Warm medicated oil is held over the neck within a ring of herbal dough — traditionally used for cervical pain and stiffness.
Greeva Vasti is a localised oil therapy for the neck. Greeva is Sanskrit for the neck, and vasti here means a container: a ring of dough is built at the back of the neck and filled with warm medicated oil, which is held there rather than rubbed in. It belongs to the Vasti family with Kati Vasti and Jaanu Vasti, and it is not an enema.
A session runs about 30–45 minutes. Greeva Vasti is carried out at Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe, a doctor-led Ayurveda hospital at Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131 — within reach of Medavakkam, Sholinganallur, OMR, Pallikaranai, Velachery and Tambaram.
What Greeva Vasti is traditionally used for
Greeva Vasti is traditionally used for neck pain, cervical spondylosis, neck stiffness and weak neck muscles.
It is traditionally used for a stiff, aching neck: cervical spondylosis, the ache that builds at the base of the neck after hours at a screen, pain spreading towards the shoulder blade, and tight muscles that make turning the head an effort. It may help where the neck feels worse in the cold and easier with warmth, a pattern Ayurveda reads as Vata.
The doctor typically plans it for neck pain that has lasted weeks or months: desk and laptop workers, long-distance two-wheeler riders, and older adults with wear-related changes on an X-ray. Internal medicines such as Yogaraja Guggulu may run alongside where the doctor prescribes them.
What happens in a session
You lie face down with your forehead resting on a folded towel or pillow, so the neck is level and relaxed.
Black-gram dough is shaped into a ring a few fingers high around the lower neck, over the segments the doctor has marked, and pressed down at the edges so it does not leak.
Warm medicated oil is poured into the ring. As it cools, the therapist draws some off and adds warmer oil, keeping the warmth even for the 30–45 minute session.
Keep your head still and breathe normally, and tell the therapist if your arms start to tingle.
The ring is lifted away and the neck and shoulders are massaged gently before you sit up slowly.
Who should not have Greeva Vasti
Neck pain after a fall, an accident or a sports injury, until imaging and a medical opinion have been done.
A hand losing its grip, or legs that feel unsteady: signs of pressure on the spinal cord that need a spine specialist first.
Fever with a stiff neck, which needs a medical assessment the same day.
Recent surgery on the cervical spine, until your surgeon agrees, or a boil, rash or broken skin on the back of the neck.
Giddiness on turning the head, uncontrolled blood pressure or pregnancy, which the doctor checks first because you lie face down.
How many sessions?
Greeva Vasti is planned as a course, usually one session a day on consecutive days. The doctor sets a provisional number from how long the pain has been there, what the X-ray or MRI shows and whether the arm is involved, and reviews it partway through.
A single session is rarely planned, because the classical reasoning rests on oiling the same area repeatedly. A shorter repeat course may be suggested later, for example before a heavy work period.
Before you come
Wear a shirt with a wide or buttoned neck that you do not mind getting oily, and tie long hair up.
Bring your neck X-ray or MRI and any notes from a physiotherapist.
If you wear a cervical collar, bring it and tell us who advised it.
Afterwards
The neck may feel loose and warm, and you may feel sleepy for an hour or two.
Keep the neck covered from fans, AC and cold wind that day, and wash the oil off with warm water.
Avoid long spells looking down at a phone that evening, and sleep on a pillow that keeps your neck in line with your spine.
Call +91 81229 39197 if pain spreads further down the arm, new numbness appears, or the skin under the ring blisters.
Cost
Cost depends on the duration and whether the doctor plans a single session or a course. Call +91 81229 39197 and we will tell you before you book — there are no surprises at the counter.
Massage moves over an area. Greeva Vasti keeps warm oil on the same few segments for a long, steady stretch, which is the classical aim of the therapy. The short massage at the end is the only massage in the session.
Can Greeva Vasti help dizziness that seems to come from my neck?
Giddiness can come from the neck, the inner ear, blood pressure or the heart, and these need telling apart first. If the doctor finds the cause is cervical, Greeva Vasti may be part of the plan; if not, you will be referred.
Can I carry on with physiotherapy during the course?
Usually, yes; tell both sides. Gentle stretches are often easier later the same day, but neck manipulation on treatment days should be agreed with the doctor first.
What does Greeva Vasti cost in Chennai?
Cost depends on the duration and whether the doctor plans a single session or a course. Call +91 81229 39197 and we will tell you before you book — there are no surprises at the counter.
Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe — 12/597, Main Road, Nethaji Nagar Main Rd,
Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131. Phone:
+91 81229 39197.
