What do you think? Is it better to take a shower in the morning or at night? Or do you prefer to take a bath twice a day? I myself take a shower twice a day, but I am going to tell you why it is good to take a shower especially in the morning.
At night, while we are asleep, the body works actively to regenerate all our tissues and cells, much more thoroughly than the average advertisement tells us. Every month we have a new body because of this process and we don’t even notice because it doesn’t meet the eye.
When you get up in the morning, the body has released a large amount of toxins and dead cells. You might not see them but they are definitely there. By giving yourself a massage with ecological, cold-pressed sesame or coconut oil all these toxins will come out through your pores and they will remain on top of the skin. So there is nothing better in the morning than to take a shower after this ritual, taking the toxins away with a glove or sponge. Doing this every day you will notice how your vitality increases!
The following oils are most adequate according to your dosha:
- Vata: sesame or almond oil
- Pitta: coconut or sunflower seed oil
- Kapha: raw sesame, almond, olive or cornseed oil
Instructions for self-abhyanga massage:
- Add ¼-½ cup of oil to a bottle and warm the bottle inside a pot of water on the fire.
- Take out the bottle once you see the temperature is high enough for your skin.
- Sit or stand on top of an old towel in a small room where there is no cold air coming through (I prefer the bathroom).
- Apply the warm oil all over the body.
- Massage the body in a way the skin can easily absorb the oil. Start with your fingers, toes, hands, feet, legs and arms moving in a line and by making circular movements over the joints. Remember to massage the chest and the abdomen in clock-wise direction. On the lower abdomen, follow the direction of the large intestine, from the top right towards the center, finishing with the lower left part of your belly.
- Gently massage your body during 5-20 minutes, with patience and love.
- Also massage the scalp rubbing it strongly, and give your feet and ears a bit of extra time once a week. To massage the head, poor warm oil on the crown (adhipati marma) making circular movements.
- Add some oil to your pinky finger or a cotton swab and apply the oil inside the ears (in case you suffer from a disease or infection, please consult your physician before doing this).
Don’t forget to wash your feet first when you hop into the shower, you don’t want to slip. You can either choose to take a shower or a bath. Use gentle, natural soap, especially to rinse the private parts. Dry off well after the shower, preferably with a towel you only use for your abhyanga massage so you don’t get to ruin them all with oil stains.
Put on some cotton socks (if possible, made or organic cotton) to protect the floor from becoming oily.
In case you would like to work the wrists and the neck due to accumulated tension, I recommend you use essential oil like rose oil (Vata and Pitta) or myrrh (Kapha). Enjoy the after-effects: take an infusion and open up a good book.
