Materials: 2-3 oz massage oil suited to your needs for balance, plastic squeeze bottle, pot of very warm water, old cotton towel or mat, paper towels.

Step 1. Pour the oil into the squeeze bottle and shut bottle tightly.

Step 2. Place the bottle in the warm water for 5 minutes or until the oil heats up to comfortably warm.

Step 3. Stand on your towel or mat in a comfortably warm, draft-free room.

Step 4. Squeeze the oil a little at a time into your palm and apply the oil to your body, working systematically down until your entire body is anointed with oil.

Step 5. Next, massage the oil into your skin, giving each part of your body adequate attention. Use up and down strokes over limbs and circular strokes over joints, chest and abdomen. Apply lighter pressure over chest and abdomen than over extremities. This process should take about 10-12 minutes.

Step 6. If massaging your scalp, apply oil to the crown of the head and then work the oil into your scalp with your fingers in outward circles.

Step 7. Sit quietly with eyes closed for 5 minutes, breathing deeply.

Step 8. Pat excess oil, if any, off with paper towels.

Step 9. Take a warm bath or shower, being very careful not to slip. Wipe excess oil off your feet before stepping off the towel or mat. Use a very gentle, non-soap cleanser and a gentle shampoo.

Step 10. Pat your skin with a towel and apply moisturizing lotion or a gentle natural dusting powder.


Note: The towels and mats you stand on for abhyanga will get stained and eventually oil-saturated, so use old ones and do not put them in washing machines or dryers. They should be periodically thrown away and replaced.