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Ayurvedic yoga massage is a body therapy that was developed over time by Master Kusum Modak in Pune, India. She had many years experience in traditional Ayurvedic massage and practiced yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar. Kusum began developing her own style of massage from naturally studying the body, breath and stretches which all help to heal the body. It is a head to toe, holistic treatment that helps realign the body and stimulates the natural flow of energy as well as brings about a deeper body awareness to the clients. She has since passed her knowledge and wisdom down to generations of therapists. Amazingly her reputation grew from word of mouth and now the treatment can be found all over the world.
No you don't, everyone can benefit from this massage therapy. And you don't have to be super stretchy either. I will work with you and only do any movements that you are comfortable to do. The dialogue is open throughout the massage to ensure any stretches are within your limits.
Oils are used topically during the massage so when it's time to start I will leave the room and ask you to remove your clothes apart from shorts or pants. You will be asked to lie on your stomach under the sarong. You will be draped or wrapped in sarongs throughout seated poses and stretches to ensure you are comfortable.
The massage takes place on a mat on the floor, this helps to maintain the right amount of pressure and allows for the yoga style stretches to take place. There is a lot of movement in the massage and the client is asked to participate. For example there is a sequence of seated stretches where the client and myself work together.
The use of feet are a traditional part of the massage. I tend not to use feet on the first session unless requested. The utilisation of the feet allows for deeper and more thorough pressure through long and graceful strokes.
Calamus / Vekhand / Vacha is the powdered root or rhizome of the Acorus Calamus plant, a widely used herb in ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. It it used topically in AYM to flush toxins out of the body and improve circulation boosting properties. It also adds an exfoliating element to the therapy.
If you live in the SE London area we can arrange a therapy at your home. You just need enough floor space to lay a yoga size mat and for me to be able to move comfortably around it.