What are marmas

Not all Ayurvedic massages are created equal. Ayurvedic marma massage is based on a deep knowledge of marmas , therefore starting with a minimum of knowledge with this concept.

The term marma  comes from Sanskrit and refers to the numerous (more than 100) pressure points in the physical body , usually related to the points where muscles, veins, glands, bones, tendons and ligaments join.

Through these flows the prana or vital energy , and for this reason they are called and considered vital points. Ayurvedic marma massage focuses precisely on marma foroptimize the flow of prana , which sometimes becomes impoverished by weakening ( empty marble ) while in other cases it does not flow and accumulates ( too full marble) .

Therefore the different massage techniques treat the various conditions of the marmas allowing the prana to flow where it is blocked or promoting its flow in the marma where it has stopped flowing with vigor.

The hand and fingers in Ayurvedic marma massage

The Ayurvedic marma massage concentrates everything in the hands of the masseur, that is the main tool to rebalance the cosmos hidden in the patient’s body.

It is in fact a therapeutic massage , not a relaxing massage .

Each finger represents an element of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition , each with a different vibratory speed.

At the two ends of the hand we have the two great spaces of the cosmos between which everything moves: earth for the thumb and ether for the little finger.

In the center, the three remaining fingers represent the elements that make up everything and are connected to bothguna  than to the three doshas : air to symbolizesattvaandvata, fire to representrajasandpitta, and water as the basic element oftamasandkapha.

Through the coordinated action of the appropriate fingers on the appropriatemarmait is possible tospeed uporslow downthe flow of prana as needed.

A physical, energetic, mental and emotional massage

In fact, the Ayurvedic marma massage never focuses on one part of the body as  physiotherapy or chiropractic might do .

The Ayurevedic marma massage is offered to the entire physical body but also to the subtle bodies, the nervous, the emotional and the mental.

The masseur creates an empty and silent space, where everything tends towards harmony spontaneously, without the need for explanations and without pontificating about how one should change one’s life or behavior.

Working on the physical body has reflections on other bodies and unlocking a marma also involves unlocking all related emotional and mental material. 

Indeed, each part of the body has a precise and profound meaning : and the various problems in specific parts of the body tell us a lot about the mental and emotional nature of the problem.

Often the legs refer to the past and to the family of origin , and while the right leg represents the male part, the left one symbolizes the female one, reversing what is normally valid for the cerebral hemispheres. 

Going up, we meet other parts that symbolize our personality, our relationship with food, sex or money for example: by unlocking these marmas , old repressed emotions and subconscious mental processes come to the surface to be processed.

If the patient does it positively, the physical problem disappears. But it is important for the patient to do it, alone, without the masseur acting like a guru and venturing into explanations.

Technical aspects of the marma massage

The Ayurvedic marma massage is practiced on a naked body or with minimal coverage such as panties or a towel that covers the pubic area, this is because in this massage abundant use is made of special Ayurvedic oils , also specific and different depending on the case histories of patients to be massaged.

We massage the patient’s legs, arms, chest, back and head without complex positions or tractions typical of the Thai tradition. The only possible positions are supine, prone, sitting, standing.