Dominique Fontaine is a holistic nurse, a health and wellness nurse coach, a holistic nurse educator, and a medical cannabis nurse coach and consultant. She specializes in homeostasis regulation in psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology ailments with clients to rediscover purpose and enhance quality of life. Dominique is a passionate nurse disability advocate who strives to transform healthcare and culture through awareness, education, and integrative nursing.
Crystal Hoshaw is a mother, writer, and longtime yoga practitioner. She has taught in private studios, gyms, and in one-on-one settings in Los Angeles, Thailand, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She shares mindful strategies for self-care through online courses at Simple Wild Free. You can find her on Instagram.
Crystal Hoshaw is a mother, writer, and longtime yoga practitioner, and currently the Editor for the Bezzy Breast Cancer and Migraine communities. Crystal shares mindful strategies for self-care through yoga classes and online courses at Embody Ayurveda. You can find her on Instagram.
Marma points are specific anatomical locations in your body through which the energy of these elements is believed to flow. Marma points therapy is the practice of stimulating these spots through gentle massage therapy.
Generally, this is performed by a trained massage therapist who has experience with Ayurvedic medicine. These massage therapists have extensive knowledge of the locations and functions of the various marma points.
Vaikalyakara marma are marma points believed to have negative effects on your health when injured. Of the 80 participants in the study, those who experienced injury to the kurpara marma also reported significant damage to the rest of their arm, as well as a slew of other side effects.
Another small study from 2006 investigated the benefits of marma points therapy for stroke patients. In this study, standard post-stroke care was compared with the same care plus marma points therapy.
One of the best things about knowing where certain marma points are located, is that you can utilise them and use a gentle self-massage technique wherever and whenever you are! Keep reading for three marma points you can massage daily to help you feel vibrant and well wherever you find yourself!
This point is closely linked to Anahata, the heart chakra, and is thought of as an important point in stimulating circulation throughout the whole body. It links closely to the lungs and respiratory health, and is also a vital marma point to work with regarding communication. Therapists who use their hands can also massage this point before a treatment to enhance the flow of prana to the palms.
Each of these two points measures anguli (half a finger unit) in size, and is located just outside the base of the nose, where the nostrils open out. These points are said to control the flow of prana through the subtle body, the sense of smell, and the sinuses.
To massage these points, use a strong and circular motion for about five minutes simultaneously. When using the index finger for acupressure at this point, it is said to help relieve headache symptoms and sinus congestion, and can be even more effective when coupled with aromatic oils like peppermint, eucalyptus or camphor. Choose a massage oil such as mustard or apricot oil if available.
There are several factors that can inhibit the free flow of energy through the body. From lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of exercise, emotional stress, and disconnect from the natural environment. One must not underestimate the effect our modern lives have on our inner state. We feed our environments as much as they feed us back. If you notice a certain stagnation in the regular functioning of the body, it would be good to see if any of the above factors make up your daily routine.
Marma therapy works to clear stagnation in the vital energy points and thus increase vitality within the corresponding body parts. Because marma techniques work at the level of raw prana (prana that has not yet been differentiated into its various functions within the human body); its ability to facilitate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing is immense.
Our intent must remain at the forefront of this process. One who practices Marma Therapy needs to remain in tune with the intent to move gently, as much as the receiver of the therapy must remain in tune with being open and vulnerable. This will facilitate the right kind of subtle communication and allow the channels to communicate back to the body and the points as well.
Aithein offers courses, workshops and retreats in Ayurveda, Massage & Bodywork in Goa, India. We schedule various Ayurveda courses and international therapy courses. These classes are held at our school at Agonda Beach, Goa, India.
In our modern digital world, it's easy to become overloaded with constant sensory stimulation with our plethora of electronic gadgets, the barrage of media we digest through a multitude of social media platforms, and the frantic pace at which we multitask our way through a never-ending stream of obligations.
With anxiousness, heavy emotions, grief, overwhelm, and mental stress playing such a dominant role in our waking life and the constant state of emotional turmoil that plagues the American psyche, it's no surprise that the wellness movement has exploded as a popular antidote to this modern conundrum.
