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8. ABHYANGA- OIL MASSAGE

There is no greater expression of self-love than anointing ourselves from head to toe with warm oil—this practice is called Abhyanga. A daily Abhyanga practice restores the balance of the doshas and enhances longevity.

BENEFITS OF ABHYANGA:
1. Nourishes the entire body—decreases the effects of aging.
2. Imparts muscle tone and vigor to the tissues of the body.
3. Imparts a firmness to the limbs.
4. Lubricates the joints.
5. Increases circulation.
6. Stimulates the internal organs of the body.
7. Assists in elimination of impurities from the body.
8. Moves the lymph, aiding in detoxification
Increases stamina.
9. Calms the nerves.
10. Benefits sleep—better, deeper sleep.
11. Enhances vision.
12. Makes hair (scalp) grow luxuriantly, thick, soft and glossy.
13.Softens and smoothens skin; wrinkles are reduced.

ABHYANGA ROUTINE AND OILS USED:
Massage your body with love and patience for 15-20 minutes. Here are the recommendations for frequency and oil type, based on the doshas:

1. VATA DOSHA: 4-5 times a week using sesame, almond, or a Vata-balancing oil.

2. PITTA DOSHA: 3-4 times a week using a coconut, sunflower, or a Pitta-balancing oil.

3. KAPHA DOSHA: 1-2 times a week using mustard oil or a Kapha-balancing oil.

(Ref: Ayurveda texts and Google)

7. KARNA PURANA - EAR OILING :

Karna Purana is an Ayurvedic therapy wherein the ears are filled with herbo-mineral oils that lubricate the delicate filaments of the ear canal, remove impurities, and improve hearing capacity. Karna means “ear” and Purana denotes “filling” or “pouring”.

The ears are an important sense organ. It is mentioned in the Ayurveda daily regimen (Dinacharya) that oil massage of the ears must be done every day to maintain good health. The ears are considered one of the seats of Vata Dosha and are therefore prone to Vata disorders. Karana Purana aids in the prevention and management of several auditory disorders.
Vata dosha is considered to be highly mobile, cold, dry and rough, and these qualities are easily unbalanced through the daily pressures of modern life. The antidote for this is Karna Purana, which calms Vata Dosha by bringing in opposing qualities – warm, moist, stable and smooth.

INDICATIONS :
1. All healthy individuals can undergo Karna Purana therapy for maintenance of health and prevention of ear diseases.
2. Karna Purana is indicated in earaches,
3. It is indicated in poor hearing including sensory-neural and conductive deafness,
4. Ear itching,
5. Excess wax formation,
6. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears),
7. Insomnia,
8. Headaches,
9. Jet lag, ear popping/cracking after a flight,
10. Tooth and gum diseases,
11. Giddiness, improper balance, etc.

BENEFITS OF EAR OILING :

1. Karana Purana is essential for maintenance of good ear health.
Therefore, it forms a vital part of ear care along with Karna abhyanga (ear oil massage).
2. It keeps the ear canal lubricated, cleans it of grime, dirt and extra wax, strengthens the ear bones, improves local immunity, auditory acuity and prevents neck stiffness.
3. It improves the quality of sleep and alleviates restlessness, irritability and stress.
4. Clarity in hearing, even in old age.

Traditionally, sesame oil is used in Karna Purana, due to its warming, nourishing, anti-microbial and moisturizing effects. Oil for Karna purana is used as per regional availability and different ailments; like coconut oil, mustard oil,etc.

HOW TO PERFORM KARNA PURANA:

Ayurveda recommends using an ear oil as part of your daily dinacharya, or morning self-care routine. It can also be beneficial as your night time ritual.

DAILY USE:

Gently massage around ear with warm oil and instill 1-2 drops of warm Ear Oil into each ear canal.

WEEKLY USE:

Lie down & rest on your side. Massage around ear with warm oil and instill 5-8 drops of warm Ear Oil into the ear canal. Relax and let the oil absorb for 5 minutes. Clean excess oil from the ear with a cotton ball. Repeat on the opposite side.

To warm the oil, submerge the glass bottle in hot water for 5 minutes. Make sure the oil is not too hot prior to administering.

When used regularly, Ear Oiling is a simple yet effective way to balance and maintain optimal ear health. We hope that learning about the many benefits of Karna Purana will help inspire you to begin incorporating Ear Oiling into your self-care routine.

(Ref: Ayurveda texts and Google. )

6.GANDUSHA & KAWALA (Oil Pulling & Gargling):

Gandusha is commonly known as oil pulling. However technically there are two varieties of the same procedure considering the mode of application. The procedure in which the prescribed medicine is of a quantity that fills up the whole of the oral cavity owing to which it cannot be moved around or gargled is called Gandusha.
This is different from another Ayurvedic procedure called Kawala, when the solution is of a quantity that can be moved around/swished or gargled in the oral cavity.

Method –
Gandusha involves retention of the prescribed substance in the mouth cavity for several minutes, without moving.

Kawala involves filling oral cavity with required liquid and moving around/swished/gargled in oral cavity.

