Fifty minutes on the back alone, with warm herbal oil. The shoulders, the long muscles beside the spine, the lower back, the neck. It is the right choice when the whole body does not need attention but the back does.
What Back Massage is
You lie on your front, covered below the waist. I pour warm oil and work the back from the neck to the sacrum with long strokes first, then slower, deeper work where it is needed: between the shoulder blades, along the spine, into the lower back. The pressure is adjusted to you; Ayurvedic massage is never painful. I finish with the neck and the base of the skull.
Where it comes from
Back massage is a part of Abhyanga, the Ayurvedic oil massage, given here on its own. The oils are the same: warm sesame as a base, medicated herbal oils chosen for your constitution. In Ayurveda the spine is the seat of vata, the quality of movement and dryness, which is why warm oil rather than dry pressure is the first answer to a stiff back. Abhyanga is described in the Charaka Samhita [1] and by Sushruta among the preventive treatments [2].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Tension between the shoulder blades
- Stiffness from desk work and cycling
- Lower back that aches at the end of the day
- Neck and shoulders that carry stress
- A shorter, cheaper alternative when a full Abhyanga is too much
Reviews of massage therapy report reduced pain and better function in low back pain and neck pain across many small trials [3]. The US National Institutes of Health summarises the research on Ayurveda as a whole [4].
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| A tense period at work | Weekly for three or four weeks |
| Chronic stiffness | Every two weeks, alternating with Kati Basti if the lower back is the problem |
| Maintenance | Once a month |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Warm water through the day; a stiff back is often a dry back in Ayurvedic terms
- Oil in the diet: ghee, sesame, nuts
- No cold drinks straight after the treatment
- Stand up and move every hour at work
Practical
50 minutes, €85. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment. Also as a package with Kati Basti, 70 minutes for €155.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- Fever
- Skin problems on the back
- Acute injury
- The first trimester of pregnancy
Let me know about disc problems or surgery.
Afterwards
Rinse the oil off with warm water in the evening. Keep the back warm.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Sharma PV, translator. Caraka Samhita: text with English translation. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1981. Sutrasthana, chapter 5 (Matrashitiya): the daily routine, including abhyanga.
- Srikantha Murthy KR, translator. Susruta Samhita. Vol. 2. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 2004. Chikitsasthana, chapter 24 (Anagatabadha Pratishedha): abhyanga and udvartana as preventive care.
- Field T. Massage therapy research review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;24:19-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.04.005. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ayurvedic medicine: in depth. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. [NCCIH]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.