"MARMA" is a Sanskrit term for sensitive or vulnerable points on the body.

Marma therapy is an important tool of both disease prevention and disease treatment in Ayurveda. It can be used to balance the dosha, to increase agni (the digestive fire), for detoxification (reduce ama), as well as to promote energy (vajikarana) and aid in rejuvenation (rasayana) .It can be part the clinical methods (pancha karma) but also part of self-care and our daily health regimen.

Marmas are special Ayurvedic energy points similar to acupuncture points. Marmas are also locations in which the  dosha of Vata, Pitta and Kapha can be held, along with their subtle essences of prana, tejas and ojas .As sensitive zones, marmas can hold various emotion like fear( vata), anger (pitta) or attachment (kapha), as well as the gunas or primary qualities of sattva (calm), rajas (aggression) and tamas (inertia). In this regard the concept of marmas goes beyond modern medicine and its purely physical definitions to the principles of mind-body medicine.

Marmas are of various composition relative to the tissues that make them up, defined as bone, tendon, muscle, nerve or vein, including relative to channels that carry the doshas and channels that carry thought and emotion. Many Marmas are on peripheral regions of the body like arms and legs.

The treatment of marmas, though having many methods, is primarily a matter of therapeutic touch. Ayurveda employs massage and pressure to marma points. Ayurveda use special medicated massage oil, generally herbs prepared  in a sesame oil base.

Abhyanga - The Ayurvedic Daily Massage:
A Pleasant Prescription for Mind/Body Health

Abhyanga is a common body massage with ayur oils.

Abhyanga effectively abates stress, nervousness, pain, bones and joints diseases. Massage is very pleasant. It can be recommended to everybody for relaxation and prophylaxis.

How can a ritual so luxuriously relaxing, so blissfully comforting as a full-body warm oil massage rev up your body and mind, gearing them up for peak performance? There is an explanation for the seeming contradiction. Accumulated stress and toxins in the mind and body dissolve during the daily massage. A daily full-body warm oil massage therefore acts as a powerful recharger and rejuvenator of mind and body.

"Abhyanga" -- the ayurvedic oil massage -- is an integral part of the daily routine recommended by this healing system for overall health and well-being. Traditional ayurvedic texts wax eloquent on the benefits. Here's what one says -- "Give yourself a full body oil massage on a daily basis. It is nourishing, pacifies the doshas, relieves fatigue, provides stamina, pleasure and perfect sleep, enhances the complexion and the luster of the skin, promotes longevity and nourishes all parts of the body".

Here are some of the benefits traditionally associated with regular performance of this pleasant daily ritual:

• Increased circulation, especially to nerve endings
• Toning of the muscles and the whole physiology
• Calming for the nerves
• Lubrication of the joints
• Increased mental alertness
• Improved elimination of impurities from the body
• Softer, smoother skin
• Increased levels of stamina through the day
• Better, deeper sleep at night

Abhyanga provides the means for trans-dermal absorption of the healing qualities of the material used in the massage, and it helps the skin, which is the largest organ in the body, perform its diverse functions efficiently, whether it is allowing toxins to be released from the body or nourishment to be absorbed by the tissues. It is like oiling the engine of your car -- if you do it regularly, your engine will be in peak condition, and give you years and years of trouble-free performance.