What is Ahbyhanga?
Ahbyhanga is a herbal body-oiling that is rooted in the Ayurvedic tradition of daily holistic health care practices. In this gentle practice oil is massaged from the limbs towards your center, breathing deeply, and paying attention to the soothing sensations in a meditative manner. Body oiling is hydrating to the skin and deeply calming for our nervous system. It is a grounding, tactile, and olfactory experience that draws your senses into the here and now and helps to anchor you in a sense of safety and care. This is especially supportive for those who tend towards hyper-stimulation, hypervigilance, anxiety, and agitation. Ahbyhanga is an accessible form of self-care that I recommend including in your life, especially if you’ve experienced relational trauma or body-based trauma. Read on for ways to make ahbyhanga a trauma-informed practice.
Coming into balance through nature
Ahbyhanga is a practice of Ayurveda, which is often called the “sister science” to Yoga. Ayurveda is all-encompassing lifestyle guidance for bringing balance into our lives. The underlying ethos of Ayurveda is that we are a part of the natural world, a microcosm of the macrocosm, made of the same elements of nature. Ayurveda posits, and my experience of the modern world supports, that we tend to forget how embedded we are in the interconnected web of life. It is this forgetting that leads to dis-ease and dis-harmony. Fortunately Ayurveda invites us to lean back into belonging, and provides a plethora of practices and tools to do so.
Coming back into wholeness though the natural world is oh-so-nourishing for trauma survivors. Perhaps your mother wasn’t able to be there for you in the ways you needed, but Mother Earth is there for you and always has been, through the food you are nourished by, the water that hydrates you, and the air you breath. This is a beautiful antidote for those of us who have survived neglect, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
For those of you interested in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, from an Object Relations perspective, we might say that the “holding environment” expands to become not just your caregivers and sociocultural systems, but the entire earth. For many of us, we may be able to find a secure attachment figure here where there wasn’t one before. The steady presence of the tree you walked by every day on the way to the bus, your dear pet who greets you with their tale wagging, or the water that hydrates you on a daily basis can all be sources of consistency, right relationships, and connection.
Body Oiling as Relational Healing
In ahbhyanga, we can contemplate the nourishing qualities of the oil and how deeply it provides nourishment. As you apply, sense the smoothness, like kind arms that invite you in for a hug. As you feel the oil absorbing, contemplate the protective fats that will sink into you and wrap up your nervous system like a comforting blanket. As you smell the aroma, especially if your oil has healing herbs in it, you can notice how there is a communication beyond words, a language of the senses. You don’t have to be anyone other than who you are to tap into it. You are worthy of this kind of love, even if you don’t feel that way.
Self-care or community care?
Ahbyhanga, especially when self-applied, can be considered a form of self-care. Self-care is a buzz word in today’s world. “Practice self-care so you don’t burn out!” was a motto in my social work training. But, self-care can be really difficult for those who weren’t cared for properly as children, and challenging to carve out time for in a capitalist culture that prioritizes profits over people. Choosing actions that reflect the belief “I am worth it” or “my needs matter” can be near impossible if the world hasn’t shown you your worthiness. It may be more accessible to look at body-oiling as a form of community care rather than self-care, where the oils and the herbs it carries are supportive entities. If that’s a comforting idea, then you can extend this further. The farmers who grew the ingredients, the merchants who manufactured and sold it to you, the teachers who introduced you to the practice – they are all in a web of support for you, and you for them.
A word of caution and wisdom wrapped up in one: the gesture of touching your own body can be loaded for anyone who’s experience body based trauma, abuse, or neglect. Your body may feel like a minefield, holding onto these painful experiences. Can you apply body oil in a way that disarms the mines, and claims your body as a sovereign space? Your hands can offer a gentle and loving touch in a way that says ‘”there, there love, this feeling is allowed.” You get to choose the firmness or softness of the touch, you get to choose the path your hands travel or avoid, and this can be very empowering.
How to body oil?
The oil you choose can facilitate your goals. You can keep it simple and affordable by using what you already have in your kitchen. Coconut oil tends to be cooling, a great choice if you’re feeling angry. Sesame tends to be more warming, great if you’re feeling nervous or depressed. Olive oil, ghee, and jojoba tend to be balancing. You can add essential oils that align with what your body needs too. You can also purchase herbal oils at natural grocery stores, online, or from your local herbalist. I enjoy Eve of Earth Apothecary‘s intentionally crafted oils. The love she puts into the oils is palpable.
Apply the oil prior to showering, when you have some extra time. Take a moment to breathe and set an intention for presence before you start the experience. Focus on the sensations, the smells, the textures, and let your mind keep returning to them if it wanders away to thinking and stress. You can warm the oil first by placing the container of oil in a bowl of hot water, or running it under the faucet for a moment.
Apply the oil to your face, gently smoothing it into tight spots in your jaw or around your eyes. Especially oil your ears, imagining the oil giving your sensory receptors a reset. Massage your neck and shoulders, making sure to use a pressure you can breath through. Next, massage your hands, getting into the palms and the joints. Then massage in long strokes up your arms towards your heart. Keep breathing deeply throughout the experience, all the way down into your belly. Now, massage your feet. You could sit down on the edge of your tub or the closed toilet so that you don’t have to worry about slipping. Paying attention to massaging the feet is particularly grounding if you’re feeling scattered. Then, massage in long strokes up your legs towards your torso, applying to both fronts and backs of the legs. Lastly, massage your abdomen in circular clockwise motions, from right to left, which aids in movement through the digestive organs. Allow your hands to rest on your abdomen and breathe deeply feeling the rise and fall of breath. Now, you can take 10-15 minutes to gently stretch, or breathe. Or, if you don’t have time, hop right in the shower and feel the warm water transporting the oil deeper into your skin.
You can do spot-treatments during the day. Hands, feet, ears, neck or shoulders can be a lovely soothing slow down during a busy sensory stimulating work day. Incorporate it into your routine in a way that works for you! Once a month is a great start. I also love to apply body oil on my hands and neck during the work day, during travels, and as a moment of relaxation during busy social gatherings. It’s a great way to have an easy mindful moment and re-center! As you notice how nice it feels, you might find yourself gravitating towards it more and more often!
Let me and the readers know if you try it and how it felt. What came up for you during the process? What shifts in your mind and mood did you experience, if any? How did you make it your own?