Abhyanga for Self-Care: Love is in the Oil

Govinda Valley
Feb 14
2 min read

This month, romantic love is celebrated more than any other. Flower shops are bustling, restaurants are fully booked for candlelit dinners, and romantic films fill cinema screens.

Love may not be a word you would typically associate with an ashram, yet here at Govinda Valley, love is something we celebrate every day, albeit a little differently from what many are used to.

Students expressing love to each other — Love is something we celebrate every day here at the ashram.

Love Beyond Romance

Rather than focusing on romantic love, we express, embody, and experience love through practices that care for the self: mind, body, and spirit. From this place of care, love naturally extends outward, flowing through our peers and into the wider community.

With terms like self-love and self-care everywhere, from social media to storefronts, we’re invited to pause and ask: What do these ideas really mean, and how can we live them in a meaningful way?

Self-abhyanga involves massaging warm medicated oil on the whole body — Self-Abhyanga involves massaging warm, herbalised or medicated oil into the body.

Self-Abhyanga: An Ayurvedic Practice for Self-Care

In Ayurveda, one of the recommended daily practices for self-care is self-abhyanga, an Ayurvedic self-oil massage that nourishes both body and mind.

In Sanskrit, a language where words hold layered meanings, the word sneha means both love and oil—a beautiful reminder that caring touch is an expression of love.

Self-Abhyanga involves massaging warm, herbalised or medicated oil into the body. Its many benefits include:

Calming the nervous system
Improving circulation
Supporting the removal of toxins

How to Practise Self-Abhyanga

You’ll need:

Oil (cold-pressed black sesame oil is best, especially for winter or cooler climates; coconut oil for warmer climates)
A floor towel
A towel or bathrobe you don’t mind getting oily

Step-by-step:

Gently warm the oil on the stove or by placing the bottle in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
Note: Oil should be warm, never burning hot.
Ensure you’re in a warm room and lay a towel on the floor.
Dip your forefinger into the oil, apply it to the crown of your head, and massage in a clockwise direction.
If you’re comfortable with oily hair, massage the scalp. Otherwise, gently massage the face and ears using circular motions.
Work your way down the body: neck, shoulders, arms and hands, chest, back (as much as you can reach), abdomen, thighs, legs, and feet.
Follow these specific stroke patterns to optimise circulation and relaxation:
- Limbs and Back: Use long, sweeping strokes.
- Joints, Chest, and Abdomen: Use circular motions, moving mostly in a clockwise direction.
When massaging the feet, stay seated or stable to avoid slipping.