowers blood pressure, decreases pain, and increases feelings of love, caring and social bonding. During pregnancy, the added benefits of a more relaxed state are regular healthy blood flow to the uterus, placenta and baby, regular blood pressure, pulse and breathing, and less anxiety. Oxytocin levels increase in response to massage therapy, as well as to hugging, yoga, exercise, and social support.

Postpartum Massage Therapy : Why It's So Important:

The postpartum period is the time following the birth or adoption of a baby. Our bodies change dramatically during pregnancy and birth, and continue to change to meet the needs of motherhood. Normal and rapid physical changes, often accompanied by sleep deprivation and keeping up with the needs of a newborn, can sometimes result in common discomforts which are greatly improved with massage therapy.

Fairly typical postural changes resulting from pregnancy are a forward tilt of the pelvis, which shortens the lower back and front of the hips, and a rounding forward of the shoulders and upper back, causing shortening of the chest and fatigue between the shoulderblades. These changes tend to be perpetuated by any prolonged positioning during labour and by baby-care activities, such as lifting and holding, extended periods of sitting, carrying baby-gear, and watching baby sleep and feed. Our joints are also still looser than usual, due to the hormone relaxin, which is produced during pregnancy in order to ease baby's passage through the pelvis; in turn, muscles tend to tighten as they work to stabilize our joints. Massage therapy addresses postural imbalance, relieves excessive muscle tension, decreases swelling, and improves circulation.

Abdominal and pelvic floor muscles are stretched during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and weakness can sometimes result. Weakness in our abdominal and pelvic floor musculature often results in organ displacement, as well as allowing shortening in our lower backs and hip flexors to go unchecked; this can create or further contribute to pelvic and lower back pain, and urinary incontinence. Your massage therapist can help you correctly identify and strengthen your deeper abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.

In the early months following birth, breasts can sometimes become engorged, swollen and sore with milk production. Breast massage, manual lymphatic drainage, and hydrotherapy (use of heat and cold) are available massage therapy techniques, which in combination with recommended self- care, can relieve breast discomfort. As we get the hang of breastfeeding a newborn, our posture often goes by the wayside as we are so focused on soothing baby. Massage therapy is an excellent opportunity to learn various and correctly supported breastfeeding positioning for minimizing postural imbalance, and to feel empowered to continue our nursing relationship with our baby for as long as we choose, rather than being limited by discomfort.

Following a Caesarean section, our bodies are recovering from major surgery in addition to the usual changes that accompany the postpartum period. Pain and adhesion that can result from a healing c-section incision can be reduced with massage therapy, which can help your body form more mobile, less restrictive scar tissue; prevention of organ dysfunction resulting from persisting organ displacement and adhesions is another advantage of massage therapy.

Massage therapy is an effective, enjoyable, and medication-free way to lessen the discomfort and many other symptoms that can follow labour and birth, and are often associated with caring for a new baby. Some of the more common experiences have been discussed, though this list is by no means exhaustive; please discuss these and any other concerns with us. In addition to manual therapy, important aspects of massage therapy are the opportunity to rest and relax, and to learn about self-care. Focused breathing, stretching and strengthening exercises, hydrotherapy, self-massage and postural awareness are all self-care techniques that i will discuss with you and help you find what works best for you.

One of the wonderful things that Ayurveda teaches is the importance of digestion to health. We not only digest our food but we must digest the impressions which come through all our senses and from our own mind. The skin also is considered an organ of digestion. Classically prepared Ayurvedic oils are prepared with as many as 20 to 30 herbs—it can take a month to make one of these oils. The oil transports the herbs through the skin layers to the body. But, also, and this is a really interesting point, the herbs act to help the digestion of the oil through the skin. It is similar to the use of herbs in cooking acting as effective digestants. Just think how hard it is to digest food that is bland. It seems to sit there in the stomach. Add a little pepper or anything aromatic or pungent and it is more easily digested. It is much better to use an herbal oil than any other plain oil when doing abhyanga.

We don’t often think of digesting through our skin. We think of the skin as a barrier to letting things in, yet there are in use today many applications which make use of transdermal absorption: transdermal skin patches for various medications, transdermal hormone creams, sublingual vitamins that absorb through the oral mucosa and the like. Essential oils have been shown to be quickly absorbed transdermally, showing up in the blood shortly following application.

There is an Ayurvedic principle that bears mentioning at this juncture. Ayurveda teaches that it is important not to put anything on the skin that you would not eat. If you put it on your skin, your skin may digest it. And, what is more the skin will take it directly to the blood supply, not to the liver for detoxification, which is what happens when substances enter the body through the digestive tract. A big concern environmentally is that of chemical exposure to the skin of various chemicals like pesticides in agriculture and other hazardous chemicals which escape into the environment and are easily absorbed through the skin. And now there is growing concern about common beauty products and hygiene products containing chemicals which are showing up in the body tissues: in the blood, breast milk, other tissues, after absorbing through the skin.

AYURVVEDA PREGNANCY CARE

We care for all stages of pregnancy from early to later on in pregnancy to full term healthy pregnancy, natural delivery, and speedy recovery following the birth of the baby.

Postpartum Ritual

immense changes a woman has undergone in pregnancy and childbirth and assists in bringing her spirit back into her own body. Physically, it guides her bones back into place, helps her pelvic organs shift and her uterus to shrink back down, and stimulates blood flow. Women who are honored in this way experience a sense of calm and grounding, re-establishing her sense of self.

There are many Ancient Unique Ayurvedic Practices which assist in a new mother’s health and wellness. Many include a 40 day laying in period, warming food and drinks that help replenish and nourish a new mother and her baby, and bodywork specifically geared toward women in their postpartum time.