We rub the oil into our skin every day to nourish and protect the skin, as well as loosen the ama (toxic residue) that accumulates in our tissues due to stress. The warm water from the shower helps to open up the pores in the skin, allowing the oil to penetrate deep into the tissues.

The whole process shouldn’t take you longer than five minutes. When I’m in a rush, I can do it in 60 seconds.

Supplies needed:

An old towel to stand on
A plastic bottle of massage oil (you will only use a few tablespoons of oil each morning)
A sink full of hot water (optional, but recommended if you like using warm oil)

Optional: Fill your sink with hot water and put the bottle of massage oil in it for a few minutes to warm up.

Start to run the hot water in the shower so that it’s nice and steamy when you get in. Lay out your old towel on the floor in front of the shower to stand on while you do your abhy – it’ll protect your carpet/floor from any oil that spills.

Pour a tablespoon or so of oil into the palm of one hand and rub it between both hands. Start with the scalp. Rake your oily fingertips through your hair to get a layer of oil onto the scalp. Vigorously “shampoo” the oil into the scalp, moving the scalp in all directions. Next, apply a little bit of oil to the face, throat and neck, rubbing the oil into the skin. Try some little circles with your fingertips over the forehead, into the temples, around the cheeks and jaw. Do a couple strokes under the cheekbones from the bridge of the nose to the ears. Massage some oil into the ears. Be quick but make sure to touch everything once.

As for the rest of the body, the general guidelines are as follows: long strokes (back and forth, or up and down) over the long muscles (e.g. the biceps, triceps, forearms, thighs, calves…), and circular strokes over the joints (e.g. the shoulders, elbows, knees …). There’s really no wrong way to do this – follow your intuition. Cover as much of the body as you can with oil, and rub it in creating friction and heat between the palms of your hands and the skin. If you have time, do one or two strokes up and down each finger (and toe!), and use your thumbs for 10-20 seconds to dig into the bottoms of the feet.

Once your body is covered with oil, step into the warm shower and relax for a minute in the heat. You can shampoo your hair as usual, but just use soap where necessary, leaving a layer of oil on most of the skin.

Yes, you will get oil stains on your towels. Your bath towels will not last as long if you do a self-abhy every day and you will need to buy new ones more frequently. But so what? They’re just towels. It’s more important to nourish and protect your skin.

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