Ayurveda provides time-tested, strategic solutions to create true lasting harmony within the body and mind. Alongside its arsenal of dietary therapy, herbal remedies, lifestyle practices, and self-care techniques, the practice of marma chikitsa offers a powerful way to address these common emotional challenges at their root.
Marma chikitsa, the science of energy points, is a precious jewel among Ayurveda's many beneficial gifts. It provides a way to combat emotional disturbances by going beyond just alleviating symptoms to support deep and lasting relief. Stimulation of these points can occur through multiple mediums of touch, such as massage, acupressure, application of essential oils, vibration, breathwork, or color therapy.
Every marma point on the body is a gateway of consciousness that stimulates pranic flow in its own unique way. These points create a network of intelligence that has a ripple effect on consciousness throughout body, mind, and spirit, clearing the knots of emotional disturbance and bringing us closer to our natural state of clarity and peace.
While there are certainly marma points that can soothe grief, calm anxious thoughts, ease lethargy, and reduce stress, this approach of trying to fix or cure a symptom is limited. It implies that the emotion itself is a problem to get rid of instead of seeing it as the body's intelligent healing response, worthy of our compassionate attention.
There are five marma points on the scalp that have the ability to powerfully relieve modern-day stressors, alleviate stagnant emotions, and influence pranic flow. These five points are kapala on the hairline, brahmarandhra, murdhni, and shivarandhra on the upper midline of the scalp, and manyamula at the occiput.
The trinity of murdhni, brahmarandhra, and shivarandhra are similar in their sphere of action. They all powerfully regulate prana and balance vata, pitta, and kapha emotions. They promote deep, restful sleep and stimulate memory and concentration. They help to soothe sensory overload and calm the mind.
Working with all five of these marmani together is an effective way to promote emotional balance, calm the mind, regulate pranic flow, and reduce stress. They also bring physical ease to the region of the neck and head. Stimulating these five energy points on the scalp with warm Brahmi Oil is an excellent way to increase intelligence, expand awareness, and calm the mind.
This ritual can be done daily when there is long-term stress, anxiousness, heaviness, grief, or emotional overwhelm. I ask children to do this ritual before they sit down to study or take an exam for mental rejuvenation. Taking time to work on these marma points each day will bring emotional balance, create clarity in the mind, and soothe the spirit.
Ayurveda teaches that our bodies are innately intelligent and we have the power in our own fingertips to heal ourselves. Bringing this ancient wisdom into our daily routine and making it practical and applicable to our busy modern lives is just the antidote we have been searching for.
Simple marma self-care routines allow us to deepen this connection with our own bodies and breath, initiating profound healing and inviting deep relaxation. May this simple sequence bring a feeling of harmony, enliven prana, and rejuvenate your senses.
When water stagnates, it begins to stink, and so does the life force within us. The quality of our Prana, or the fundamental life force flowing through us, also called the Chi, can indicate the state of our physical and mental health. When our prana is high and flows through energy channels or nadis without obstruction, we are likely to feel positive and healthy. But if the energy flow is disturbed or meets obstructions in its course, they may develop into subtle blockages that may over time affect our health, if not cleared out. When these blockages are removed, our body gains the strength to heal itself quickly from an injury or illness.
The vital prana flows throughout the body-mind complex via subtle energy channels connected at multiple neuro-lymphatic nodes called marma points. Marma therapy is a powerful yet very subtle Ayurvedic massage practice that involves activating the nodes or marma points. Unlike other forms of massages that focus on lubricating the joints, oleation, and reducing muscle stiffness, marma may not involve the application of a lot of pressure on the body. But that does NOT mean marma does not work for your body organs or muscle tissues. It heals from within.
We have about 107 marma points located throughout our body. Each marma point is a meeting point of certain veins, ligaments, bones and joints in the manifest, and specific doshas, forms of prana called vayu, organs, and energy channels called srota. By simply stimulating or massaging these points we can strengthen the function and health of the particular organs; increase the flow of blood and improve awareness.
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