Indian Head Massage

 

Indian Head Massage

Its proper name is Indian Champissage but is more commonly known as Indian Head Massage and is based on the ancient healing system of Ayurveda, which has been practiced for over one thousand years. Massage has long been an integral part of everyday life in India.

According to Ayurvedic custom, a weekly massage is recommended for men and women to maintain a healthy balance of doshas (three vital energies or forces) and promote soft skin and strong shiny hair. Before a wedding, the bride and groom are massaged with special oils to promote health, beauty and fertility.

Women are massaged to help them cope with the physical and emotional strain of labour and for forty days after the birth, new mothers and their babies receive a daily recuperative massage. (Not such a bad idea really as this will also help with bonding). Indian mothers regard massage as an essential skill and an important means of communicating and bonding with their children, helping to create a secure and caring family atmosphere within the home.

From the age of three or four children receive from their mothers a daily or weekly head massage, given with a selection of pungent oils, in a belief that this will help prevent scalp disorders, make their hair grow strong and also boost brain powers.

It is a custom that still hold fast, despite the fact that many youngsters, especially boys, rebel against being made to go out to play while they have oil on their heads. It is only when they grow up and realise the benefits of a regular head massage that they appreciate their mother’s concern.

Indian head massage was first introduced into the UK by Dr Narendra Mehta, who arrived from India in the 1970’s to train as a physiotherapist. However he returned to India to study different family and regional techniques and extended his particular style of scalp massage to include the neck, shoulders, upper back, upper arms and face. His method is widely taught in colleges throughout the world. The massage can be performed without oils if that is what the client prefers.

What are the benefits?
The massage releases tight muscles especially around the shoulders and neck. It assists with the lymphatic drainage to the face. Can increase the blood supply especially to the scalp, can improve conditions such as dandruff, greasy hair, some types of alopecia and promotes the health, strength and condition of the hair. It can also release tension headaches and migraines. Can ease anxiety, increase clarity of thought and promote positive health and well-being.

A treatment will create a feeling of deep relaxation, freedom from aches and pains, a more restful sleep and better concentration. The therapeutic effect of Indian Head Massage will last long after the treatment is over.The short and long-term benefits are individual and carried and cumulative. Some of the benefits relief from eye strain, nasel congestion, jaw-ache and hangovers.

A treatment, following a consultation and providing there are no contra-indications will take approximately 30-40 minutes and it is normally recommended to have one treatment per week between 4 and 6 weeks but this can vary. A treatment will create a feeling of deep relaxation, freedom from aches and pains, a more restful sleep and better concentration.