Ayurvedic Massage

Allyn Hall & Laura Repetto

At NHI, our reputation as a massage school is only as good as the quality of our teachers.  Thus, as qualified as our teaching staff is, we never rest on our laurels.  Our teachers constantly learn new material as in the recent Ayurvedic massage training led by fellow teacher Allyn Hall.

Since Ayurveda is a hot spa trend, San Francisco campus manager Tiahna Skye scheduled this training to help our teachers stay current in the field.  The treatment is similar in theory to shiatsu – it balances energy lines known as Nadis and helps to balance one’s dosha which can be thought of as one’s current constitution.  The hot oils are a blend of olive oil and sesame with fresh herbs and essential oils added to them. They are applied in strokes that trace the energy lines with a pressure and pace adapted to the individuals “dosha needs.”

Allyn Hall teaches, “Ayurveda can be translated as the ’study of long life.’  Everyone is made up of 3 different doshas and the level of each dosha can change depending on the weather, food eaten, stress in life, etc.  An abhyanga, or application of warm oil massage, can be used as one of many ways to balance a person’s dosha combination.  The abhyanga that our teachers played with at the training is a lush combination of physical and energetic massage that leaves the client both relaxed and uplifted.”

Some trainings are so delightful, it’s hard to call it work!  That’s one of the many perks of being a massage profession.