Untold history of body massage oils and body massage therapies
The History of Body Massage Therapies with Body Oils
| Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes |
We have always had a lot of healing ways, back in time, but we have certainly forgotten about them with time. But body massages oils with soothing aromas are making a comeback and people think that it was discovered only recently. It is partly true, the methods have changed with time and now wellness centers have found new ways to heal people with Body massage oils.
Moreover, we've just started rediscovering the benefits of body massage oil. There are tons of body massage oils, and each one of them has its own advantages. The inception of body massage dates back to 3000 BC, or maybe earlier than that. Ayurveda was the first to discover the benefits of oil massage on body.
Later on, new ways were added to make body massages more effective, China and India were the first to start doing body massages. Then there were Egyptians, Japanese, and Europeans who discovered the magical healing power and benefits of body massage oil and brought new changes to the method of body massage. This is how body massages kept changing and became what it is today.
However, wellness centers and masseuses are going back to the traditional methods of body massage and have started following the Ayurveda way of body massage which involved the use of potent herb in body massage oils. Kerala, in India, is known to have plenty of such wellness centers that follow the ancient way of healing health issues, that is through body massage so, people from different countries come here to get treated. Let's read more about the history and evolution of body massage:
Brief History of Body Therapies and Body massage
1.The origin of Body Massage
After thousands of years of experiments on various medicines, oils, herbs, and all other natural products, Hindu seers came up with a natural way of healing human bodies, some even call this a lifestyle, Ayurveda. This is a sacred system of healing, Hindus have passed these lifestyle ways to generation over generation orally.
According to Ayurveda, our health is defined by our eating choices. The believers even boast about the fact that all human bodily sufferings can be alleviated if we follow the right diet choices, i.e., according to our doshas. Another reason behind human poor health is that we have somehow disconnected ourselves from nature and our health issues can be cured only when this imbalance in our body is restored.
Thus, body massage is the thing that restores the physical and mental balance so that the illness can heal naturally.
Hindus have even written down all the Ayurvedic ways of living a healthy lifestyle in a detailed textbook. This textbook has all the Ayurvedic secrets and it was written somewhere between 500 to 1500 BCE. And this is how the journey of body massage originated.
2. When the Chinese and Egyptians discovered Body massage healing method
With time, the healing methods of Hindus were discovered by the Chinese, the written texts state that the Chinese after Hindus were the first to discover Body massage and they combined the Chinese medicines, martial arts, and spiritual yoga training with Body massage. They found the benefits of body massage in 2700 BCE.
The Chinese focus more on energy, but their way of healing and beliefs are quite similar to Indians. The Chinese believe that the human body develops diseases when its body energies are not in sync with nature's energy. This deficiency or imbalance of energies affects their body and causes illness.
Some of the techniques added by the Chinese to the traditional body massages are acupuncture, ammo, acupressure, and Tui Na. These techniques are infused with herbs in body massage oil, dietary habits, and exercises to cure the condition.
- Reflexology
Just after 200 years of Chinese, the Egyptians as well found a natural way of healing bodies. They added their own techniques and created a method that is widely used even today, called Reflexology. The pictures presented on the Egyptian tombs state how they used to pressurize the specific reflex point to stimulate the nerves and effect healing.
These points and zones are available on hands and feet, and the Egyptians were the first to find another way of healing body. Although it is highly influenced by the Indians, Indians never used to apply pressure to some specific points. Reflexology is the combined result of Hindu and Chinese Body Massage.
3. The Buddhist monks brought Chinese body massage to Japan
The Japanese monks that were studying Buddhism in China found their healing ways beneficial and imported these techniques to Japan in 1000 BCE. The Japanese customized the technique better and formed another massage technique called anma, which later became Shiatsu.
The aim of Shiatsu is to increase the energy levels in the human body through body massage and expect it to resist the illness and eventually cure the condition. The masseuse stimulates certain points and tries to balance the energies inside the human body.
They don't use needles or any other instrument to put pressure on these pressure points but they only use thumbs, palms, and fingers. The patient can enjoy mental and physical well-being through this body massage.
4. The birth of body massage oil infusion into body massages
The Greeks, known for their athletic bodies were the first ones to add friction to body massages. Greece gave birth to Aromatherapy. The Greeks are notoriously known for their interest in athletics, they used to play a lot of sports and thus they needed constant body massages to relax sore muscles and reduce knots in the body. Also, they were the first to introduce sports massages.
In the modern world, all athletes or sportsmen get regular body massages so that they can derive benefits of oil massage on body and thus always stay in their prime health.
The Greek physicians added herb-infused oils to the body massage oil and later in the fifth century BCE, Hippocrates, the father of medicines, acknowledged the art of adding oils to treat physical injuries. Hippocrates was the first to advise that health can stay in balance if we add the right diet, music, exercise, massage, and fresh air to our lifestyle.
