Description
Shiro Abhyanga – Head Massage Therapy
Experience Traditional Shiro Abhyanga
Duration: 45 minutes
Price: $150
The gentle but firm, relaxing massage movements of Abhyanga (special massage technique) are provided to the entire head, neck and shoulders. This loosens tight muscles and encourages much-needed blood circulation, flooding the head with oxygen-rich blood and helping to remove harmful toxins. This procedure is most ideal for routine practice especially in healthy persons.
Shiro Abhyanga is a traditional Ayurvedic head, neck, and shoulder massage using warm herbalized oils. It deeply relaxes the nervous system, stimulates vital energy (marma) points, and nourishes hair follicles to promote physical and mental well-being.
Benefits
- Stress & Pain Relief: Lowers cortisol levels and helps alleviate tension headaches and migraines.
- Hair Health: Strengthens hair roots, prevents premature graying, and reduces hair fall.
- Better Sleep: Helps calm a racing mind, effectively combating insomnia and sleep disorders.
- Cognitive Enhancement: Stimulates blood circulation to the brain, improving memory, focus, and mental clarity.
Contraindications
- Scalp Infections: Avoid if you have active dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, or open wounds on the head or neck.
- Head Lice: Do not proceed until a lice infestation is fully treated.
- Acute Illness: Avoid during fevers, colds, or severe sinus infections.
- Severe Medical Conditions: Should be avoided or modified by individuals with heart conditions, epilepsy, or those undergoing cancer treatments.
Scientific Research
Modern scientific research validates many of the physiological claims behind Shiro Abhyanga:
- Autonomic Nervous System: Scalp and head massages have been shown to modulate the autonomic nervous system by shifting the body out of “fight or flight” mode (sympathetic) and into “rest and digest” mode (parasympathetic).
- Stress Hormone Reduction: Studies indicate that targeted head massage significantly decreases salivary cortisol (stress hormone) levels and blood pressure.
Circulation and Neurotransmitters: The rhythmic kneading actions increase regional blood and lymphatic flow to the brain, while stimulating the release of mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin.
Therapeutic Benefits*:
- Beneficial for deep relaxation
- Balancing the nervous system
- Improving and enhancing sensory perception
- Improving blood circulation to the brain
- Strengthening hair roots and improving the hair’s condition, and
- Promoting natural detoxification of the lymph glands around the neck and axilla.
- Improves and rejuvenates central nervous system health
- Improves vision, eye refraction errors, and eye strain
- Relieves pain, headaches, migraines, stress, and insomnia
- Relaxes muscles and reduces stiffness
- Prevents premature graying, hair fall, dandruff, and stimulates hair growth
- Calms the mind and rejuvenates the body
- Balances the pineal and pituitary glands, toning the lungs, heart, colon, brain, and stomach
- Calms the Vata to prevent degenerative diseases
- Calms the Pitta to prevent inflammatory diseases
- Highly rejuvenates the senses of sight, sound, and smell
- Helpful in treating tinnitus, jaw aches, and sinusitis
- Stimulates lymphatic drainage and aids sound sleep
- Increases blood and oxygen circulation in the brain
- Relieves fatigue and cloudiness of thought
- Anti-aging and helps in relaxing facial and eye muscles
Why I should get a Shiro Abhyanga:
- The science of Ayurveda considers the human body an inverted tree (Urdhawa Moolam, Adhah Shakha), where the roots are at the top and the branches are pointing downwards. Here, the head is considered to be the roots, the thorax and the abdomen are said to be the trunk, and the extremities (upper limbs and lower limbs) are considered as the branches.
- Just like roots nurture a tree, the head is the operational center of the entire body. It consists of the brain which is the seat of consciousness and the sense organs with which we interact.
- Marmas, or vital energy centers, are the vital points in the body where the prana or energy is converted, regulated, and stored for use by the body and mind. They are also the sites of the Tri Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
- It is generally accepted that there are around 107 Marma points throughout the body, where 37 are classified as Shiro Marmas (vital life centers), many of which are located in the head and neck region. This shows how critical the head and neck region are to our physio-psychological functioning and improve mind-body coordination.
*These statements are not evaluated by Food and Drug Administration. This is therapy is not intended to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any specific disease.