Full-body massage with warm herbal oils chosen for your constitution, applied in rhythmic strokes along the limbs and around the joints.
Shareera Abhyangam is a full-body massage with warm medicated oil, and it is the therapy people usually mean when they search for Abhyanga. Shareera means body and abhyangam means anointing with oil. It is the core of the massage family: the oil is matched to your constitution, and the whole body is oiled in a fixed, unhurried order, from the scalp and ears down to the soles.
A session runs about 45–60 minutes. Shareera Abhyangam 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 Shareera Abhyangam is traditionally used for
Shareera Abhyangam is traditionally used for circulation, muscle stiffness, dry skin and stress and fatigue.
It is traditionally used to support muscle stiffness, dry skin, poor circulation, tiredness and the physical tension that stress leaves in the body. Here it is part of the plans for Stress, anxiety & burnout, Irregular & painful periods and Postnatal care, where daily Abhyanga is one of the foundations of the classical 42-day programme.
It is typically planned for adults who are stiff, dry and run down rather than heavy and congested, and for new mothers. It often comes before Baspa Sweda, which is usually given straight after an oil massage.
What happens in a session
The oil — often Dhanwantharam Thailam from our pharmacy, or another chosen for you — is warmed, and a little is first worked into the scalp, ears and soles.
You are massaged in a set sequence of positions — seated, on your back, on each side and face-down — by one therapist or two working in step.
Long strokes run along the arms and legs, circular strokes go round the shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles, and the back and abdomen are worked with broad, flat palms.
Pressure is moderate and steady rather than deep — an oil therapy first, a muscle massage second. Say at once if any stroke is uncomfortable.
The massage takes 45–60 minutes. You rest briefly with the oil on before a steam or a warm bath, as the doctor has planned.
Who should not have Shareera Abhyangam
Fever, a cold or indigestion on the day; classical practice does not oil a body fighting an acute illness.
Broken skin, a skin infection, a fresh injury or a surgical wound that has not yet closed.
Varicose veins or a history of clots in the legs; a leg that is swollen, warm and painful on one side must be checked at a hospital first.
Pregnancy: the doctor decides whether it is given and how, with gentler strokes and no pressure over the abdomen.
Heart conditions or uncontrolled blood pressure, which the doctor reviews before an hour of warm oil followed by steam.
How many sessions?
Shareera Abhyangam is one of the few therapies sometimes booked on its own, as general care. For a specific complaint it is planned as a course, usually 7 to 14 sessions, often combined with another therapy on the same visit.
In postnatal care it is given daily across the 42 days, which is why booking during pregnancy matters. For irregular or painful periods the doctor times it against the cycle rather than running it straight through.
Before you come
Come with a light stomach; a session spent partly face-down is uncomfortable after a full meal.
Take off jewellery and watches, and leave valuables at home.
Tell the therapist about any area that is painful, numb or recently injured, and about a pregnancy or a recent delivery.
Afterwards
You may feel warm, loose and pleasantly tired, and some people sleep more deeply that night.
Wash the oil off with warm water and a gentle herbal powder or mild soap.
Keep the rest of the day easy — no gym, swimming pool or long two-wheeler ride in the wind.
Call +91 81229 39197 if you develop a rash or itching after a session, so the doctor can change the oil.
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.
The strokes may look similar, but here the oil is prescribed after a consultation, the course is planned for a complaint, and the doctor decides what the massage should avoid. A spa massage is chosen from a menu; this is chosen for you.
Can I have it after a caesarean section?
Yes, as part of postnatal care, once the doctor has checked the wound. The scar and the skin around it are left alone until it has closed and is no longer tender, and the abdomen is worked more gently than usual for the first weeks.
Should I do Abhyanga at home as well?
Daily self-oiling before a bath is a traditional habit, and the doctor may suggest it between sessions with an oil from the pharmacy. It is skipped on days you have a fever or a cold.
What does Shareera Abhyangam 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.
