How Ayurveda & Olive Oil Support Health
Ayurveda is a holistic healing science based in the Vedic period of ancient India that is estimated to be in practice for over 5000 years. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda translates to the “science of life.” This brilliant system includes that our state of being is a whole system in which the parts are completely inseparable. Mind, body, heart, and spirit are held simultaneously and therefore physical health connects with every level. The brilliance of Ayurvedic medicine focuses on purification and nourishment of our tissue layers, all of which is typically done through earth-grown foods, herbs and oils.
Elements and Doshas
Martha Soffer pouring oil credit Surya Spa
According to Ayurveda, the five basic elements (Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) manifest in the body through three doshas, or constitutions. The three doshas are Vata, Pitta and Kapha and they govern the biological and physiological functions of our body, mind, and consciousness. Vata can be understood as the Air and Ether elements, Pitta as Fire and Water, Kapha as Water and Earth. Dis-ease arises from an imbalance in one or all doshas. We tend towards one main dosha and can also be a combination of two, or occasionally three doshas, also known as tridoshic. The masterful Ayurvedic system offers various treatments designed to cleanse, balance and integrate our doshas and whole being.
Martha Soffer, an internationally acclaimed Ayurvedic Panchakarma expert, Ayurvedic chef, Herbal Rasayanist, master Ayurvedic pulse diagnostician and the founder of Surya Spa in Santa Monica, CA explains the importance of oils and olive oil, “Oils are huge in Ayurveda. Oil is one of the things that we use the most in massages on the body. We pour oil over the entire body, on the front, on the back, the head and the feet. It is very, very important nowadays as life is moving so, so, so fast and that is why the oil is so important. You can see the consistency, viscosity, the warmness and heaviness of it, you immediately go 'Ahhhhhh. This is very relaxing.'”
Abhyanga is a formulated massage in which warm oil infused with specific herbs aimed to treat a given condition or imbalance is dripped over the entire body, front and back, and massaged into the tissues. The established routine is done slowly in tandem by two practitioners – yes, four hands! – and then repeated. The slow, synchronized nature of this massage works to deeply penetrate the healing herbal-based oils into all layers of the body as well as calm the nervous system.
Benefits of Olive Oil in Ayurveda
Four handed massage credit Surya Spa
According to Martha, there are a couple of major treatments where olive oil is the perfect oil to address some aspects within the Ayurvedic system.
As with most Ayurvedic treatments, sesame or coconut oils are typically used for abhyanga. Yet, for someone who has too much Vata in the system, Martha shares that olive oil is the ideal remedy. “When a person has too much Vata, too much dryness in the skin and too much coldness, then we use olive oils specifically. Sometimes we have people for whom we do the whole abhyanga in olive oil not sesame oil, not coconut oil, just olive oil because it is really good for dryness in the skin, and also to nurture the skin.”
Uing oil in shinodara credit Surya Spa
Shirodara is a treatment aimed at calming the mind and spirit and there is truly nothing like it. Oil is dripped onto the forehead, specifically the Third Eye, as well as guided slowly across the forehead in a repeating pattern. The repetition and penetration of oil allow the busy mind to calm, and some would even say transcend!
Prana Vayu, a subdivision of Vata energy, resides between the head, mouth, nostrils and navel bringing air, food, and water into the body. According to Martha, “It [olive oil] would be so amazing for Shirodara because the Vata is in the head. It is so soothing, it’s incredible for the hair. If you can do a head massage every week with olive oil, it will keep your hair in such an amazing way. It is helpful for the scalp as well. It is amazing. Olive oil is incredible for the hair, to make it shiny and soft so for people who have dryness in the hair, I have a special mask that I do and one of the main ingredients is olive oil.”
Olive Oil Liver Cleanse
Lastly, Martha relies on olive oil for her special liver cleanse. “One way that I use olive oil a lot is to clean the liver. For the liver, olive oil is incredible. I recommend to people that, to clean the liver, they first eat vegetarian food cooked for about six days. Then on the last day, when it’s clean – to move stones out of the liver – then I recommend they do a half cup of olive oil with some lemon. And then actually an amazing thing happens the next day. They have some Epsom salt and you’ll see the stones. The olive oil helps to soften and the salt opens the channels of the gall bladder so then the stones can come out. It helps the whole process of cleaning the liver incredibly. This is a specific liver cleanse for someone who has problems with their skin or gallbladder.”
It is important to have the support of an Ayurvedic practitioner when doing an intensive liver cleanse. For those who are curious about exploring gently on their own, Martha suggests “a little bit of olive oil with lemon first thing in the morning, and you will feel that your skin is so much better. Also, your stool. For people who have dry stool or problems with constipation, it will help with that.”
Martha’s signature Ayurvedic treatments showcase the powerful properties of olive oil, an elixir that has been with humanity since ancient times, and how it is utilized in Ayurveda, the ancient science of self-healing.