Gandusha & Kawala helps to balance the affected doshas by optimizing the sensory and motor nerve conductivity, removal of toxins and stabilizing the digestive function. The procedure is ideally done on a warm and hot day and inside a room that is not exposed to wind. The treatment begins with a gentle soothing massage of the neck and shoulders for a few minutes. This is followed by tilting the face slightly upwards and pouring the prescribed solution into the open mouth. The mouth is closed and the solution is retained without swallowing until saliva fills up the mouth and the eyes start watering. It is ideally done on an empty stomach.

In Ayurveda, Gandusha & Kawala is recommended in diseases affecting the eyes, ears, teeth, gums, tongue, throat, inner lining of the mouth, paranasal sinuses, migraines; pathologies caused by the lesions of any of the 12 cranial nerves, stiffness of the muscles of the neck and shoulders, drowsiness, bad-breath, loss of appetite, dryness of mouth, etc.

The substances usually prescribed for Gandusha & Kawala are milk, honey, suitable ghee or oils, herbal decoctions, urine(cow) and meat soups - depending on the pathologies to be attended. The temperature of such substances can be either warm, lukewarm or cold depending on its desired effects on the disease. As part of the daily regimen, even in a healthy individual, it is advised to do Kawala with organic sesame oil, coconut oil or lukewarm water mixed with powdered sesame seeds. This treatment should be done first thing in the morning.

The following are some tips that can help in carrying out Gandusha/Kawala effectively:

1. Swishing should be done gently, it is not required to do it forcefully.

2. It is most important that you should not swallow the solution.

3. Wait till the solution cannot be held any longer in the mouth or the eyes start watering

4. Spit out the solution once you finish. Wait for 30 minutes before rinsing the mouth with warm water.

Benefits of Gandusha & Kawala:

Gandusha & Kawala helps bring a glow to the face, improve lines and wrinkles, tone the skin, and assist with any kind of mouth, voice, or teeth disorders while cleansing the ear, nose, and throat pathways. This treatment is reported to treat numerous health conditions ranging from sinusitis, migraine, along with comprehensive oral and dental health care.

5. DANTADHAVAN & JEEVHANIRLEKHANA (Brushing of teeth & Cleaning of tongue)

Teeth and tongue should be cleaned twice a day, after elimination of urine and faeces at morning and after consumption of food at evening. Principally twigs of kasaya(astringent), katu(pungent/spicy) and tikta(bitter) rasa dominant tree like Neem, Arka/madar (Calotropis procera), nyagrodha/banyan (Ficus Begalansis) , khadira/khaira (Acacea catechu), Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) etc. are used for this purpose. These taste help in strengthening of gums, teeth and enhance the taste of food. Dantadhavan is entirely different from the modern activity of brushing the teeth, specifically because these sticks used are chewed, chewing stick shows its results due to the pharmacological properties of selected stick and its chewing, rubbing action. The tip of the twig should be chewed to prepare soft bristle and without harming the gum,
teeth should be cleaned starting from the lower row of teeth facing east or northern direction. The twig which I used for dantadhavana should poses some special character like it should be straight, devoid of branches and knots, grown in good land and everyday new twig should be used for tooth brushing. Some acharya opined that powder of trikatu, triphala, trijataka should be used along with twig.

*Length of Dantakastha(Datoon):

The twig which is used to clean the teeth is called dantakastha. Thickness should be like tip of the little finger and length should be of 12 anguli (finger).

Benefits: This removes foul smell, tastelessness, dirt from tongue and teeth bring freshness of mouth and increase taste sensation as it pacifies kapha dosha and open up channels.

In today’s scenario, most of the tooth paste used contains madhura rasa(Sweet taste). Research has shown that dantadhavana using herbal twig alters the salivary pH and it become alkaline, which helps to neutralize the acid which is produced by pathogenic bacteria. This phenomenon helps to protect the teeth as this acid is the main responsible factor for dental decay. Basically twigs of Arka (Calotropis procera), Neem (Azadiracta indica), khadira (Acacia catechu), Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) etc. are used for dantadhavana and antimicrobial activity of these herbs has been established in several studies. Studies revealed that latex of arka (Calotropis procera) poses strong inhibitory effect on specific microorganisms.

Further, Taxifolin, which is the main constituent of khadira (Acacea catechu), possesses antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Certain studies prove that Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) poses antimicrobials as well as effective in prevention of dental caries.

Chemicals like triclosan, chlorhexidine, calcium carbonate, sorbitol, sodium lauryl sulphate, hydrated silica, flavor, magnesium aluminium silicate, potassium nitrate, sodium monofluorophosphate, benzyl alcohol, sodium silicate, cellulose gum, triclosan and sodium saccharin etc. are used in mouth rinses and dentifrices to prevent plaque and gingivitis now a days. But some of these chemicals especially sodium lauryl sulphate may have toxic effect.

Thus Dantadhavana abide the rule of Ayurveda obviously helpful in maintaining of oral health. It prevents dental carries by maintenance of salivary pH and promotion of salivary secretion. Further antimicrobial and healing property also present in herbal twigs which are used for dantadhavana and are easily available. Publicity of these techniques using appropriate media would benefit the population globally by giving more confidence in the ancient practices.

(Ref: Ayurveda texts and Google)