This was a critical point in the history of body massages, as, after the Greeks, the whole world included herb-infused body massage oil and enjoyed the benefits of oil massage on body.
5. Modern Massage Techniques
Body massages declined in the 17th century, as the medical and pharma industry were on the rise in the west. People believed that medicines were the only cure for their illness and even some doctors declined the benefits of oil massage on body.
However, in the 18th century, a Swedish gymnast/doctor/teacher Per Henrik Ling introduced a new method of body massage, Swedish Massage. This method became popular worldwide, and now even in the modern world, it is one of the most popular body massage techniques. The Swedish Massage movement method helps relieves chronic pain. The Swedish body massage involves regular stroking, pressing, squeezing, and striking. To reduce the friction body massage oils or lotions were used.
Even after these many changes to the traditional method, the essence of body massages hasn't changed at all. After thousands of years of evolution, body massages are still beneficial and still known to relieve the human body from deep-rooted health issues.
Benefits of Oil Massage on body
By far, you may have observed how body massages have evolved but now it's time to go through massage with oil benefits or benefits of oil massage on body:
1. Body Massage Oil improves breathing
It is one of the underrated benefits of body massages. Those who have control over their breath, have control over their body. Thus, all the Yoga exercises focus on the breath. Easy, slow and controlled breathing is the fastest route to release stress from your body.
Your masseuse will ask you at the beginning of the massage to take a deep breath, your first breath on the massage table will be a sigh of relief and this is how you'll see yourself getting relaxed with each breath and each massage stroke. Such are the massage with oil benefits. Also, adding essential oils to body massage oils have proven to be more effective
2. How you can ensure a healthy heart with Body Massage Oil
If you want your heart to stay young then include body massage in your health routine. The body massages produce vasodilation, which increases the blood flow in the body and delivers oxygen to all the organs. Use of Ayurvedic body massage oil helps to further relax your entire body which includes your cardiovascular system as well.
3. How to take care of your digestive system with Body Massage Oil
Stress affects your digestive system as well, a full-body massage can change the way your body positively digests food and nutrients. Your nervous system controls your digestion, producing needed chemicals (like saliva, gastric juice, and insulin) and stimulates peristalsis, which moves food through your intestines.
Classic Swedish massage includes an optional abdominal massage that acts directly on your large intestine to regulate the final stages of digestion. When food moves smoothly through the digestive system your stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, and intestines work together for maximum nutrient absorption, which supports your overall well-being.
4. Body massage helps in Lymphatic detox
The lymphatic system is crucial to balance the fluid and the function of your immune system. Lymphatic vessels parallel blood vessels throughout your body and large groups of lymph nodes are found in the neck, armpits, and groin.
As your massage therapist works on flushing blood through muscle and tissue, they are also draining the lymphatic system, where the lymph nodes filter out dead cells, waste products, and possible pathogens. Sluggish lymph flow contributes to fluid retention, and draining the lymphatic system may reduce edema in certain parts of the body.
5. How you can heal your Nervous System through body massage oil
As you relax, your nervous system enters a “rest and digest” mode. If you have areas of pain and tension in your body, they may be the result of pressure on nerves caused by tight muscles, and massage may relieve it.
A relaxed nervous system means that hormone production will balance out. Production of stress hormones such as corticosteroids (LDL) decreases, as “feel good” hormones like endorphins increase. Hormones that regulate sleep/wake cycles, menstrual cycles, immune cells, blood sugar, and even how much food you eat, all react positively to the relaxation that accompanies a full-body massage with herb-infused oils to the body massage oil.
6. Body massage oil Refreshes your Skin
Regular body massage helps to reduce the accumulation of dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. Desquamation improves your skin’s health and appearance, tightening pores, improving skin texture, and giving your skin a brighter glow. herb-infused oils to the body massage oil can assists skin gland production, allowing your skin to sweat out and eliminate impurities such as uric acid.
Final Thoughts
We have still not completely understood all the benefits of oil massage on body. Modern researchers are still finding new benefits and as Ayurveda says, "All of our health issues can be alleviated if we stay close to nature". Thus, go to some wellness centers and enjoy an oil massage if you haven't experienced it yet. Body massage oil will refresh your body and give your skin a healthy glow as well.
Also, never forget to add body massage oil as they are very beneficial and body massages done with these herb-infused body massage oils are known to balance the doshas. Thus, experience body massage and experiment with different body massage oil, research a bit, and go for the ones that suit your health and doshas. You can also go for Blue Nectar Balalakshadi Aromatic Sensuous Bath and Body Massage Oil which is blended with 6 special herbs that aids to strengthening of muscles, bones and joints.
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