A Mini-Workshop on Ayurvedic Self-Care
Saturday April 22, 2023 9:30-11:30am
at 709 Main Road West Chesterfield, MA
Champi is a wonderful form of traditional Indian Ayurvedic self-massage (for everyone!) of the hair, skin, ears, face, head, scalp and neck - all with warm, luscious organic oil.
Many South Asian folks have luxuriant, gorgeous hair and skin (and are arguably more chill than Westerners, too) - and one likely reason might be because of champi, an ancient and traditional lifelong self-care practice that is often learned in childhood from Indian mothers and grandmothers. I was taught champi (and abhyanga) many years ago by a yoga friend who practiced Ashtanga and Ayurveda and had learned the technique in Mysore, India years before - and I have been using this wonderful self-care practice as part of my Ayurvedic self care methods consistently since then, to great benefit!
Why is self-massage of the head, etc. with warm oil so effective and beneficial?
Yoga vidya teaches that one of the seats of prana, lifeforce is in the head because our sense organs are housed there! Thus, the beneficial effects of massaging your head and hair with warm oil not include the cosmetic, but also mental/emotional and spiritual benefits, too, including:
While champi only addresses the head, neck and shoulders, it's also part of a longer and more comprehensive Ayurvedic massage of the entire body, called abhyanga, or sometimes snehana (sneha refers to oil, and snehana means applying oil to the body - but also means self-loving!)
Self-massage of the entire body is done weekly in the Indian tradition - and mostly on Saturdays! And, in the Ashtanga vinyasa yoga tradition I've studied for almost 25 years, it was recommended to take an oil bath on Saturdays (with castor oil!) in order to ease overworked soft-tissues, alleviate inflammation and remove excess heat from the body, help keep joints and connective tissue well lubricated, move toxins stuck deep in the tissues, help with getting good sleep, ease general irritation and frustration, and overall to help remove heat from the body and cultivate a more cooling sattva - clarity, wisdom, lightness - so that one's yoga practices accrue even more benefits for body, mind and soul. While we won't have time or the facilities to do a full abhyanga for our whole body, we can experience great benefits by focusing our massage on the head.
Please pre-register, as space is limited to 10 people!
When:
Saturday April 22, 2023 - Earth Day!
9:30-11:30am
Where:
Michelle's house at 709 Main Road
West Chesterfield, MA
See map
Cost:
All my classes are offered on a sliding scale, $15-25, based on your own financial wellbeing.
What to bring/wear:
Many South Asian folks have luxuriant, gorgeous hair and skin (and are arguably more chill than Westerners, too) - and one likely reason might be because of champi, an ancient and traditional lifelong self-care practice that is often learned in childhood from Indian mothers and grandmothers. I was taught champi (and abhyanga) many years ago by a yoga friend who practiced Ashtanga and Ayurveda and had learned the technique in Mysore, India years before - and I have been using this wonderful self-care practice as part of my Ayurvedic self care methods consistently since then, to great benefit!
Why is self-massage of the head, etc. with warm oil so effective and beneficial?
Yoga vidya teaches that one of the seats of prana, lifeforce is in the head because our sense organs are housed there! Thus, the beneficial effects of massaging your head and hair with warm oil not include the cosmetic, but also mental/emotional and spiritual benefits, too, including:
- alleviating hair loss
- stimulating hair growth
- creating thicker, stronger and more resilient hair
- eradicating dandruff and dryness
- reducing the liklihood of prematurely greying hair
- reducing blood pressure
- easing headaches, migraines, TMJ
- alleviating anxiety, anger and grief/sadness
- helping sleep troubles
- increasing mental clarity and alertness
- stimulating, nourishing and supporting the sense organs
- energizing and rejuvenating the entire body and mind
- cultivating a sense of deep peace and wellbeing
While champi only addresses the head, neck and shoulders, it's also part of a longer and more comprehensive Ayurvedic massage of the entire body, called abhyanga, or sometimes snehana (sneha refers to oil, and snehana means applying oil to the body - but also means self-loving!)
Self-massage of the entire body is done weekly in the Indian tradition - and mostly on Saturdays! And, in the Ashtanga vinyasa yoga tradition I've studied for almost 25 years, it was recommended to take an oil bath on Saturdays (with castor oil!) in order to ease overworked soft-tissues, alleviate inflammation and remove excess heat from the body, help keep joints and connective tissue well lubricated, move toxins stuck deep in the tissues, help with getting good sleep, ease general irritation and frustration, and overall to help remove heat from the body and cultivate a more cooling sattva - clarity, wisdom, lightness - so that one's yoga practices accrue even more benefits for body, mind and soul. While we won't have time or the facilities to do a full abhyanga for our whole body, we can experience great benefits by focusing our massage on the head.
- I'll show you how to warm up the oil on your own, tell you which kinds of oil are best depending upon the time of year, and offer you a few good options for purchasing your own oil - or for making your own!
- Before we begin our champi practice, I will show you how to make a delicious, non-caffeinated spiced chai, offering it in a choice of cow's milk or oat milk, along with your choice of either turbinado, jaggery or maple syrup as sweeteners.
- We'll finish our mini-workshop with a short guided yoga nidra practice, or yoga sleep, to help integrate and compound the benefits of this amazing traditional self-care and healing method.
Please pre-register, as space is limited to 10 people!
When:
Saturday April 22, 2023 - Earth Day!
9:30-11:30am
Where:
Michelle's house at 709 Main Road
West Chesterfield, MA
See map
Cost:
All my classes are offered on a sliding scale, $15-25, based on your own financial wellbeing.
What to bring/wear:
- Because the benefits accrue the longer you allow the oil to soak into your hair and scalp, ideally, you'll not wash out the oil right away, but let it sit for at least an hour - or longer! (I'll show you how to best shampoo it out when you get home.)
- An old tee shirt with a wide neck, or even better, a tank top - it should be something that you don't mind getting oil on!
- Comfortable pants or old yoga tights that are also OK to get oil on, too
- Bring an old hand or bath towel to wrap up and/or put your hair in, after we're done with the champi
- Bring a comb or brush, and a hair tie if your hair is long
- An old knitted winter hat is a good idea to bring as well (you will need something that covers your head ears when you head home, as we don't want the oil to get cold on your head)
- A yoga mat and socks/a top layer to stay warm during yoga nidra/lying down
- Your own sweetener for the chai if you do not use maple syrup, turbinado sugar or jaggery.
- Your own alternative milk for the chai if you do not drink cow's milk or oat milk. (You may also have the chai unmilked and unsweetened; it is rich and nourishing on its own!)
When you learn how to balance your body - the microcosm -
you create more balance - and LOVE - in the macrocosm!
LOVING YOURSELF = LOVING THE EARTH
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
You don't need to go to a spa or on a special retreat to gain the benefits of self-care, but can experience it whenever you wish, in your own home.
I look forward to teaching you this wonderful, fun, beneficial, beautiful, economical, safe and environmentally-sound traditional self-care practice in community together!
Want to learn more?
Here's my friend Kiki Flynn, from whom I first learned about abhyanga, sharing its benefits. Enjoy:
you create more balance - and LOVE - in the macrocosm!
LOVING YOURSELF = LOVING THE EARTH
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
You don't need to go to a spa or on a special retreat to gain the benefits of self-care, but can experience it whenever you wish, in your own home.
I look forward to teaching you this wonderful, fun, beneficial, beautiful, economical, safe and environmentally-sound traditional self-care practice in community together!
Want to learn more?
Here's my friend Kiki Flynn, from whom I first learned about abhyanga, sharing its benefits. Enjoy: